Free Republic

“[President Bush] looked me right in the eye with a hard, steady gaze … Our handshake was prolonged and, for me, profound … I remember I wanted to tell him how all my buddies love him, believe in him, and that we’re out there ready to bust our asses for him anytime he needs us. But he knows that. He’s our guy.” ~ Marcus Luttrell, Lone Survivor of Seal Team 10, Operation Redwing, Afghanistan Today President Bush met with advisors in the White House to discuss economic growth and expansion. (Transcript)Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Former...

American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, June 28, 2007 - As he nominated his picks for the nation's top two military posts, President Bush said today they will succeed "two of America's finest military officers," Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Navy Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani, vice chairman. Bush named Adm. Michael G. Mullen as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Marine Gen. James E. "Hoss" Cartwright as vice chairman, subject to Senate approval. Flanked by Mullen, Cartwright and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates in the White House Roosevelt Room, the...

ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 8, 2006 – Arming submarines with nonnuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles will give America a necessary quick-strike weapon in the war on terror, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here yesterday. The proposal, part of the Defense Department's 2007 budget request, aims to remove two nuclear missiles from each of the Navy's 14 ballistic missile submarines, or SSBNs, and replace them with two conventionally armed Trident missiles, said Navy Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani at the Naval Submarine League's annual symposium. The move would put about 22 such missiles into operational deployment, he said. "It's...

WASHINGTON, May 9, 2006 – The defense secretary and vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today they endorse President Bush's nomination of Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden as CIA director. Bush nominated Hayden to the post yesterday to replace Peter Goss. "In my view, Mike Hayden is a true professional, and he'll do an excellent job for the country," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said in response to a reporter's question at today's Pentagon news briefing. "I've known him for about 17 years, and he is just a superb officer who is a tremendous professional," agreed Navy Adm....

Please see above link for the two transcripts. There are some nasty copyright violation warnings on the DoD site, stating that the transcripts are done by a private company. So I won't post even an excerpt, but you can go there to read the full transcripts.

President Bush addressed military personnel and families in Nampa, Idaho after spending spent two nights at a ski and golf resort in Donnelly, Idaho with his wife. Click here for the speech link. There are some nice vacation photos as well as work pictures today. Yesterday Condi Rice met with the South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs "to discuss regional security and diplomatic affairs before attending a private dinner," and today she met with Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert privately to discuss regional security and diplomatic affairs. Welcome to Sanity Island!