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FROM AP: 10 Things to Know for Today
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) must have personalized lockers at the network TV studios since they are on the Sunday morning yapping shows every week.
It is the death throes of the neoconservatives' hold on United States foreign policy that makes the confirmation of Hagel and the installation of the Biden-Kerry-Hagel team so critically important for the United States and the world.
In February, we're told that our minds should revolve around foil-wrapped chocolates, bouquets of flowers and celebrating how much our loved ones mean to us. But we should also remember the military women struggling to return to their civilian lives as mothers, wives and friends.
So what does all this latest angry maneuvering around former Senator Chuck Hagel's confirmation as secretary of defense amount to? Not that much, actually.
It is bizarre that Chuck Hagel, a war hero with a long record of sensible views on the deployment of military power, gets blocked as the president's nominee to run the Pentagon, while Jack Lew, steeped in Wall Street greed, sails through as Treasury secretary.
What greater love exists than that? Don't throw away your chocolates and your rose bouquets, but also take a moment to spread wide your embracing arms to the soul mates who see the things you yearn for and feel the amazement that is true freedom.
Actor Robert Patrick is best known as a tough guy in TV shows and films. But he's a softie when discussing our nation's soldiers and his involvement with the USO.
Clearly, Powell's loyalty to George Bush extended to being willing to deceive the world: the United Nations, Americans, and the coalition troops about to be sent to kill and die in Iraq. He's never been held accountable for his actions, and it's extremely unlikely he ever will be.
While I have been fortunate in my transition from combat to career, my friends' stories and these statistics paint a picture that demands action.
Arab youth are more concerned about fair pay, home ownership, and a decent life than democracy, according to a survey that analyzed data from 12 countries.
To date, only presidents have fallen from power during the Arab Awakening -- no king has fallen from his throne. Arab monarchies are of course not immune to the forces that brought down some of their republican counterparts, so why have they all thus far survived?
Kids and music go together beautifully. Free from pretensions, children play from their hearts. Put that beauty into an international setting -- in th...
Might it be that war isn't something we wage, so much as a force that wages us? And if that's the case, it doesn't particularly matter whether we win or lose because it's not in our control anyway, at least not in the way we think it is.
We all like heroes. But not even a prince who's also a celebrity can get away with calling our attention to a larger truth: the mission for a trained soldier is to find and kill the enemy. Period.
Chuck Hagel is likely to receive swift confirmation from the Senate. There will be tough questions, but most observers expect the Senate to approve his nomination -- perhaps by a large margin. This will be good for both our country's and Israel's security.
Elissa Montanti's new book is a stirring reminder of the difference one very determined woman can make, against great odds and bureaucratic red tape, in the lives of children devastated by war and destruction.
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