The Political Conundrum!

Another advertisement that is now showing from the US Army.

A high-ranking U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs administrator has been placed on paid leave in the wake of an investigation into his office.

Names for likely members of the team to head President-elect Barack Obama's intelligence team are quietly leaching out of the gray world. One top possibility is former Rep. Tim Roemer (D-Ind.), who helped sponsor the legislation that created the 9/11 Commission.

Even as possibly hundreds of thousands of veterans suffer from a collection of symptoms commonly called Gulf War illness, the government has done too little to find treatments for their health problems nearly two decades after the war ended, a panel commissioned by Congress said.

The U.S. Defense Department will give President-elect Barack Obama's transition team a rundown of "key decision points" it will face in his first 90 days as commander in chief, a senior official said Thursday.

As a new administration committed to addressing climate change takes office, intelligence and defense officials are laying plans to address the national security implications of a warmer planet.

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24474182-5006003,00.html

Really is it that bad? I mean it is bad in Afghanistan, trust me. It was bad in 2006, 2007 and as I have said on this blog until I was blue in the fingers…. 2008 is the worse. Admiral Mullen has stated that the war was not run correctly for the last 2 years and I completely agree. Imagine how frustrating it is to have been there and been part of that execution of war to know it was not being done right. I may be a First Sergeant and my troops may think that I rule the world and am the scariest thing they have ever experienced, but I was not in charge of the whole war. Trust me, there were many days I wanted to just be in charge of my Task Force for a day, much less then entire theatre. What I would have given to be the Commander for a day. I said then and even now that I would have had planeloads of people heading back to the states early because of the inability to lead, command and even soldier on a basic level. I would have cleaned house, starting in Baghram, then Kabul and then worked my way down from there.

Anyway, I digress….The point of this posting is that regardless of how bad I said it was back then and since then, I do not feel it is not in a downward spiral, but it could easily be if the focus does not get back on the proper execution of war plans and effective COIN operations. From my many sources in country right now I can tell you that there are small battles (against the enemy, against the cultural difficulties, and against the politics of higher command) that are being won every single day. ADM Mullen has recognized and stated that the war was taking the wrong direction. SECDEF Gates is in the position and is proving himself as an effective and smart leader, and lastly Gen Petraeus has the tactical expertise, leadership skills and open mind to realize that the great things he did in Iraq may not necessarily work verbatim in Afghanistan but he knows he needs to find the right recipe for success.

Are things going terrific right now on the entire war front? No. Can it be turned around with the right leadership and the proper focus? Yes. So unless the new Administration steps into DC and then rips the spine out of the military, then I think things will turn around.

In an effort to engage in an early discussion of the forthcoming Administration's policies regarding the War Strategies, I have reviewed and analyzed comments made by sources representing the national security team to the Washington Post about the "new strategies" to be explored regarding Afghanistan and Iran. Since the transition is taking place during an ongoing global conflict, it is important to discuss the propositions made by the forthcoming Administration, including at an exploration stage, because of the severe impact a finalized policy would have over the next four to eight years. Hence, the community is invited to be fully involved in the early stage analysis as a contribution to the finalization of the so-called new strategies. Following is my article published today in various outlets.

In his weekly radio address President Bush said, "In the long run, Americans can be confident in the future of our economy. We will work with our partners around the world to address the problems in the global financial system. We will strengthen our economy. And we will continue to lead the world toward prosperity and peace."

In his weekly radio address President Bush said, "In the long run, Americans can be confident in the future of our economy. We will work with our partners around the world to address the problems in the global financial system. We will strengthen our economy. And we will continue to lead the world toward prosperity and peace."