LESSON LEARNED — U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Ron Van Ausdal, from 1st Combat Camera Squadron, helps Iraqi boys with an English lesson in Tal Afar, Iraq, Oct. 15, 2006. Combat Camera is a joint mission composed of photographer, videographers, maintenance personnel, and project officers from all four major branches of the U.S. military to collect high quality imagery for the Department of Defense. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. DeNoris A. Mickle

From Barbara:

Some political analysts are asserting that Democrats are talking tough on national security matters to indicate that they are not going to cede the issue to Republicans this Fall.

An examination of the Democrats’ record on national security programs and personnel, however, illustrates that such rhetoric is unsupported by concrete action.

• The President authorized the National Security Agency Terrorist Surveillance Program to intercept the international communications of people with known links to al Qaeda. The purpose of the program is to detect and prevent planned attacks against the United States.


• Democrats, in response to unauthorized revelations about the program, suggested that the program is grounds for impeachment; introduced a resolution to censure the President for his actions; and praised the fact that the existence of this program was published in the open source media.

• A Republican-led Congress provided legislation authorizing the President to bring terrorists before military commissions to answer for their war crimes and to continue an interrogation program conducted by the Central Intelligence Agency.


• Were it not for the CIA program, our intelligence community believes that al Qaeda and its allies would have succeeded in launching another attack against the homeland.


• The majority of Senate Democrats voted against this legislation.

• The Patriot Act makes the tools that are available to pursue bank robbers or those who committed financial crimes available for detecting and preventing terrorist attacks.


• It has accomplished exactly what it was designed to do: it has saved American lives.

• When it came time to reauthorizing these tools, most Democrats filibustered that effort.

• The President has provided a definition of victory in Iraq and a strategy to attain it. The President has stated on multiple occasions that victory will be achieved in Iraq when Iraq can govern itself, sustain itself, and defend itself against the terrorists. The National Strategy for Victory in Iraq outlines the process to achieve that end state.


• Democrats, on the other hand, do not have a plan for victory in Iraq other than to criticize the Administration’s current strategy without offering a strategy of their own.


• The only tangible part of their plan is either to withdraw from Iraq now, or demand a timeline for withdrawal without regard to conditions on the ground.


• Even their hand-picked witnesses at a DPC hearing on Iraq rejected this so-called “strategy.”


• It would leave a “regional mess.” – Major General John Batiste (ret.).


• Iran would be “the greatest beneficiary.” – Major General Paul Eaton (ret.).


• It would “recreate Afghanistan for the terrorists.” – Colonel Thomas Hammes (ret.).


• Even Senator Biden, in analyzing the intervention in Bosnia, has cautioned against the dangers of setting “an artificial deadline” for the withdrawal of troops because that “would turn our troops into lame ducks as a given date approaches.” Bosnia: Why the United States Should Finish the Job, SAIS Review, Vol. 18, no. 2, p. 1 (Summer/Fall 1998).

• Fighting the war against radical Islamist terrorists requires not only the national security programs in place to prosecute that war; but it also requires the proper personnel in place to execute those programs. Democrats have blocked at one point, or are currently blocking, the following nominations to critical national security positions:


• Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations, John Bolton


• Deputy Secretary of Defense, Gordon England


• Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, Eric Edelman


• Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy, Peter Flory


• Office of the Director of National Intelligence General Counsel, Ben Powell


• Assistant Attorney General for National Security, Kenneth Wainstein


• Assistant Attorney General for Criminal Division, Alice Fisher


• Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Counsel, Steven Bradbury

• Republicans have offered real solutions to energy problems: Energy Policy Act of 2005.


• Democrats, on the other hand, continue to assert that there is a dependence on foreign oil, but then block all efforts to ease the cost of energy for American consumers.


• They attempted to prevent even the taking of an inventory of oil and gas resources beneath the waters of the Outer Continental Shelf.


• They also voted to impose a substantial tax penalty on U.S. oil and gas companies by preventing them from deducting business expenses associated with drilling dry wells.

The choice this November is clear, between a party that only talks tough on national security issues and a party that follows through on such talk with even tougher action.

by Cpl. Thomas Childs
October 17, 2006
Soldiers from the Sharanna Provincial Reconstruction Team, 10th Mountain Division, provide security during operations in Gomel, Afghanistan. US Army photo

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
U.S. military too strong to lose Iraq war: Rumsfeld - Video
Baker says no "magic bullet" for Iraq problems
Saddam defiant as judge allows defense counsel back - Video
U.S. forces patrol Balad after violence
9 U.S. Troops Killed in Iraq
October U.S. GI death toll rises to 67
Jordan Sentences 8 for Plot to Kill U.S. Soldiers in Iraq

Operation Enduring Freedom
'Clock Ticking' for Afghan Coalition
Commander: Mistakes made in Afghanistan

Homeland Security / War on Terror
NY must answer September 11 cleanup damage claims: judge
Prosecutors want to question shoe bomber

Other Military News
Bush Approves Military Pay Raise
Audit Reveals H-1 Helicopter Problems

Mid-East Ceasefire / Hamas Rising / Israel at War
Abbas says has to make decision on Hamas government - Video
U.S. Defector Ends Silence

Immigration / Border Control
Border-Fence Bill Awaits Signing

Worldwide Wackos
Rice Takes Tough Stance on N. Korea
Secretary of state meets with Japan PM Abe
U.S. Sounds Warning on More N. Korea Nuke Tests - PICS
Security Council Vote Knotted; Calls for Compromise
Rice Visiting Asian Allies to Talk North Korea Sanctions
North Korea Calls U.N. Sanctions 'Declaration of War'
N.Korea defiant amid fears of new nuclear test - Video
Sanctions Won't Hurt N. Korea
France to Push for U.N. Iran Sanctions

Politics / Government
Foley to Name Alleged Molester
House Intel Panel Head Levels Partisanship Charge
Reid Used Campaign Money for Christmas Bonuses
Reid to reimburse campaign for payments

In the Courts
Judge Vacates Ken Lay Conviction
Wesley Snipes accused of tax fraud
Rice Tries to Avert Arms Race

U.N. News
Millions around globe stand up against poverty: U.N.

Mother Nature
President Declares Hawaii Federal Disaster Area
Severe Storms Rip Through Tennessee
Hawaii quake damage estimated at $46M

Oddities
Man Gets 160 Years for Killing Family to Go to Prom
Mom Guilty After Bellybutton Ring Almost Kills Teen
Halloween's Biggest Fan
Painting the town red, sort of.
Diamonds are icing on $20 million wedding cake
China university requires golf lessons
Teen's tongue piercing linked to pain

Fox News
Mexican Gasoline Tanker Ship Explodes, Killing 8
Children's Flu Shots Delayed, Doctors Concerned
Reese Witherspoon: 'Where Are All the Real Women?'
'Abducted' Pregnant Teen Found Unharmed
Baby Missing After Social Worker Found Slain in Ky. Home
Rapper Fabolous Hospitalized, Under Arrest After NYC Shooting

Reuters: Top News
Fighting disrupts planned Peron burial in Argentina - Video
Ecuadoran candidates in dead heat after vote - Video
New image gives insight into colliding galaxies
Tank work forces NASA to revise shuttle schedule
Music industry in 8,000 new file-share lawsuits
Swiss close doors on giant nuclear shelter
Somali refugees face strains of camp life
Doctors may be able to hear cancer's spread
Eat more fish, study urges, despite toxin risk
Lawyer says Aniston and Vaughn a happy couple
Madonna and child: Malawian boy comes to Britain
LG Elec shares fall on Q4 outlook
US stocks fall on economic worries, but IBM up late - Video
Level 3 to buy Broadwing for $1.45 billion
Lear says Icahn takes $200 mln stake
Sonic shares fall 5 pct, '07 outlook lags Street
Dow 12,000 not enough for some
On the radar: Tsakos Energy
CME to buy rival CBOT for $8 billion
Intel Q3 profit falls
IBM profit up as software, hardware revenue rise
Yahoo net profit drops as advertising growth dips
Sapient CEO, CFO resign
Motorola net down; shares sink

AP World News
Vince Vaughn threatens to sue tabloids
Intel beats views despite declines
Yankees pitcher Lidle mourned at service
Bobby Brown pays back child support
Piniella vows to make Cubs a winner
Yahoo 3Q profit slides on slowing growth
Drug reactions send 700,000 yearly to ER
IBM posts 5 percent 3Q revenue gain
1 dead, 100 hurt in Rome subway crash
Merck diabetes drug wins federal OK
Madonna defends herself over adoption
Dow ends down 31 on jump in inflation
Wholesale prices, industrial output down
Ravens fire offensive coordinator
Google to convert HQ to solar power

Military.com
Farewell on a Dark Tarmac
Bush Sets Defense as Space Priority
Military Honors for a Changing Front
Off-Base Crashes a Safety Issue for Sailors

CENTCOM: News Releases
KHOGYANI DISTRICT GETS A NEW COURTHOUSE

AB BAND DISTRICT CENTER CONSTRUCTION PROGRESSES

CTF 152 VISITS UAE; CONDUCTS EXERCISE WITH GULF NATIONS

CONSTRUCTION OF LOGAR PROVINCE SCHOOL ON SCHEDULE

UPDATE: SECTARIAN VIOLENCE IN BALAD

NEW MEDICAL CLINIC OPENS IN PAKTIKA

COALITION FORCES DEFEAT COMPLEX ATTACK

NEW HOSPITAL WING BRINGS HOPE TO TARMIYA RESIDENTS

IA CAPTURES LEADER OF KIDNAPPING AND MURDER CELL

MND-B SOLDIERS SEIZE 2 WEAPONS CACHES, DETAIN 7

USJFCOM
USJFCOM exhibits Joint Force Projection ACTD - podcast
Top DoD readiness officials tour command
Joint Systems Baseline Assessment 2006 comes to successful close - podcast
More about the Joint Systems Integration Command
USJFCOM commander discusses reserve force issues - podcast

Department of Defense
NEWS UPDATES
U.S. Troops Help Iraqi Forces Quell Sectarian Violence North of Baghdad - Story
For Top News Visit DefenseLink

ON THE GROUND
Fires Brigade Soldiers Work 'Outside the Gate' - Story
New Medical Wing Brings Hope to Residents - Story
Farmers’ Crops Thrive Thanks to U.S. Guidance - Story

IN IRAQ
Personal Security: Not Your Everyday Job
Female Search Teams Aid Battalion's Mission
Leaders' Infantry Training Reinforces Combat Skills
'IED Hunters' Work to Clear, Safeguard Roadways
Renovated Schools Set Standard in Kirkuk Area
CSI: National Forensics Academy Opens in Baghdad
Civil Affairs Soldiers Distribute Supplies to School
Saab al Bour Opens Refurbished Primary School
Soldiers Patrol the Liquid Highways of Iraq

IN AFGHANISTAN
Army Interpreter Pays for Mosque Supplies
Task Force Grizzly Soldiers Eliminate Insurgents
Afghan NCOs Complete Drill Sergeant Course

BACKGROUND
IRAQ
Renewal In Iraq
Iraq: Security, Stability
Fact Sheet: Progress and Work Ahead
Report: Strategy for Victory in Iraq
Iraq Daily Update
This Week in Iraq
Multinational Force Iraq
State Dept. Weekly Iraq Report (PDF)
'Boots on the Ground' Audio Archive
Weekly Reconstruction Report (PDF)
Iraq Reconstruction
Maps

AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan Update
Maps

WAR ON TERRORISM
Fact Sheet: Budget Request
Fact Sheet: War on Terror
Fact Sheet: Terror Plots Disrupted
Waging and Winning the War on Terror
Terrorism Timeline
Terrorism Knowledge Base

CASUALTIES
Officials Identify Casualties - Story

Weather
Iraq
Al Azamiyah Al Basrah Al Hillah Al Karkh Al Kazimiyah Al Kut
An Nasiriyah Baghdad Baqubah Mosul Najaf Nineveh Tall Kayf

Afghanistan
Bost/Laskar Ghurian Herat Kabul Qandahar

Gitmo

National Hurricane Center

Today in History
1016 - The Danes defeat the Saxons at the Battle of Assandun.
1648 - The Boston Shoemakers become the first U.S. labor organization.
1685 - Louis XIV revokes the Edict of Nantes, and outlaws Protestantism.
1748 - The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle ends the War of Austrian Succession.
1767 - The Mason-Dixon line, the boundary between MD and PA, is agreed upon.
1776 - Colonel John Glover and the Marblehead Regiment meet the British Forces in the Bronx, NY; in a NY bar decorated with a bird tail, a customer first orders a "cock tail."
1862 - Morgan's Raiders capture the federal garrison at Lexington, KY.
1867 - The U.S. takes formal possession of Alaska from Russia (cost was $7.2 million).
1873 - Columbia, Princeton, Rutgers, and Yale set rules for collegiate football.
1898 - The American flag is raised over Puerto Rico.
1908 - Belgium annexes the Congo Free State.
1909 - Comte de Lambert of France sets an airplane altitude record of 300 m.
1912 - The First Balkan War begins; the Italo-Turkish was ends.
1922 - The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is established.
1944 - Soviet troops invade Czechoslovakia.
1953 - Willie Thrower becomes the first black NFL quarterback in modern times.
1954 - Hurricane Hazel (the third of that year) becomes the most severe to hit the U.S.
1962 - The U.S. launches Ranger-5 for lunar impact; it misses the Moon; Dr.'s Watson (US), Crick (Britain), and Wilkins (Britain) win the Nobel Prize for their work in determining DNA structure.
1967 - The Soviet Venera-4 becomes the first probe to send data back from Venus; Walt Disney's "Jungle Book" is released.
1968 - The U.S. Olympic Committee suspends Tommie Smith and John Carlos for giving the "black power" salute as a protest during a victory ceremony.
1969 - The Federal government bans the use of cyclamates (artificial sweeteners); Soyuz-8 returns to Earth.
1973 - Congress authorizes the bicentennial quarter, half-dollar, and dollar coins.
1984 - The Space Shuttle Discovery moves to Vandenberg AFB for mating of the STS 51A mission.
1988 - Israel's supreme court upholds the ban on Kahane's Kach Party as racist.
1989 - The U.S.' 62nd manned space mission (STS-34; Atlantis 5) launches into orbit.

Birthdays
1859 - Henri Bergson, French philosopher (Creative Evolution-Nobel 1927)
1893 - Sir Sidney, PM of New Zealand (1949-57)
1919 - Pierre Elliot Trudeau, 15th Canadian PM (1968-79, 1980-84)
1921 - Jesse Helms (Sen-NC)
1922 - Little Orphan Annie, comic strip character
1926 - Chuck Berry, rocker (Roll over Beethoven); George C. Scott, actor (Patton, Bible, Taps, Hardcore)
1927 - Katherine Fanning , editor (Christian Science Monitor-1983)
1928 - Keith Jackson, sportscaster (ABC Monday Night Football)
1930 - Frank Carlucci, National Security Advisor / Secretary of Defense (1987-89)
1939 - Lee Harvey Oswald, JFK assassin; Mike Ditka, coach / tight-end (Bears, Cowboys)
1956 - Martina Navratilova, tennis great (Wimbledon 1989,79,82-87)
1958 - Jean-Claude Van Damme, actor (Kickboxer, No Retreat)
1960 - Emily Arth, Playboy playmate (Jun, 1988)
1961 - Wynton Marsalis, jazz trumpeter (Grammy 1983)
1966 - Angela Visser, Miss Universe (1989)

Passings
1676 - Nathaniel Bacon, rebelled against the Jamestown government, collapsed and died during rebellion
1862 - James Creighton, from bladder ruptured while hitting HR on Oct 14th
1876 - Francis Preston Blair, newspaper editor (Washington Globe)
1931 - Thomas Alva Edison, inventor, at 84
1982 - Bess Truman, former First Lady, at 97
1984 - Jon-Erik Hexum actor, at 26; shot by a gun loaded with blanks

Reported Missing in Action
1965
Hamilton, Walter D.; escaped October, 1965

Brudno, Edward A., USAF (MA); F4C shot down (w/Collins), released by DRV February, 1973 - committed suicide

Collins, Thomas E., III, USAF (MS); F4C shot down (pilot, w/Brudno), released by DRV February, 1973 - retired as a Lt. Colonel, decorastions include 2 Silver Stars, Merit Service Medal, Bronze Star, 2 Purple Hearts and eight other medals, was Republican nominee for Congress in 1988 from Mississippi, served as Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Labor under G.H.W. Bush - alive and well as of 1998

North, Joseph, Jr., USMC; escaped October, 1965

Pyles, Harley Boyd, USAF (OH); O1E crashed (pilot, w/Sisson)

Sisson, Winfield Wade, USMC (CA); O1E crashed (passenger, w/Pyles)

Thorne, Larry A., US Army SF (CT); CH34 shot down (passenger)

1966
Adams, Steven H., USAF (IA); HU16 disappeared while on mission to rescue downed pilot (pararescue)

Angstadt, Ralph Harold, USAF (PA); HU16 disappeared while on mission to rescue downed pilot (pilot)

Clark, Lawrence, USAF (IN); HU16 disappeared while on mission to rescue downed pilot (radio operator)

Hill, Robert L., USAF (MI); HU16 disappeared while on mission to rescue downed pilot (flight mechanic)

Long, John H., USAF (PA); HU16 disappeared while on mission to rescue downed pilot (co-pilot)

Rackley, Inzar M., USAF (TX); HU16 disappeared while on mission to rescue downed pilot (navigator)

Shoneck, John R., USAF (CT); HU16 disappeared while on mission to rescue downed pilot (flight mechanic)

1967
Barr, John F., USN (AR); A4E shot down (pilot), remains returned in two phases, April, 1988 and September, 1989

Ogden, Howard, Jr., USMC (NE); KIA, body not recovered

1970
Strait, Douglas F., US Army (WA); OH6A shot down (observer)