The remarks were in sharp contrast to recent tension between the two neighbors over [...]]]> Remind me again why we’re still there?

Afghanistan would support Pakistan in case of military conflict between Pakistan and the United States, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said in an interview to a private Pakistani TV channel broadcast on Saturday.

The remarks were in sharp contrast to recent tension between the two neighbors over cross-border raids, and Afghan accusations that Pakistan was involved in killing the chief Afghan peace envoy, former Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani, by a suicide bomber on September 20.

“God forbid, If ever there is a war between Pakistan and America, Afghanistan will side with Pakistan,” he said in the interview to Geo television.

In making his remarks, Hamid Karzai seems to be making it pretty clear that Afghanistan is no ally of the United States, which leaves me wondering why we’re still wasting money – and more importantly, American soldiers’ lives – in a country that isn’t our ally.

After the revelation of the plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the US, Representative Peter King stated such a plot is essentially a declaration of war on the US by Iran.

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King says [...]]]> This came from a Madison friend of mine last week (yeah I am late):

After the revelation of the plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the US, Representative Peter King stated such a plot is essentially a declaration of war on the US by Iran.

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King says the Iranian plot to assassinate Saudi Arabia’s ambassador and blow up the Saudi and Israeli embassies in Washington “crossed a red line,” and had it been successful “basically you are talking about an act of war.”

So the question is, if this plot is an act of war against the US, what exactly are our continued drone assassinations in Pakistan and Yemen considered? Aren’t we essentially waging war in and possibly against Pakistan and Yemen? And is the reason they only verbally complain is that they fear our military and need our foreign aid dollars? But how long can WE support continued undeclared warfare in supposed allied and sovereign nations?

H/T Paul W.

On Thursday, Meyer was presented with the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award, [...]]]> This is a well-deserved honor….

Defying orders and tempting fate, Marine corporal Dakota Meyer charged five times in a Humvee into heavy gunfire in the darkness of an Afghanistan valley to rescue comrades under attack from Taliban insurgents.

On Thursday, Meyer was presented with the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award, by President Barack Obama.

Meyer’s courage during the six-hour ambush and firefight saved the lives of 36 people, both Americans and Afghans. He killed at least eight Taliban insurgents. Firing from a gun turret on top of the Humvee driven by a fellow Marine, he provided cover for his team, allowing many to escape likely death.

It goes without saying that Sgt. Dakota Meyer is a hero of the highest order, and he represents all that makes our armed forces great.

While Congressman Grayson gave a very frank and (in my view) on [...]]]> Alan Grayson, a hero to the left, recently lost his re-election campaign and just finished up his term. He was recently the subject of an interview with the NY Times, the so called paper of record.

While Congressman Grayson gave a very frank and (in my view) on the money assessment of the current state of the democratic party:

“What did the environmentalists see over the last two years?” he asked. “A proposed monumental increase in subsidies for nuclear power industry and offshore drilling.”

As for gay voters, he said: “What they got to see was a judge order that ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ no longer be enforced and a Democratic president appeal that decision. That is what that constituency saw before Nov. 2.” (The law was repealed in the final hours of the 111th Congress.)

By Election Day, Democratic voters in many districts felt that they had no real choice, Mr. Grayson said.

“If you want people to support you, then you have to support them,” he said. “You have to think long about what you did for people who voted for you, made phone calls for you, who went door to door for you.”

The line that I found most telling of the interview was this one.

He even gave his legislation provocative names, like the “The War Is Making You Poor Act,” which sought to reduce taxes by requiring the Defense Department to finance the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan within its relatively small annual budget. (It did not pass.)

How Mr. Barbaro and the NY Times editorial staff could of let such an amazing line slip by is beyond me. Not since the

Judith Miller fiasco, has such an outlandish line been printed in the Times. As has been pointed out, we spend about 50% plus on Defense. I did not look, but I wonder if you could find in the NY Times a story on how big Social Security is or maybe all of the money we spend on the department of education…

How telling for the current state of journalism.

When it came to the actual details of governing, Senator Russ Feingold, a Democrat of Wisconsin, trounced his Republican challenger, Ron Johnson, [...]]]> Obviously I agree with the New York Times on this one, or I wouldn’t bother re-posting it here. But the vacuous campaign being run by Mr. Ron Johnson hasn’t gone unnoticed nationally!

When it came to the actual details of governing, Senator Russ Feingold, a Democrat of Wisconsin, trounced his Republican challenger, Ron Johnson, in a debate in Wausau, Wis., on Monday night. He knew that the new health care law will not reduce Medicare spending but will slow its staggering rate of growth. He knew that a vast majority of small businesses would not pay higher taxes if rates went up on the wealthy and that global warming isn’t caused by sunspots. He knew that without the 2009 stimulus there would be at least 1.5 million fewer people with jobs.

Mr. Johnson, on the other hand, proudly proclaimed recently that he doesn’t “think this election is about details.” That’s as good an explanation as any of why — in Wisconsin as in so many states — candidates like Mr. Johnson are ahead in the polls. Insurgent Republicans don’t need details when they can play on the furious emotions of voters who have been misled into believing that positive changes like the health care law are catastrophic failures.

The public’s lack of attention to detail, and Mr. Johnson’s willingness to exploit it, could end the career of Mr. Feingold, who in three terms has distinguished himself for trying to bring fairness to campaign finance and decency to national security, among other achievements. He has routinely crossed party lines to work with Republicans and has had the courage to break with his own party more often than almost any other senator.

Many Democrats are running away from their solid accomplishments of the last two years, apologizing for their association with President Obama. Mr. Feingold is one of the very few with the self-confidence to offer a full-throated defense of his votes.

Please read the rest at your leisure. There aren’t many days left before the election but I expect that Senator will finally close the gap by November 2nd!

I have been meaning to post this for some time, just never got around to it until now…