Reminder: Most of the comments below are links to stories being commented upon. I urge you to read the links for background to my commentary.
More articles for discussion and consideration, now that the world has moved passed the Iowa Caucuses – I think the candidates should get over them and move on rather than petulantly complain that somebody cheated. Politics is a blood sport, and playing rough is part of the game … and in presidential politics, it probably is good preparation for dealing with the global political stage.
Having said that, let’s advance to what I found during my grazing of the internet.
Actually, I think the Navy is on to something here. Now, I did learn as a teen how to do celestial navigation but I never used the training. However, it reminds me of something I used to tell my troops back in the National Guard: All this new computer gadgetry is great, until the unit takes a bullet or too much dust or you run out of batteries, then you dang well better know how to do the same stuff with a map, a chart board and a range-deflection protractor. Otherwise, you are going to be useless.
There is a new commission report out on the future of the US Army. This article is a bit critical of its focus and probably offers some valid points about the need to review history while thinking outside the box ... and do some realistic assessments on what the Army really needs to prepare for.
This article looks at the same report and is a lot less critical. Says a lot of good things about it, so the comparison provides good food for thought.
This essay makes the point that not addressing the most recent experience of the Army's wars will not help it win future wars. Of course, the argument there really is about what shape will those conflicts take and how can the Army (as well as the other services) be shaped to be successful.
Women in combat units ... great debate ... but the point here is that a) it is going to happen ... and b) if they are going into combat units then all able-bodied women, like their male counterparts, need to register and be eligible for the draft. In that I agree with the military chiefs.
This is an interesting piece on losing focus on your strategic objectives that truly lie in the interest of successfully winning a war. Hitler lost his focus at Stalingrad (really a non-strategically vital objective), split his forces, which caused him to fail both objectives and World War II. There really are some very good lessons here.
The next president - regardless of whom it may be - is going to face a rather prodigious task of recovering from the debacle that has been the Obama Administration in the realm of global security policy.
A look at how President Obama's policies - under whatever guise you want to cast it - basically has eviscerated the American military to the point where it really is going to be challenged to meet the threats from Russia, China, ISIS and the rest of the chaos in the world.
This, unfortunately, provides an excellent example of the bubble the President and his followers travel in. The Iranians just aren't playing by the same rule book ... nor is the rest of the world, which in the end analysis really only respects a mailed fist ... despite what progressives may think.
North Korea's expected launch of a long-range missile - it really doesn't matter if it for launching satellites or nuclear warheads, the tech is the same - probably is going to happen ... and it is yet another example of the shortcomings of the vision of John Kerry and President Obama, etc.
This article was written in 1999 ... but unfortunately for several iterations of US foreign policy makers - including the current administration - just didn't get the memo. It remains essentially valid today as it was then. And basically is being validated by current events.
I happen to agree with Paul Greenberg that the fact we have abandoned the ideals put forth by Douglas MacArthur in his last address to the Corps of Cadets at West Point about the importance of "Duty, Honor, Country" in that those ideals have been lost in the intervening years up to now and that the nation ... and our society ... is much the worse for that.
This is an interesting essay on how capitalism has promoted the equality of our material well-being. That through capitalism and its power of innovation and invention and the mass marketing of the results, more people everywhere share a standard of living where poor people really do have access to the same technology the wealthy have ... amazing isn't it, when you think about it.
In many ways, there is much truth here ... although I think the peace is much more fragile.
It really is strange how similar situations are portrayed so differently ... primarily to advance a political agenda that should be an anathema to those who really are dedicated to individual freedom and liberty.
For those who don't "do" politics ... actually we do it every day ... and I disagree with the assumption that electoral politics is not worth participating in. But it is an interesting point of view.
This article in the Atlantic tries its best to spin Hillary Clinton's narrow victory as something more than it was ... like it was a triumph over terrible odds. Ah ... that is rather a load of that stuff metaphorically called bovine scatology. Actually it is much more equivalent to the catastrophic near defeats LBJ experienced in the early caucuses and primaries on 1968 that led, very soon after, with the entry of RFK into the race (who stole the thunder from Gene McCarthy who did the heavy lifting) and LBJ's decision not to run.
When I read this article asking us to cut Hillary some slack, I was struck by the sexist argument that she deserves it because she is a woman. Look folks, the world is not going to cut the next US president any slack, man, woman or orangatang
Interesting perspective on Clinton's e-mail problems ... and how it threatens to suck Obama into it. It also points out the hypocrisy of prosecuting Gen. David Patraeus and the problem that makes for decision not to prosecute Clinton ... and possibly Obama, for the same violations.
Back to the Iowa Caucuses ... it seems that Cruz won the GOP round by doing the old fashioned way ... working for his votes. OK, he played some hardball with Ben Carson, which probably wasn't necessary, but everything was legal ... if not necessarily by the Marquess of Queensbury definition of a sportsman-like effort.
Oh how the pundits are disappointed ... they thought they already had coronated the two major parties nominees. And now, it seems that the other states may just get to actually have a voice in who their party nominees will be, and not the talking heads inside the Beltway and New York City. It might be a long spring campaign, with possibly no resolution. Wouldn't that be refreshing to watch in August: How a brokered convention is conducted in the era of instant social media
And for those of you out there who live, breathe and die about the latest polling data ... note that, as usual, it is mostly wrong.
Good advice to the Republican Party from Victor Hanson ... If Trump falters, don't forget the legions who support him ... do what you can to inspire them to stay with the coalition.
Sadly, there is a lot of truth in this warning about tyranny. Both the left and the right are advancing it with their visions of how government can be the arbiter and solution to all the problems facing the nation. That path, unfortunately, does lead us unto the tyranny of dependency.
You know, there is enough blame to go around in the Flint water debacle. Whether it is the incompetence and malfeasance of the elected officials that got the city into receivership or the nimcompoops the governor appointed to rescue the city. As I say, pox on all their houses ... and hooray for those non-government groups who are stepping in to help resolve the crisis.
I suspect that this case could turnout to be a landmark case, for more reasons than seem apparent ... if the court so chooses. A) I hope the Supremes take the case. B) I would hope they would argue it expeditiously and decide it in the current term. Not that that is likely to happen, but I can dream, can't I.
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