Free Republic

Iran is beating a retreat from Yemen, where it has backed the Houthi rebels, who in turn have launched missiles and drones against Israel, and have also attacked international shipping in the Red Sea, as well as western naval vessels. The reason: U.S. President Donald Trump has launched a relentless assault on the Houthis while also restoring a “maximum pressure” campaign of sanctions that makes it impossible for Iran to sustain its overseas terror proxies. The UK Telegraph reported on Thursday: Iran has ordered military personnel to leave Yemen, abandoning its Houthi allies as the US escalates an air strike...

The United States-led military coalition against Islamic State said on Monday that it was pulling out of Iraq and would be repositioning forces over the next few days and weeks, a letter seen by Reuters showed. "Sir, in deference to the sovereignty of the Republic of Iraq, and as requested by the Iraqi Parliament and the Prime Minister, CJTF-OIR will be repositioning forces over the course of the coming days and weeks to prepare for onward movement," read a letter from United States Marine Corps Brigadier General William H. Seely III, the commanding general of Task Force Iraq. The authenticity...

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) downplayed the possibility of an impeachment vote in a Thursday interview. House Democrats launched a formal impeachment inquiry in September following a whistleblower allegation against President Trump. ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos asked Pelosi if Congress had reached a "point of no return," and if an impeachment vote is "inevitable." "I don't think so," Pelosi responded. "No, we just go forward and follow the facts. There are some people who say ‘why are you calling for an inquiry? You should just call to impeach.' I don't think that would be fair and it isn't worthy...

I knew when I used the word "mercenary" in my Tuesday column that I was being highly inflammatory. NBC News ran a piece in which enlisted soldiers in Iraq expressed frustration about waning American support. I intentionally chose to criticize the military and used the word to incite and call into question their presumption that the public had a duty to support them. The public has duties, but not to the American military. So I committed blasphemy, and for this seeming lack of respect and appreciation for individuals in uniform, I have been roundly criticized and condemned. Mercenary, of course,...