These military devices, leading to victory, must not be divulged beforehand.
~excerpt from Sun Tzu’s Art of War

Wouldn’t it be nice if our enemies would report in kind their numbers, troop movements and intentions.

“Starting next month, we will be able to remove 10,000 of our troops from Afghanistan by the end of this year, and we will bring home a total of 33,000 troops by next summer, fully recovering the surge I announced at West Point. After this initial reduction, our troops will continue coming home at a steady pace as Afghan Security forces move into the lead. Our mission will change from combat to support. By 2014 this process of transition will be complete, and the Afghan people will be responsible for their own security.”
~President’s speech to the nation (and our enemies), July 22, 2011

The leader of Afghanistan, President Hamid Karzai, is a loathesome creature who is part of the problem and fully aware, as is anyone else that wants to be honest with themselves, that his country will quickly revert back to the days of Taliban control after our troops are removed from this moonscape wasteland.

Don’t fight a battle if you don’t gain anything by winning.
~ Erwin Rommel, German Field Marshal in World War II

The Taliban and al-Qaida need only sit back and wait out our withdrawal as so eloquently outlined by Barack Obama. They are a patient enemy and in no hurry and will quickly have the country of Afghanistan back in their grip soon after the United States departs.

In the future, when embarking on a military solution, it is imperative that our political leadership understand when our country and people are threatened by an unrelenting force of evil it then becomes necessary to unleash “hell and damnation” upon those that would do us harm and allow our armed forces to fully deploy their might to crush our enemies at all costs.

“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won’t.”
~ General George S. Patton

If our politicians are unwilling and lack the “guts” to commit to this strategy then they have no business sending our military men and women into harm’s way. When our military might has to tip-toe around Rules of Engagement our troops bear the brunt of this policy with unnecessary casualties, prolonged war and a fleeting victory.

In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns.
~excerpt from Sun Tzu’s Art of War

Where in the annals of military history has it ever been appropriate to notify the enemy of our intentions? It seems to be the modern-day modus operandi of the political establishment. Whatever happened to “loose lips sink ships”, a reference to too much talk tips off the enemy in their favor. At this point it appears to be a futile thought to expect any political philosophy that would allow our military to achieve a victory before withdrawal.

For those unfamiliar with the term “wag the dog” it is when an event of lesser importance is purposely brought to primary importance taking the attention off of an event that would otherwise be of greater significance.

Obsessive attention has been given to Anthony Weiner and sucking the life out of every other newsworthy story. There is very little reported lately of the many American troops serving in harm’s way with a pending pullout in an unstable Afghanistan to start this summer per order of the Commander-in-Chief. 2011 stock market gains are gone after six consecutive weeks of falling share prices and no end to high gas prices with seemingly no attention to this by the Obama administration. Unemployment is on the rise indicating a slow-growth economy with plunging consumer confidence which directly reflects the failed policies of this President.

It has been non-stop Weiner dominating the headlines. Will we now have to be subjected to the sordid details of Weiner’s “treatment” over the coming months to mask any further bad news from the White House? The only way for Weiner headlines to go away is for him to resign, the sooner the better. There is real news happening out there that needs to be reported.

In 2006, I deployed to Fallujah, Iraq. My company lived in a bombed-out, defunct train station that served as a casualty collection point for both major 2004 Fallujahan battles. Fallujah was home to Al Qaeda in Iraq (AIQ) leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi. For a time, Zarqawi’s name was even bigger than Osama bin Laden. Zarqawi became notorious for gruesome propaganda videos showing him beheading American Nicholas Berg and British national Ken Bigley. On June 6, 2006, my unit received intelligence on the location of Mr. Bigley’s decapitated body. An insurgent involved in Mr. Bigley death was arrested and faced execution. He provided the rough location of Mr. Bigley’s remains in exchange for a life sentence. Recovering Mr. Bigley’s body was a top priority for the British government who faced tough questions at home over Britain’s continuing involvement in the Iraqi quagmire. I, along with a few other Marines and British soldiers, were sent to the area to locate Mr. Bigley’s body. We did locate a body, but DNA tests would determine it was not Mr. Bigley.

Why did I tell this story? One day later, Al Zarqawi was killed during an airstrike in the Iraqi town of Baqubah. This was a huge moral victory for U.S. troops and celebrations rang out across the free world. One day later, Zarqawi’s swollen, bloodied face was plastered in Stars and Stripes and thousands of other media outlets. Even with the photographs, rumors persisted in the Arab world whether the photograph really was Zarqawi. In the city of Fallujah, the bastion of the Iraqi insurgency, Zarqawi’s death was not welcome news.

Mere hours after searching for Zarqawi’s decapitated victims, I was risking my life distributing his death photograph in the streets. The powers-at-be believed that if we distributed fliers showing Zarqawi’s corpse, the locals would realize the tide was turning against the insurgency and we would win their support. The fliers also included a message written in Arabic detailing the account of Zarqawi’s death. The decision to release Zarqawi’s photograph was not wise and demonstrated a complete misunderstanding of Arab culture. We witnessed an immediate backlash of attacks after the flyer distribution. In Arab cities, many walls (particularly near mosques) are plastered with posters of the dead in their coffins. This is how Muslims honor their dead – particularly martyrs. Passerbys can pay their respect to those in the photograph. Children can see that if they die a martyr, they too, can have their picture plastered on mosque walls. To release bin Laden’s photograph would only inflame passions and make him out to be a martyr. Years from now, when bin Laden’s name is a mere footnote in history books as a mass murderer, our troops are home and safe, and insurgents cannot use the picture as a cause, then we can release these photos. Until that day, President Obama has made the right decision to keep the photograph from worldwide dissemination.

Except for a select handful of people no other American witnessed the birth of little Barack Hussein Obama. Therefore, even though not present during this event the facts remain that he was born and he is President. Any time and energy spent after today proving his birthplace should instead be used to ensure that the latter does not happen again in the 2012 election.

To the average American it appears nothing is moving forward in a positive way. Unemployment numbers are dismal, a gloomy housing market, gas prices are skyrocketing, horrendous national debt, war still raging, and an out-of-control deficit and spending mindset with no positive message that any of this is going to change in the near future. Additionally, we have a President that seems content on globetrotting around the planet bowing and apologizing on behalf of America – disgraceful.

The fact that Barack Obama was born cannot be changed but what can change is preventing him from being elected to a second term in office which is where the GOP should be placing their emphasis.

‘We’re doing this now because the politics we believe in does not start with expensive TV ads or extravaganzas, but with you – with people organizing block-by-block, talking to neighbors, co-workers, and friends. And that kind of campaign takes time to build.’
~Obama statement in an e-mail to supporters

Under Obama’s leadership millions of people continue to be unemployed, he signed into law health care reform that the majority of Americans did not want, the housing market remains down, gas prices have skyrocketed, and he is directly responsible for this country being trillions of dollars in debt. Let’s face it, he’s done enough already. How much more can America bear of this burden or President? Maybe he will resurrect the “Blame Bush” mantra.

Barack Obama is a living, breathing, walking example of a good gift of gab does not a good leader make, just easier to cover up one’s incompetencies with flowery oratory. He has even disappointed his ardent supporters. A surge in Afghanistan, backtracking on a decision to try terror suspects in civilian court and Gitmo is still open for business.

No doubt we will soon be reminded that he must be re-elected otherwise a loss would indicate a racist conspiracy.

And while we’re at it, just who are these rebel forces that are poised to overthrow Gaddafi? What kind of government will they bring to bear on Libya? Will it be the democracy that the White House administration is looking for?

There are many unanswered questions and Barack Obama fell short on making his case to the American people during last night’s speech.

A no-fly zone over Libya is being contemplated. Where is the Obama decision?

Stocks fall amid Japan’s nuclear disaster. What is the Obama response?

Obama’s unions are under attack. How does he support the unions that helped put him in the White House and appease the taxpayers at the same time?

The U.S. deficit is in the trillions of dollars. What is the Obama plan for spending cuts and reducing the deficit?

We have a White House administration that appears to be unable to convey a message of confidence that apparently comes from a lack of previous leadership experience.

After a couple of weekends playing golf the President will soon be on his way to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Will this be a head clearing vacation? Clean out the ol’ cobwebs so maybe a decision making process can formulate.

But wait. There was a Presidential decision made today. Barack Obama completed his NCAA tournament bracket predictions.

Maybe there is some hope afterall. That would be a change.

Facing heat from the Democratic party regarding his tax-cut compromise with the Republicans and unable to stand on his own merits, Barack Obama felt it necessary to call in the support of former President Bill Clinton to address reporters in the briefing room today. There’s the sign of a real leader – Bill Clinton that is. Obama stood back while Clinton took the stage and worked the crowd of gathered press correspondents.

As if it wasn’t bad enough to have the former President bail him out, Obama then leans over and informs him that the First Lady is waiting for him and he must leave. Complete with his characteristic biting lower lip and pointing finger Clinton did not miss a beat and continued to carry on the press conference while Obama turned and left. Bill Clinton appeared quite comfortable in his new role as proxy President.

When times get tough the tough get going – home to the wife.

On the other hand we now have a President that in lieu of providing solutions to our nation’s problems finds it appallingly necessary to continually blame the previous administration in order to take the focus off of his inadequacies of leadership. A great leader accepts inherited problems and sets about the task of rendering solutions to resolve those problems. Obama grasps the philosophy of the new American mantra of passing the blame while conveniently ignoring the fact that the Democratic party held the majority in Congress for two years prior to him taking office.

George W. Bush takes the high road whenever asked to offer an opinion on Barack Obama’s policies during his book promotion interviews. He refuses, a demonstration of a real class act.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman is steaming over a comment made by the President during a speech in Nashua, New Hampshire this week. It was the second time that Obama has used Las Vegas as a place not to spend your money.

“When times are tough, you tighten your belts. You don’t go buying a boat when you’re trying to pay your mortgage. You don’t blow a bunch of cash on Vegas when you’re trying to save on college.”
~Barack Obama

Once again the President cut loose with his condescending, chastising rhetoric toward Americans and their spending habits speaking like some mac daddy scolding his ladies. The last thing we need is financial advice from any Washington politician. Their fiscal track record leaves a lot to be desired.

When the Mayor stated that, “this President is a slow learner” you could almost hear a collective gasp from the Obama faithful. How dare he make a disparaging remark about this President. Doesn’t he know that Barack Obama is off limits when it comes to criticism? One would expect the President’s posse to ride into this western town, namely Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, for a showdown at high noon with Mayor Goodman.

Even Senator Harry Reid took offense to the President’s remarks and jumped into the fray siding with the Mayor.

“The President needs to lay off Las Vegas and stop making it the poster child for where people shouldn’t be spending their money. I would much rather tourists and business travelers spend their money in Las Vegas than spend it overseas.”
~Senator Reid statement

When the President denounced corporations that used bailout money for trips to Las Vegas last year it equated to a loss of revenue reportedly in the millions of tourist dollars. Mayor Goodman is trying to prevent a repeat of last year’s losses.

Maybe Obama should have used Chicago as a place not to go to spend your money.