Free Republic

Top lawmakers on the House and Senate Armed Services said Thursday that the world would be better off if the Cold War was still on—and if Obama wasn’t cutting the defense budget. The current crisis in the Ukraine and the looming crisis on the Korean Peninsula would be much easier to manage if the Cold War was still going strong, according to House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon and Senate Armed Services Ranking Republican James Inhofe. “I look back wistfully at the Cold War,” Inhofe said Thursday at a breakfast meeting with reporters. “There were two superpowers, they knew...

U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan are now forced to fight a two-fronted war. Before each deployment, these soldiers understand fully that day after day they will do battle against relentless terrorists with shifting loyalties and unspeakable hatred. But what none of them could have foreseen was the killing field that would open from their rear: the Continental United States. Our government’s incessant tightening of already restrictive ROE (Rules of Engagement), compounded by the failed COIN (Counterinsurgency) strategy—also known as “winning hearts and minds”—has made an otherwise primitive enemy formidable. Our best and brightest come home in body bags as politicians and...

On Tuesday, Barack Obama presented the Medal of Honor -- the nation's highest military honor -- to Army Captain William D. Swenson. But for the third time, Obama referred to "my military" during the ceremony, according to a transcript at the official website of the U.S. Army. "So, Will Swenson was there for his brothers. He was there for their families. As a nation, we thank God that patriots like him are there for us all. So, Will, God bless you and all the men you've fought alongside, and for everything you've done for us. God bless all of our...

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Military veterans are upset after the annual Camp Lejeune fireworks show for military members and their families was cut. What makes it even worse: A Pittsburgh area company offered to do the show for free, but the government said, thanks, but no thanks. The military says the show meant for more than 47-thousand Marines and Sailors was cancelled due to federal cutbacks.

In honor of Memorial Day this year, it wasn’t enough to honor our fallen heroes and thank our active duty soldiers, half the country should also be apologizing for sticking our troops with the worst Commander in Chief in modern history.

On September 11, 2012 four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens were murdered in Benghazi, Libya. Five months have passed since that fateful day and we still do not have an accounting for Obama's whereabouts during the seven hour firefight in Benghazi. What we do know however, is that Obama failed in his duty to come to the aid of incredibly brave Americans in distress. We know now that not only did Obama not call an in-person emergency meeting in the Situation Room (hence no 'Situation Room photo' during Benghazi) or ANY room, his re-election was more important to him than...

CHARLES WOODS, father of Tyrone Woods: 'I can’t imagine anyone with any heart that would watch a battle rage for seven hours knowing that heroes were there that were going to be slaughtered if you didn’t have help sent in. Because we know that C130s could have been sent there in less than an hour. Jets could have been scrambled in minutes from many different parts of the globe. The order was 'don’t help them, let them die.'

The Obama Record: In pursuit of a world without nuclear weapons, the president finalizes plans to decimate our nuclear deterrent and reduce our warhead count beyond even treaty commitments. (snip) President Obama has decided that indeed we are going to tempt them with weakness. According to an Associated Press report on conversations with current and former administration officials, Obama is finalizing plans, perhaps to be released later this month, to cut the U.S. nuclear arsenal to between 1,000 and 1,100 warheads with the goal "in the longer term, (of) eliminating nuclear weapons."

President Barack Obama offered a private request Monday to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for some “space” on missile defense ahead of November’s elections. “On all these issues, particularly on missile defense, this, this can be solved but it’s important for him to give me space,” Obama said, referring to incoming Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a TV pool reporter who heard audio recorded by a Russian reporter who was in the room moments before the two leaders spoke to reporters after their 90-minute meeting. “Yeah, I understand. I understand your message about space. Space for you,” Medvedev responded. A...

Rick Perry established a new gold standard for hawkish foreign policy at Saturday night’s GOP debate in New Hampshire. Not only is he mad President Obama withdrew US forces, he wants to put them back on the ground there immediately. “I would send troops back into Iraq,” Rick Perry told a New Hampshire audience at Saturday night’s GOP debate, warning that without yet another military operation in Iraq it would fall under the influence of neighboring Iran. “I think it’s a huge error for us,” he said. “We’re going to see Iran in my opinion, move back in at literally...

Take a look at this picture from Friday, April 29th. President Obama is greeting Brig. Gen. Ed Wilson after Air Force One landed at Cape Canaveral: Seems pretty ordinary, right? A typical tarmac greet for the Commander-in-Chief. But there may be a little more to the brief moment at the bottom of the airstairs. The state-owned Italian television channel Rai News has posted a video that highlights a curious exchange between the two men:

Former President George W. Bush was at Ridgewood Country Club on Friday morning for a charitable event to raise money for the education of spouses and children of service members killed or catastrophically disabled in the line of duty. Bush was named honorary chairman of the inaugural Patriot Golf Day Weekend, started this year by the Folds of Honor Foundation to raise money for the organization’s scholarship fund. The foundation’s name refers to the U.S. flag-folding ritual during a military funeral. Former President George W. Bush jokes with onlookers after one of the members of his group at Ridgewood Country...

President Barack Obama called former President George W. Bush Tuesday hours before he was set to deliver an Oval Office speech on the drawdown of U.S. troops from Iraq, the White House said. Obama made the call aboard Air Force One on his way to Ft. Bliss, Tex., where he will visit U.S. troops. White House Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton said the “private” call lasted “a few minutes,” but declined to give further detail. Obama telephoned Bush in February 2009 before announcing his plans for withdrawing troops from Iraq. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs refused Monday to say...

It is not that we didn’t know this before, but reading the New York Times – surely designed to be as favorable toward Obama as the reporter could possibly manage — one is left slack-jawed. Obama doesn’t like being commander in chief, isn’t good at it, and has relied on one tutor, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who is leaving next year. The report should be read in full. But a few low-lights: "A year and a half into his presidency, Mr. Obama appears to be a reluctant warrior. Even as he draws down troops in Iraq, he has been...

This is the president who went to Dallas-Ft. Worth airport to welcome home the troops - comments are well worth reading...

Many of you probably saw the Facebook photos of this event. This is a great video of the event with music and still shots. Get the tissues ready. (I search and didn't see it posted)

his was a different kind of shock and awe. As 145 soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan walked through the double doors in Terminal D at DFW Airport on Wednesday for two weeks of R&R, they were greeted not only by their families, but by some special guests. Former President George W. Bush and Laura Bush joined 33 kids participating in the North Texas Super Bowl Host Committee's SLANT 45 project to give service members perhaps the most memorable moment since the Welcome Home Heroes initiative started in November 2004. "Today was one of the best, if not the best...

This morning at DFW Airport, George and Laura Bush greeted 150 (very surprised) troops as they arrived home from Iraq and Afghanistan. Their expressions were so priceless! A few more pictures (larger size) here - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=253292&id=361997510504 Confession - they made me cry.

Former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, made a surprise visit to U.S. troops this afternoon. They showed up at the USO in the Dallas-Fort Worth airport. There they mingled with the returning soldiers, thanked them, chatted and posed for photos as proof of the unexpected encounter for folks back home. The USO just posted an assortment of the photos on its Facebook page, which quickly drew a growing list of appreciative comments. "What an AWESOME moment," Robert Rowe wrote. "If anyone can't see the President and First Lady's love for our nations troops, they must be dead...