DSS Hubris

Blind Leading the Blind?

2005-12-23T18:10:00.000-05:00

Jonah Goldberg makes an interesting point concerning isolationism and America's view of our enemies. In this example, he highlights Time's rather bland description of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as an "unlikely firebrand," as opposed to, say, a murderous fanatic. Beyond that, he brings up the Isolationist tradition in America (and Britain) in the 1930's, when , according to JFK, the

Missile Defense on a Roll

2005-12-18T23:29:00.000-05:00

I have written about missile defense before, but there has been a lot of news lately, and all of it good.In the past month, there have been four successful tests of various missile defense systems. On November 17th, we successfully tested the Aegis SM-3 missile, against a separating warhead, the first time this has been done. A week later, the THAAD program got back on track after a six-year

What Do Iraqis Think?

2005-12-15T16:54:00.000-05:00

Many of those who debate the Iraq war state that the Iraqis don't want us there, and that we have made things much worse for them. However, this poll refutes these notions, and shows that Iraqis are feeling pretty good about things, to wit: 71% say their life is good 61% say that security is good 66% say that crime levels are good 74% say their schools are good 70% say their economic situation

The Other Nuclear Threat

2005-12-08T20:30:00.000-05:00

Bill Gertz highlights a new book that outlines a looming threat:A single nuclear weapon carried by a ballistic missile and detonated a few hundred miles over the United States would cause 'catastrophe for the nation' by damaging electricity-based networks and infrastructure, including computers and telecommunications, according to 'War Footing: 10 Steps America Must Take to Prevail in the War for

The Iraq Strategy is (Slowly) Working

2005-12-07T21:35:00.000-05:00

I haven't had the time to comment on President Bush's speech on Iraq last week at my alma mater, but the one thing that struck me was the criticism by the left that it was "nothing new." That is one thing we agree on, since Bush has been explaining the strategy in Iraq for some time. It's just that the media hasn't been covering it until the Democrats made it issue number one (which it is).

Why Iraq?

2005-12-04T21:16:00.000-05:00

Of the many arguments made about the Iraq war, including by many of my commenters, is why not attack North Korea? Or Iran? There were lots of reasons for choosing Iraq as the next battle in the War on Terror, and the fact that an invasion of Iraq, even with the unforeseen diffculties, would be easier than an invasion of NK or Iran was an obvious one. Jonah Goldberg makes this point in The

No Nuclear Taboo for Terrorists

2005-12-04T20:03:00.000-05:00

This article was written by my friend and DSS classmate Kip Holdridge, and is an excellent rebuttle of the idea of nuclear deterrence with rogue states and terrorists:The October 24, 2005, edition of The Wall Street Journal contained an opinion piece titled “The Nuclear Taboo” by Thomas C. Schelling. In it, Mr. Schelling argues that a universally held taboo has emerged concerning nuclear weapons

A Tortuous Debate

2005-11-26T16:55:00.000-05:00

Let me state right up front, I hate the idea of torture. As a member of the armed services, I am sensitive to the argument that if we torture our enemies, they will torture us. And I share the concern held by many that torture is unreliable. However, the current McCain amendment that would outlaw all torture, all the time, troubles me even more. Finally, I have read a commentary on the

Are We Winning?

2005-11-23T23:16:00.000-05:00

Victor Davis Hanson, in an article on National Review Online, explains the dilemma for Democrats, torn as they are between their instinct to cut and run, as expressed by Rep. Murtha, and the political calculus of betting against a winner: For now Democrats stammer, sputter, and go the Bush shoulda / coulda route - not quite ready to take the McGovern sharp turn, forever waiting on polls and

Successful THAAD Flight Test

2005-11-23T16:52:00.000-05:00

In another test of the Ballistic Missile Defense System, a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor was successfully flight tested yesterday. This is the second successful test for a missile defense system, following the successful Aegis SM-3 intercept last week. This test was just of the interceptor, with no target missile involved, but it is an important step in getting THAAD

Silence is Deafening

2005-11-18T21:19:00.000-05:00

I'm sure you have all heard this important news today:The Missile Defense Agency and the U.S. Navy today successfully conducted a significant test of the Aegis missile defense system. The test involved for the first time a “separating” target, meaning that the target warhead separated from its booster.No? Well, if the test had been unsuccessful, I'm willing to bet that it would have gotten much

From the Front

2005-11-18T18:18:00.000-05:00

Sgt. Hook has asked for this to be spread far and wide, and for good reason. Here is the view from the front, which you aren't getting from the media:My fellow Americans, I have a task for those with the courage and fortitude to take it. I have a message that needs not fall on deaf ears. A vision the blind need to see. I am not a political man nor one with great wisdom. I am just a soldier who

Who Needs the French?

2005-11-17T19:17:00.000-05:00

Democrat John Murtha from Pennsylvania has called for surrender:My plan calls: To immediately redeploy U.S. troops consistent with the safety of U.S. forces. To create a quick reaction force in the region.To create an over- the- horizon presence of Marines. To diplomatically pursue security and stability in Iraq <...>Our military has done everything that has been asked of them, the U.S. can

Why We Fight

2005-11-16T21:56:00.000-05:00

Another of the left's current arguments is that since Saddam didn't have stockpiles of WMD, the war was a mistake, and of course, George Bush knew this going in, but lied about it. But Bush used many rationales for the war, although admittedly WMD was the single biggest issue. But as Bush said, even knowing what we know now, he would still have made the same decision, since the other reasons

Jonah's Challenge

2005-11-16T20:47:00.000-05:00

In a recent Corner post on NRO, Jonah Goldberg submitted the following question:Does EJ (Dionne) think Bush is lying when he says that showing a lack of resolve is harmful to troop morale and/or encouraging to our enemies? Or does EJ think it is true but nobody should say it?I mean that seems like an important part of the equation, doesn't it?Moreover, this seems like exactly the sort of thing

Hiatus

2005-10-24T18:48:00.000-04:00

As you may have noticed, DSS Hubris has been on hiatus for the past several weeks. I have recently moved to the DC area to begin a new job, and that has taken up all my time. However, as I get settled, I will renew posting, so check back in a bit, and you should start seeing new content soon!

Hurricane Katrina Relief

2005-09-04T19:15:00.000-04:00

Instapundit has this post listing many charities to consider giving to. Please send whatever you can.Also, in response to charges that Iraq has affected the National Guard response, here's an article countering that.And finally, this post by John Frum responds to the many "It's Bush's fault" arguments we are already hearing. The time will come for lessons learned, but for now let's just worry

No Wonder They Hate Us

2005-08-28T02:15:00.000-04:00

Davids Medienkritik, a German blog, explains how the media there feeds the hatred of America overseas.

What Bush Should Be Saying

2005-08-27T18:26:00.000-04:00

Christopher Hitchens says what Bush should be saying.

Putting The Who In It

2005-08-26T19:20:00.000-04:00

An article in the New York Times describes the findings from an internal investigation of the CIA and it's failures prior to 9/11. The report focuses on failures in leadership, especially George Tenet, for "failing to develop and carry out a strategic plan to take on Al Qaeda in the years before 2001, even after he wrote in a 1998 memo to intelligence agencies that "we are at war" with it..."

Will Work For Food!

2005-08-25T06:29:00.000-04:00

Fellow Milblogger Lt Smash at The Indepundit just lost his job as a contractor, after his contract was reduced, and is currently looking for gainful employment. Check out his blog and maybe he's the guy you are looking for!Similarly, I have just reentered the work force after a two year break as a full-time graduate student (I left work after my contract was similarly downsized, leaving me

Huh?

2005-08-24T18:20:00.000-04:00

This was the lede in a story by Reuters today: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has approved full-rate production of a new Hellfire missile variant, touted by President George W. Bush for its ability to kill guerrillas in urban settings, the missile's manufacturer said on Wednesday. U.S. commanders in Iraq have asked for more of the rounds, said Lt. Col. Kevin Curry, an Army

Able Danger update

2005-08-24T04:01:00.000-04:00

The Able Danger story refuses to go away, and The Strata-Sphere has been following it closely, maybe too closely, since we just don't have enough information in the public sphere to figure out who knew what when. Anyway, the latest is posted here, and full archives of his reporting are posted here. Enjoy!

What Else Weren't We Told?

2005-08-14T02:21:00.000-04:00

For those of you, like myself, who thought the 9/11 Commission report was the final say on what happened leading up to that fateful day, Betsy's Page addresses the revelation that the Commission didn't tell us everything they knew. The military had already been aware of Mohammed Atta prior to the attacks, but were prevented from investigating him because he had a green card. This was a result

London Bombings - Homegrown Terror?

2005-08-13T16:02:00.000-04:00

In an article in today's Independent, police are quoted as saying that the July 7 bombers were self-contained, and apparently planned and executed the attack independent of any outside mastermind. They believe that the oldest bomber, Mohammad Sidique Khan, organized the group and planned the attack without being guided by an al-Qaida or other terrorist mastermind. If true, this presents the