Free Republic

When history books are written about Operation Epic Fury, analysts will spend chapters debating whether it was wise, justified, or legally sound. But one consequence may stand above all others in terms of shaping the next century of American foreign policy: the Iran conflict may have finally given the United States the political and moral clarity to walk away from NATO.That may not have been the intention. But sometimes the most important outcomes are the unintended ones. (snip) The Iran conflict has been enormously clarifying. When the United States launched military operations against Iran — alongside Israel, without consulting European...

President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are set to meet with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the White House Wednesday, following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire with Iran. The Trump administration has expressed strong frustration with the alliance for refusing to support U.S. objectives, including securing the Strait of Hormuz, on which many European nations depend. Alleged “allies” offered little more than calls to resume negotiations, questioned President Trump’s plan, and in some cases even closed their airspace to U.S. military aircraft, moves widely viewed as a betrayal by European partners. This comes after Secretary of State...

"The purpose of this drill is to strengthen security and its foundations in the region, and to expand multilateral cooperation between the three countries to jointly support world peace, maritime security and create a maritime community with a common future," the Iranian official told ISNA. Both navies from Iran's armed forces and Revolutionary Guards will take part in the drills, which include various tactical exercises such as rescuing a burning vessel, releasing a hijacked vessel, and shooting at air targets at night.

BLG analyzes the commie squad's presser to identify the ringleader and upcoming usurper. Video here

Yes and no. Yes, as in, it is possible, and no, as in, it’s not normal in the soul sense. Of course, one immediately thinks of famous, mysteriously married, bi-partisan power-couples such as top republican consultant Mary Matalin and top democrat strategist James Carville. They’ve been happily wedded for twenty years. Amazingly, they actually met (in 1991) while each was about to be hired to manage opposing presidential campaigns; Matalin for George H. W. Bush, and Carville for Bill Clinton. They claim publicly that they don’t talk politics at home. When they appear on TV together, it’s actually pretty amusing...

-- Ayelet Waldman e-mailed a few writer friends asking them to donate signed books she could auction as an "instant library" at a Barack Obama fundraiser hosted by Alice Waters in Berkeley on Sept. 26. She's received hundreds, from the likes of Stephen King, Ann Packer, Khaled Husseini, Jodi Picoult, Jonathan Lethem, Anne Tyler, Steve Martin, Jamie Lee Curtis and others.