CALIFORNIA YANKEE

Fort Hood hero: President Obama 'betrayed' shooting victims

ABC News reports that Sergeant Kimberly Munley, one of the two then police Sergeants who stopped the deadly shooting at Fort Hood on November 5, 2009, says President Obama broke the promise he made to her that the victims would be well taken care of:

"Betrayed is a good word. Not to the least little bit have the victims been taken care of. In fact they've been neglected."

During the shooting that many consider a terrorist attack, Major Nidal Hasan, an Army psychiatrist and a practicing Muslim of Palestinian descent, shouted "Allahu Akbar" as he opened fire and mercilessly shot 44 soldiers preparing to deploy to Iraq and one civilian killing 13. Munley was shot three times in her confrontation with Hasan.

You can watch video of the shootings aftermath below:

Initially, Obama tried to capitalize on the heroic actions of Munley and her partner Sergeant Mark Todd. They were included as guests in the First Lady's box for the 2010 State of the Union address. A few months later they were again honored by Obama at the 2010 National Association of Police Organizations TOP COPS award winners ceremony in the Rose Garden.

Despite the fact that there is extensive evidence that Hasan was in communication with al Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki prior to the attack, the victims were denied  Purple Hearts and the government shooting has been treating the incident as "workplace violence" instead of "combat related" or terrorism. You can read a redacted report on the FBI's investigation of Hasan's ties to al-Awlaki here. Al-Awlaki was killed in a U.S. drone attack in Yemen on Sept. 30, 2011.

To add insult to her injuries Munley was laid off from her job with the base's civilian police force last year.

Last November, Munley and 147 other plaintiffs sued the U.S. government, Hassan and the estate of Anwar al-Awlaki seeking damages and a ruling that the shooting was a terrorist attack. Such a finding would clear the way for them to receive benefits available to those who injuries are classified as "combat related," which aren't available as the result of workplace violence. You can read the lawsuit here.

According to ABC News, former Sgt. Munley now believes Obama used her for political advantage in arranging for her to sit next to Michelle Obama during the President's State of the Union address in 2010. Munley says she  wants to help the others who were shot that day and continue to suffer.

"We got tired of being neglected. So this was our last resort and I'm not ashamed of it a bit."

Something to think about as you watch tonight's State of the Union political theater with its shooting victim props.

Obama's seven point lead up in smoke

Gallup's Presidential Election tracking poll for September 5-11 had President Obama leading Governor Romney by seven points 50% to 43%.

Now the Gallup tracking poll shows that Obama's seven point lead has gone up in the smoke from burning U.S. embassies. For the last two days Obama only leads Romney by a single point. That is why the biased media wing of the Democrats' party is desperately trying its darnedest to convince you the election is over.

As Obama's convention bounce rose to seven points, we saw the smoke from the burning U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya and we saw the smoke from the remains of the stars and stripes that riotous Muslim mobs pulled down from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt. We also learned al Qaeda attacked the American-lead multinational peacekeeping force in the Sinai. They also attacked a U.S. Marine base in Southern Afghanistan in an effort to kill Britain's Prince Harry.

The next day, September 12, we learned that four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Stevens, were killed in what the Obama regime finally admits was a terrorist attack in Benghazi. We also saw the smoke from the U.S. Embassy in Tunis, Tunisia, as more riotous Muslim mobs attacked there, in Khartoum,Sudan and Sana'a, Yemen.

On September 13, we learned that Obama did not attend any of his daily intelligence briefings since September 5. Obama didn't care enough about the fact that our adversaries are known to use the anniversary of 9/11 to target the United States to attend intelligence briefings during the six days before the terrorists' 9/112012 offensive. American Crossroads took Obama to task for his lackadaisical approach to critical foreign policy issues in this hard hitting video.

On September 16, we saw Susan Rice, Obama's ambassador to the United Nations, appear on several of the Sunday morning news shows and mislead the American people by claiming the vicious attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi was unplanned and provoked only by an anti-Islam video.

The hateful Muslim mobs have continued their rioting against American and the Obama administration was forced to close the U.S. consulate in Medan, Indonesia on September 19, due to ongoing "protests." An event which disproves Obama's naive belief that he could just say nice things, and because he had lived in Islamic country of Indonesia during his youth and his half-sister is Muslim, the Muslim hate for America would dissipate. On September 21, all U.S. diplomatic missions in Indonesia will be closed. 

So it is not at all surprising that the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds that Obama's approval rating on foreign policy has dropped five points since August. Now, only 49 percent approve of the president's job in handling foreign policy. Last month, 54 percent approved of Obama's foreign-policy handling. Worse, only 41 percent of Independents approve of Obama's foreign-policy handling, versus 53 percent who did so last month.

The biased media incorrectly insisted Romney was wrong to Obama's incoherent response to the Cairo debacle, and to question Obama's now discredited policies of appeasement and apology that have left us so dangerously vulnerable in the Middle East and still hated in the Muslim world.

The lesson to be learned from the terrorists' 9/11/12 offensive is that despite Obama's protestations to the contrary, the War Against Terror is not over, and Governor Romney was right to criticize Obama for sending mixed signals about the violence of the hateful Muslim mobs.

Do not submit

Do you have enough faith in you religious convictions and your belief in the First Amendment to refuse to submit to the murderous Muslim religious zealots who not only believe, but actually preach, that it is okay to murder innocent people simply because you perceive yourself to be offended by something?

I'd like to think I do. My friend Peter Ingemi, also known as DaTechGuy, proved he does. After a fatwa was issued by one of those murderous Muslim religious zealots calling on the Muslim youth in America and Europe to kill the director, the producer and the actors and everyone who helped and promoted the so-called film, "Innocence of Muslims," Peter posted this video titled, "I will not submit to Islam."

Peter describes his video as follows:

"My response to the declaration of FATWA on anyone who makes a film insulting Islam, come and get me you murderous bastards, I won't give up my 1st Amendment rights I'm a American."

Before you say you are that courageous think about the ordeal the murderous Muslim religious zealots have put some folks through when they have been unable to actually have them murdered. Think about Salman Rushdie, who has been living in hiding and under police protection since 1989. Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for Rushdie's death following the publication of Rushdie’s 1988 prize winning book, The Satanic Verses.

Like Peter, Salman Rushdie is courageous. He eloquently denounces the murderous Muslim zealots. Here is some of what he had to say during an interview broadcast yesterday on NPR's "Morning Edition.":

"STEVE INSKEEP: What do you think when you hear about violence in the Muslim world, because people perceive that their religion has been insulted?

SALMAN RUSHDIE: Yeah. Well, what I would say, in a general sense, is that I feel that something has gone wrong inside the Muslim world, because I can remember - within my living memory - when some of these now-beleaguered, embattled cities like Beirut, Tehran, Damascus, Baghdad, when these were cosmopolitan, outward-looking, cultured cities which were interested in the rest of the world and were much more like open societies.

And the fact that, in the last half-century, these cultures seem to have slid backwards into medievalism and repression is one of the - I think it's one of the great self-inflicted wounds. And out of that comes the rise of this new, much harsher Islam, come all these phenomena that you're talking about: the thin-skinnedness, the paranoia, the ease with which violence is engaged in, the readiness to believe that it's OK to kill people if you declare yourself offended by something. This is the mindset of the fanatic, the mindset of the tyrant. And it's a real shame that it seems to have spread so widely across the Muslim world.

INSKEEP: You're saying that it says more about the perpetrators of violence than it does about whatever was written that offended them.

RUSHDIE: Yes, of course. Of course it does. I mean, I think if we wish to live in any kind of a moral universe, we must hold the perpetrators of violence responsible for the violence they perpetrate. It's very simple. The criminal is responsible for the crime. I mean, it's quite clear that this YouTube film is a disgraceful, shoddy little thing. And it's, I think, perfectly proper to condemn it and the people who made it. But to murder people who had nothing to do with it because you deem yourself insulted and therefore other people's blood can randomly be spilled, that's clearly a deeply uncivilized attitude [Emphasis added]."

I can't say it any better than that.

Obama's U.N. Ambassador misleads America about Libya; earns two Pinocchios

Susan Rice, Obama's ambassador to the United Nations, appeared on several of the Sunday morning news shows and mislead the American people by claiming the vicious attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens, was unplanned and provoked only by an anti-Islam video.

On CBS’s "Face the Nation," Libya’s head of state, Mohamed Yusuf al-Magariaf, president of Libya’s General National Congress, said that the attack on the U.S. Consulate was "preplanned, predetermined." You can watch Mohamed Yusuf al-Magariaf's comments here.

Shortly thereafter, on the same show, Rice disagreed with the Libyan leader

"Based on the best information we have to date ... it began spontaneously in Benghazi as a reaction to what had transpired some hours earlier in Cairo, where, of course, as you know, there was a violent protest outside of our embassy sparked by this hateful video. But soon after that spontaneous protest began outside of our consulate in Benghazi, we believe that it looks like extremist elements, individuals, joined in that effort with heavy weapons of the sort that are, unfortunately, readily now available in Libya post-revolution. And that it spun from there into something much, much more violent.... We do not have information at present that leads us to conclude that this was premeditated or preplanned.”“Based on the best information we have to date ... it began spontaneously in Benghazi as a reaction to what had transpired some hours earlier in Cairo, where, of course, as you know, there was a violent protest outside of our embassy sparked by this hateful video. But soon after that spontaneous protest began outside of our consulate in Benghazi, we believe that it looks like extremist elements, individuals, joined in that effort with heavy weapons of the sort that are, unfortunately, readily now available in Libya post-revolution. And that it spun from there into something much, much more violent.... We do not have information at present that leads us to conclude that this was premeditated or preplanned."

Rice's comments were so misleading that even  a member in good standing of the biased so-called fact-checking wing of the Democrats' party, the Washington Post's Glenn Kessler, awarded Rice two Pinocchios.

Here are some of the facts relied upon by Kessler:

• The attack that killed Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans took place on the 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. That may simply be a coincidence, but if so, it would be a pretty big one.
• In his interview, Mohamed Yusuf al-Magariaf, the president of Libya’s National Congress, said Libya had arrested 50 people, many connected to al-Qaeda. That would certainly bolster the notion that the date — Sept. 11 — was not a coincidence.
• One media report claims that key documents, including one with the names of Libyans working with Americans, were taken from the consulate. 
• That same report, in the Independent, quotes a Libyan military official as saying that a separate safe house also came under attack: "The building then came under fire from heavy weapons. 'I don’t know how they found the place to carry out the attack. It was planned, the accuracy with which the mortars hit us was too good for any ordinary revolutionaries,' said Captain Obeidi. 'It began to rain down on us, about six mortars fell directly on the path to the villa.'"
• News services reported last week that Undersecretary of State Patrick Kennedy, briefing lawmakers last week, said the attack appeared to be planned because it was so extensive and because of the “proliferation” of small and medium weapons at the scene. That also would seem to contradict Rice’s stance.
• ABC News reported that Glen Doherty, one of the former Navy SEALs who was killed, was not there to provide security but was on a mission to track down shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles and destroy them. “Doherty said that he traveled throughout Libya chasing reports of the weapons, and once they were found, his team would destroy them on the spot by bashing them with hammers or repeatedly running them over with their vehicles,”
• According to ABC,  while Rice pointed to anger at an anti-Muslim film that appeared on YouTube as the spark for the demonstration, Doherty’s mission suggests that there were aspects of U.S. policy that may have directly affected militants in the country — and angered them. That also would strengthen the case that this was a planned attack. 

What Kessler didn't take for fact was the Independent's report that the Obama administration was warned, but failed to act on the warning:

"According to senior diplomatic sources, the US State Department had credible information 48 hours before mobs charged the consulate in Benghazi, and the embassy in Cairo, that American missions may be targeted, but no warnings were given for diplomats to go on high alert and 'lockdown', under which movement is severely restricted."

Nor did Kessler emphasize the CNN report that American intelligence warned the embassy in Egypt.

"A U.S. official told CNN's Suzanne Kelly that American intelligence was sufficiently concerned about the attention the movie was receiving online to warn the embassy in Egypt in a bulletin a few days before protesters stormed that compound in Cairo on Tuesday, the same day the consulate in Libya was attacked by armed militants."

Rice's misleading Pinocchio statements are a sign that the Obama campaign is desperate to prevent American voters from learning that Obama failed to take proper and necessary measures to protect U.S. diplomats from a terrorist attack on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

Blaming Romney, not terrorists, Obama fuels Middle East bloodshed

Like many Americans I spend time on September 11 contemplating the terror attacks. This year my contemplation didn't end on the 11th. I have spent the entire week watching as riotous Muslim mobs, first in Egypt, then Libya, Tunisia, Yemen and Sudan attack U.S. embassies espousing hate for American values and belief.

It got much worse. The hateful Muslim mobs multiplied throughout the Muslim world, even in countries not considered Muslim, such as Britain and Australia. And al Qaeda went on the offensive.

Under the cover of the rioting Muslim mobs in Benghazi, terrorists viciously attacked the U.S. consulate killing four Americans including Ambassador Christopher Stevens. That was the first time an American Ambassador had been murdered in the line of duty since the Carter administration.

Al Qaeda didn't stop there. They attacked the American-lead multinational peacekeeping force in the Sinai. They also attacked a U.S. Marine base in Southern Afghanistan in an effort to kill Britain's Prince Harry. So there was much to contemplate on this extended anniversary of 9/11.

The lessons to be learned from the terrorists' 9/11/12 offensive are despite Obama's protestations to the contrary the War Against Terror is not over, and Governor Romney was right to criticize Obama for sending mixed signals about the violence of the hateful Muslim mobs.

Obama is so wrong here. His naivete has always been there for us to see. On November 21, 2007, presidential candidate Obama said, "The day I'm inaugurated Muslim hostility will ease." He actually thought he could just say nice things, and because he had lived in an Islamic country during his youth and his half-sister is Muslim, the Muslim hate for America would dissipate. Well perhaps the Muslim hate for America didn't diminish while President Bush was prosecuting the War Against Terror. But we never saw an uprising or offensive like this during his war, because those that hate us respect strength.

Obama sees things differently. His administration says "the war on terror is over," and Obama won't even use the term "war on terror."

So yes, Governor Romney was entirely correct to criticize Obama's incoherent response to the Cairo debacle, and to question Obama's now discredited policies of appeasement and apology that have left us so dangerously vulnerable in the Middle East and still hated in the Muslim world.

The most important lesson of the week is that we now know that the Obama Administration has put us right back where we were 11 years ago before 9/11. 

That is why yesterday we saw Obama's Press secretary flat out said that the hateful Muslim uprising -- formerly known as the Arab Spring, and the murder of an American ambassador was exclusively the result of a silly amateur video - despite the evidence to the contrary.

This statement and appearance was a turning point. Why? 

Not because it flies in the face of the evidence.  But because it shows EXACTLY why we're in the position we're in under Obama. Team Obama just doesn't understand that terrorists hate America, not a "video" that was used as a diversion to kill Americans. This video of makes this point.

A day for remembering - September 11, 2012

Below I have republished my first written remembrance of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks as well as a piece my son wrote. There are a few other pieces I have posted about 9/11 that I recommend:

• The falling man
• Victims
• The AP's today in history for September 11th [published in 2008]
• 9/11: the day the world stood still Tthe 9/11 tribute produced for the RNC, which so offended Keith Olbermann]

[Originally posted September 11, 2004. I have also reposted "Flame Of Hope" which was written by my son and originally posted on September 14, 2004.]

Remembering

It was such a gorgeous day. I remember driving to the office and saying out loud to myself "what a beautiful day!" I don't remember ever doing that before, or since.

I was out of my office, but in the building, when I was told that a plane hit the World Trade Center. I was thinking how could a pilot hit the World Trade Center in such perfect weather. I thought of the Army B-25 bomber that crashed into the Empire State Building in 1945.

When I got back to my office I was told that both towers had been hit by planes. I still didn't get it. I was still thinking small private planes - then I saw a replay of the second plane, a 757, crashing into the South Tower of the World Trade Center. That's when I realized the world was different.

We were short staffed, two attorneys were attending a conference in New Orleans, and I still had a lot work I wanted to get done, but I kept going back to the television. We watched the burning smoking towers.

The brother of one of our attorneys was working in the south tower, she was worried. I kept trying to reassure her, telling her how tough the towers were. I spoke with my wife. I tried to reassure her and she had been doing the same with worried friends.

We heard that the Pentagon was attacked. Then we heard reports [just bad information] that there was an explosion at the State Department. The news coverage was confused. Hell, no one knew what was going on.

Then the towers fell. I just couldn't believe it. We didn't understand how many firefighters were lost in the towers, but the firefighters did. One of my most vivid memories of 9/11 is of fire fighters withdrawing to the West Side Highway after the towers fell. The TV broadcast I was watching showed one of those firefighters take his helmet and throw, no slam, it to the ground many feet away. That act captured all the anger, frustration and fatigue both physical and emotional.

I remember more, I remember the President reassuring the nation, more than once. I remember watching Palestinians dancing in the street. There is more. I remember my co-worker's relief when she learned, hours after the towers fell, that her brother got out of the tower and was safe. I remember the people streaming out of New York. I remember the hospitals staffing up to treat the thousands and thousands of injured we all anticipated would be pulled from the ruble. I remember the burning rubble. I remember more.

I especially remember how happy and relieved I was to get home and to just be with my wife and children. These are the things I think of first whenever I think of 9/11. I wish I was able to convey the emotions the memories conjure up in me, but I'm sure you know how it felt.

Alan Jackson captured all those feelings in his "Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning):"

Where were you when the world stopped turnin'
that September day?
Out in the yard with your wife and children;
Or working on some stage in L.A.?
Did you stand there in shock at the sight of that black smoke
Rising against that blue sky?
Did you shout out in anger in fear for your neighbor
Or did you just sit down and cry?

Did you weep for the children
that lost their dear loved ones?
Did you pray for the ones who don't know?
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
and sob for the ones left below?
Did you burst out in pride for the red white and blue
And the heroes who died just doin' what they do?
Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer?
And look at yourself for what really matters?

[. . .]

Teaching a class full of innocent children;
Driving down some cold interstate?
Did you feel guilty 'cause you're a survivor
in a crowded room did you feel alone?
Did you call up your mother and tell her you love her?
Did you dust off that bible at home?

[. . .]

Did you go to a church and hold hands with some strangers?
Stand in line and give your own blood?
Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family
Thank God you had somebody to love?

[. . .]

Where were you when the world stopped turnin'
that September day?

Flame Of Hope

[My son, then a freshman at George Washington University, wrote this after attending a 9/11 vigil on September 14, 2004. I thank him for sharing it with us.]

I just returned from a vigil at University Yard, remembering the victims of September 11. Services like these always hit home; especially for events remembered firsthand.

We each received a candle upon arriving at the yard, surrounded by a plastic cup to keep the wax from our hands. At the conclusion of the service, after speakers and prayers, messages and memories, we lit the candles and stood in silence. Gradually, people drifted off; it was, after all, a Saturday night. I waited, with my roommate, a friend from PE Wild, and her friend from American. We remained until 9:12, allowing for a minute of silence at 9:11 as I remembered doing back home. While waiting, I let my mind wander inside itself a bit, doing its usual pondering about life, the universe, and everything; about existence and reason, emotion and liberty, life and freedom. I'd like to share those thoughts that stuck out.

A breeze started about the time of the candle lightings. It wasn't particularly strong, but it was chilly enough to force notice. It also required paying attention to the candle, lest the wind extinguish it.

As I'm sometimes wont to do, I made a little metaphor. The candle reminded me of the often-used phrase, almost cliché now: the Flame of Hope, of Freedom, of Life itself. It required an effort on my part to maintain the flame's strength. I found that, after letting my mind wander for a minute early on, the wind extinguished the flame, and I required someone else's candle to ignite it again. Such is often the case with Hope. When faced with an unusual situation, one that discourages and scares us, humans cling to this concept of "Hope," a belief that the storm will pass. Sometimes, when the storm continues to batter us, that hope begins to wane, even dying completely. In those situations, we require the presence and support of others. Through their strength, we can rekindle our own Hope, reignite its flame.

A second time, I caught myself gazing at the sky. The clouds which had eclipsed the stars during the vigil now began to move elsewhere, and the lights of the heavens began to shine through. When I glanced down at my candle, however, I found the flame almost dead. Cupping my hand around it, I shielded it from the chill and strength of the wind, allowing it to remain. It reminded me of our Freedom, such a fragile concept. When our grip on the concept slackens, when we let the idea slip to the background, it can disappear far too quickly. Each of us has to realize the concept, to live it every day, lest that Flame die as well. Freedom is a much harder flame to reignite once it dies.

Before those in attendance lit their candles, the names of nine GWU alumni killed on 9/11 were read aloud. At each name, Omar, the president of the Student Association lit a candle, placing it on a table in front of him. The wind picked up as he tried to light the first candle, and I actually felt my pulse pound as I prayed the light would not go out. Each candle here symbolized a life, and Omar refused to let the lights of those lives burn out. He made sure each candle caught before replacing it, and not once was the wind able to extinguish a flame. Though the lives those candles symbolized had already ended, their memories carried on through the flames. Not even the cold acts of terror, which ended their mortal existence, could erase the marks they as people left upon the Earth and their fellow humans.

We all require assistance at times. Hope can falter, but others can right it. Lives may end, but others will remember the deeds done. Freedom may fall under attack, but those who live it and believe in it can save it.

Cherish your freedom, the life you live, and the hope you carry, for yourself and all those who follow. May all Humanity one day relish in the joys of freedom, from fear, from oppression, from terror. Live your life, and realize you don't have to do so alone.

Special Operations OPSEC targets Obama for reckless intelligence leaks

A group of former special operations and C.I.A. officers accuse President Obama of spiking the football -- taking credit for killing Osama bin Laden, and recklessly leaking intelligence information about the raid that killed Osama bin Laden and other security matters solely to gain political advantage.

"Mr. President, you did not kill Osama bin Laden, America did. The work that the American military has done killed Osama bin Laden. You did not." -- Ben Smith, a Navy SEAL

The Special Operations OPSEC Education Fund Inc, argues that high level Obama administration's leaks are damaging U.S. security. They make their case in a new video called "Dishonorable Disclosures: How Leaks and Politics Threaten National Security."

Watch the very well done documentary video;

The good folks at Special Operations OPSEC see their mission as stopping President Obama and others, from politically capitalizing on U.S. national security operations and secrets, which allows the special operations and intelligence capabilities to be degraded., and educating the public about the importance and necessity of Operational Security. The video does a good job of doing that.

The Former Special Operations and C.I.A. are upset about the "avalanche" of leaks obviously intended to politically benefit Obama:

• Immediate disclosure of the killing of Osama bin Laden rather than waiting to exploit the information taken by SEAL Team Six.
• Disclosure and special access to Department of Defense and C.I.A details about the Osama bin Laden operation to Hollywood filmmakers.
• Disclosure of the unit, the cover name, The aircraft that were used, the number of raiders, and how the team entered and moved around the grounds.
• Disclosure of details pertaining to the intelligence gathering before the raid, including the identity of the Pakistani doctor who provided information.
• Disclosure of U.S. and Israeli involvement in the computer viruses which targeted Iran's nuclear program.
• Disclosure of a joint U.S./British/Israeli covert operation that planted a spy in Al Qaeda's affiliate in Yemen, whose information stopped a terrorist bomb plot against a U.S.-bound airliner.
• Disclosure of the secret Obama "Kill List." 

OPSEC is not alone in being outraged about the Obama Administration's national security leaks. Former Democrat Senator Bob Kerrey, took Obama to task for his decision to disclose some details of the Osama bin Laden operation:

"By describing certain methods — the name of the unit involved, the kinds of equipment employed, the nature of intelligence collected and techniques of insertion and extraction used in the operation — the President violated a key rule of clandestine work."

Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has also gone after Obama for controversial leaks of classified information, saying "I think the White House has to understand that some of this is coming from their ranks." She was even tougher during an appearance on CNN's "Situation Room" program:

"What we're seeing...is an Anschluss, an avalanche of leaks. And it's very, very disturbing. You know, it's dismayed our allies. It puts American lives in jeopardy. It puts our nation's security in jeopardy."

But nobody summed up as well as former defense secretary, Robert Gates, who blasted the Obama White House's leaks and told the Obama national security team to  "Shut the f--- up."

Watch the "Dishonorable Disclosures" video.

'Afghan good enough' Obama lowers the bar for victory in Afghanistan

According to the New York Times, president Obama has "significantly lowered" the bar on how success in Afghanistan is defined.

In four years Obama has gone from "we must never forget, this is not a war of choice, this is a war of necessity" and "this is a war that we have to win" to "Afghan good enough." According to the Times, Obama's new definition of victory in his war of necessity that must be won is Afghan stability and no unimpeded Al Qaeda safe havens:

"The goal is to have an Afghanistan again that has a degree of stability such that forces like Al Qaeda and associated groups cannot have safe haven unimpeded, which could threaten the region and threaten U.S. and other interests in the world."

In today's New York Times, David E. Sanger reports that Obama will announce at the NATO summit that "all combat operations led by American forces will cease in summer 2013, when the United States and other NATO forces move to a 'support role' whether the Afghan military can secure the country or not." Worse, Obama planned this retreat without the benefit of military advice:

"When the president and a half-dozen White House aides began to plan for the withdrawal, the generals were cut out entirely. There was no debate, and there were no leaks."

If Obama doesn't care "whether the Afghan military can secure the country or not," why wait until 2013? Is it because of the presidential election? Perhaps Obama doesn't want to run for reelection in the middle of his Afghan retreat. As Obama explained to the Russians at the UN he'll have more flexibility after the election.

Obama's position on Afghanistan changes, or evolves, even more quickly than his position on gay marriage.

In 2008, Presidential candidate Obama said "This is a war that we have to win." (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks of Senator Barack Obama: A New Strategy for a New World, Washington, D.C., 7/15/08).

In 2009, President Obama told the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention that the Afghan war was a war of necessity:

"As I said when I announced this strategy, there will be more difficult days ahead. The insurgency in Afghanistan didn't just happen overnight, and we won't defeat it overnight. This will not be quick, nor easy.

But we must never forget: This is not a war of choice. This is a war of necessity. Those who attacked America on 9/11 are plotting to do so again. If left unchecked, the Taliban insurgency will mean an even larger safe haven from which Al Qaida would plot to kill more Americans.

So this is not only a war worth fighting; this is a -- this is fundamental to the defense of our people."

And while President Obama ignored military commanders in planning his Afghan retreat, presidential candidate Obama promised to act with "proper regard" to the advice of military commanders.

Nevertheless, Obama has decided to declare victory and retreat from Afghanistan regardless of whether the Afghan military can secure the country or not.

Iraq War ends on Bush's schedule, not Obama's

President Obama and the biased media wing of the Democrat Party are heralding the "official" end of the Iraq War.

They are neglecting to note that in order to get the Democrats' nomination, presidential candidate Obama promised to remove all combat brigades from Iraq within 16 months:

Whatever nuance Barack Obama is now adding to his Iraq withdrawal strategy, the core plan on his Web site is as plain as day: Obama would "immediately begin to remove our troops from Iraq. He will remove one to two combat brigades each month, and have all of our combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months."

As we reported in July 2008, Obama's 16 month withdrawal plan was not realistic. To save face, President Obama redesignated the 7 remaining combat brigades still in Iraq after his artificial 16 month deadline as "Advise and Assist Brigades," and declared his scheduled end to the war in Iraq on August 31, 2011

All U.S. troops, except for a 159 uniformed troops and officers as well as a marine guard in the US embassy in Baghdad, will be out of Iraq before December 31, 2011, as required by the Status of Forces Agreement President Bush made with Iraq.

The Democrats can trumpet the Obama Iraq withdrawal all they want, but it was accomplished right on schedule -- a schedule established by President Bush, not Obama.

Space station commander remembers 9/11

"The smoke seemed to have an odd bloom to it at the base of the column that was streaming south of the city. After reading one of the news articles we just received, I believe we were looking at NY around the time of, or shortly after, the collapse of the second tower. How horrible…"-Frank Culbertson

Frank Culbertson (Captain, USN Retired), the commander of Expedition 3 on the International Space Station, was the only American not on Earth at the time of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

This was the view he had -- click to enlarge.

Image credit: NASA

As soon as Culbertson learned of the attacks, he began documenting the event in photographs because the station was flying over the New York City area. From his unique vantage point in space, he recorded his thoughts of the world changing beneath him.

Culbertson posted a public letter that captured his initial thoughts of the events as they unfolded.

Astronaut Frank Culbertson Letter from September 11, 2001
09.11.01

September 12, 2001; 19:34 hours

I haven't written very much about specifics of this mission during the month I've been here, mainly for two reasons: the first being that there has been very little time to do that kind of writing, and secondly because I'm not sure how comfortable I am sharing thoughts I share with family and friends with the rest of the world.

Well, obviously the world changed today. What I say or do is very minor compared to the significance of what happened to our country today when it was attacked by .... by whom? Terrorists is all we know, I guess. Hard to know at whom to direct our anger and fear...

I had just finished a number of tasks this morning, the most time-consuming being the physical exams of all crew members. In a private conversation following that, the flight surgeon told me they were having a very bad day on the ground. I had no idea...

He described the situation to me as best he knew it at ~0900 CDT. I was flabbergasted, then horrified. My first thought was that this wasn't a real conversation, that I was still listening to one of my Tom Clancy tapes. It just didn't seem possible on this scale in our country. I couldn't even imagine the particulars, even before the news of further destruction began coming in.

Vladimir came over pretty quickly, sensing that something very serious was being discussed. I waved Michael into the module as well. They were also amazed and stunned. After we signed off, I tried to explain to Vladimir and Michael as best I could the potential magnitude of this act of terror in downtown Manhattan and at the Pentagon. They clearly understood and were very sympathetic.

I glanced at the World Map on the computer to see where over the world we were and noticed that we were coming southeast out of Canada and would be passing over New England in a few minutes. I zipped around the station until I found a window that would give me a view of NYC and grabbed the nearest camera. It happened to be a video camera, and I was looking south from the window of Michael's cabin.

The smoke seemed to have an odd bloom to it at the base of the column that was streaming south of the city. After reading one of the news articles we just received, I believe we were looking at NY around the time of, or shortly after, the collapse of the second tower. How horrible…

I panned the camera all along the East Coast to the south to see if I could see any other smoke around Washington, or anywhere else, but nothing was visible.

It was pretty difficult to think about work after that, though we had some to do, but on the next orbit we crossed the US further south. All three of us were working one or two cameras to try to get views of New York or Washington. There was haze over Washington, but no specific source could be seen. It all looked incredible from two to three hundred miles away. I can't imagine the tragic scenes on the ground.

Other than the emotional impact of our country being attacked and thousands of our citizens and maybe some friends being killed, the most overwhelming feeling being where I am is one of isolation.

Next day....

I guess the fatigue and emotional strain got the best of me. I couldn't stay awake and continue to write. Today was still difficult, but we started getting more information, plus we had the honor of talking directly with the Center Director, Roy Estess, who assured us that the ground teams would continue to work and ensure our safety, as well as the safe operation of the Station. We also heard from our Administrator, Mr. Goldin, who added that the partners in the Program are all totally committed to continuing safe operations and support. These were never questions for me. I know all these people! The ground teams have been incredibly supportive, very understanding of the impact of the news, and have tried to be as helpful as possible. They have all been very professional and focused though I can't imagine the distraction of this type of news coming in and the thought that government buildings might be at risk. They never skipped a beat, even when relocating control centers. And a group of senior personnel and friends gave us a pretty thorough briefing on what was known and what was being done in the government and at NASA on Tuesday afternoon, which was very helpful and kind of them to do in the midst of all the turmoil. The Russian TsUP has also been supportive and helpful, trying to uplink news articles when our own assets were inoperable, and saying kind words...

My crewmates have been great, too. They know it's been a tough day for me and the folks on the ground, and they've tried to be as even keeled and helpful as possible. Michael even fixed me my favorite Borscht soup for dinner. And they give me plenty of room to think when I needed it. They are very sympathetic and of course outraged at whoever would do this.

I know so many people in Washington, so many people who travel to DC and NYC, so many who are pilots, that I felt sure I would receive at least a few pieces of bad news over the next few days. I got the first one today when I learned that the Captain of the American Airlines jet that hit the Pentagon was Chic Burlingame, a classmate of mine. I met Chic during plebe summer when we were in the D&B together, and we had lots of classes together. I can't imagine what he must of gone through, and now I hear that he may have risen further than we can even think of by possibly preventing his plane from being the one to attack the White House. What a terrible loss, but I'm sure Chic was fighting bravely to the end. And tears don't flow the same in space...

It's difficult to describe how it feels to be the only American completely off the planet at a time such as this. The feeling that I should be there with all of you, dealing with this, helping in some way, is overwhelming. I know that we are on the threshold (or beyond) of a terrible shift in the history of the world. Many things will never be the same again after September 11, 2001. Not just for the thousands and thousands of people directly affected by these horrendous acts of terrorism, but probably for all of us. We will find ourselves feeling differently about dozens of things, including probably space exploration, unfortunately.

It's horrible to see smoke pouring from wounds in your own country from such a fantastic vantage point. The dichotomy of being on a spacecraft dedicated to improving life on the earth and watching life being destroyed by such willful, terrible acts is jolting to the psyche, no matter who you are. And the knowledge that everything will be different than when we launched by the time we land is a little disconcerting. I have confidence in our country and in our leadership that we will do everything possible to better defend her and our families, and to bring justice for what has been done. I have confidence that the good people at NASA will do everything necessary to continue our mission safely and return us safely at the right time. And I miss all of you very much. I can't be there with you in person, and we have a long way to go to complete our mission, but be certain that my heart is with you, and know you are in my prayers.

Humbly,
Frank

In the following video, at about the 1.25 mark, Culbertson reflects what it was like being the only American not on Earth at the time of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks: