Mike Keefe, The Denver Post This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.

This just in via AP: President Barack Obama has pardoned the White House turkey. No, not the one who has been in charge of designing White House strategy and tactics in getting health care reform through Congress, but a turkey who is a real birdbrain. Here’s the complete ceremony, including Obama’s extensive remarks on this vital matter:

Traditionally, Americans give thanks for the blessings our families, our people and our country have continued to enjoy during the past year, and years past—and so we should. However, this Thanksgiving, as our nation faces many problems and we are on the verge of making pivotal decisions on, among others, war and peace, the economy and our common health care, I believe that is also appropriate and important...

Via that ever-present news source, The Washington Leak, Pres. Obama’s decision on Afghanistan, due to be announced on December 1, became known today. He is sending 34,000 more troops:

President Barack Obama is weakening the legs of his policies to stabilize Afghanistan through missteps in the important relationship with India. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is trying to repair some of the cracks during the current State visit but success is elusive so far. The White House’s fixation on Pakistan’s troubles in handling its incipient domestic Jihadist insurgency is blinding it to the fact...

Why are we kowtowing to the Chinese Government? Why are we treating this overpopulated two-tier perverted ruthless dictatorship with a distorted mercantile-capitalistic system so nicely? What have they done for us in return to merit such respect? They don’t deserve special treatment because they have a long history, nice cuisine, limited natural resources, and a lot of people. THEY MADE THEIR OWN CHOICES No...

It has been a while since I have written on two of the most controversial, expensive and important weapons programs in decades: The F-22 Raptor fighter and the F-35 multirole Joint Strike Fighter, or Lightning II. As we remember, on July 21, 2009, “in a dogfight almost to the end,” as the Washington Post reported it, Congress scrapped the F-22 program. Secretary Gates not only halted production of the F-22...

A group of nongovernmental organizations recently polled 704 randomly-selected Afghans about how decades of conflict has changed their lives. Andrew Sprung has a summary: 1 in 5 say they’ve been tortured, three quarters have been forced to leave their homes at some point in the endless civil war, 43% have had property destroyed. The survey also has what would seem to be some moderately encouraging findings...

Most of us fail to grasp the enormity of trillions of dollars, let alone billions, so let’s just throw the numbers out the window and for the sake of argument concede we’ll never pay back what we as a nation owe in our lifetimes or those of future generations. Instead, let’s focus on ending this insanity and establishing our priorities. For the most part, these are tough decisions our elected...

An article in last Wednesday’s USA TODAY caught my attention because of its “military nature.” Actually, it didn’t just catch my attention. With its front page column titled “Military’s ‘senior mentors’ cashing in,” and another two-page spread on the inside, it jumped at me, grabbed and kept my undivided attention. The article dealt with what has apparently become common practice among...

Just when you thought the world wasn’t dangerous enough, Iran is conducting war games to practice protecting their nuclear plants against attack from Israel or the US. The five day drill is said to cover as much as a third of the country and would involve much of the armed forces of the nation. This is not exactly good news, though it is hardly unexpected. With Iran moving towards the development of nuclear...

Dexter Filkins provides a supportive, eager-to-please report about the U.S. military’s “new” plans to aid local militias in Afghanistan that are fighting the Taliban. Here are the first few paragraphs:

Somehow I missed Sarah Palin’s proclamation, in an interview with Barbara Walters last week, that Jews are flocking to Israel, right now.  Here’s the transcript for the relevant section: Barbara Walters: Governor, let’s talk about some issues. The Middle East. The Obama administration does not want Israel to build any more settlements on what they consider “Palestinian territory.”...

Bill Moyers offers up a fascinating hour of history that is a must listen/watch for those of us who are seriously interested in considering the question of what to do in Afghanistan. Whether we agree or disagree, advocate more troops or pulling them out, like Obama or despise him, using LBJ’s taped phone conversations and his own remembrances, Moyers’ look at Johnson’s deliberations as he stepped...

Now that we’ve gotten some of the Chinese reaction to president Obama’s trip, it’s time to start sampling the reaction of the rest of the world. This article by the great Thomas Klau of Germany’s Financial Times Deutschland is not encouraging – and points out that without the U.S. able to exercise effective leadership, it’s time to grapple seriously with stronger global...

Yesterday, Rick Moran graced our humble pages once again asking the question which I have placed once again in the title of this response. (You can find another copy of the essay at his home page, with plenty of interesting comments from readers.)He also recommended the new History Channel series, World War II in HD. (I’m watching additional portions of that today, and it’s truly worth a look for...

What is the significance of President Obama’s habit of bowing to foreign royalty? Continuing with our coverage of China’s reaction to president Obama’s Asia tour, Diguo Zhunjiang for China’s state-controlled Global Geographic Times asserts that while this results in a great loss of face for the United States, he warns his readers not to be lulled into a sense of complacency by Obama’s...

Could we Win if We Had to Fight World War II Today? by Rick Moran The debate over “The Greatest Generation” and whether the way America is today could duplicate their stunning achievements in winning two wars and fighting through a depression while maintaining unity has been hashed and rehashed by far superior minds than mine. But I just can’t help thinking about it after watching the History...

I have frequently written on patriotism, “supporting the troops,” the cost of war as measured in “bullets and dollars” and, most important, on the cost of war as measured by the sweat, blood, tears and lives of our valiant troops. This, while Americans back home are not asked to sacrifice in any meaningful manner, and are even encouraged to “go shopping.” My words, however, are woefully inadequate...

Guest post by J.F. Murphy J.F. Murphy is a former Marine infantry officer and Iraq veteran who graduated from the U.S. Navy’s SERE program. He is a fellow of the Truman National Security Project. After nearly two months of deliberation, some have criticized the Obama Administration of foot-dragging a decision on Afghanistan. As a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, I could not disagree more. If the previous...

Can President Obama persuade China not to be so dependent on growth, particularly trade-dependent growth? Likening Beijing’s obsession with growth to a Chinese version of the ‘Berlin Wall,’ Feng Mengyun of China’s state-run Global Geographic Times expresses his hope that President Obama can do something to talk the Beijing leadership into turning over a new leaf. With some surprising...

There’s the cliched phrase: “It’s like watching a train wreck.” In “Terror in Mumbai,” which airs tonight 8 pm ET/PT on HBO, you get to see what no documentary has shown before: a “360 degree view” of a multi-pronged terrorist act, seen partly and genuinely from the terrorists point view. The reason: “Terror in Mumbai” uses actual cell phone instructional...

This is just incredible:

Jackson Diehl: [After months of deliberation in 2006], no one accused George W. Bush of dithering. So why does Barack Obama keep hearing the taunt as he deliberates about Afghanistan — and why do even some who sympathize with his dilemma find it hard to shake the feeling that this commander in chief lacks resolve? One part of the answer is easy: Bush was renowned for summoning plenty of resolve, and not...

On Monday, Think Progress trashed liberal pundit Mark Shields for allegedly saying, with regard to Obama’s patience on Afghanistan, [It] makes me nostalgic for those days when we had a manly man in the White House who could say, “Let’s kick some tail and ask questions afterwards” you know? That’s what we really need instead of any reflection. Kevin Drum read TP’s post and seconded the motion,...