The Eagle's Nest Blog

Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin - America's Team!

I'm elated that Senator John McCain has selected Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential running mate. His selection clearly shows that McCain has the judgment and foresight to reach outside the Washington DC establishment and pick a partner who resonates with middle America. Sarah Palin will be a fighter and a reformer, just what the Republican Party needs.

I pity Joe Biden when he debates her. We know what their tactics will be from Team Obama. The Obama campaign's statement today tries in a blatantly sexist way to marginalize and demean her and her political experience. They must figure that since it worked against Hillary Clinton it will work against Sarah Palin. They will be sadly mistaken. McCain has effectively broken the glass ceiling that Barack Obama reinforced against Hillary Clinton.

3 O'clock in the Morning!

At three o'clock in the morning, when the telephone in the White House rings to tell the President of a major crisis in the world, I don't want him to have to put the call on hold while he calls the Vice President to ask him what to do. That is why I'm voting for John McCain!

UPDATE: Today's Letter of the Day in the Star Tribune http://www.startribune.com/opinion/letters/27337589.html?elr=KArksc8P:Pc:_Du3LE:QDUHDaaDyiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiU

Obama May Have Just Lost the Democratic National Convention!

If Hillary Clinton wanted to steal the DNC convention next week in Denver, it has just been handed to her on a silver platter.

In a election cycle that by all indications was to be a Democratic cake walk, Barack Obama goes out and picks Joe Biden as his Vice Presidential running mate. His selection drives a stake threw the heart of all his impressionable left wing "We Want Change" followers. Joe Biden has been in the Washington DC establishment since the 1970's. Biden's son is a lobbyist on K Street for crying out loud. Some "real change" here! Can you hear the jingle jangle of PAC and ear mark money?

Joe Biden dropped out of the Democratic Presidential race after three contests where he gathered a whopping following of less then 10,000 votes. Compare that to Hillary who was destroyed by a very sexist and race baiting Obama/Axelrod attack team and still managed to win 18 million votes. If Democrat delegates really want to win the White House, they need to change their pledged votes and give Hillary the nomination.

Joe Biden will be the gift that will keep on giving to the McCain campaign. Biden's own words about Obama's lack of experience and needing on the job training will sink any chance Obama had of winning. As I have repeatedly said, Obama is a fraud and a rank amateur. He is a "old style" Chicago politician wrapped up in a slick Madison Avenue ad campaign. As the real Obama has been outed, his numbers in the polls have taken a nose dive. Good luck Barack in Denver! "You go Hillary - You go girl!" 

Challenges that Face the United States!

I regret that the Victory Sign campaign and my very sick Labrador Retriever "Bear" has kept me to busy to write on world events. America was told after the fall of the Soviet Union that we no longer faced nuclear or military danger. The "Peace Dividend" resulted in more government spending on social programs to enslave voters to government handouts while cutting our military forces by nearly two thirds to pay for those programs.

Along comes 9-11 and our world changed because of global and state sponsored terrorism. Although we still have a 2 million man military (Active, Guard & Reserve) we find we only have 10 Active Army divisions. Fighting a two front war in Iraq and Afghanistan has left us with virtually the same combat troops revolving into and out of these theaters with only a year back home before redeploying somewhere.

To prove what a turbulent and violent world we still live in we have seen a political leader assassinated in Pakistan and its President resignation, Iran attempting to develop nuclear weapons while unleashing surrogate armies like Hezbolla against free nations, and Russia attacking its neighbor Georgia while bulling Eastern Europe and the Ukraine over oil and natural gas. 

Now America is deciding on who will be our next President and leader of the "Free World." This is not the time to choose a naive and untested politician who speaks in sound bites that have no substance or true understanding of the evil that confronts this world. For the sake of our national security we better go with an experience candidate, John McCain!

IT'S COMING SOON!

THIS SIGN IS COMING SOON AND CALLING ALL YOU SILENT MAJORITY PATRIOTS TO ACTION!

Is Time Running Out for Iran?

Is time running out to peaceably deal with Iran on their nuclear program? I've written before that many in the intelligence business openly feel that Israel is preparing to strike Iran's nuclear and long range missile sites. That possibility was confirmed by Barack Obama after his meeting in Israel two weeks ago when he reported back to Democrats in the Senate that Israel will strike Iran if sanctions don't work.

The New York Times reports the latest chest thumping by Iran (here), where they continue to threaten to close the Strait of Hormuz and attack shipping in the Persian Gulf. Time does appear to be running out since Iran last Saturday rejected the latest offer of incentives to end their nuclear enrichment program by the United States, China, Russia, France, Germany and Great Britain.

When dealing with religious and political fanatics, sanctions don't always work. They didn't work with Iraq or with North Korea. Unlike the situation leading to North Korea developing a nuclear bomb, there is another suspected nuclear armed country (Israel) who will take action on their own if the civilized world doesn't have the backbone to do it. As I have stated before, the Jewish nation will not risk the near annihilation it experienced in the 1930's & 40's at the hand of Hitler's Germany. They will strike first to eliminate this threat liked they did against Iraq's nuclear plant in the 1980's.

Again, this puts the US is in a no win situation. We will get blamed and our interests will be attack regardless of our involvement once the attack takes place. Iran will unleash Hezbollah and Shia extremists throughout the Middle East and the world. Many Persian Gulf nations will denounce Israel publicly, but applaud their actions privately because they also fear a nuclear armed Iran. Once again, I predict that Israel will take action shortly after their September elections and before the US elections in November. Unfortunately, I don't see this being resolved diplomatically.

If this isn't reason to hold on to our petroleum reserves and not to release part of it as Barack Obama has asked for, I don't know what is!

Afghanistan Still on Taliban's Target List!

Afghanistan remains on the target list of the Taliban some six years after they were sent fleeing into the mountains. Now they are regrouping and rebuilding in the safety of the tribal regions of Western Pakistan. Today's New York Times has an interesting evaluation of the status of the Afghan War (here).

The major problem in our effort to totally eliminate the repressive Taliban is their freedom of movement of men and supplies across the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Our continued pressure on the Pakistan government has yet to stop the training camps, terrorist recruiting, supply points and safe areas within the Pakistan border because of tribal alliances that date back decades. NATO and the US can not openly invade Western Pakistan without possibly causing the overthrow of the Pakistan government. We are using limited air strikes against targets in that region, but that has produced limited success.

The Taliban seem content to use hit and run tactics against NATO troops in Afghanistan while they wait for NATO to grow tired of the war and depart the field of battle. At that point the Taliban plans to resurface and take back control of Afghanistan.

The key to Afghanistan's survival is an "awakening" similar to that in Iraq. Once the Afghanistan government produces a military and police force in adequate number and loyal to them and not a tribal alliance, progress can be made. A large increase of US or NATO troops will not solve the problem, but might buy time for the Afghani people to provide for their own safety and security.

Israel Will Not Go Quietly This Time!

Israel is convinced that Iran is on the verge of a "major breakthrough" (here) on it's quest to develop a nuclear weapon. With the decision of the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to not run in the Israeli elections in September, the situation appears to be at a point of action for the Israel government. There is a good chance that the new Israeli Prime Minister will be less likely to continue the hide and seek game of diplomacy that Iraq has been playing with the United Nations and European leaders.

Israel has openly tested their military's ability to make long tactical strikes. Israel also has every reason to be skeptical of a change of government in the United States in November. Many in the intelligence business are becoming more convinced that Israel will strike militarily at Iran's nuclear and long range missile facilities before the US elections on November 4, 2008. This would force both Barack Obama and John McCain to side with Israel or risk losing the US Jewish vote.

The Jewish people will not go quietly into the night as they did in the 1930's and 1940's.

MCCAIN CAMPAIGN ON BARACK OBAMA'S CANCELLED TROOP VISITS

For the record, here is the official press release from yesterday on my comments:

Subject: MCCAIN CAMPAIGN ON BARACK OBAMA'S CANCELLED TROOP VISITS

For Immediate Release
Contact: Press Office

Saturday, July 26, 2008

ARLINGTON, VA -- Today, retired Lt. Colonel Joe Repya issued the following statement on Barack Obama's cancelled visit to Ramstein and Landstuhl:

"The most solemn duty of a commander in chief is to fulfill his responsibility to the men and women who serve this country in uniform. Barack Obama had scheduled a visit with wounded American troops who have served with honor and distinction in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but he broke that commitment, instead flitting from one European capital to the next. Several explanations were offered, none was convincing and each was at odds with the statements of American military leaders in Germany and Washington. For a young man so apt at playing president, Barack Obama badly misjudged the important demands of the office he seeks. Visits with world leaders and speeches to cheering Europeans shouldn't be a substitute for comforting injured American heroes."

Army Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Joe Repya served 30 years of duty and three wars, Vietnam, Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was born in 1946 in Gary, Indiana. He was the oldest son of a disabled combat wounded veteran of the European Campaign of World War II. Awarded an ROTC scholarship he attended Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, graduating in 1969. Upon graduation he was appointed to the Regular Army as a Second Lieutenant in the Infantry. His 30 years of service in the US Army (12 years Active and 18 years in the National Guard & Reserves) lasted from 1969 until 2006. He served as a Combat Infantry Rifle Platoon Leader in Viet Nam in 1970/71 with the 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment (Band of Brothers "Currahee's"), and an Aero Rifle Platoon Leader with A Troop, 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment. In Desert Storm 1990/91, he served as a Combat Helicopter Pilot and Staff Officer with the 4th Brigade (Aviation), 1s t Infantry Division (The Big Red One). He initially retired in 1998.

After the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, he was one of 12,000 US Army retirees who volunteered for Retiree Recall to Active US Army duty for Operation Iraqi Freedom. LTC Repya was selected as one of only 350 retirees who were returned to active duty status. At 58 years old on October 1, 2004 he returned as an Aviation Branch Officer for two more additional years of active duty service with the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, KY. He served for nine months as the G-3 Air for the Division. In 2005 he served as the Senior Liaison Officer for the 101st Airborne Division with the Multi National Corps Headquarters at Camp Victory, Baghdad, Iraq. He reentered retired status at the end of September 2006 at the age of 60.

Statement about Obama's Ignoring our Wounded Warriors!

“The most solemn duty of a commander in chief is to fulfill his responsibility to the men and women who serve this country in uniform. Barack Obama had scheduled a visit with wounded American troops who have served with honor and distinction in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but he broke that commitment, instead flitting from one European capital to the next. Several explanations were offered, none was convincing and each was at odds with the statements of American military leaders in Germany and Washington. For a young man so apt at playing president, Barack Obama badly misjudged the important demands of the office he seeks. Visits with world leaders and speeches to cheering Europeans shouldn’t be a substitute for comforting injured American heroes.” Joe Repya, Lieutenant Colonel, US Army (Retired)

UPDATE: It appears that the statement I gave this morning to the McCain Campaign is being quoted on FOX News. I'll try to get video. Joe

UPDATE #2: WOW! I must have hit a nerve with the Obama Kool Aid drinking crowd. The hate mail has been flowing in non stop. Unfortunately, the only insults they seem to be capable of throwing is a misspelled word or two on a previous blog posting. Even the journalists at the New York Times have the same problem. Check out how the NYT's political writer spelled lieutenant (here). At the end of the day the fact remains the same, Obama made a major political mistake by not visiting our wounded. "Visits with world leaders and speeches to cheering Europeans shouldn’t be a substitute for comforting injured American heroes.”