Daily Loaf

There will be no runoff election in Afghanistan this weekend (I know, we were all looking forward to the revote between Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah).  Karzai’s in, but what, if anything, will this mean for the U.S. interests?  Reportedly President Obama will meet at least two more times with his advisers on the strategy going forward.

As those discussions continue, the  young State Department official whose resignation was made public is getting  lots of face time.  Matthew Hoh appeared this morning on The Today Show, and yesterday on CNN

St. Pete Times/Miami Herald/Bay News 9 released a series of polls over the weekend, and it’s policy more than policy-makers that is most provocative in those results.

And on Sunday talk, Fox News gave Rush Limbaugh a platform for the first half of their one-hour program yesterday.  Too bad nothing interesting came out of it, other than the odious comment that President Obama’s appearance at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware last week was nothing more than a publicity stunt, according to Rush.

Most interesting was Joe Lieberman on CBS, saying he’d rather have nothing happen with health care reform than to allow for a government-run public option.

Download the report here.

Today the U.S. Supreme Court officially begins its new session, with Latina Justice Sonia Sotomayor bringing her perspective to the bench, succeeding David Souter.

USA Today reports that former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor said over the weekend that she regretted that some of her decisions “are being dismantled” by the current Court, led by John Roberts.

When asked how she reacted to having some of her rulings “undone,” the first female Justice ever named to the High Court responded, “How would you feel?  I’d be a little bit disappointed.”

Download the report here.

Meanwhile, with concerns escalating that offshore drilling could be coming to Florida, there will be a debate in Tallahassee later this month on the matter.

This comes after nearly 20 local governments and chambers of commerce have gone on the record in recent weeks proposing resolutions to oppose any move by Congress or the state Legislature to promote offshore drilling in Florida (Sierra Club member Phil Compton proposed that the Tampa City Council follow suit last week, and the Council is working on such a resolution).

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Florida Democratic Congressman Alan Grayson has made a name for himself over the past year — mostly among Netroots Nation Democrats who have been impressed by his fiery partisan language.

But the Orlando freshman has been catapulted into a whole new world of media coverage over the past 48 hours, after this statement: “The Republican health-care plan: Don’t get sick….if you’re sick, America, the Republican health-care plan is this: Die quickly!”

After being blasted by the GOP for his remarks and called upon to apologize, Grayson did — to the dead.

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There are currently 68,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan.  But according to a report leaked to the Washington Post last week,  the top commander on the ground there, General Stanley McChrystal, wants to increase the troop strength by up to 40,000 more troops.

Meanwhile, back at home,  the American populace (as measured by public opinion polls) seems to be growing weary of the war, approaching its 8th anniversary.  Some legislators (such as House Appropriations Chairman  David Obey of Wisconsin) have already gone on record as saying they are dubious about spending more on the war if there isn’t more progress on the ground.

What does Barack Obama do? (Download the Mitch Perry Report podcast after the break.) Read the rest of this entry »

“Political correctness (adjectivally, politically correct; both forms commonly abbreviated to PC) is a term applied to language, ideas, policies, or behavior seen by some as seeking to minimize offense to gender, racial, cultural, disabled, aged or other identity groups. Conversely, the term “politically incorrect” is used to refer to language or ideas that may cause offense or that are unconstrained by orthodoxy” (Wikipedia definition).

Here’s a good place to start: she thinks you’re ugly, you are seriously impaired, 9/11 could have been an inside job, and religion might be the root of all evil. When was the last time you enjoyed a friendly discussion in mixed company that involved any one of those possibilities? For some reason, I have always been iconoclastic and politically incorrect. I see nothing wrong with seeking the truth where ever it may have gotten lost. In fact, I think that looking behind the façade of political correctness is a virtue. Let’s be real. Do the people in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan think we are the “good guys” as we murder their brothers and sisters and label it “collateral damage”, or do they blame the other guys? Read the rest of this entry »

[Editor's Note: Jennifer Huntsman is a US Army Reserve Signal Captain stationed at MacDill Air Force Base with Joint Communication Support Element (JCSE). She is currently deployed in Qatar. Jenny will be writing for The Daily Loaf about life in the military.]

There are moments in a day where it is clear why we are deployed in the Middle East.  I personally do not go through town with my rifle looking for the Taliban, but my small footprint does make a difference.  The monstrosities that take place in the desert are too hard to be ignored.  I have not been brain washed to believe this to be true.  I believe in my heart that there are acts of hatred out here in the desert that need be stopped, and we are here to help.

My Dad moved around a lot when he was younger.  He was born in Berkeley California, and went to high school in Silicon Valley.  Most of my Dad’s side of the family resides in the San Jose area.  I went to high school in the suburbs of Seattle and claim the Emerald City as my hometown.  My parents will strongly disagree, but from my west coast roots I was raised to be a peace loving, recycling, liberal, blue state loving girl.  On the other hand I am an Army Brat.  Born ready and trained.  My Dad was in the Army when I was younger.  I was born on an Army base and raised in many towns across the United States. My friends were in disbelief after I signed my contract to be property of Uncle Sam.  Not many people from Seattle join the military, but my friends quickly forget that my Boeing Dad is a retired Army soldier.  Being raised in the military you may expect for me to be a “don’t mess with America,” strong religious ties, conservative, red state loving girl.  As an Army Captain my political views are irrelevant.  My point is that I was raised with both eyes open to the big red, white, and blue picture.  There has been no brain washing in my world.  My views of this Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), or President Obama’s Struggle Against Violent Extremism (SAVE), are based off of what I have read, what I have seen, and what I have heard.

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Now that the $787 billion stimulus package has been signed in to law, you may be wondering, “What’s in it for me?” This video should help.

• President Obama orders 17,000 troops to Afghanistan.
• Looks like we’re not going to be one big bipartisan family after all.

• Read the rest of this entry »