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To: shunty20 who wrote (14130)	1/7/2014 8:17:43 PM
From: joseffy	Respond to of 14245

Fmr. Defense Secretary Gates Criticizes Obama on National Security Matters ..................................................................................................................... BY: Washington Free Beacon Staff January 7, 2014 freebeacon.com Former Defense Secretary Bob Gates accuses White House officials of “aggressive, suspicious, and sometimes condescending and insulting questioning of our military leaders” in his new book and compares the Obama administration’s tight control of national security matters to that of Richard Nixon’s. Gates, previously known for his even-keeled manner, does not mince words in his book Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War, Bob Woodward writes in the Washington Post. Thomas Donilon, initially Obama’s deputy national security adviser, and former White House coordinator for wars Lt. Gen. Douglas E. Lute were singled out in particular, as well as the president himself and Vice President Joe Biden. “All too early in the [Obama] administration,” Gates writes, “suspicion and distrust of senior military officers by senior White House officials—including the president and vice president—became a big problem for me as I tried to manage the relationship between the commander-in-chief and his military leaders.” Gates recounts one meeting between Obama and his national security staff after Gen. David H. Petraeus publicly said he was uncomfortable with setting a fixed date for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan: At a March 3, 2011, National Security Council meeting, Gates writes, the president opened with a “blast.” Obama criticized the military for “popping off in the press” and said he would push back hard against any delay in beginning the withdrawal. According to Gates, Obama concluded, “‘If I believe I am being gamed . . .’ and left the sentence hanging there with the clear implication the consequences would be dire.” Gates continues: “I was pretty upset myself. I thought implicitly accusing” Petraeus, and perhaps Mullen and Gates himself, “of gaming him in front of thirty people in the Situation Room was inappropriate, not to mention highly disrespectful of Petraeus. As I sat there, I thought: the president doesn’t trust his commander, can’t stand [Afghanistan President Hamid] Karzai, doesn’t believe in his own strategy, and doesn’t consider the war to be his. For him, it’s all about getting out.” Gates also writes that Obama “breached faith with me” on issues such as the repeal of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy toward gays serving in the military and defense spending. Gates’ book is scheduled for release on Jan. 14.

To: shunty20 who wrote (14130)	1/15/2014 2:53:25 PM
From: joseffy	Respond to of 14245

Source: Missing U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl seen in video .......................................................................... By Jim Sciutto, CNN Wed January 15, 2014 cnn.com New evidence of POW held in Afghanistan STORY HIGHLIGHTS First video of Bergdahl in nearly three years surfaces Washington (CNN) -- The U.S. military has obtained new video apparently made by those holding the lone American prisoner of war, Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. A U.S. military official told CNN the clip shows the Wood Valley, Idaho, native in diminished health from the effects of close to five years in captivity. He was seized in Afghanistan in June 2009 and is believed held by the Taliban-aligned Haqqani network in Pakistan, the official said. The so-called proof-of-life video, the first of him in nearly three years, has a reference to December 14, 2013. CNN has not seen the video. U.S. efforts to free Bergdahl, including negotiating for his release, have so far failed. "Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has been gone far too long, and we continue to call for and work toward his safe and immediate release," a Pentagon spokesman said. "We cannot discuss all the details of our efforts, but there should be no doubt that on a daily basis -- using our military, intelligence and diplomatic tools -- we work to see Sgt. Bergdahl returned home safely," the spokesman said. His family, who received a letter from him last year via the Red Cross, issued a statement in response to the latest video. "As we have done so many times over the past 4 and a half years, we request his captors to release him safely so that our only son can be reunited with his mother and father," the statement reads. "BOWE - If see this, continue to remain strong through patience. Your endurance will carry you to the finish line. Breathe!" Bergdahl was 23 when he was captured after finishing a guard shift at a combat outpost in southeastern Paktika province. The U.S. government acknowledged in May 2012 that it was engaged in talks with the Taliban to free Bergdahl. The discussions moved in fits and starts because of U.S. concerns that any Taliban prisoners swapped for Bergdahl might be repatriated and allowed to rejoin the fight. Later that year, however, the White House announced it was willing to send five Taliban prisoners to Qatar in exchange for Bergdahl. Army soldier was taken captive in 2009, believed held by Taliban-aligned group U.S. efforts to free Bergdahl, including negotiating for his release, have so far failed NEW: Family asks in statement that captors release Bergdahl

To: shunty20 who wrote (14130)	1/16/2014 2:11:03 PM
From: joseffy	1 Recommendation Recommended By lorne Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 14245

YOU ARE GETTING OLD IF YOU REMEMBER The TV took 5 minutes to warm up. When you got your windshield cleaned, oil checked, and gas pumped, without asking, for free, every time. When nobody owned a pure-bred dog. When a dime was a decent allowance, and a quarter a huge bonus. When you'd reach into a muddy gutter for a penny. When your mom wore nylons that came in two pieces. When prayer started every school day. When it was considered a great privilege to be taken out to dinner at a real restaurant with your parents. When you placed the needle onto the record? A splash of cherry extract in your "soda" at the soda fountain....5 cents. You put rubber bands on the sole of your shoe cause it came loose and flapped. When the washing machine was located on the porch or an outside shed. Whacking the TV put the tube back in place....but you had to adjust the antenna? TV channels had to be changed manually: The horizontal and vertical holds were adjusted with a small knob on back of set. And after 11:30 all you got on tv was the test pattern. There were only 3 channels, ABC, CBS, and NBC. Listen to "The Shadow Knows" on the radio (no TV black and white or color). Gas "wars" brought 18 cents for a gallon of gas. No air conditioning...just a glass of lemonade or iced tea and a fan. I remember when you bought coffee beans at the A&P and had to grind it at the end of the checkout counter. Every counter had a coffee grinder. You ran home from school to see if your decoder ring or glow in the dark badge from Tom Mix, Terry and the Pirates, Orphan Annie, or Captain Midnight came in the mail? I remember also getting wax lips and candy cigarettes. When the political body of this nation held respect and the President was looked upon with admiration. When a handshake was a binding agreement. Your phone was also rotary dial and came in any color you wanted -- as long as it was black. When Eisenhower's policy wonk had to quit because of a vicuna coat? A hot dog made with everything cost 5 cents but a hamburger was 10 cents. The only dirty magazine was Confidential. Mad Magazine...Our Price 25 cents. Cheap 10 cent comic books. Comic book Classics....great for book reports. ...skate key around your neck on a shoe string You remember before Interstate highways. In 57 my father was transferred from Norfolk to San Diego. He drove it in 7 days. We stopped in every small town on US 60: they all had stop signs (or so it seemed to Dad)! We ate from grocery stores or at local restaurants ( there weren't any national fast-food franchises then). We saw whatever was along that two-lane road: junk yards, slums, homes, farms, businesses, locals going about their life.