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Genuinely Bad News About the F-35 and the A-10 (Chickenhawk No. 17)
Napoleon in an ill humor, even before he heard about the F-35 (Paul Delaroche portrait) ( Wikimedia commons ) First, the background. Two military airplanes are getting a lot of attention: the A-10...
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Two Young Officers on How the Country Let the Military Down, and Vice Versa
The Atlantic These letters are long, but I hope you'll find time to read and think about them. I'll save set-up comments for after the jump. First, from a young Marine whom I don't know, but whose...
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One Clip, Two Views of China
'Happy' song set in Shenzhen, southern China ( Youku via The Nanfang ) This item from The Nanfang, a site covering the big cities of southernmost China (nanfang, or 南方 = "southward"), does a nice job...
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Amazing Footage of a Small Plane Being Rescued by a Cruise Ship (and by a...
Cirrus SR-22 coming down under its parachute, near a cruise ship off Hawaii ( US Coast Guard video ) Yesterday afternoon a small Cirrus SR-22 airplane — yes, the same kind of airplane my wife and I...
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Comradely Greetings to All Snow-Bound East Coasters
Ted Runner Stadium track at the University of Redlands this weekend I had a whole thought-post almost cooked up, which was going to be based on a fascinating episode of the TED Radio Hour, hosted by...
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The Reform the Military Is Already Undertaking: Chickenhawk, No. 19
Slide from the documentary 'Bridging the Gap' ( Stomoway Productions ) The theme in this installment is a number of worthwhile (in my view), powerful links and posts on the general question of...
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Please Read Jeffrey Goldberg's Netanyahu Analysis—And This Other Article Too
President Obama having a pleasant talk on the phone with Prime Minister Netanyahu back in 2012 (Reuters) The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg has put up an excellent and authoritative analysis of the...
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Updates: Airplane-Parachute Selfie, the Immortal Boiling Frog, Community College
The view from inside a plane as it headed toward the Pacific ( ABC News, via The Flight Academy ) Over the weekend a Cirrus SR-22 airplane, the same kind that Deb and I have been flying around the...
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This Is Getting Serious: Intellectual Self-Isolation in China
Ah, the good old days: Bill Clinton, in an Internet Cafe in Shanghai on a Presidential visit in 1998, back when the Net was going to connect China with the world. Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, then...
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Netanyahu Before Congress: Let Him Make His Case, Then Consider Why He's Wrong
Prime Minister Netanyahu warning the UN about Iran in 2012 (Reuters) Quite a football game! With that over, here is a look at a big controversy of the past week, and of the week to come. Namely, the...
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When I Grow Up ...
The flight line this afternoon at KSBD, San Bernardino International Airport (James Fallows) I was traveling by small airplane in Southern California today, in preparation for an upcoming series of...
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Ask and Ye Shall Be Told, Mystery Airplane Edition
The Darth Vader-looking aircraft, in flight ( Brian Lockett for Air-and-Space.com ) Yesterday I mentioned that I had innocently rolled up in a benign-looking puffy little white airplane and found...
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The Brian Williams Story as Emblem of the Chickenhawk Era
Brian Williams interviewing General David Petraeus at our First Draft of History conference in 2009 (Reuters) I know Brian Williams slightly; have always liked his on-air presence; am glad he has...
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Netanyahu, Roberts, and the Norms on Which Governing Depends
John Roberts being nominated by George W. Bush nearly 10 years ago (Reuters) Back during the heyday of the filibuster era, I tried always to note that the rules governing Senate filibusters hadn't...
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Brian Williams and the 'Guitar Hero Syndrome'
The song "Rebel Yell" from the game Guitar Hero World Tour (Wikimedia) A U.S. Army captain now serving in Afghanistan writes about the Williams case. He is responding to my argument that whatever...
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On Obama, Faith, and the 'Most Offensive' Comments a President Has Ever Made
St. Augustine would have had some thoughts about President Obama's National Prayer Breakfast speech (Detail of portrait by Philippe de Champaigne, 17th century, via Wikipedia) Barack Obama has gotten...
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The Netanyahu Speech Drama Goes On
Netanyahu shares views with the United Nations in 2012. (Reuters) I have been on the road and off line during the festering of the Netanyahu speech drama. Updates: 1) Now that Even Abraham Foxman™ and...
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A Calculated Risk I Decided Not to Take
We decided not to challenge the Warthogs for airspace above this road in Arizona. ( Airman 1st Class Sivan Veazie/ U.S. Air Force ) As we've been traveling around by small plane for our American...
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On Risk Assessment, in an Unforgettable Traffic-Safety Ad
This week I am mainly out of Internet range. In the interim, I share this incredible traffic-safety video from New Zealand, courtesy of charter-sailboat captain and onetime guest blogger here David...
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What Did Obama Really Say About the Crusades?
Crusades art, "Saladin and Guy" by Said Tahsine (1904-1985 Syria) ( Wikimedia ) Last week President Obama spoke about faith, doubt, violence, and extremism, and was roundly criticized by many...
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