Combat Camera: Medical Assistance in Afghanistan

Local villagers wait in line to be seen by medical personnel during a medical civic action program in Nawa, Afghanistan, hosted by Provisional Reconstruction Team Ghazni and the Cooperative Medical Assistance team from Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, Sept. 5, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Bertha A. Flores

An Afghan national policeman searches a young boy before he can enter the clinic area for treatment from military doctors during a medical civic action program in Nawa, Afghanistan, hosted by Provisional Reconstruction Team Ghazni and the Cooperative Medical Assistance team from Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, Sept. 5, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Bertha A. Flores

U.S. Army Spc. Nesbia Dominquez administers de-worming medicine into the mouth of a local child during a medical civic action program in Nawa, Afghanistan. The program was hosted by Provisional Reconstruction Team Ghazni and the Cooperative Medical Assistance team from Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, Sept. 5, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Bertha A. Flores

U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Reynaldo Espino looks through the trunks of medical supplies during a medical civic action program in Nawa, Afghanistan. The program was hosted by Provisional Reconstruction Team Ghazni and the Cooperative Medical Assistance team from Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, Sept. 5, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Bertha A. Flores

U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Robert Ramirez, assigned to the Provisional Reconstruction Team (PRT) Ghazni, examines a young man's face in Nawa, Afghanistan. The program was hosted by Provisional Reconstruction Team Ghazni and the Cooperative Medical Assistance team from Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, Sept. 5, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Bertha A. Flores

U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Reynaldo Espino looks at the leg of local an Afghan man during a medical civic action program in Nawa, Afghanista. The program was hosted by Provisional Reconstruction Team Ghazni and the Cooperative Medical Assistance team from Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, Sept. 5, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Bertha A. Flores

U.S. Navy Cmdr. Sandra Hearn, a cooperative medical assistance medical provider, helps an Afghan baby boy use an inhaler after determining he has asthma during a medical civic action program in Nawa, Afghanistan, hosted by Provisional Reconstruction Team Ghazni and the Cooperative Medical Assistance team from Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, Sept. 5, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Bertha A. Flores

U.S. Army Spc. Timothy Guinta, with 1st Battalion, 102nd Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, scans his perimeter during a convoy returning to Forward Operating Base Warrior, Afghanistan, from a medical civic action project (MEDCAP) conducted in Nawa, Afghanistan, Sept. 5, 2006. The Cooperative Medical Assistance Team of Bagram and the Ghazni Provisional Reconstruction Team hosted the MEDCAP. U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Bertha A. Flores

U.S. Army soldiers from Provisional Reconstruction Team Ghazni assess a bridge to verify it is clear to cross during a convoy returning to Forward Operating Base Warrior from a medical civic action program in Nawa, Afghanistan, Sept. 5, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Bertha A. Flores

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Religion of Peace Update: Muslim Fury Over Pope Remarks

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Dispatches From the Front, Fri 15 Sep. 2006

Two F/A-18 Hornet aircraft from Strike Fighter Squadron One Nine Five perform a high-power flyby over USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63), which is under way in the Pacific Ocean, Sept. 11, 2006. DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Joshua Wayne LeGrand, U.S. Navy. (Released)

Twenty seven U.S. Soldiers serving in Afghanistan become American citizens
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (CENTCOM) -- Twenty seven U. S. Soldiers serving on the front lines of the war on terror in Afghanistan became the newest American citizens during a special July 4 overseas military naturalization ceremony here.

Measuring Iraq: progress and challenges
BAGHDAD (CENTCOM) -- Gauging the progress of security, reconstruction and governance efforts in Iraq is a challenge unto itself, U.S. officials said Tuesday. While in Baghdad senior U.S., Iraqi and Coalition leaders discussed signs of improved security in the capital’s Adhamiyah district, in Washington Pentagon officials stressed the importance of recognizing that security conditions in Iraq vary widely by region.

USS Raven Assists Iranian Vessel
ABOARD USS RAVEN, At Sea (CUSNC) -- U.S. Navy mine hunter USS Raven (MHC 61) provided emergency medical assistance to an Iranian-flagged fishing dhow that requested assistance for an injured crew member.

CVW 1: Strike Missions Continue For Ninth Day
ABOARD USS ENTERPRISE (CUSNC) -- For nine consecutive days aircraft assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1 stationed aboard USS Enterprise (CVN 65) have provided support to International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops on the ground as part of Operations Medusa and Enduring Freedom near Kandahar, Afghanistan.

STATEMENT ON THE STATUS OF Al ANBAR PROVINCE BY MAJ. GEN. RICHARD ZILMER
FALLUJAH, Iraq (CENTCOM) -- Recent media reports fail to accurately capture the entirety and complexity of the current situation in the Al Anbar Province of Iraq. The classified assessment, which has been referred to in these reports, was intended to focus on the causes of the insurgency. It was not intended to address the positive effects Coalition and Iraqi forces have achieved on the security environment over the past years.

Video: Charlie Operations
B-roll of U.S. Soldiers assisting the Iraqi police with a crime scene investigation. Scenes include U.S. Soldiers taking statements, photographing a crime scene, and talking to local Iraqi's. Also see "Charlie Operations" in the Package section.

Video: OIF Today 477
This edition features headlines on service members and civilians participating in a remembrance walk, Soldiers capturing terrorists, and Iraqi police uncovering a weapons cache. Hosted by Gunnery Sgt. Otto Ellerbrock

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The Decline and Fall of Western Civ. for 14 Sep Extra Edition

So much news rolled downhill today, an extra edition of DFWC is required to scoop it all up.

• AP reports a rebellious Senate committee defied President Bush on Thursday and approved terror-detainee legislation he has vowed to block, deepening Republican conflict over a key issue in the middle of congressional campaigns.

• McCain says he will risk presidency over CIA jails because of possible loss of support from Republican lawmakers and voters, reports FT.com. One needs look no further than this episode to see McCain's folly. Core conservatives and Reagan Republicans have already had enough compassionate conservatism of the brand that currently inhabits the White House. I can't imagine a vote-winning liberal-Republican. McCain really has little chance to be president. Running on his record will not garner Republican support, and Democrats will just vote Democrat. Don't be surprised if McCain gets 'Liebermanned' out. As for me, I want to know when the terrorists actually signed on to the Geneva Conventions so I can complain the next time I see a head roll. In the end, the terrorists only see our dissent and confusion as weakness; there is confusion enough on the battlefield without our leaders adding to the chaos at home. (edits)

• The Washington Post reports former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell came out in opposition today to White House-sponsored legislation to create special military commissions that would try terrorist suspects, saying he rejects efforts to "redefine" a key provision of the Geneva Conventions. Powell, a retired Army general who formerly headed the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated his position in a letter to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), one of three Republican senators who are blocking President Bush's plan for military tribunals. Text of the letter. With his former buddyformer Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage in the news, and questions about what Powell knew of the Plame leak, the whole business smacks of wag the dog politics. Is Powell seeking to cover Armitage by aiding McCain, Graham and Warner in their defense of terrorist detainees?

• The world may be experiencing a period of global warming, its just that the Summer of 2006 was not as warm as the Summer of 1936, according to NOAA.

• In this morning's DFWC, I reported that John Kerry said of Boat Vets activism in the '08 election, "I'm prepared to kick their ass from one end of America to the other." Swift Vet John O'Neil responds, John Kerry recently volunteered that he was prepared to “kick [the Swift Boat Veterans’] ass from one end of America to the other” and that he would “demolish” us. He ought to take a Christmas cruise to Cambodia to calm down. Maybe he could take a side trip to tour “Genghis Khan” ruins, according to Human Events. O'Neil continues, it is a little difficult to imagine Kerry (“I voted for it before I voted against it”) kicking the most decorated living serviceman, Bud Day, a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, or our salty commander, Adm. Roy Hoffman, anywhere. Perhaps Kerry had in mind using a “Rice Fanny Grenade” as he did by mistake on himself shortly before leaving Vietnam. If so, based on the record, he is in far more danger than anyone else.

• Jimmy Carter blasts British foreign policy under Tony Blair in this video from BBC. Carter says the U.K. is subservient to U.S. In a recent DFWC, I reported that British PM Tony Blair said Western leaders see the danger of Islamic extremism, but our public still does not. No telling how much of this disregard has been parlayed for the terrorists by the mainstream media. Truth be told, Jimmy Carter isn't a world leader.

• AP reports three weeks after unveiling a new "Survivor" gimmick -- its rival tribes would be split along racial lines -- the CBS adventure-game show returned Thursday to let viewers see if this was a crass ploy for ratings or a welcome new twist after a dozen previous editions. I forgot to watch. I'l be downloading the episode on iTunes as soon as it becomes available. The show is just another one of my 'guilty' pleasures....

• Speaking of segregation into tribes, Reuters reports the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday authorized building a fence along portions of the border with Mexico in a vote critics said had more to do with election year politics than controlling illegal immigration. More from AP. In other border news, a man driving into the United States from Canada is being held on charges that he bit a U.S. border guard's finger.

Tags: Decline and Fall of Western Civ, Open Thread, Wire, Headlines, United States, Bush, McCain, Carter, Survivor
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Combat Camera: Searching a School for Weapons

U.S. Army soldiers prepare to enter a school during an early morning raid in the Tameem district of Ramadi, Iraq, Sept. 3, 2006. The soldiers are with Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division based out of Baumholder, Germany. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

U.S. Army soldiers look for weapons during a morning raid at a school in the Tameem district of Ramadi, Iraq, Sept. 3, 2006. The soldiers are with Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division based out of Baumholder, Germany. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Shawn Re' searches a school office during a morning raid in the Tameem district of Ramadi, Iraq, Sept. 3, 2006. Re' is with Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division based out of Baumholder, Germany. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

U.S. Army soldiers search a school for weapons caches during a morning raid in the Tameem district of Ramadi, Iraq, Sept. 3, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Ian Blackstone checks on his soldiers' status while searching a school during a morning raid in the Tameem district of Ramadi, Iraq, Sept. 3, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

U.S. Army soldiers search a school for weapons caches during a morning raid in the Tameem district of Ramadi, Iraq, Sept. 3, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

U.S. Army soldiers escort Iraqi men out of a school during a morning raid in the Tameem district of Ramadi, Iraq, Sept. 3, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

U.S. Army soldiers move to their next objective during a morning raid in the Tameem district of Ramadi, Iraq, Sept. 3, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

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The Decline and Fall of Western Civ. for 14 Sep

Heads up, this news rolls downhill.

• According to AP, Candidate Ned Lamont gets help once again from multimillionaire Ned Lamont in his bid to oust incumbent Sen. Joe Lieberman. The wealthy Greenwich businessman spent about $4 million of his own money in last month's Democratic primary to defeat Lieberman.

• Also from AP, Lamont's campaign got a boost Wednesday from former President Carter, who offered a blistering critique of Lieberman's support for the Iraq war. "He's joined in with the Republican spokespersons by saying that Democrats who disagree are really supporting terrorism," Carter said. "So for all these reasons, I've lost my confidence in Joe Lieberman and don't wish to see him re-elected."

• Segway Inc. is recalling all 23,500 of the self-balancing scooters it has shipped to date because of a software glitch that can make its wheels unexpectedly reverse direction, causing riders to fall off - and in at least one incident, break some teeth, reports AP.

• Marie Michel's fifth child was one for the record books. Michel gave birth to a 14-pound, 13-ounce boy Tuesday at William W. Backus Hospital, reports AP. Backus officials said the newborn - Stephon Hendrix Louis-Jean - broke the 18-year record for the biggest baby ever born at the hospital by 1 pound, 13 ounces. He was nearly 23 inches long.

• The New York Times reports the White House took a critical step on Wednesday in its effort to get Congressional blessing for President Bush’s domestic eavesdropping program, but it ran into increasingly fierce resistance from leading Republicans over its plan to try terror suspects being held in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

• Now that local some of the nation's most pristine lands and endangered species may be affected by illegal aliens crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, typically-liberal environmentalists join with typically-conservative secure-border proponents, according to the Washington Times.

• From the Examiner, John Kerry says of the Boat Vets in '08, "I'm prepared to kick their ass from one end of America to the other." Kerry should be reminded that, unlike another enemy -- the one he shot in the back -- the Swift Boat Vets probably aren't going to expose their backsides while running away.

• Former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger warned that Europe and the United States must unite to head off a "war of civilizations" arising from a nuclear-armed Middle East, reports AFP.

• The BBC reports Pope's speech stirs Muslim anger: Muslim religious leaders have accused Pope Benedict XVI of quoting anti-Islamic remarks during a speech at a German university this week.

• And finally ynet news reports Iranian president says: We can better lead the world. The nuclear standoff with West can be resolved peacefully; adds: ‘there is no need for UN sanctions against his country; US should moderate its language’

Tags: Decline and Fall of Western Civ, Open Thread, Wire, Headlines, United States, Bush
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Combat Camera: Training the Iraqi Army

Iraqi army soldiers with Military Police, 7th Iraqi Army Division listen to a patrol and breach training class at Camp Blue Diamond in Ramadi, Iraq, Sept. 2, 2006. U.S. Army soldiers with Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division based out of Baumholder, Germany, are conducting the class. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

U.S. Army 1st Sgt. David Shaw instructs Iraqi army soldiers from the Military Police, 7th Iraqi Army Division during a patrol and breach training class at Camp Blue Diamond in Ramadi, Iraq, Sept. 2, 2006. Shaw is with Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division based out of Baumholder, Germany. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

Iraqi army soldiers from the Military Police, 7th Iraqi Army Division practice formation movements during a patrol and breach training class on Camp Blue Diamond in Ramadi, Iraq, Sept. 2, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

An Iraqi army soldier from the Military Police, 7th Iraqi Army Division practices formation movements during a patrol and breach training class at Camp Blue Diamond in Ramadi, Iraq, Sept. 2, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

U.S. Army Spc. Matthew Erickson, left, and Spc. Timothy Sledge display proper formation movements to Iraqi army soldiers from the Military Police, 7th Iraqi Army Division during a patrol and breach training class on Camp Blue Diamond in Ramadi, Iraq, Sept. 2, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

Iraqi army soldiers from the Military Police, 7th Iraqi Army Division practice formation movements during a patrol and breach training class at Camp Blue Diamond in Ramadi, Iraq, Sept. 2, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

Iraqi army soldiers from the Military Police, 7th Iraqi Army Division practice breaching a house during a patrol and breach training class on Camp Blue Diamond in Ramadi, Iraq, Sept. 2, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

U.S. Army soldiers simulate breaching a house for Iraqi army soldiers from the 7th Iraqi Army Division during a patrol and breach training class at Camp Blue Diamond in Ramadi, Iraq, Sept. 2, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

An Iraqi army soldier from the Military Police, 7th Iraqi Army Division listens to instructions during a patrol and breach training class at Camp Blue Diamond in Ramadi, Iraq, Sept. 2, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

Iraqi army soldiers with Military Police, 7th Iraqi Army Division listen to a patrol and breach training class on Camp Blue Diamond in Ramadi, Iraq, Sept. 2, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

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The Decline and Fall of Western Civ. for 13 Sep

Heads up, this news rolls downhill.

• Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold called on President Bush to refrain from using the phrase "Islamic fascists" to define the enemy. "We must avoid using misleading and offensive terms that link Islam with those who subvert this great religion or who distort its teachings to justify terrorist activities," Feingold said Tuesday. Apparently Feingold is concerned that the message is in conflict with the Democrat talking point that Bush is the enemy. Yo' Senator, where is your outrage over terrorist's subversion of a religion? Scary.

• File this Radar Online story under "I told ya' so." The blog, Think Progress, citing three sources, reported today that Air America Radio is filing for bankruptcy on Friday. Left unpaid for months, Air America personality and comedian, Al Franken said, "We do know that there have been cash-flow problems. I haven't been paid in a while. Like, there's no cash flowing to me." Liberal talk radio fails for any number of reasons, including the fact that most folks listen to talk radio either in the car or at work, one of the simple facts the Air America folks seems to have overlooked. In other news concerning failing radio ventures, Greenstone Media, a radio company whose founders include social activist Gloria Steinem and actress Jane Fonda, has launched an all-women, all-talk network across the United States, reports Reuters.

• Reuters and the Washington Post report that one-time covert CIA officer Valerie Plame sued the former No. 2 official at the State Department on Wednesday, accusing him of violating her privacy rights. However, the lawsuit did not accuse Richard Armitage, who was deputy secretary of state in the Bush administration, of participating in an administration conspiracy to blow her cover: still no cure for the common cold, no apology from the mainstream media for creating 'Plamegate.' Far more interesting is columnist Bob Novak's piece on the real story behind Armitage's role.

• It's the economy, stupid. Yes, it is the economy, alright. AP reports the federal budget deficit, helped by a surge in government revenue (make that more tax revenue even with tax cuts), is running 14.1 percent below the pace of last year, the government reported Wednesday. Al-Reuters, electing to report the story as a headline for the month of August alone, made it appear as if the deficit is growing faster.

• George Clooney is slated to speak to the UN Security Council Thursday about Darfur, reports Deadline Hollywood.

• While I am not holding my breath, I am waiting for the first (or any, for that matter) sign of Democrat outrage at a new film depicting President Bush's violent assassination. The Daily Mail has linked a video clip. I don't plan to watch.

• Web videos posted on YouTube mock U.S. war deaths with dozens of videos purporting to show individual American soldiers being killed in Iraq, in what amounts to snuff films, overlaid with music and insurgent slogans, according to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

• And finally, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, standing up for America in a way many Americans haven't, launched a withering attack on Thursday on what he called "mad anti-Americanism" among European politicians, reports Reuters.

Tags: Decline and Fall of Western Civ, Open Thread, Wire, Headlines, United States, Bush
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Wednesday News Open Thread

• Drudge reports that Bob Novak claims in a column set for Thursday release, "When Richard Armitage finally acknowledged last week he was my source three years ago in revealing Valerie Plame Wilson as a CIA employee, the former deputy secretary of state's interviews obscured what he really did." Novak, attempting to set the record straight, writes: "First, Armitage did not, as he now indicates, merely pass on something he had heard and that he 'thought' might be so. Rather, he identified to me the CIA division where Mrs. Wilson worked, and said flatly that she recommended the mission to Niger by her husband, former Amb. Joseph Wilson. Second, Armitage did not slip me this information as idle chitchat, as he now suggests. He made clear he considered it especially suited for my column."

• Gas prices keep falling. Right now, gas is $1.99 a gallon in Iowa.

• Waves as high at 10 feet at Daytona Beach and surrounding beaches were blamed for injuring several people Tuesday, according to a Local 6 News report.

• AP reports where you live, combined with race and income, plays a huge role in the nation's health disparities, differences so stark that a report issued Monday contends it's as if there are eight separate Americas instead of one. Locally, Montgomery, Md. and Fairfax rank in the top 20 with a life expectancy above 80 years.

• Unable to attack on U.S .soil, terrorists rampage through Baghdad. Police found the bodies of 65 men who had been tortured, shot and dumped, most around Baghdad, while car bombs, mortar attacks and shootings killed at least 30 people around Iraq and injured dozens more, reports AP.

• The NY Post reports Taliban terror leaders who had gathered for a funeral - and were secretly being watched by an eye-in-the-sky American drone - dodged assassination because U.S. rules of engagement bar attacks in cemeteries, according to a shocking report.

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Combat Camera: Tue 12 Sep. 2006

Soldiers from Battery B, 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, pause at the end of a patrol near Wynot, Iraq.

Old Glory is retired from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History by the Army Old Guard Aug. 7, 2006. It will never be flown again. On Sept. 12, 2001, a day after the terrorist attacks, this flag was draped over the side of the Pentagon, where it remained for a month before it went to the museum.

Jacksonville Fla. (Sept. 11, 2006) - Sailors from USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67) read names of New York Fire and Police Department members who lost their lives during the terrorist attacks on the New York City World Trade Centers in a memorial held in Hemming Plaza. Several North Florida fire and police departments along with Sailors from Kennedy marched the streets of Jacksonville in honor of the individuals that lost their lives on September 11, 2001. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Scott A. Christopher

A flag hangs as a memorial during the 2nd Annual Freedom Walk at the Pentagon Sept. 10. The flag and lights illuminate the spot where American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon Sept. 11, 2001. As part of the tribute, 184 beams of light rose from the courtyard of the Pentagon for each of the lives lost when the plane crashed into the building. (DOD photo/Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley)

Why we are here.

Images 1-4 courtesy DoD. Click for hi-res.

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The Decline and Fall of Western Civ. for 12 Sep

Heads up, this news rolls downhill.

A Palestinian shows how a folded twenty dollar bill appears to show the World Trade Center buildings on fire.

• Unable to view reality through anything other than a political lens, Democrats contend the president used a prime-time address commemorating the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to make partisan arguments bolstering support for the Iraq war, reports AP. Note to Dems: If the U.S cuts and runs in Iraq, the terrorists will replay same the victory chants they used to celebrate 9/11 and the mediated ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

• AP reports Iran, Syria, North Korea and more than 100 other nations are pushing to broaden the world's definition of "terrorism" to include the U.S. occupation of Iraq and the Israeli invasion of Lebanon.

• A fundamental law of liberalism is trying to having things both ways. That said, unable to decide if Bush is an evil mastermind or a dolt, liberals and lefties flip-flop between blaming Bush for having a hand in the Sept. 11 attacks or calling Bush a dumb ol' devil. If anyone knows how the government has been able to contain leaks involving a 9/11 conspiracy, I'd sure be interested. With all the other government leaks to the press, I want to know how Bush was able to keep the lid on a conspiracy that could involve tens of thousands folks who would be potential leakers.

• At least ten stingrays have been found dead and mutilated on Australia’s eastern coast in the last week in what conservationists believe could be revenge attacks for the death of Steve Irwin, the popular naturalist and television personality, according to the Times Online.

• AFP reports New York transport authorities shut down part of the city's main bus terminal over a 'stink bomb' when someone spotted an object that resembled a hand grenade but was in fact a bottle of perfume.

• ROO TV presents a video of the Air Guitar World Championship.

Tags: Decline and Fall of Western Civ, Open Thread, Wire, Headlines, United States, Bush,
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Dereliction of Duty by Robert Patterson

BOOKS IN THE NEWS

Dereliction of Duty: The Eyewitness Account of How Bill Clinton Endangered America's Long-Term National Security by Col. Robert Patterson
(From the publisher) -- Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Robert "Buzz" Patterson was a military aide to President Clinton from May 1996 to May 1998 and one of five individuals entrusted with carrying the "nuclear football"—the bag containing the codes for launching nuclear weapons. This responsibility meant that he spent a considerable amount of time next to the president, giving him a unique perspective on the Clinton administration. Though he arrived at the job "filled with professional devotion and commitment to serve," he left believing that Clinton had "sown a whirlwind of destruction upon the integrity of our government, endangered our national security, and done enormous harm to the American military in which I served."

Dereliction of Duty is not a personal attack on President Clinton or a commentary on his various scandals; rather, it is a "frank indictment of his obvious—to an eyewitness—failure to lead our country with responsibility and honor." Lt. Col. Patterson offers a damning list of anecdotes and charges against the President, including how Clinton lost the nuclear codes and shrugged it off; how he stalled and lost the opportunity to launch a direct strike on Osama bin Laden at a confirmed location; how the President and the First Lady, and much of their staff, consistently treated members of the military with disrespect and disdain; and how Clinton groped a female Air Force enlisted member while aboard Air Force One, among other incidents large and small. A considerable portion of this slim book is devoted to the myriad ways in which President Clinton undermined the military, and hence the security, of the nation. He seriously questions Clinton's decisions to send troops to Somalia, Rwanda, Haiti, and Bosnia to accomplish non-military tasks without clear objectives. Having participated in each of these engagements, Lt. Col. Patterson personally "experienced the frustration of needlessly wasted lives, effort, and national prestige" as well as the alarmingly low morale that Clinton inspired.

This is certainly not the first anti-Clinton book, but it is different in that Patterson does not seem to have a political ax to grind. In fact, at times, he appears apologetic about having to write about his ex-commander in chief. Yet, in the end, this retired soldier felt his last act of service should be to share his experience with his country. --Shawn Carkonen

(From Publishers Weekly) -- No man is a hero to his valet-or his personal military aide, to judge by this memoir of the Clinton White House by a retired Air Force colonel who carried Clinton's "nuclear football" and had intimate access to the President from morning jog to evening card game. Although Patterson claims to have no political agenda and to personally like the man, he revisits all the familiar touchstones of conservative Clinton-hatred (he also suggests that the former president bears some responsibility for the events of 9/11). In Patterson's account, Clinton emerges as a careless, disingenuous frat boy, mercilessly hen-pecked by the domineering Hillary, whose tirades leave him looking like a "beaten puppy." He presides over a chaotic administration focused on spin and fund-raising; he fondles an Air Force One stewardess and ogles Patterson's wife in the Oval Office; he loses the nuclear launch codes; and he cheats at golf-which Patterson views as "not just a peccadillo but symptomatic of the way he approached life." Patterson also asserts that Clinton "directly and severely harmed this nation's security." Clinton debilitated the military, Patterson claims, by downsizing it, trying to remove the ban on homosexuals and put women in combat roles, "gutting morale" with pay freezes and "rudderless" peace-keeping missions, and turning it into an "armed social services agency." Worst of all, Clinton was soft on terrorism and missed a chance to get bin Laden with cruise missiles. Patterson raises important issues, but he seems most often affronted by what he sees as Clinton's belief that he "was privileged to conduct himself at a much lower code of conduct than the men or women he would repeatedly order into harm's way." There's a case to be made for Clinton's laxness on security matters, but Patterson's rendition is too anecdotal and brief, as well as too disgruntled-offended, even-to convince many. 8 pages of b&w photos.

Buy now from Amazon.com:
Dereliction of Duty: The Eyewitness Account of How Bill Clinton Endangered America's Long-Term National Security by Col. Robert Patterson

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Dereliction of Duty: The Eyewitness Account of How Bill Clinton Endangered America's Long-Term National Security

ALSO FROM ROBERT PATTERSON
Reckless Disregard: How Liberal Democrats Undercut Our Military, Endanger Our Soldiers, and Jeopardize Our Security

Tags: reviews, books, Headlines, wire, United States, Clinton
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Never Forget

Tags: terrorism, United States, 9-11, bin Laden, Al Qaeda, Flight 93
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