Maryland Conservatarian

“The White House has held a series of secret meetings in recent months to examine the threat posed by al-Qaeda’s franchise in North Africa and consider for the first time whether to prepare for unilateral strikes, U.S. officials said….

“U.S. officials said the discussions have focused on ways to help regional militaries confront al-Qaeda but have also explored the possibility of direct U.S. intervention if the terrorist group continues unchecked.

“Right now, we’re not in position to do much about it,” said a senior U.S. counterterrorism official involved in the talks. As a result, he said, officials have begun to consider contingencies, including the question of “do we or don’t we” deploy drones.” White House secret meetings examine al-Qaeda threat in North Africa - The Washington Post

Quite jibes with the tone of this:

“In a world of new threats and new challenges, you can choose leadership that has been tested and proven. Four years ago, I promised to end the war in Iraq. We did. I promised to refocus on the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11. We have. We’ve blunted the Taliban’s momentum in Afghanistan, and in 2014, our longest war will be over. A new tower rises above the New York skyline, al Qaeda is on the path to defeat, and Osama bin Laden is dead.” President Barack Obama - 2012 Democratic National Convention

Side Note: In the comic strip Doonesbury, the character B.D. joins the Army and jets off to Vietnam to get out of writing a term paper. Even back then, Yale was that stressful.

I spend a lot of time in Poland and occasionally have to address Polish concerns about how the US views Poland and the Holocaust. I usually begin by noting that I don't think most Americans are even conscious of the fact that Auschwitz is in Poland and, even if so aware, nobody in the US really associates the German Nazi atrocities with the Polish (I mean beyond the Polish being victims thereof).

Well, apparently, I am wrong.

Obama's 'Death Camp' Comment Angers Poles - WSJ.com

There is no real reason to expect Mr. Obama to be especially conversant in Poland's history but you really have to almost make a concerted effort to be as clueless about this country as the President has so far been. I was here in September 2009 when he chose the 70^th Anniversary of the Russian invasion of Poland for the announcement of his disavowal of the Bush Administration's previously agreed-to missile defense shield. Dear Poland, Happy Soviet Invasion Day. Love, Uncle Sam.

Trust me, now as then, you don't have to know a lot of Polish to understand what the general consensus here is of this man's "brilliance".

You know it's a good thing just by the reactions of the usual suspects....including the Washington Post

Coal-reliant Poland increasingly out of step with Europe on climate change

"Thomas’s affection for Holy Cross is longstanding; he has been a trustee and adviser to its students. His gratitude for those who reached out to him when he was a 19-year-old with “no place to go and no idea what I was going to do’’ does him great credit. But it reflects even more honor on the institution and the educator who believed in him and his fellow recruits. It was in Worcester, Thomas said, “that I took one long painful step to becoming a man.’’

Of course I am talking about Lauren Cheney and her impressive goal and late game corner-kick that set up the winning goal for the US over France in World Cup semi-final action…but wouldn't that also have been an awesome headline on January 21, 2009. US over France 3-1

Reading this: Israeli review finds fatal raid on Turkish ship lacked planning and alternatives

…does one expect to read that:

“…it found that the presence of an Israeli navy commander at sea during the operation "proved effective in terms of the decision-making process" and "saved lives."


“Naval commandos operated "properly, with professionalism, bravery and resourcefulness," the report said. "The use of live fire was justified," and "the entire operation is estimable."

Turns out the review (based on reports and excerpts – it has not, as of now, been released) actually faulted the Israeli’s for faulty intel on the nature of the Turkish intruders. In other words, they failed to plan for just how non-peaceful the so-called peace activists turned out to be.