What is it about Democratic hawks that makes them so indistinguishable from Republican hawks? From the AP:

Undersecretary of Defense Michele Flournoy said a strategy decision on new deployments involving the U.S. and other troop-contributing nations would be made within the next few weeks, according to an official transcript released Saturday.

Flournoy, the Pentagon's policy chief, led a U.S. delegation that briefed NATO ambassadors Thursday on the Obama administration's review of the Afghan war. Officials released a transcript of her remarks from that meeting.

"No one is talking about leaving Afghanistan, or even standing pat. We are increasing our commitment and we're talking about how best to do that with both civilian and military resources," Flournoy was quoted as telling NATO ambassadors.

Tell me, Ms. Flournoy, how many thousands of troops NATO is going to be providing, given their limited participation to date and their nations' people also coming out more and more against further involvement in Afghanistan? How many more years, how many more deaths, how many more billions will it take before Afghanistan is "secure"? Honestly, someone needs to clue in Ms. Flournoy about the failed wisdom of following in the footsteps of the "stupidest guy on the face of the planet."

I have never understood the grasping need of Dem politicians to be viewed as being as tough as - and often, as foolish - Repub politicians when it comes to issues of national security. Afghanistan is not vital to American security interests - going after al Qaeda is, and they're in Pakistan. We need a strategy of containment rather than one of nation-building - we can't afford the current strategy, and it's overdue for a change.

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This Week with George Stephanopoulos marks the passings of journalist John Mashek and the Ft. Hood shooting victims.

Civilian Michael Grant Cahill, 62, of Cameron
Major L. Eduardo Caraveo, 52, of Woodbridge, Va.
Staff Sgt. Justin M. DeCrow, 32, of Plymouth, Ind.
Capt. John P. Gaffaney, 54, of San Diego, Calif.
Spc. Frederick Greene, 29, of Mountain City, Tenn.
Spc. Jason Dean Hunt, 22, of Tillman, Okla.
Sgt. Amy Krueger, 29, of Kiel, Wis.
Pfc. Aaron Thomas Nemelka, 19, of West Jordan, Utah
Pfc. Michael Pearson, 22, of Bolingbrook, Ill.
Capt. Russell Seager, 41, of Racine, Wis.
Pvt. Francheska Velez, 21, of Chicago. She was pregnant.
Lt. Col. Juanita Warman, 55, of Havre de Grace, Md.
Spc. Kham Xiong, 23, of St. Paul, Minn.

In addition, the Pentagon has released the names of 9 servicemembers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Army SPC Joseph L Gallegos, 39, of Questa, NM
Army PFC Brian R Bates, Jr 20, of Gretna, LA
Army SPC Adrian L Avila, 19, of Opelika, AL
Army PFC Lukas C Hopper, 20, of Merced, CA
Army SPC Christopher M Cooper, 28, of Oceanside, CA
Army SPC Jonathon M Sylvestre, 21, of Colorado Springs, CO
Marine Sgt Cesar B Ruiz, 26, of San Antonio, TX
Army SSG Amy C Tirador, 29, of Albany, NY
Army SPC Julian L Berisford, 25, of Benwood, WV

According to iCasualties, this brings the total number of allied servicemembers killed in Iraq to 4,677, in Afghanistan, 1,513. During this same period, Iraq Body Count lists 56 Iraq civilians killed. For the month of October, 438 civilians were killed in Iraq.

I don't usually comment on a blog post that comments on another blog post, but I believe Matt Yglesias hits on an important issue in his observations on Andrew Exum's interview with Washington Post reporter and author Greg Jaffe.

Greg Jaffe, speaking to Andrew Exum, says “This whole conventional vs. irregular debate is stupid.”

War is war. And we waste far too much energy trying to categorize it. I think most lieutenants, captains and majors are beyond this false conventional vs. irregular frame that we try to impose on war. I wish I could say the same for the more senior people in the Pentagon.

I think there’s a lot of truth to that. At the same time, just because things look one way to “lieutenants, captains and majors” and another way to “senior people in the Pentagon” doesn’t mean we should take a dismissive view of the senior people’s outlook in a rush to celebrate the insights of the practical warfighter.
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And when you get down to the guts of defense budget politics, these high-level strategic concepts matter a great deal. Nobody, of course, is going to say that the U.S. should somehow completely abandon its ability to fight conventional wars. But the choice between a mindset that says “the main purpose of the military is to scare China & Russia” or a mindset that says “the main purpose of the military is to intervene effectively in third world backwaters” has very real implications for what kind of hardware purchases look cost effective.

There is no doubt in my mind that the issue of "hardware purchases" looms very large in the minds of senior military and civilian decision makers. Conventional warfare means lots of tanks, armored vehicles, stealthy jets, next generation bombers, submarines, destroyers, and aircraft carriers. And let's not even get into the care and feeding of that massive military machine. Counterinsurgency operations, or COIN, is completely the opposite, with a focus on maintaining security and diminishing the insurgent grasp on the population without destroying real estate. Also a no-brainer that the DOD budget is already too bloated, and that in managing two wars, protecting the homeland, and trying to modernize its equipment, there's going to be some in-fighting.

But more importantly, the issue is also in the theory and execution of national strategy. The basic idea of military doctrine is that small military units execute tactics on the ground that must support the overall plan of operations within a theater. The theater commander needs to ensure that he has adequate numbers of personnel, that operations continue toward a particular set of goals, and that the logistics support those operations - and his operations must support the overall national strategy for that region. If your tactics and operations don't align against the strategic goals and expected outcome, then you're doing something wrong - even if you're General McChrystal.

Now under the Bush administration, strategic goals and outcomes changed every Friedman unit (six months), which made it difficult to effectively plan operations or execute tactics. But one thing that was certainly clear was that conventional tactics that destroyed the Taliban in 2002 and that took the Iraqi army out in 2003 didn't support the post-conflict goals. You can't prosecute military operations with a conventional frame of mind when what one really needs is an approach to irregular warfare. That's why we failed in Lebanon in 1983.

Greg Jaffe is a good journalist, and I look forward to reading his book. On the other hand, making a statement like "War is war. And we waste far too much energy trying to categorize it" is a remarkably stupid statement. Nuclear war is not the same as conventional war. Conventional war is not the same as irregular war. Our military needs to be able to operate across a range of different operations, and needs to be equipped properly to execute its operations quickly and efficiently. But what we really need is national leadership that understands the nature of war, that knows how to develop a strategy that is executable, and that knows when it's time to go. From Sun Tzu:

All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.

Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.

Thus ends the lesson.

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From This Week with George Stephanopoulos, the Pentagon released the names this week of 25 servicemembers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Army SPC Eric N Lembke, 25, of Tampa, FL
Army PFC Kimble A Han, 30, of Lehi, UT
Marine Cpl Gregory MW Fleury, 23, of Anchorage, AK
Marine Capt Eric A Jones, 29, of Westchester, NY
Marine Capt David S Mitchell, 30, of Loveland, OH
Marine Capt Kyle R Van De Giesen, 29, of North Attleboro, MA
Army SGT Eduviges G Wolf, 24, of Hawthorne, CA
Army PFC Devin J Michel, 19, of Stockton, IL
Army SPC Brandon K Steffey, 23, of Sault Sainte Marie, MI
Marine LCpl Cody R Stanley, 21, of Rosanky, TX
Army SSG Luis M Gonzalez, 27, of South Ozone Park, NY
Army SGT Fernando Delarosa, 24, of Alamo, TX
Army SGT Dale R Griffin, 29, of Terre Haute, IN
Army SGT Issac B Jackson, 27, of Plattsburg, MO
Army SGT Patrick O Williamson, 24, of Broussard, LA
Army SPC Jared D Stanker, 22, of Evergreen Park, IL
Army PFC Christopher I Walz, 25, of Vancouver, WA
Army CWO Michael P Montgomery, 36, of Savannah, GA
Army CWO Niall Lyons, 40, of Spokane, WA
Army SSG Shawn H McNabb, 24, of Terrell, TX
Army SGT Josue E Hernandez Chavez, 23, of Reno, NV
Army SGT Nikolas A Mueller, 26, of Little Chute, WI
Army SFC David E Metzger, 32, of San Diego, CA
Army SSG Keith R Bishop, 28, of Medford, NY
Army SCP Robert K Charlton, 22, of Malden, MO

In addition, 3 agents from the DEA and an American UN security guard were killed in Afghanistan.

This week's casualties bring the total number of allied servicemembers killed in Iraq to 4,673; in Afghanistan, 1,502. During the same period, Iraq Body Count lists 69 Iraqi civilians killed. This has been the deadliest month for US forces in Afghanistan since the beginning of the invasion.

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The Washington Independent: Wingnut smackdown: Birther lawsuit dismissed

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This Week with George Stephanopoulos notes the passings of comedian Soupy Sales, former Wyoming governor and senator Clifford P. Hansen, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jack Nelson and TV theme songwriter Vic Mizzy. In addition, the Pentagon has released the names of 12 servicemembers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Army SGT Christopher M Rudzinski, 28, of Rantoul, IL
Army SSG Chris N Staats, 32, of Fredericksburg, TX
Army SPC Anthony G Green, 28, of Matthews, NC
Army SSG Glen H Stivison, Jr, 34, of Blairsville, PA
Army SPC Jesus O Flores, Jr, 28, of La Mirada, CA
Army SPC Daniel C Lawson, 33, of Deerfield Beach, FL
Army PFC Brandon M Styer, 19, of Lancaster, PA
Army PFC Daniel J Rivera, 22, of Rochester, NY
Army SPC Michael A Dahl Jr, 23, of Moreno Valley, CA
Marine LCpl David R Baker, 22, of Painesville, OH
Army SSG Bradley Espinoza, 26, of Mission, TX
Army SPC Kyle A Coumas, 22, of Lockeford, CA

This brings the total number of allied killed in Iraq to 4,669; in Afghanistan, 1,469. During this same week, Iraq Body Count lists 74 Iraqi civilians killed. That does not include the more than 132 people killed in twin suicide bombings in Baghdad today. In Afghanistan, escalating violence along the Pakistan border has claimed the lives of more than 200.

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Fox's Catherine Herridge has been reporting for a couple of weeks about the White House's change of policy regarding reporters' access to detainees at Guantanamo Bay, which while problematic from a journalist's perspective has all the earmarks of a classic bureaucratic conflict with reporters.

Herridge ran an update yesterday on Fox's Live Desk with Marsha MacCallum, including a clip of a Pentagon spokesman being short with Herridge, evidently, over her persistent questions on the issue. It looks like a tempest in a teapot, but Herridge is a serious reporter and her beef has some legitimacy, especially when it comes to transparency for this White House.

The interesting part of this report, though, came immediately after Herridge's report, when MacCallum hosted our old friend Judith Miller, the woman who helped bring you that six-years-and-running disaster on wheels known as the Iraq War. Miller decided that this Pentagon spokesman was in need of upbraiding:

MacCallum: What did you think of the Pentagon response there to Catherine's question?

Miller: You know, I thought, it's very combative. Excuse me, Mr. Pentagon Spokesman, for Fox doing our job. We're supposed to be there, we're supposed to be reporting on what the Pentagon is doing to and for these prisoners, or detainees, as they prefer to be called. And if he doesn't like our going back and back to look in on those people, well, maybe we should just believe everything they put out.

I found it completely combative, unnecessarily so.

So now we're being lectured on the relationship of reporters to official sources by the woman who was the faithful stenographer of Bush's Pentagon -- particularly Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld -- in selling the public on the notion that there were indeed weapons of mass destruction in the hands of Saddam Hussein. The woman who -- after the utter mendacity of her sources was revealed -- told an interviewer:

"[M]y job isn't to assess the government's information and be an independent intelligence analyst myself. My job is to tell readers of The New York Times what the government thought about Iraq's arsenal."

I don't have a problem with Fox reporters pushing for transparency from the Pentagon. I do have a problem with Judith Miller telling us how we should do that.

It sure is heart-warming, after all, to see Miller get concerned about looking into the accuracy of Pentagon claims -- though it does seem rather convenient that this is a concern of hers only now, now that we have a Democratic administration.

If she had demonstrated even an ounce of this concern during the Bush years, the nation might not have been talked into an outrageous, costly, and wholly unnecessary war.

James Moore wrote the ultimate survey of Miller's journalistic miscreancy.

So many of the saner people were driven out of the military during the Bush administration, it doesn't surprise me that the people left include a lot of the right-wing, racist fringe elements. Still, it's shocking to hear this:

DURHAM — The U.S. military is not just fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, America’s most renowned investigative journalist says.

The army is also “in a war against the White House — and they feel they have Obama boxed in,” Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Seymour Hersh told several hundred people in Duke University’s Page Auditorium on Tuesday night. “They think he’s weak and the wrong color. Yes, there’s racism in the Pentagon. We may not like to think that, but it’s true and we all know it.”

In a speech on Obama’s foreign policy, Hersh, who uncovered the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War and torture at Abu Ghraib prison during the Iraqi war, said many military leaders want Obama to fail.

“A lot of people in the Pentagon would like to see him get into trouble,” he said. By leaking information that the commanding officer in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, says the war would be lost without an additional 40,000 American troops, top brass have put Obama in a no-win situation, Hersh contended.
“If he gives them the extra troops they’re asking for, he loses politically,” Hersh said. “And if he doesn’t give them the troops, he also loses politically.”

The journalist criticized the president for “letting the military do that,” and suggested the only way out was for Obama to stand up to them.
“He’s either going to let the Pentagon run him or he has to run the Pentagon,” Hersh said. If he doesn’t, “this stuff is going to be the ruin of his presidency.”

Hersh called the “Af-Pak” situation — the spreading conflict in Afghanistan and Pakistan — Obama’s main challenge.

The only way for the U.S. to extricate itself from the conflict, Hersh said, is to negotiate with the Taliban.

“It’s the only way out,” he said. “I know that there’s a lot of discussion in the White House about this now.

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This Week with George Stephanopoulos marks the passings of singer/actor Al Martino, journalist Nan Robertson, aviation innovator Richard Whitcomb, and Wall Street executive Bruce Wasserstein. In addtion, the Pentagon has released the names of 4 servicemembers killed in Afghanistan.

Army SFC Kenneth W Westbrook, 41, of Shiprock, NM
Army SPC George W Cauley, 24, of Walker, MN
Marine LCpl Alfonso Ochoa Jr, 20, of Armona, CA
Marine SSgt Aaron J Taylor, 27, of Bovey, MN

That brings the total number of allied servicemembers killed in Iraq to 4,667, in Afghanistan, 1,463. During this same week, Iraq Body Count lists 74 Iraqi civilians killed. The bomb blast that killed the 4 service members in Afghanistan also killed an Afghan woman and her child.

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This Week with George Stephanopoulos notes the passings of photographer Irving Penn, anti-war activist Peg Mullen and restaurateur Ben Ali. In addition, the Pentagon has released the names of 16 soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Army SGT Roberto D Sanchez, 24 of Satellite Beach, FL
Army SGT Aaron M Smith, 25, of Manhattan, KS
Army SPC Brandon A Owens, 21, of Memphis, TN
Army SSG Thomas D Rabjohn, 39, of Litchfield Park, AZ
Army SPC Paul E Andersen, 49, of Dowagiac, MI
Army CPT Benjamin A Sklaver, 32, of Medford, MA
Army PFC Alan H Newton Jr, 26, of Asheboro, NC
Army MAJ Tad T Hervas, 48, of Coon Rapids, MN
Army SGT Justin T Gallegos, 27, of Tucson, AZ
Army SGT Joshua M Hardt, 24, of Applegate, CA
Army SGT Joshua J Kirk, 30, of South Portland, ME
Army SGT Michael P Scusa, 22, of Villas, NJ
Army SPC Christopher T Griffin, 24, of Kincheloe, MI
Army SPC Stephan L Mace, 21, of Lovettsville, VA
Army PFC Kevin C Thomson, 22, of Reno, NV
Army SPC Kevin O Hill, 23, of Brooklyn, NY

This brings the total number of allied servicemembers killed in Iraq to 4,667, in Afghanistan, 1,453. During this same week, Iraq Body Count has listed 63 Iraqi civilian deaths and violence in Afghanistan has contributed to at least 17 Afghani civilian deaths.

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This Week with George Stephanopoulos notes the passings of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds inspiration Lucy Vodden, Gap founder Donald Fisher and former speechwriter and columnist William Safire. In addition, the Pentagon released the names of 11 servicemembers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Army SGT Titus R Reynolds, 23, of Columbus, OH
Army SGT Edward B Smith, 30, of Homestead, FL
Army SPC Joseph V White, 21, of Bellevue, WA
Army SPC Kevin J Graham, 27, of Benton, KY
Marine LCpl Jordan L Chrobot, 24, of Frederick, MD
Army SPC Ross E Vogel, III, 27, of Red Lion, PA
Army SSG Alex French IV, 31, of Milledgeville, GA
Army SFC Christopher D Shaw, 37, of Markham, IL
Army SSG Jack M Martin III, 26, of Bethany, OK
Army SPC Russell S Hercules Jr, 22 of Murfreesboro, TN
Army SGT Ryan C Adams, 26 of Rhinelander, WI

This brings the total number of allied soldiers killed in Iraq to 4,666, in Afghanistan, 1,441. During this same week, Iraq Body Count lists 58 Iraqi civilians killed. For the month of September, 296 Iraqi civilians were killed, 21 of whom were children. In Afghanistan, 30 civilians were killed by roadside bombs this week alone.

Via Raw Story, news that police use of this weapon is even closer - and more portable, so use will be widespread. I was writing about this in 2006. And no, it's more than "burning sensations" - when they did the tests, they banned metal buttons and zippers because they caused burns, and they also banned contact lenses because they could become fused to the eyeballs.

What brave Congress member will introduce legislation to stop this? Bueller? Bueller?

A powerful hand-held weapon being developed by the Pentagon could end up in police hands, says a report in a UK science journal.

The Pentagon's Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate has been developing the Thermal Laser System since 2005, with the purpose of developing a weapon that could disperse crowds or incapacitate individuals by causing them to experience burning sensations in their skin.

According to NewScientist magazine, the weapon has evolved into a rifle-mounted instrument, and there are plans for a hand-held model that could be used by police forces.

News of the possibility that police departments could obtain the burn weapon will likely concern civil-liberties advocates, who have been watching with alarm as the Taser conducted-energy weapon has gone into regular use in police forces across the United States.

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This Week with George Stephanopoulos notes the passings of scientist Dr. John J. Wild, politician Don Yarborough, Rev. Forrest Church and pianist Alicia de Larrocha. Besides these notable people, AP reports that conservative columnist William Safire died this morning. In addition, the Pentagon has released the names of 8 servicemembers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Air Force SrA Matthew R Courtois, 22, of Lucas, TX
Army SPC Michael S Cote Jr, 20, of Denham Springs, LA
Army SPC Corey J Kowall, 20, of Murfreesboro, TN
Army SPC Damon G Winkleman, 23, of Lakeville, OH
Army SGT David A Davis, 28, of Dalhart, TX
Air Force TSgt James R Hornbarger, 33, of Castle Rock, WA
Army PFC William L Meredith, 26, of Virginia Beach, VA
Marine LCpl John J Malone, 24, of Yonkers, NY

According iCasualties, the total number of allied forces killed in Iraq is now 4,664; in Afghanistan, 1,421. During this same period, Iraq Body Count lists 43 Iraqi civilians killed.

ginandtacos: 'Democrats-as-socialists' comments are particularly lame coming from someone like the CEO of Coca Cola. Dirt-cheap, subsidized corn sweeteners, anyone?

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Consortiumblog: Neocon judge's history of coverups

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This Week with George Stephanopoulos marks the passings of award-winning writer Larry Gelbart, Nobel laureate Norman Borlaug, and entertainment columnist Army Archerd. In addition, the Pentagon released the names of 10 servicemembers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Army 2LT Darryn D Andrews, 34, of Dallas, TX
Army SGT Randy M Haney, 27, of Orlando, FL
Army SSG Michael C Murphrey, 25, of Snyder, TX
Air Force 1st Lt Joseph D Helton, 24, of Monroe, GA
Marine Capt Joshua S Meadows, 30, of Bastrop, TX
Army SSG Shannon M Smith, 31, of Marion, OH
Army PFC Thomas F Lyons, 20, of Fernley, NV
Army PFC Zachary T Myers, 21, of Delaware, OH
Marine LCpl Christopher S Fowlkes, 20, of Gaffney, SC
Army 1LT Tyler E Parten, 24, of Arkansas

According to iCasualties, the total number of allied soldiers killed in Iraq is now 4,661, in Afghanistan, 1,384. During this same period, Iraq Body Count lists 116 Iraqi civilians killed.