DefDog: Shields and Brooks Condemn Senators — and Hagel — for a New Low in Hearings — PLUS 3 Big Ideas White House & Hagel’s People Don’t “Get”…

Senators irresponsible, Hagel unprepared and lacking any upfront vision to shape the encounter. Shields and Brooks on Hagel’s Rough Hearing, Movement on Immigration EXTRACT JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, speaking of secretary of defense, Chuck Hagel, who, David, the president wants to be the secretary of defense, hearing yesterday, confirmation hearing before the Senate, pretty rough going. …

Yoda: Organization of American States Dead? Chile Playing Both Sides Cuba to Lead the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC)?

Spanish, Force Speaks.  English Not. CELAC Rising: The Monroe Doctrine Turned on Its Head? Last Monday, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean Countries (CELAC) met for its second summit in Santiago, Chile, one year after its founding meeting in Caracas, Venezuela in 2011.  The Summit is the culmination of roughly a decade of efforts …

DefDog: (Retired) Military Leaders Oppose Hagel

Dishonest slime. (Retired) Military leaders oppose Hagel nomination Center for Security Policy | Jan 29, 2013 January 29, 2013 (Washington, D.C.): A distinguished group of fourteen retired generals and admirals, representing all branches of the United States Armed Forces, has signed a letter opposing the nomination of Sen. Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense. The letter …

Rob Dover: Intelligence Failures in Syria & Algeria — Is Open Source Everything an Alternative? Steele Comments

Syria, Mali, Algerian gas-works and ‘Open Source Everything’ Read any government security document, any of the national security strategies produced by a now large number of states and you will get a feel for the proliferation in the number of threats they feel they face. The preamble will normally contain a paragraph explaining that after …

Marcus Aurelius: The Force — How Much Military is Enough?

The Force: How much military is enough? by Jill Lepore New Yorker, January 28, 2013 Sixty-two legislators sit on the House Armed Services Committee, the largest committee in Congress. Since January, 2011, when Republicans took control of the House, the committee has been chaired by Howard P. McKeon, who goes by Buck. He has never …