Hagel's Record 'Deeply Troubling'

Hagel faces tough questioning from McCain, others during confirmation hearing

Published January 31, 2013

FoxNews.com

WASHINGTON –  Chuck Hagel faced tough questioning from senators Thursday as he tried to convince at least five Republicans to back his nomination for Defense secretary -- but lawmakers, including fellow Vietnam War veteran Sen. John McCain, dug in their heels during a tense confirmation hearing. 

Another Republican lawmaker accused Hagel of "appeasing our adversaries." But McCain's position on Hagel could be a significant bellwether for his nomination. The two veterans once had a close relationship during their years in the Senate, but politics and Hagel's opposition to increased troop numbers in Iraq divided the two men. 

It was the troop surge in Iraq that became a flashpoint between McCain and Hagel during Thursday's hearing. McCain repeatedly tried to get Hagel to answer whether he was "right or wrong" when he once called the troop surge a "dangerous foreign policy blunder." 

"I'm not going to give you a yes or no -- I think it's far more complicated than that. ... I'll defer that judgment to history," Hagel said, adding that he was referring to both the overall Iraq war, as well as the surge, in that comment 

McCain fired back: "I think history has already made a judgment about the surge, sir, and you're on the wrong side of it." 

The senator added that Hagel's "refusal" to answer the question "will have an impact" on whether he votes for his nomination. 

Hagel, a former Nebraska Republican senator, is among the most controversial of President Obama's second-term Cabinet nominees, due to positions he has taken on Iran and comments he has made about Israel and other topics. 

In order to have a lock on the nomination, he would need the support of all Senate Democrats and at least five Republicans -- just in case Republicans call for a 60-vote threshold to proceed to the confirmation vote. It's possible Hagel would not need that many, though. 

Hagel, during the hearing, urged lawmakers not to write him off based on a string of controversial votes and quotes from his career in the Senate. 

"Like each of you, I have a record," Hagel said Thursday. "A record that I'm proud of. I'm proud of my record not because of any accomplishments I may have achieved, or certainly because of an absence of mistakes, but rather because I've tried to build that record based on living my life and fulfilling my responsibilities as honestly as I knew how and with hard work." 

He continued: "But no one individual vote, no one individual quote, no one individual statement defines me, my beliefs, or my record.  My overall worldview has never changed: that America has and must maintain the strongest military in the world; that we must lead in the international community to confront threats and challenges together ... that we must use all our tools of American power to protect our citizens and our interests." 

He noted he's cast "over 3,000 votes" during his time in the Senate and given "hundreds of interviews and speeches." 

But the top Republican on the Armed Services Committee, Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, announced at the start of the hearing that he would be opposing Hagel. 

"On many of the security challenges facing U.S. interests around the world, Senator Hagel's record is deeply troubling, and out of the mainstream. Too often it seems he's willing to subscribe to a worldwide view that is predicated on appeasing our adversaries while shunning our friends," he said. Further, he accused Hagel of recent "reversals" in his opinions "that seem based on political expediency rather than on core beliefs." 

Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., also said Hagel's positions -- including opposition to unilateral sanctions on Iran and criticism of efforts to isolate both Syria and Hamas -- must be "explored at this hearing." 

Still, he said Hagel -- as a veteran -- has "critically important qualifications" of understanding the consequences of using military force.

Hagel later defended his opposition to unilateral sanctions on Iran, saying he took that position a decade ago, which he described as a "different time." 

As for claims that he's got a shaky position toward Israel, he said "I've never voted against Israel ever in the 12 years I was in the Senate. 

Two former committee chairmen -- Democrat Sam Nunn and Republican John Warner -- introduced and endorsed the nominee at the top of the hearing. 

If confirmed, Hagel, a decorated Vietnam combat veteran, would be the first enlisted man and first Vietnam veteran to serve as defense secretary.

Hagel has the announced backing of about a dozen Democrats and the tacit support of dozens more who are unlikely to embarrass the president by defeating his Cabinet pick. One Republican -- Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi -- has said he will vote for his former colleague. 

Six Republicans, including four members of the Armed Services panel, have said they will oppose Hagel's nomination. Inhofe has said he and Hagel are "too philosophically opposed" on issues such as defense spending, nuclear weapons and the Middle East. 

A recent Fox News poll showed 34 percent of voters saying they would vote to confirm Hagel, while 25 percent would not. The rest had not heard of him. 

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., earlier this month described Obama's selection as an "in-your-face" pick but was a bit less critical this week. 

"Who are we getting -- the guy today or the guy who said things before?" Graham said Tuesday after a 20-minute meeting with Hagel. Graham said he doesn't doubt Hagel's "personal integrity, but I do have real concerns about his policy positions." 

Hagel testified Thursday that he is committed to Obama's national security agenda. Addressing concerns about his stance on Iran, he said "all options must be on the table" to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. 

He also said it's important that the county "not hesitate to use the full force" of the military in defense of security, "but we must also be smart, and more importantly wise," in how that power is employed. 

The hearing was the first time Hagel publicly addressed the barrage of criticism that he is not sufficiently pro-Israel or tough enough on Iran. In the past, Hagel has questioned the efficacy of unilateral sanctions on Iran, arguing that penalties in conjunction with international partners made more sense. He has also been criticized for his comments about the influence of a "Jewish lobby" and his view of gay rights. Hagel apologized for the "Jewish lobby" comment Thursday. 

He addressed several of the issues in a 112-page questionnaire to the committee in which he said his wartime experience would shape his decisions about using military force. 

"I understand what it is like to be a soldier in war," wrote Hagel. "I also understand what happens when there is poor morale and discipline among the troops and a lack of clear objectives, intelligence and command and control from Washington. I believe that experience will help me as secretary of defense to ensure we maintain the best fighting force in the world, protect our men and women in uniform and ensure that we are cautious and certain when contemplating the use of force." 

In his responses, Hagel adopted a hard line on Iran and its possible pursuit of a nuclear weapon. He echoed Obama's view that all options are feasible to stop Tehran, praised the rounds of penalties and warned of "severe and growing consequences" if Iran balks at international demands.

Questioned about all options, Hagel said, "If confirmed, I will focus intently on ensuring that the U.S. military is in fact prepared for any contingency." 

He said that he would continue to put in place the "smart, unprecedented and effective sanctions against the Iranian regime" that Congress and the Obama administration have adopted in recent years. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Obama Nut Jobs Want A New Bill Of Rights

OBAMA COMMIE CRONIES REANNOUNCE
SEDITIOUS PLOT AGAINST CONSTITUTION

URGENT UPDATE: Obama intellectual commissar Cass Sunstein is at it again, joining Obama's frontal assault on America's constitutional foundations with calls for "a new Bill of Rights." Just like old Soviets of yore, arrogance makes it impossible for these America-haters to keep their seditious plots secret. How much more satisfying to decieve and to taunt the trusting, decent, trusting bourgeoisie, We the People of America…

As was evident in Obama's Second Forswearing address – the last four years have only been a prelude, and now the onslaught against America's institutions begins in earnest. Obama and his minions are already opening full throttle on their long-time plan to effectually rewrite the U.S. Constitution and the Bill Of Rights – and they feel no need to conceal their destructive design. This Soros-funded effort to force America into accepting a Marxist Manifesto in the Age of Obama is well underway, led by Obama faction zealots like Sunstein, his wife, and other key Executive Branch appointees.

Only hours after Breitbart News published an excerpt from an interview with Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) in which he speculated that Barack Obama would "prefer a different kind of constitution," one with a Bill of Rights based on the South African model, former Obama administration regulatory czar Cass Sunstein published an op-ed in the leftward Bloomberg View making the parallel argument that Obama wants a "second Bill of Rights" grounded in Franklin Delano Roosevelt's 1944 State of the Union address.

In his remarks, Sen. Paul rightly notes that Obama and his faction are aligned with the views of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. "Ginsberg said she admired the South African Constitution. So, I think that's more of where the President is coming from. They would rather have positive rights, enumerated, that everyone has the right to water, housing, haircuts, you name it."

Roosevelt's Second Bill of Rights are a list of mere material policy objectives, not even rising to the practical level of legal rights yet falsely elevated to the same lofty rank as our unalienable rights, which according to nature and Nature's God, are universal rights that may not be taken, denied or transferred. According to Sunstein: "In our day these economic truths have become accepted as self-evident. We have accepted, so to speak, a second Bill of Rights under which a new basis of security and prosperity can be established for all regardless of station, race, or creed. Among these are: The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the Nation; The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation; The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living; The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad; The right of every family to a decent home; The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health; The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment; The right to a good education."

Cass Sunstein resigned in August of 2012 as Obama's "Regulatory Czar," administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). OIRA (Oh-eye-rah) it is one of the most powerful behind-the-scenes positions in the Executive branch – and sadly, in the federal government – because it reviews nearly every regulation of the hyper-regulated, administrative state into which America is devolving.

Sunstein is a Marxist radical who once argued in a speech at Harvard that the government could be used to eliminate "practices such as … meat eating," argued hunting should be banned ("We ought to ban hunting … that should be against the law … it's time now," he said), and wrote in a 2004 book that animals should be able to sue in a court of law and have humans represents them as clients.

You may recall we warned you in May of 2011 that there was evidence implicating the Obama White House in sedition. We disclosed that then-Regulatory Czar Cass Sunstein; his wife Samantha Power, Senior Director of the National Security Council; and Department of Justice Attorney General Eric Holder are key players in a related plot to dismantle and destroy America's Constitutional republic, and as is evident, this scheme has remained on-going.

In April 2005, Sunstein opened a conference at Yale Law School sponsored by George Soros' Open Society Institute entitled, "The Constitution in 2020." The event was designed as a forum to craft the agenda and assign the tasks for changing the nature and interpretation of the Constitution into a fully "progressive" Marxist Manifesto by the year 2020. Sunstein was a natural fit for the conference, as his 2004 book, "The Second Bill of Rights: FDR'S Unfinished Revolution and Why We Need It More than Ever" proposed a radical new document to replace America's traditional Bill of Rights.

The conference was co-sponsored by the American Constitution Society, another hard Left Marxist organization which seeks to rewrite the Constitution. Attorney General Eric Holder not only previously served on the ACS Board of Directors, but is keynote speaker for their 2011 Convention.

The Obama faction onslaught against America is coming from all sides. A union thug with White House connections plots to crash the American economy while high ranking Obama officials seek to subvert the Constitution and Bill of Rights. We MUST compel Congress to open investigations and HALT the Obama wrecking crew that is daily dismantling America!

Audio was released at that time which outlines a very real plan to collapse the American economy – including crashing the stock market and disrupting the banking system – in an effort to finally and irrevocably bring about the fundamental change, radical change, Obama promised. The sinister plan was set to take place the first week of May… and evidence suggests the plan may have gone all the way to the White House. We believe public disclosure of these seditious efforts derailed their effectiveness in 2011 – we need to intensify public awareness NOW of the corruption of the Obama faction!

Steve Lerner is well known in union thug circles as the guy who uses intimidation to ensure success. March 19, 2011 Steve Lerner met with Abby Scher of Brooklyn College CUNY, Gerardo Dominguez of the Mexican American Workers Association, John Atols of ACORN and a number of other openly Marxist, Obama-faction activists.Surrounded by fellow radicals, Mr. Lerner was unaware he was being recorded, and clearly felt comfortable enough to lay out his step by step plan already underway to "put a boot in the wheel" of the American economy – crashing the stock market and orchestrating a complete banking collapse – in an effort to force Marxism upon the masses. Full audio with transcripts of Lerner's plot can be found on YouTube, at The Blaze website where this story broke, and all over the Internet.
Lerner identifies this as a union plan, presumably crafted by his cronies at the SEIU, and he calls for the aid of other Obama-faction leaders and community organizers. But evidence suggests Lerner may already have the assistance of Administration insiders and the Community Organizer in Chief – Barack Hussein Obama.

White House visitor logs show that Stephen Lerner visited the White House repeatedly over Obama's first term. At least one of these visits was arranged by the office of then White House Political Director Patrick Gaspard – one of Lerner's previous SEIU colleagues and former leader of one of the most notoriously militant SEUI chapters. Gaspard, not coincidentally, is a close Obama advisor who served as the Executive Director of the Democratic National Party and a key player on Obama's 2012 election team.
Obama made clear in a now infamous 2008 campaign rally that SEIU's agenda is his agenda. Obama led a SEIU member chant after recalling how he started his early "organizing career" with SEIU troops on the ground, and went on to declare, "Just imagine what we can do together. Just imagine a President whose life's work is your (SEIU's) work"!

It seems we no longer need to imagine. The present occupant of the Oval Office has brought sedition to the presidency – the highest office in the land. Barack Obama's own front group "Organizing for America" helped stage the Wisconsin "Days of Rage" protests that were notable for union-led violence, death threats and radical acts of intimidation, and now it appears he and his Administration may be connected to a far-left coalition of subversives still actively plotting to collapse the American economy, and literally rewrite our republican institutions of government.

My friends, Stephen Lerner's closed-attendance discussion at The Left Forum was not some simple academic and theoretical discussion of what revolutionary resistance might look like. It was a high-level presentation of a very real, well thought out plan for economic terrorism already in play, and a well-received recruitment call to leftwing radical leaders of other Obama-faction organizations to join him. Stephen Lerner's terrorist plans, and actions of incitement and enlistment are outright sedition, all potentially prosecutable offenses.

In normal circumstances, we could count on the Department of Justice to investigate and uphold the rule of law. But alas, as we have seen with Eric Holder's refusal to prosecute colleagues, supporters and friends of Obama, including the election fraud and racist thuggery at the hands of the New Black Panthers, the once venerable DOJ is a rogue agency in a rogue Administration, and can no longer be trusted to do its duty.

Why have not the murky, possibly orchestrated causes behind the terrible economic crisis of the 2008 national fiscal collapse been investigated and disclosed to the nation? No, we must instead call upon this 113th Congress to investigate and bring to book those responsible for conspiratorial calls to anarchy, sedition and economic terrorism in the Age of Obama. That investigation must include disclosure of all the participants and plotters lurking behind the scenes who are actively working to subvert, disrupt and destroy America – even if that road leads us directly to the White House!

DEMAND CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS TO STOP
THE DISMANTLING OF AMERICA – SELECT HERE

This is no longer a matter of speculation. The Marxist plan to smash our republic is alive and active within the corridors of power in America as never before.

I warned when Obama first appeared on the national scene that he was at the least an academic Marxist surrounded by radicals, and a menace to the security, sovereignty and prosperity of the nation. Now there is evidence in abundance to confirm my judgment. We MUST force Congress to act NOW – before the evil forces that mean to destroy America are able to implement their plans. The very survival of our country is at stake if we do not take seriously the threat within. I implore you, fax Congress TODAY.
Keep Faith,

Alan Keyes
www.DeclarationAlliance.org

Welcome To USSR

FBI raids office of doctor tied to Sen. Menendez allegations

Published January 30, 2013

FoxNews.com

The FBI late Tuesday night raided the office of a South Florida eye doctor who allegedly was involved in providing young prostitutes to Sen. Bob Menendez -- a claim the senator's office has denied. 

Fox News confirms that FBI agents removed items from Dr. Salomon Melgen's West Palm Beach, Fla., business during a raid that lasted several hours. Agents could be seen rifling through items in the office and carrying boxes out of the building. 

It is unclear whether the raid is related to anything involving Menendez. The Miami Herald reports that the investigation is believed to be focusing at least in part on Melgen's finances.

Melgen, a top contributor to Menendez's federal campaigns, has an outstanding IRS lien of $11.1 million for taxes owed between 2006 to 2009, according to records obtained from the Palm Beach County recorder's office, the newspaper reported. 

But The Daily Caller reported in November that Menendez, D-N.J., allegedly had sexual relations with several prostitutes at Melgen's mansion in the Dominican Republic. 

The senator's office has rejected the charges for months. 

The FBI last week declined to comment on the release of emails appearing to show the agency communicating with an individual claiming to know about Menendez' liaisons. 

A spokeswoman for Menendez told FoxNews.com that the emails were "unsubstantiated garbage." 

Attempts by The Miami Herald to reach Melgen and a spokesman for Menendez for comment Tuesday were unsuccessful.

Fox News' Serafin Gomez and FoxNews.com's Judson Berger contributed to this report.

Burial At Sea

Burial at Seaby LtCol George Goodson, USMC (Ret)

In my 76th year, the events of my life appear to me, from time to time, as a series of vignettes. Some were significant; most were trivial...

War is the seminal event in the life of everyone that has endured it. Though I fought in Korea and the Dominican Republic and was wounded there, Vietnam was my war.

Now 42 years have passed and, thankfully, I rarely think of those days in Cambodia, Laos, and the panhandle of North Vietnam where small teams of Americans and Montangards fought much larger elements of the North Vietnamese Army. Instead I see vignettes: some exotic, some mundane:

*The smell of Nuc Mam.
*The heat, dust, and humidity.
*The blue exhaust of cycles clogging the streets.
*Elephants moving silently through the tall grass.
*Hard eyes behind the servile smiles of the villagers.

*Standing on a mountain in Laos and hearing a tiger roar.

*A young girl squeezing my hand as my medic delivered her baby.
*The flowing Ao Dais of the young women biking down Tran Hung Dao.
*My two years as Casualty Notification Officer in North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland.

It was late 1967. I had just returned after 18 months in Vietnam. Casualties were increasing. I moved my family from Indianapolis to Norfolk, rented a house, enrolled my children in their fifth or sixth new school, and bought a second car.

A week later, I put on my uniform and drove 10 miles to Little Creek, Virginia. I hesitated before entering my new office. Appearance is important to career Marines. I was no longer, if ever, a poster Marine. I had returned from my third tour in Vietnam only 30 days before. At 5'9", I now weighed 128 pounds - 37 pounds below my normal weight. My uniforms fit ludicrously, my skin was yellow from malaria medication, and I think I had a twitch or two.

I straightened my shoulders, walked into the office, looked at the nameplate on a Staff Sergeant's desk and said, "Sergeant Jolly, I'm Lieutenant Colonel Goodson. Here are my orders and my Qualification Jacket."

Sergeant Jolly stood, looked carefully at me, took my orders, stuck out his hand; we shook and he asked, "How long were you there, Colonel?" I replied "18 months this time." Jolly breathed, you must be a slow learner Colonel." I smiled.

Jolly said, "Colonel, I'll show you to your office and bring in the Sergeant Major. I said, "No, let's just go straight to his office." Jolly nodded, hesitated, and lowered his voice, "Colonel, the Sergeant Major. He's been in this job two years. He's packed pretty tight. I'm worried about him." I nodded.

Jolly escorted me into the Sergeant Major's office. "Sergeant Major, this is Colonel Goodson, the new Commanding Office. The Sergeant Major stood, extended his hand and said, "Good to see you again, Colonel." I responded, "Hello Walt, how are you?" Jolly looked at me, raised an eyebrow, walked out, and closed the door.

I sat down with the Sergeant Major. We had the obligatory cup of coffee and talked about mutual acquaintances. Walt's stress was palpable. Finally, I said, "Walt, what's the h-ll's wrong?" He turned his chair, looked out the window and said, "George, you're going to wish you were back in Nam before you leave here. I've been in the Marine Corps since 1939. I was in the Pacific 36 months, Korea for 14 months, and Vietnam for 12 months... Now I come here to bury these kids. I'm putting my letter in. I can't take it anymore." I said, "OK Walt. If that's what you want, I'll endorse your request for retirement and do what I can to push it through Headquarters Marine Corps."

Sergeant Major Walt Xxxxx retired 12 weeks later. He had been a good Marine for 28 years, but he had seen too much death and too much suffering. He was used up.

Over the next 16 months, I made 28 death notifications, conducted 28 military funerals, and made 30 notifications to the families of Marines that were severely wounded or missing in action. Most of the details of those casualty notifications have now, thankfully, faded from memory. Four, however, remain.

MY FIRST NOTIFICATION
My third or fourth day in Norfolk, I was notified of the death of a 19 year old Marine. This notification came by telephone from Headquarters Marine Corps. The information detailed:

*Name, rank, and serial number.
*Name, address, and phone number of next of kin.
*Date of and limited details about the Marine's death.
*Approximate date the body would arrive at the Norfolk Naval Air Station.

*A strong recommendation on whether the casket should be opened or closed.

The boy's family lived over the border in North Carolina, about 60 miles away... I drove there in a Marine Corps staff car. Crossing the state line into North Carolina, I stopped at a small country store / service station / Post Office. I went in to ask directions.

Three people were in the store.. A man and woman approached the small Post Office window. The man held a package. The Storeowner walked up and addressed them by name, "Hello John. Good morning Mrs. Cooper."

I was stunned. My casualty's next-of-kin's name was John Cooper!

I hesitated, then stepped forward and said, "I beg your pardon. Are you Mr. and Mrs. John Cooper of (address.)

The father looked at me-I was in uniform - and then, shaking, bent at the waist, he vomited. His wife looked horrified at him and then at me. Understanding came into her eyes and she collapsed in slow motion. I think I caught her before she hit the floor.

The owner took a bottle of whiskey out of a drawer and handed it to Mr. Cooper who drank. I answered their questions for a few minutes. Then I drove them home in my staff car. The storeowner locked the store and followed in their truck. We stayed an hour or so until the family began arriving.

I returned the storeowner to his business. He thanked me and said, "Mister, I wouldn't have your job for a million dollars." I shook his hand and said; "Neither would I."

I vaguely remember the drive back to Norfolk. Violating about five Marine Corps regulations, I drove the staff car straight to my house. I sat with my family while they ate dinner, went into the den, closed the door, and sat there all night, alone.

My Marines steered clear of me for days. I had made my first death notification.

THE FUNERALS
Weeks passed with more notifications and more funerals. I borrowed Marines from the local Marine Corps Reserve and taught them to conduct a military funeral: how to carry a casket, how to fire the volleys and how to fold the flag.

When I presented the flag to the mother, wife, or father, I always said, "All Marines share in your grief." I had been instructed to say, "On behalf of a grateful nation...." I didn't think the nation was grateful, so I didn't say that.

Sometimes, my emotions got the best of me and I couldn't speak. When that happened, I just handed them the flag and touched a shoulder. They would look at me and nod. Once a mother said to me, "I'm so sorry you have this terrible job." My eyes filled with tears and I leaned over and kissed her.

ANOTHER NOTIFICATION
Six weeks after my first notification, I had another. This was a young PFC. I drove to his mother's house. As always, I was in uniform and driving a Marine Corps staff car. I parked in front of the house, took a deep breath, and walked towards the house. Suddenly the door flew open, a middle-aged woman rushed out. She looked at me and ran across the yard, screaming "NO! NO! NO! NO!"

I hesitated. Neighbors came out. I ran to her, grabbed her, and whispered stupid things to reassure her. She collapsed. I picked her up and carried her into the house.. Eight or nine neighbors followed. Ten or fifteen later, the father came in followed by ambulance personnel. I have no recollection of leaving.

The funeral took place about two weeks later. We went through the drill. The mother never looked at me. The father looked at me once and shook his head sadly.

ANOTHER NOTIFICATION
One morning, as I walked in the office, the phone was ringing. Sergeant Jolly held the phone up and said, "You've got another one, Colonel." I nodded, walked into my office, picked up the phone, took notes, thanked the officer making the call, I have no idea why, and hung up. Jolly, who had listened, came in with a special Telephone Directory that translates telephone numbers into the person's address and place of employment.

The father of this casualty was a Longshoreman. He lived a mile from my office. I called the Longshoreman's Union Office and asked for the Business Manager. He answered the phone, I told him who I was, and asked for the father's schedule.

The Business Manager asked, "Is it his son?" I said nothing. After a moment, he said, in a low voice, "Tom is at home today." I said, "Don't call him. I'll take care of that." The Business Manager said, "Aye, Aye Sir," and then explained, "Tom and I were Marines in WWII."

I got in my staff car and drove to the house. I was in uniform. I knocked and a woman in her early forties answered the door. I saw instantly that she was clueless. I asked, "Is Mr. Smith home?" She smiled pleasantly and responded, "Yes, but he's eating breakfast now. Can you come back later?" I said, "I'm sorry. It's important. I need to see him now."

She nodded, stepped back into the beach house and said, "Tom, it's for you."

A moment later, a ruddy man in his late forties, appeared at the door. He looked at me, turned absolutely pale, steadied himself, and said, "Jesus Christ man, he's only been there three weeks!"

Months passed. More notifications and more funerals. Then one day while I was running, Sergeant Jolly stepped outside the building and gave a loud whistle, two fingers in his mouth... I never could do that... and held an imaginary phone to his ear.

Another call from Headquarters Marine Corps. I took notes, said, "Got it." and hung up. I had stopped saying "Thank You" long ago.

Jolly, "Where?"

Me, "Eastern Shore of Maryland. The father is a retired Chief Petty Officer. His brother will accompany the body back from Vietnam..."

Jolly shook his head slowly, straightened, and then said, "This time of day, it'll take three hours to get there and back. I'll call the Naval Air Station and borrow a helicopter. And I'll have Captain Tolliver get one of his men to meet you and drive you to the Chief's home."

He did, and 40 minutes later, I was knocking on the father's door. He opened the door, looked at me, then looked at the Marine standing at parade rest beside the car, and asked, "Which one of my boys was it, Colonel?"

I stayed a couple of hours, gave him all the information, my office and home phone number and told him to call me, anytime.

He called me that evening about 2300 (11:00PM). "I've gone through my boy's papers and found his will. He asked to be buried at sea. Can you make that happen?" I said, "Yes I can, Chief. I can and I will."

My wife who had been listening said, "Can you do that?" I told her, "I have no idea. But I'm going to break my ass trying."

I called Lieutenant General Alpha Bowser, Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force Atlantic, at home about 2330, explained the situation, and asked, "General, can you get me a quick appointment with the Admiral at Atlantic Fleet Headquarters?" General Bowser said," George, you be there tomorrow at 0900. He will see you.

I was and the Admiral did. He said coldly, "How can the Navy help the Marine Corps, Colonel." I told him the story. He turned to his Chief of Staff and said, "Which is the sharpest destroyer in port?" The Chief of Staff responded with a name.

The Admiral called the ship, "Captain, you're going to do a burial at sea. You'll report to a Marine Lieutenant Colonel Goodson until this mission is completed..."

He hung up, looked at me, and said, "The next time you need a ship, Colonel, call me. You don't have to sic Al Bowser on my ass." I responded, "Aye Aye, Sir" and got the h-ll out of his office.

I went to the ship and met with the Captain, Executive Officer, and the Senior Chief. Sergeant Jolly and I trained the ship's crew for four days. Then Jolly raised a question none of us had thought of. He said, "These government caskets are air tight. How do we keep it from floating?"

All the high priced help including me sat there looking dumb. Then the Senior Chief stood and said, "Come on Jolly. I know a bar where the retired guys from World War II hang out."

They returned a couple of hours later, slightly the worst for wear, and said, "It's simple; we cut four 12" holes in the outer shell of the casket on each side and insert 300 lbs of lead in the foot end of the casket. We can handle that, no sweat."

The day arrived. The ship and the sailors looked razor sharp. General Bowser, the Admiral, a US Senator, and a Navy Band were on board. The sealed casket was brought aboard and taken below for modification. The ship got underway to the 12-fathom depth.

The sun was hot. The ocean flat. The casket was brought aft and placed on a catafalque. The Chaplin spoke. The volleys were fired. The flag was removed, folded, and I gave it to the father. The band played "Eternal Father Strong to Save." The casket was raised slightly at the head and it slid into the sea.

The heavy casket plunged straight down about six feet. The incoming water collided with the air pockets in the outer shell. The casket stopped abruptly, rose straight out of the water about three feet, stopped, and slowly slipped back into the sea. The air bubbles rising from the sinking casket sparkled in the in the sunlight as the casket disappeared from sight forever....

The next morning I called a personal friend, Lieutenant General Oscar Peatross, at Headquarters Marine Corps and said, "General, get me out of here. I can't take this anymore." I was transferred two weeks later.

I was a good Marine but, after 17 years, I had seen too much death and too much suffering. I was used up.

Vacating the house, my family and I drove to the office in a two-car convoy. I said my goodbyes. Sergeant Jolly walked out with me. He waved at my family, looked at me with tears in his eyes, came to attention, saluted, and said, "Well Done, Colonel. Well Done."

I felt as if I had received the Medal of Honor! 

A veteran is someone who, at one point, wrote a blank check made payable to 'The United States of America' for an amount of 'up to and including their life.' That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.

Fox News In The Cross Hairs

Obama vs. Fox News -- behind the White House strategy to delegitimize a news organization

By Kirsten Powers

Published January 29, 2013

FoxNews.com

There is no war on terror for the Obama White House, but there is one on Fox News.

In a recent interview with The New Republic, President Obama was back to his grousing about the one television news outlet in America that won’t fall in line and treat him as emperor. Discussing breaking Washington's partisan gridlock, the president told TNR,"If a Republican member of Congress is not punished on Fox News...for working with a Democrat on a bill of common interest, then you’ll see more of them doing it."

Alas, the president loves to whine about the media meanies at Fox News. To him, these are not people trying to do their jobs. No, they are out to get him. What other motive could a journalist have in holding a president accountable? Why oh why do Ed Henry and Chris Wallace insist on asking hard questions? Make them stop!

Alas, the president loves to whine about the media meanies at Fox News. To him, these are not people trying to do their jobs. No, they are out to get him.

The president seems more comfortable talking to "real journalists" such as Chris Hughes, who asked the question in the TNR interview that elicited Obama's reflexive Fox hatred. Hughes is the new owner of TNR and is a former major Obama campaign donor and organizer  who was featured on the cover of Fast Company, with the headline, "The Kid Who Made Obama President." You can't make this stuff up.

This latest volley from the president is just one in a long line of comments from his White House as part of their campaign to silence any dissent they detect in the press corps. 

Recently, the White House has kept Fox News off of conference calls dealing with the Benghazi attack, despite Fox News being the only outlet that was regularly reporting on it and despite Fox having top notch foreign policy reporters. 

They have left Chris Wallace’s "Fox News Sunday" out of a round of interviews that included CNN, NBC, ABC and CBS for not being part of a “legitimate” news network. In October 2009, as part of an Obama administration onslaught against Fox News,White House senior adviser David Axelrod said on ABC’s “This Week” that the Fox News Channel is "not really a news station" and that much of the programming is "not really news."

Whether you are liberal or conservative, libertarian, moderate or politically agnostic, everyone should be concerned when leaders of our government believe they can intentionally try to delegitimize a news organization they don’t like. 

In fact, if you are a liberal – as I am – you should be the most offended, as liberalism is founded on the idea of cherishing dissent and an inviolable right to freedom of expression. 

That more liberals aren't calling out the White House for this outrageous behavior tells you something about the state of liberalism in America today. 

Sure, everyone understands how some of Fox's opinion programming would get under President Obama's skin, the same way MSNBC from 4pm until closing time is not the favorite stop for Republicans.  But it's not okay -- or presidential -- to continue smearing an entire network of hard working journalists because you are mad at Sean Hannity.  

During the initial launch of the war on Fox News in October 2009, then-White House Communications Director Anita Dunn told the New York Times of Fox News, “[W]e don’t need to pretend that this is the way that legitimate news organizations behave.” On CNN, she declared that Fox was a “wing of the Republican Party.” Then: “let's not pretend they're a news network the way CNN is."

Gosh, this sounds so familiar. In fact, it’s exactly the line that Media Matters used in a 2010 memo to donors: “Fox News is not a news organization. It is the de facto leader of the GOP, and it is long past time that it is treated as such by the media, elected officials and the public.” 

In fact, this is the signature line of Media Matters in discussing Fox News, which they say they exist to destroy. Their CEO, David Brock told Politico in 2011 that their strategy was a “war on Fox” that is executed by 90 staff members and a $10 million yearly budget, gratis liberal donors.

Can someone explain to me how it’s “liberal” to try and shut down a media organization? What the Obama administration is doing, and what liberals are funding at MMFA is beyond chilling – it’s a deep freeze.

On the heels of Dunn’s attack on Fox, Brock wrote a letter to progressive organizations bragging about the U.S. government trashing a news organization: “In recent days, a new level of scrutiny has been directed toward Fox News, in no small part due to statements from the White House, and from Media Matters, challenging its standing as a news organization.” Point of order: who put Media Matters in charge of determining what is and isn't a news operation?

A Media Matters memo found its way into the public domain and if you care at all about decency and freedom of the press, it will make you throw up. If you like McCarthyism, it’s right up your alley. It details to liberal donors how they have plans to assemble opposition research on Fox News employees. 

It complains of the “pervasive unwillingness among members of the media to officially kick Fox News to the curb of the press club” and outlines how they are going to change that through targeting elite media figures and turning them against Fox. They say they want to set up a legal fund to sue (harass) conservatives for any “slanderous” comments they make about progressives on air. They actually cite one of the best journalists around, Jake Tapper, as a problem because he questioned the White House about calling a news outlet “illegitimate.” Tapper can see the obvious: if the White House can call one news outlet illegitimate for asking tough questions, then guess who is next? Anyone.

We defend freedom of the press because of the principle, not because we like everything the press does. For example, I defend MSNBC’s right to run liberal programming close to their hearts content. 

Monitoring the media is actually a good thing; the media should be held accountable, including Fox News. When MMFA began I was supportive of their endeavor and even used some of their research. They seemed a counterbalance to conservative media monitoring organizations. 

But now the mask is off. They make no bones about their intentions, and it's not a fair media. It is clear now that the idea of freedom of the press actually offends Media Matters. In their memo, they complain about “an expansive view of legal precedent protecting the freedom of the press, and the progressive movement's own commitment to the First Amendment” as an impediment to be overcome or changed. They say they are “consider[ing] pushing prominent progressives to stop appearing on Fox News.” For those who defy the order, they threaten to start daily publishing the names of Democrats who appear in order to shame them. If that doesn’t work, presumably they will just shave our heads and march us down Constitution Avenue.

When Anita Dunn was informing America – as a senior government official – which news organizations were “legitimate,” she conveniently deemed CNN, which rarely challenges the White House, as a “real” network. Presumably she believes MSNBC is “legitimate” also, despite their undisguised disgust of the GOP and hagiography of the president, not to mention more opinion programming than any cable outlet. 

I’m going to go out on a limb and assume she thinks CBS is “legitimate” after they just ran what amounted to a 2016 ad for Hillary Clinton on "60 Minutes." CBS is the same place that has a political director who also writes for one of the most liberal outlets in the country, Slate. Who also just wrote in that publication that the president should “pulverize” the GOP. 

Imagine a political director at CBS hired away from the Weekly Standard who then wrote an article about "pulverizing" Democrats. I know, I lost you at the part where CBS hired a political director from a conservative outlet.

Last week Rolling Stone editor Michael Hastings – who is a liberal and said recently that “most journalists I know are liberal” – discussed his time covering Obama on the campaign trail. Among the things he witnessed was a reporter trying to interview Obama using a sock puppet.

He told MSNBCs Martin Bashir, “That’s the presence of Obama, even on the press corps, even on the people who follow him every day. When they are near him, they lose their mind sometimes. They start behaving in ways, you know, that are juvenile and amateurish and they swoon.”

Hastings admitted that the presence of Obama made him go gooey too. "Did I ask about drones, did I ask about civil liberties? No, I did not.”

I guess this is what the White House and their friends at Media Matters call the “legitimate” media.