The Military

Once in a while, we all say something wrong — especially those of us who talk for a living. And when you do, the only answer is to admit your mistake, apologize and move on.

But not Rush Limbaugh. He refuses to apologize for calling men and women in uniform who disagree with George Bush’s war in Iraq “phony soldiers.” He still insists his remarks were taken out of context, misquoted, or aimed at somebody totally different — none of which is true. Read more...

Every so often in Washington a figure rises who is exceptional, extraordinary and destined for great things. Many in the Congress and national politics have great acts but beneath the surface are more of the same, with better wrapping. Others are special. Jim Webb is very special.
Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) is not only a military hero, but one of the truly great heroes of the American military. This is no exaggeration. Read more...

Thank you, Tim Russert, for dragging the truth from all the Democratic candidates about what "ending the war" actually means. We hear these words a lot, especially from Hillary Clinton, yet Russert's questioning at MSNBC's New Hampshire debate last night revealed that none of the top three Democratic contenders for president would commit to doing so by the end of their first term. Read more...

Note: The following op-ed appears in the print edition of The Hill for Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2007. — Ed.


When Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Marine Corps Gen. and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Peter Pace testify before Congress today they should tell the American people the whole truth about what military leaders believe without sugarcoating the magnitude of our challenge or issuing false pretensions of unanimity.

America is today engaged in three wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and against al Qaeda while some are promoting a fourth war against Iran while our military faces extreme breakdowns, the president and his party wage war through vetoes and filibusters and the Senate debates a newspaper ad. Read more...

Sens. Jim Webb (Va.), Jack Reed (R.I.), Daniel Inouye (Hawaii) and every other Democrat who has served in uniform should go the Senate floor together and call for a vote on a resolution similar to the following: Read more...

Am I dreaming? Instead of binding international treaties, President Bush, according to a top administration official, favors controlling global warming by letting each country "make a contribution consistent with its national circumstances." Does he favor the same approach to nuclear arms control? Forget treaties. Should each sovereign state decide what it does with its warheads "consistent with its national circumstances"? And is that why he is dissing the United Nations by holding a global warming meeting at the same time the U.N. is? Read more...

What's in a name? MoveOn.org obviously wants to move debate about American troops in Iraq. Unfortunately, from its perspective, it has moved the argument in the wrong direction.

For years, the left was always reluctant to play hardball. Now, finally, the flabby liberals have toughened up and they're in the same game. But so far they're pretty bush-league, not ready to play in the Bush league in this dirty rough political sport. Read more...

Let me shout this from the rooftops: THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT MOVEON.ORG AD.

Isn’t it obvious? The whole flap over the ad is a brilliantly orchestrated campaign by the Bush White House — with the help of Fox News — to change the subject. Of course! They’d much rather attack MoveOn.org, which is easy, than defend the war in Iraq, which is impossible. Read more...

As I watch Congress seek to confer federal rights to enemy combatants (read: terrorists) and micromanage the president’s ability to wage the war on terrorism, I was struck by the fact that many lawmakers have apparently forgotten to read a simple document that governs the laws they seek to enact. That simple document is known as the Constitution of the United States — a document Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) has apparently failed to consult as he crafted an amendment due on the Senate floor any day now. Read more...

In his book about the failures of the Vietnam War, Dereliction of Duty, H.R. McMaster writes of how the delusion and hubris of President Lyndon Johnson, combined with the failures in judgment
and political courage of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, created a devastating tragedy for the American
military and American security.

Some enterprising journalist might ask McMaster, who is close to Gen. Petraeus: Are we not making the same mistakes today?  Read more...