Prime Minister of Thailand Yingluck Shinawatra meets with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin E. Dempsey in Bangkok, Thailand, June 5, 2012. DOD photo by D. Myles Cullen Just back from his first major trip to Southeast Asia, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said he laid out the context and rationale there for the Defense Department’s rebalance to a … [Read more...] about Defense Update — Dempsey: ‘Extraordinarily Dissatisfied’ With Pakistani Action Against Haqqani Network
More Bad News for Dems: Romney Outraised Obama in May
More news that is adding the narrative of a Democratic Party not just on the defensive but increasingly looking hapless and overwhelmed: Mitt Romney outraised Barack Obama in May: In his second month as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney outraised President Obama by almost 30 percent, raking in $76.8 million in May. The money will be shared … [Read more...] about More Bad News for Dems: Romney Outraised Obama in May
Some Things Are Funny
Some things are funny -- and some things DEFINITELY ARE NOT (and are lawsuit bait). … [Read more...] about Some Things Are Funny
Defense Update
As time and sources permit, I will be regularly posting a summary of important and/or interesting developments within the Department of Defense and our military Services. They will be narratives, compelling images, or a combination of the two. To get us started here are some interesting images from the past few days during which there were several military anniversaries, the … [Read more...] about Defense Update
Gay Marriage: Political Calculation and American Idealism (La Stampa, Italy)
Here we have a late arrival on the gay marriage issue from Italy, and I will admit to you, given all of the criticism that is directed at the United States, content like this makes me very proud of my country. In this analysis from a people that gave us the Roman Republic and has seen every type of political controversy thousands of years before almost anyone but the … [Read more...] about Gay Marriage: Political Calculation and American Idealism (La Stampa, Italy)
Syria is Another Iraq, with Israel Thrown In (An Nahar, Lebanon)
How and why might Western military intervention in Syria lead to a conflict messier, more unpredictable and more costly than the Iraq War? Columnist Samih Saab of Lebanon's An Nahar warns that the West, as it has so many times before, is miscalculating the danger of military intervention, and that if it goes ahead in Syria, it will open an almost unimaginable Pandora's Box of … [Read more...] about Syria is Another Iraq, with Israel Thrown In (An Nahar, Lebanon)
Poll: Two-Thirds of Americans Want Supreme Court to Overturn Part or all of Health Care Reform
Some say that the Supreme Court sometimes considers public opinion on issues they . If that's the case with the Obama adminstration's health care law, then it should be extremely worried about what's to come: More than two-thirds of Americans hope the Supreme Court will overturn some or all of the 2010 health care law, according to a new poll conducted by The New York … [Read more...] about Poll: Two-Thirds of Americans Want Supreme Court to Overturn Part or all of Health Care Reform
Congressional Support for Corrupt Colleagues
We’ve seen it before and we’ll see it again, members of Congress helping and protecting corrupt colleagues. Is it because the helpers know they may be under attack in the future and hope they’ll be assisted in their hour of need by their peers? Or is it merely payback for past help they received? Standing by corrupt colleagues is one of the few actions both parties can agree … [Read more...] about Congressional Support for Corrupt Colleagues
Millions of Passwords Stolen From eHarmony and LinkedIn
Reuters: Social networking site LinkedIn and online dating service eHarmony warned that some user passwords had been breached after security experts discovered scrambled files with passwords for millions of online accounts. The two companies declined to say how many accounts had been breached when they disclosed the breaches in statements issued on Wednesday. They only … [Read more...] about Millions of Passwords Stolen From eHarmony and LinkedIn
New Syrian Massacre Reported: Syria Blocks UN Monitors From Scene
The brutality in Syria is looking increasingly insidious. There's a report about a new massacre -- and UN monitors have been block from getting to the village to try and sort out the facts: Syria's security forces this morning blocked U.N. monitors from entering the village of Mazraat al-Qubeir to investigate claims that pro-government militias massacred dozens of … [Read more...] about New Syrian Massacre Reported: Syria Blocks UN Monitors From Scene
The Auction Election that Killed Labor
WASHINGTON - Karl Rove and Company put Wisconsin up for sale and Democrats didn't make a serious bid. You can't get outspent 10 to 1 and expect to survive. If they don't take this on the road they're nuts. With his defeat of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and the union leaders who rallied for months against Walker's agenda, the rising GOP star became the first governor in U.S. … [Read more...] about The Auction Election that Killed Labor
In the 2012 Presidential Election Obama Won’t Go Tourist
An old joke about a guy who dies and goes to purgatory reminds me of Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012. The dead guy is given a chance to choose where he'll go. St. Peter takes him to Heaven and he sees people playing harps, listening to classical music and sees serenely happy people. The Devil then takes him to hell, where he sees people partying, singing to loud music, and … [Read more...] about In the 2012 Presidential Election Obama Won’t Go Tourist
Scott Walker’s recall victory: Can Mitt Romney win in Wisconsin, too?
Scott Walker beat back the recall. Now the question is: can Mitt Romney win in Wisconsin, too? A roundup is HERE. … [Read more...] about Scott Walker’s recall victory: Can Mitt Romney win in Wisconsin, too?
Tuned Out (Guest Voice)
Tuned Out by Peter Funt WASHINGTON -- I decided to spend some time in the visitors' galleries on Capitol Hill, to see firsthand what gridlock looks like. On the Senate floor, Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, was delivering a passionate speech about interest rates on student loans. "I just pray and beg my colleagues," he said, "please pass this. Keep student loan rates … [Read more...] about Tuned Out (Guest Voice)
Walk Recall Backfire
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Walk Recall Backfire
There’s Gambling Going On Here?
Dylan Byers at Politico is shocked that there was partisan coverage of the Walker recall election on the cable "news" networks. If ever there was a political event to lay bare the partisan ideologies of the cable news media, the Wisconsin recall was it. MSNBC was blatantly rooting for Tom Barrett to defeat Gov. Scott Walker, even sending union champion Ed Schultz to cover … [Read more...] about There’s Gambling Going On Here?
What You Should Really Think About Wisconsin
...is that what happened last night in Hong Kong was infinitely more important. If you're busy gloating, you are allowed 24 hours of it, max, before you start looking like a dumb jock who can't stop victory dancing after scoring one goal. All that happened was you won a state election you felt strongly about. And if you're upset, you are allowed exactly 24 hours of … [Read more...] about What You Should Really Think About Wisconsin
Quote of the Day: Top Three Conclusions From Wisconsin Recall Election
Our political Quote of the Day comes from The Daily Beast's John Avlon who gives the three top conclusions from the Wisconsin recall. Here are a few excerpts: It was a big win for Scott Walker and a big wake-up call for Democrats. The Wisconsin governor survived a recall effort that received more than a million signatures by gaining more votes in this special election … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day: Top Three Conclusions From Wisconsin Recall Election
Possible Good News For Democrats In Wisconsin Results
The results from last night's Wisconsin recall seem like a disaster not only for union political power, but in broader terms for Democratic hopes generally in November. But a close look at some numbers that appeared in The New York Times today, in a piece headed "Wisconsin Exit Polls: How Different Groups Voted," contained one number that might hint at something else. … [Read more...] about Possible Good News For Democrats In Wisconsin Results
So What Does Human Flesh Taste Like?
So what does human flesh taste like? The answer: just like veal. American adventurer William Buehler Seabrook wrote of his experiences in his book Jungle Ways, published in 1931. He noted that human flesh actually tastes 'just like veal'... ....The account follows his travels in West Africa, where he spent time with the Guero people, and joined them as they feasted on … [Read more...] about So What Does Human Flesh Taste Like?