Waiting for Left-Wing Apologies to General Petraeus

June 25, 2010 | Comments (2)

Well, two days have passed since Commander-in-Chief Obama dismissed General Stanley McChrystal and handed control of the Afghanistan theater of the war on terror over to General David Petraeus. Two days, and I have yet to hear an apology from Obama or Hillary or any of their kindred left-wing spirits in Congress, who just months ago referred to General Petraeus as a failure as Commander of the war in Iraq, and joined forces with those who would refer to him gleefully and oh-so-cleverly as General “Betray-us.”

While I am waiting for this apology (and not holding my breath), I imagine what I presume the scene  might have been two days ago in the editorial offices of Rolling Stone. I imagine the staffers, editors and writers gathered around an office television, hanging on the every golden word of their beloved Obama. As soon as they hear that magical announcement — ding, dong, McChrystal is gone – deafening cheers, joyous high-fives and leaps into the air erupt in response, all-out celebration for the death blow they have so successfully dealt the U.S. military.

But then, one in their midst, his eyes and ears still directed toward the tube, calls for them to cease and desist in their revelry. Face ashen and drawn, he calls their attention back to their beloved O. They watch in silence. In shock. They can’t believe what they are hearing. David what? The Betrayer in Afghanistan? No! The celebration has ended as suddenly as it began. And this time, whether they and their fearless leader in the White House care to acknowledge it or not, their nemesis, the U.S. military, won’t be so easily taken down.

In fact, at this very moment rumors are flying that General Petraeus agreed to take over in Afghaniston only on condition that he can alter the notorious rules of engagement that have severely curtailed our warriors’ abilities to carry out their missions and to protect themselves on the ground. I’m sure these rumors have not escaped those Rolling Stone staffers, who, should the rumors prove to be true, fear they won’t have another cause for celebration any time soon.

Betsy Siino | Comments (2)

General McChrystal’s Dismissal and a Failing President’s Panic

June 23, 2010 | Comments (4)
So General Stanley McChrystal, the commander of our U.S. troops in Afghanistan, is summoned to the White House to explain comments critical of the Obama administration in Rolling Stone Magazine. The military hit piece insinuates that the General and his inner circle are not all that pleased with Obama and his minions (even though he, the General, allegedly voted for Obama). General McChrystal is summarily dismissed by Commander-in-Chief Obama, a man unworthy even to lick the combat boots of this American hero, who for decades has upheld his Constitutional oath to protect this nation from all enemies, both foreign and domestic.

And I say, thank you, General McChrystal. Perhaps by your own design, you find yourself playing a key role in this flagging President’s pathetic effort to suggest he is a leader in a time when his incompetence is being showcased in circus-like clarity to America and the world. Perhaps you and your staff were insubordinate in even considering (for whatever reason) speaking with Rolling Stone, but you are no fool, Sir, and I am confident you knew exactly what you were doing.

For months I have ranted that our military cannot possibly respect this man they are forced to regard as their Commander-in-Chief. Perhaps this recent event, then, is a message, a sign sent to us from our troops, reassuring us that despite their mandated courtesy, the military at large does not in any way respect or trust this radical left-wing administration and the man at their helm.

We have seen glimmers of this, particularly in the less-than-boisterous response our military tends to offer the President when he enters a room. This occurred most recently, when the light applause that greeted Obama for his West Point commencement address forced him to delete a reference to overwhelming cheers from his telepromptered speech. It’s downright laughable to imagine that this anti-war, anti-military “community organizer,” who surrounds himself only with like-minded sixties throwbacks (“wimps,” their critics in Rolling Stone called them) would somehow believe that the greatest military force in the world would follow them blindly in their efforts to bring our great nation to her knees.

Nevertheless, Obama today justified his dismissal of a man so blatantly his superior in a phony, hawkish speech, insisting, without any shred of authenticity, that he values debate among his team and that he reveres the greatness of America and her military. If he says it, he figures once again, we will believe.  And, once again, he is wrong. In fact, early response to his latest phony speech indicates that far too many Americans for Obama’s comfort are once again viewing him, his words and his actions as wrong, ineffectual and dangerous.

 Obama has told us, as well, that General David Petraeus will be taking the reins in Afghanistan. In his phony-hawk speech Obama sang General Petraeus’ praises, apparently hoping we’ll forget those halcyon days when he counted himself among the tyrants in our government who referred to this American hero as General “Betrayus” and treated him with abject disrespect when he testified before Congress about our troops’ success in Iraq. But we won’t forget, Mr. Obama. Ever. And you can bet that despite whatever you discussed today, General Petraeus hasn’t forgotten either.

The bottom line here is that this is simply another wrench thrown into Obama’s ongoing troubles that seem to be spiraling out of control by the day. And, as with all the pathetic, face-saving, panic-driven decisions he makes, he will soon be reminded yet again that there are consequences to his unique blend of thuggery and ineptitude.

Though Barack Obama attempted to appear strong and decisive to the masses today (his expression revealing another truth), his decision unleashed a man of true leadership and heroism who can squish him like a bug, both literally and with his now-liberated freedom of speech. The General has street cred among us “regular Americans” that the current occupant of the White House will never have. Despite General McChrystal’s alleged vote for Obama – which, frankly, I find the most shocking element of this entire story – I have a feeling the General  will do much in the months ahead to make amends for a vote that helped to sentence our nation to Obama’s twisted dominion.

In the meantime, as we await the fallout of General McChrystal’s dismissal and a failing President’s panic, my prayers remain with our troops in Afghanistan. Once again they find themselves pawns in an insidious game of wonton D.C. decisions that place political aspirations and posturing above their safety, their security, and their dedication to protecting our United States. May God be with them. May God be with us all.

Betsy Siino | Comments (4)

Memorial Day 2010

May 30, 2010 | Comments (1)

Three months or so after September 11, 2001, the day we witnessed a devastating attack by radical Islamic terrorists on our nation, I went to Ground Zero in New York City. As my friend, a native New Yorker, and I walked from Greenwich Village to Lower Manhattan, we could feel it in the air, growing more palpable, more intense, the closer we got to the site of America’s collective loss. Call it a sensation, an aura, the footprint of the souls who were taken from us that day, the “it” to which I refer here is something known only to those who have been to ground we call sacred.

This was not new to me. I felt it at Pearl Harbor. And at Gettysburg, too. I hope someday to experience it at Normandy Beach and that field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The footprint of the souls who left us in sudden fury. The souls of Americans who were taken from us.

I think of that sensation, those footprints, today on the eve of Memorial Day, the day when we honor the countless Americans who have given their lives, either consciously or in sudden unexpected fury, for our country. I honor as we all must the blood they shed for us, for our children, for the preservation of this extraordinary experiment we call home. And, though my words seem so feeble in comparison, I thank those extraordinary Americans for what they have done for us.

Our nation today is once again traveling treacherous territory. This time we are encountering threats perhaps not so overt as those we encountered on that day in December of 1941 or on the bloody battlefields of our nation’s terrible Civil War or on those beaches in France so far from home – threats that are thus probably even more treacherous because of that. So I think of that famous passage I would hope every American has heard and should embrace. To paraphrase, it reminds us that it is not the reporter or the lawyer or the politician or the preacher or the community organizer who gives us our precious freedoms, freedoms unique and extraordinary in all the world. No, we have only one individual and one individual alone to thank for those precious freedoms. The American soldier.

I for one will never forget the ultimate sacrifice the American soldier has made for me and mine, nor will I ever forget the ultimate sacrifice that soldier’s family has made for us. Knowing full well the enormity of what that sacrifice means to us all, I remain eternally grateful to that soldier on this Memorial Day and every day. And I pray that every American will join me in this. We must never forget.

Betsy Siino | Comments (1)

Justice Prevails for Three Navy Seals

May 7, 2010 | Comments (0)

On December 7th of last year, a date we know historically as “a day of infamy,” I wrote of the disgrace of seeing three of our Navy Seals being court martialed for their alleged aggression in their capture of terrorist Ahmed Hashim Abed. Never mind that this terrorist (yes, I said terrorist) is considered the mastermind behind the murder and desecration of four American contractors working in Iraq. Not surprisingly, our current administration remains unconcerned about that aspect of the case. Their concern, their fearless leader included, is that in the process of this capture, these three Seals allegedly gave Abed a fat lip or called him a name or stepped on his toe or some such nonsense.

But such ridiculous (treasonous) foolishness aside, May 6th of this year marks another day of infamy, for on this day, the last of our Seals being forced to face this ultimate betrayal from the nation they have sworn to defend and protect, was found not guilty. In other words, for Matthew McCabe, Julio Huertas and Jonathan Keefe, justice has prevailed. And we may all sleep more peacefully for it.

These heroes followed their sense of honor. The can take comfort tonight, not only in their ongoing knowledge that they did nothing wrong — and indeed they insisted on going to trial when they could have struck a deal and avoided the circus – but also in the fact that the vast majority of Americans are rejoicing in their exoneration. In other words, we the people have all along supported and honored them for bringing to justice a terrorist who wants to destroy us, and our thoughts and prayers stayed with them throughout their ordeal. I, of course, speak here only for “we the people” who, like them, revere our Constitution, not the clowns in this adminstration who desecrate that sacred document – and who made this court martial all possible.

Speaking of the clowns, given the outcome of these court martials, I have a question for we the people. Faced with the threats of those who want to kill us — and who make this desire quite clear every few weeks or so on our own soil and in our own airspace — just who would you like out there on the front lines ensuring that our children and our nation remain safe and secure? The namby-pamby elitist intellectual throwbacks to the 60s now wobbling through the halls of the White House and its environs and reading terrorists their rights? Or the likes of Matthew McCabe, Julio Huertas and Jonathan Keefe? I think you know my answer to this question. And I think I know yours, as well.

Betsy Siino | Comments (0)

Oscar’s Miracle

March 8, 2010 | Comments (0)

March 8, 2010 | Comments

So I sit out the Oscars last night, and an actual, bonafide miracle occurs after so many years of Hollywood’s wandering the liberal desert. Contrary to the buzz following Avatar and everyone associated with it (including Director nominee James Cameron), into that glittering awards celebration, the Oscar for Best Director went to Cameron’s ex-wife, Kathryn Bigelow, for the war epic The Hurt Locker.

Though this upset alone would seem a miracle, the true miracle occurred when Ms. Bigelow included our troops in Iran and Afghanistan in her acceptance speech! At the Oscars! Brazenly and unabashedly in front of all the Hollywood elite assembled there.

While some in that building last night might have seen the military accolades that followed that win as a sign of the apocalypse, others, particularly the closeted Hollywood conservatives in attendance (and me — not in attendance), would regard it more as a miracle — or simply the desire on the part of the voters to avoid another “king of the world” speech from favorite Cameron.

Either way, brava Kathryn! And thanks for remembering the men and women and their families back home who dedicate their lives to protecting us, our children, and our beautiful country each and every day. Maybe I’ll give the Oscars another try next year….

Betsy Siino | Comments

Betsy Siino | Comments (0)

A Day of Infamy

December 7, 2009 | Comments (0)

December 7, 2009 | Comments

On December 7, 1941 – sixty-eight years ago today – Japanese forces launched a surprise attack on the American naval fleet in Pearl Harbor. Then-President Franklin Roosevelt proclaimed that day to be a “day of infamy,” as America was ushered into World War II.

Today we witness another day of infamy, a day when two of our Navy Seals, whose heroic efforts led to the capture of Ahmed Hashim Abed last September, were arraigned in a court martial proceeding in Virginia. This thus becomes not just a day of infamy, but a day of disgrace for our country, and a day of betrayal for our military.

You see, Ahmed Hashim Abed is the alleged mastermind behind the barbaric slaughter of four Blackwater contractors – security guards – in Iraq in March, 2004. The four men were ambushed, brutally murdered, then dragged through the streets of Fallujah, two of them hung over the Euphrates River. I remember the images. You probably do, too.

After years of unsuccessful attempts, three Navy Seals, two of whom – Matthew McCabe and Julio Huertas – were arraigned today (the third will be arraigned later), succeeded in at last capturing the man assumed to be responsible for this brutality committed against American citizens. But it would seem their methods were a little too rough in our new politically correct world. Or at least that is what is being charged. The Seals could have accepted a non-judicial reprimand for being mean to the terrorist, but they chose instead a trial to clear their names – and, perhaps, to set a precedent for their brethren who commit heroic acts in the future.

Not surprisingly, these Seals have garnered a massive outpouring of support from the public. We have, in turn, been urged by government and even military voices to reserve judgment until all the facts have been revealed. But you know what? I think I speak for the great majority of those supporting the Seals, when I say, we don’t care.

We frankly don’t care what facts you may have that you think will change our minds. We don’t care how much force may have been used. Yes, we are Americans, so by definition we are the most compassionate people on earth, but our compassion lies with the victims of these heinous acts who suffered so terribly, with their families they left behind, and with the courageous men and women who work to bring the perpetrators of such acts to justice. Case closed.

So instead of mourning this day of infamy, let us rejoice in the heroism of these young men. Despite what the current government may think of you young heroes, despite even what your own possibly confused military may be thinking under this government’s spell, we the people are behind you. And they won’t be changing our minds.

Betsy Siino | Comments

Betsy Siino | Comments (0)

Matthews Speaks the Truth

December 2, 2009 | Comments (0)

December 2, 2009 | Comments

Last night, following the President’s speech to the cadets of West Point, where he announced a troop increase in Afghanistan and his timeline for extraction of those troops, Chris “the tingler” Matthews was left a bit perplexed. In his brilliant analysis of the speech, Matthews referred to West Point, the academy that since 1802 has trained the officers of our United States Army, as “the enemy camp.”

Of course as we all know by now, Matthews was simply speaking the truth as he sees it — and as he sees his President. As far as he is concerned, he and the President are joined at the hip in their view of the military and this war, one and the same, simpatico, paisons.

“I didn’t see a lot of warmth in that crowd out there that the President chose to address tonight,” chirped Matthews post-speech. “He went to maybe the enemy camp tonight to make his case…I thought it was a strange venue.”

I’m sure you did, Chris. Why, you must wonder, would anyone of your shared mindset venture onto the grounds of an institution, an enemy camp, so steeped in history, heritage, sacrifice and liberty? Why on earth would el presidente choose such “a strange venue” for so important a bombshell?

Probably a pretty frightening venue, too, for Chris and his ilk, who like to believe that everyone of any value shares their views. But they don’t. And last night those who don’t apparently let Matthews know – in droves – that they did not appreciate his bashing West Point and its cadets. And today, after receiving what he described as “tough calls from parents of cadets and former cadets,” Matthews apparently decided that damage control – a.k.a. career preservation — trumps truth. “I said something that is just not right,” he told whoever was watching him tonight. “…For that, I deeply apologize.”

But what he said was right – for him, anyway, and, I suspect, for the President who tingles him, as well. We know neither of them understands those unique souls who devote their lives to the defense of us and our country. They suspect them. They fear them. And they regard their turf as hostile territory.

Indeed how disheartening to imagine that the Commander-in-Chief of the United States would regard an American military academy as an “enemy camp” – and that we would expect him to regard it that way. But, unfortunately, the evidence is pretty clear. This President has never shown a great love or respect for the military, he has admittedly referred to them as a great photo-op, and he waited months to move on Afghanistan while 116 of our troops died waiting for him to make a decision.

Last night, Mr. Matthews, when you uttered those words “enemy camp,” we weren’t surprised at all. And now, for whatever reason, be it advice from your agent, orders from the NBC brass, or the fallout from the families with kids in harm’s way protecting your right to bash them and their families, you have apologized. Too little, too late, I say. Some words, some truths, just can’t be erased with an apology. Nor should they be. We know you were just speaking the truth as you see it. And that is very sad.

Betsy Siino | Comments

Betsy Siino | Comments (0)

West Point: Another Photo-Op, Another Show

December 1, 2009 | Comments (0)

December 1, 2009 | Comments

The President no doubt figured that staging his Afghanistan speech at West Point was a brilliant idea. Remember the doctors in the white coats? Remember the fake Parthenon towering behind him during his acceptance speech in Denver? Tonight could be another ideal photo-op, right? Surround myself with the dark gray of West Point cadets, and the message will be “they stand with me.”

But I didn’t see that. I saw stoic expressions on the young faces of these best and brightest. I saw polite applause, but I also saw the recognition of truth on their faces. They know this man regards them as his own private band of toy soldiers, to use at his whim, at his pleasure, particularly as photo-ops and campaign tools. This President — pronouncing words such as “Taliban” and “Pakistan” as though he were a native offering these entities respect — looked so very out of place preaching to those young warriors.

Avoiding words like “evil” and “terror” and “enemy,” the President looked the fool when he forgot he wasn’t speaking this time to a fawning Congress or a newsroom of slobbering reporters. He patted himself on the back, congratulating himself in the presence of the cadets for saluting the fallen warriors at Dover. He spoke of the economy and the expense of war, as though his audience should be both grateful and guilty for their connection to such high costs.

Most jarring was when he spoke of military strategy, as though he knew anything about it, as though he had ever studied it, as though he respects that which these young warriors and the generations who came before them have dedicated their lives. What must they, and all commanders, think when he speaks to them of this subject that for them comes as naturally as breathing?

Thanks to this lack of credibility, the President’s speech tonight was a rambling, defensive creation of people who don’t know how to speak convincingly of patriotism, America’s heritage and greatness, and the men and women who have died to preserve them. The President frankly doesn’t understand these young people. He doesn’t know who they are, and he doesn’t understand why they do what they do.

What he did offer of relevance to the cadets, to America, and to our troops both at home and in harm’s way, is that after months of dithering and dawdling and voting “present” while our people died, he is at last granting General McChrystal’s request for an increase of troops (30,000) in Afghanistan. Much to the delight of those who want to kill us and the troops who protect us, he announced, as well, that he will begin the withdrawal of American troops come summer 2011 (just in time for re-election campaigning).

Imagine Lincoln, Churchill, FDR, Grant, Eisenhower, George W. or Julius Caesar handing a timeline over to their enemies. Not a military commander in history would broadcast battle plans and timelines as this so-called Commander-in-Chief did tonight. And, as is his way, he did it without a shred of emotion or passion, and without a word of victory.

From the moment he declared himself a presidential candidate, this man has made abundantly clear his distaste for the military and his opposition toward any military action in which we have engaged for the protection of our nation in a post-9/11 world. Tonight, like every night, my heart goes out to the military moms and dads and sisters and brothers and daughters and sons and all of us who consider ourselves their families, too, knowing that the fates of our men and women in uniform rest in the hands of a man who has never truly committed himself to the safety of our nation and our people.

Indeed rather than listen to seasoned military advisors who actually attended West Point and Annapolis and the Air Force Academy, he has preferred instead to humiliate them publicly in order to appease the likes of his left-wing base and film-maker Michael Moore, the latter of whom wrote to him on Monday, that “It is not your job to do what all the generals tell you to do . . . we f—g hate these generals!” I’ll take that as the royal “we,” as the President has never shied away from Moore’s support and adulation.

And that is why I have to believe that tonight was tough for the President. With his approval ratings sagging, he defied the far left in favor of the generals, but he did not look all that comfortable standing before that sea of cadets. This man, who by his own admission spent his college years seeking out foreign students and communist professors and now wishes to “transform” America, had to recognize that he had no frame of understanding with the audience he sought to dazzle tonight, an audience devoted to the protection and preservation of America.

What he may or may not recognize, as well, is that the cadets in that audience know a fraud when they see one. And tonight that is exactly what they saw.

Betsy Siino | Comments

Betsy Siino | Comments (0)

Unspeakable Comments to Our Troops — And Their Parents

November 19, 2009 | Comments (0)

November 19, 2009 | Comments

He is shameless.  The man is absolutely shameless.  Now it is confirmed: He has no conscience, and, frankly, I have to believe, no soul. There is a word in psychiatry for this, but that’s for another time.

For now, my concern is for our troops and for their parents. During the President’s whistle stop in South Korea this week as part of whatever this trip of his was to Asia, he addressed 1500 troops assembled at Osan Air Base. As he boarded Air Force One, he gleefully quipped:

“You guys make a pretty good photo-op.”

But he didn’t stop there. He then told them he would be giving them a raise (and we know he always keeps his promises). Receiving precisely the response he had planned with that comment, he chortled:

“That’s what you call an applause line.”

This man is a disgrace.

In October, the President’s supporters blasted anyone who called his salute to the fallen troops being returned home at Dover Air Force Base a photo-op. Well, the critics of those photos have now been vindicated, haven’t they? We all know now, from the President’s own mouth, what was going through his head at that moment as he stood there with his hand at his forehead. It had nothing to do with heroes and courage and loss and sacrifice, and everything to do with images, campaigns and cameras (he would not have shown up without the cameras). In other words, it had everything to do with him and only him.

And now this. He lets the troops know precisely what he is thinking. He tells them point blank that he is using them. He jokes. He laughs. And should they be those who come home one day in flag-draped caskets, he’ll be there, too. For the photo-op.

All you military moms out there, all you military dads….how are you feeling right now? This man just admitted to the world that he is using your sons and your daughters for his own selfish and indecent purposes. Dead or alive, they are quite useful to him. Indeed if they are among those who end up giving their lives for their country, all the better.

And our troops, the thousands of men and women who are our heroes. I understand that he is your Commander-in-Chief, but please, see through the bluster, the dithering, the choreography. I am confident you do. You’re too smart for him. He not only uses you, he underestimates you. He underestimates us all.

Betsy Siino | Comments

Betsy Siino | Comments (0)

Many Thanks

November 11, 2009 | Comments (0)

November 11, 2009 | Comments

Today we give thanks to the veterans — the men and women, the American patriots — who for more than two centuries have given their time, their dedication, and often their lives so that we blessed to be in this country may be free. We thank their families, as well, for the courageous sacrifices they, too, have made for our great nation. Without them, there would be no us. In light of the recent events at Fort Hood, may all our veterans know that we think of them, pray for them, and thank them every day.  And we will never forget. God bless and protect our veterans. God bless and protect our country.

Betsy Siino | Comments

Betsy Siino | Comments (0)