Air Force Voices

Open Questions

Lots of unanswered questions out there.  Fortunately, many bloggers haven't lost their interests (much to the dismay of the MSM/DNC).

Here is a quick list of the top questions Air Force Voices wants to know...

• Where is Terri Schiavo's autopsy report and why is it taking so long? (Michelle Malkin wants to know)

• Greyhawk still has some unanswered questions for CBS and its policy of hiring "insurgents" to produce video

• What kinds of deals were made in the nuclear option/filibuster battle that is set to start today?  Are these deals tied to the BRAC process (see previous post)?

Just a few of the things Air Force Voices is still following.  More to follow as details emerge.

Fake Memo Origins

The source for the fake memo to GOP leaders has been named. 

Mike Allen of the WaPo has the story...here is an excerpt:

"The legal counsel to Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) admitted yesterday that he was the author of a memo citing the political advantage to Republicans of intervening in the case of Terri Schiavo, the senator said in an interview last night.

Brian H. Darling, 39, a former lobbyist for the Alexander Strategy Group on gun rights and other issues, offered his resignation and it was immediately accepted, Martinez said."

Captain's Quarters makes a great observation:

"Quite frankly, based on the poor presentation of this memo -- with its typographical errors, mislabeled Senate bill number, and the inept political approach it took -- it's difficult to understand why Brian Darling ever got a job in anyone's political office, let alone that of a US Senator. Darling didn't do Martinez or the GOP any favors by staying silent about his role, either. Had he owned up to writing the memo the first day it became controversial, it would have disappeared from the headlines as quickly as it rose. His resignation should really have been rejected; Martinez should have insisted on firing him instead."

There is an interesting comment on Captains Quarters by "dafydd" (though raw and partisan) that should be fully read by GOP staffers and politicians. 

As for me, I have looked at Congressional Internships via the Air Force and the nomination process for a job.  Though I am not discouraged, you pretty much have to be a "golden boy" just to get your records looked at.  Then you have to be interviewed and nominated, and so on, and so on.  How could these folks be so dumb? I know Brian Darling is no military professional...but he is legal counsel...hmmm.

The story is not over.  John Hinderaker ask some more questions:

"In particular, Allen offers no explanation as to why the anonymous memo was attributed to 'Republican officials' or 'Republican party leaders,' or why it was said to have been distributed 'to Republican senators,' when the current story provides no support for those statements."

"One more thought: The story as we currently have it does not account for the two versions of the memo, the second of which corrected three of the typos in the first draft. I have no idea what that means, except that the story as we are currently getting it from the AP, the Washington Post, and Senator Martinez does not account for all of the known facts."

Michelle Malkin has further comments, including one that Senator Martinez and his former legal counsel may still have some explaining to do.

UN Reform

Austin Bay has a good article with some clear, cogent recommendations for reforming the United Nations (HT: RealClearPolitics). 

My favorite passage from the article:

"Though the Bush administration probably favors keeping a weakened Annan --floundering, continuing to make fool mistakes until his term is up next year -- the first reform is to force Annan to resign, now. His refusal to resign is ego-crat at its worst. The second reform is to prosecute the thieves. The third is to end the ridiculous requirement that jobs be distributed by nationality, a feature that feeds "connected elites" into U.N. staff positions instead of experts hired on merit.

As for real reform: (1) strip France of permanent U.N. Security Council (UNSC) status; (2) keep Russia as a permanent member, but with no veto (all it has are nukes); (3) add India and Japan as permanent UNSC members (though with no veto). Now Britain wields the European veto, China the Asian and America the real veto."

I like the way Austin Bay thinks...whether or not these recommendations (or portions thereof) actually happen remains. 

BTW:  Austin Bay is a retired Army Colonel (see about). 

There are some great comments regarding this article here.  I especially liked Dave Schuler's comment regarding UN membership requirements.

Air Force Turmoil

The Air Force is facing many key leadership vacancies with a slew of recent resignations.  Additionally, there is also a leadership vacuum in many 3- and 4-Star billets across the Air Force due to a showdown with Senator McCain (see previous posts here and here).

A colleague of mine posed an interesting question:  With so many key billets empty, who is left to execute Title 10 responsibilities for the Air Force?  {see update below}

In other words, without civilian oversight, is the Air Force able to make decisions on new programs and policies?  This is especially interesting in light of the QDR, the FY2008 Program Objective Memorandum, and the Budget Enactment Process and Hearings for FY2006.

From the Government Printing Office Website:

TITLE 10--ARMED FORCES
Subtitle D--Air Force
PART I--ORGANIZATION
CHAPTER 803--DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE

Sec. 8011. Organization

The Department of the Air Force is separately organized under the Secretary of the Air Force. It operates under the authority, direction, and control of the Secretary of Defense.

Other Questions:

• - Why have so many people left so suddenly? {see update below}
• - Why is it taking longer to vet suitable nominations? {see update below}
• - If succession cannot be accomplished, does control revert back to the Secretary of Defense?  {see update below}
• - If so, what kind of decisions will Secretary Rumsfeld make on behalf of the Air Force?

Here is what Title 10 prescribes for succession:

Sec. 8017. Secretary of the Air Force: successors to duties

If the Secretary of the Air Force dies, resigns, is removed from office, is absent, or is disabled, the person who is highest on the following list, and who is not absent or disabled, shall perform the duties of the Secretary until the President, under section 3347 \1\ of title 5, directs another person to perform those duties or until the absence or disability ceases:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ See References in Text note below.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) The Under Secretary of the Air Force.
(2) The Assistant Secretaries of the Air Force, in the order prescribed by the Secretary of the Air Force and approved by the Secretary of Defense.
(3) The General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force.
(4) The Chief of Staff.

References in Text

Section 3347 of title 5, referred to in text, was repealed and a new section 3347 was enacted by Pub. L. 105-277, div. C, title I, Sec. 151(b), Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681-611, and, as so enacted, no longer contains provisions authorizing the President to direct temporary successors to duties. See section 3345 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.

Under Secretary Teets resigned last Friday, Assistant Secretary Dominguez is the only remaining Assistant Secretary, the General Counsel is still in place, and the Chief of Staff's term ends this Fall.

I haven't been able to find out whether nominations have been made to fill these posts.  If any reader has any knowledge please post a comment.  {see update below}

Second, what are the implications if these positions go unfilled?  Again, please post a comment if you know the answer.

UPDATE:  My wife (thank goodness for spouses), showed me an article appearing in the local paper...it also appears in the WaPo by Renae Merle and reports:

"The Defense Department announced yesterday that its acquisition chief temporarily will take over supervision of nearly two dozen procurement programs from the Air Force, which has been operating for months without several of its top civilian leaders..."

"...The White House declined to comment on when it would nominate a new Air Force secretary and it is unclear how long the arrangement will last. The Pentagon asked the Air Force to provide a list of all significant decisions scheduled during the next six months."

The Air Force said in a statement that it "welcomes [the Pentagon's] guidance and oversight."

In my rush this morning, I skipped reading Aim Points (my mistake) which also links this story.

In any case, though I understand why the Pentagon is doing this, I do not believe this is healthy for the Air Force in the long run...despite the official happy face.

An Easy Target

Are bloggers entitled to the same constitutional protection as traditional print and broadcast journalists?

This is the focus in the "second front" in the war to regulate blogs (see previous post).

Captain Ed links a follow-on story appearing in the LAT by David Shaw.

The Shaw article has the obvious spin and interesting conclusion:

"If the courts allow every Tom, Dick and Matt who wants to call himself a journalist to invoke the privilege to protect confidential sources, the public will become even less trusting than it already is of all journalists.

That would ultimately damage society as much as it would the media."

Waaah, waah, wah!

{Of interest: Recent surveys from seasoned Air Force Public Affairs officials carry the same type of comments...hmmm.}

Captain Ed also links to an excellent rebuttal by Slate editor, Jack Shafer. 

Again, we agree with Captain Ed:

"Read all of Shafer's delicious scolding. Shaw predicted he would get ravaged by the blogosphere, but an article that obtuse makes an easy target for anyone who defends freedom of speech for writers. Shafer proves himself once again to fit that bill."

From a previous post by Captain Ed:

"If the BCRA as managed by the FEC intends on being the Incumbency Protection Act, then Apple v. Does represents the Corporate Protection Act -- and both serve to protect the franchise of old-line media. Both protections come at the expense of free speech, and at the expense of bloggers."

La Shawn Barber also has a related post.  Look for her on MSNBC this Wednesday at 5pm EST.

Finally, Winfield Myers has been writing extensively on the subject and his latest post shows how big business uses the regulatory arm of big government to squelch competition.

My wife and I just saw "The Aviator" at the base theater...the Senate hearings in the case of Hughes Aircraft/TWA versus Pan Am Airlines and the CAB reminded me of this point.  I was also thinking of the movie "Tucker" and a couple of others...hmmm, I never thought of Hollywood as an ally.

In any case, Air Force Voices joins Captain Ed, Democracy Project, La Shawn Barber, and a host of others in continuing to shed light on this debate and protect free speech.

Old Media Tricks

Thomas Lifson of The American Thinker has a great post regarding old media "tricks" and their distortion of facts in order to spin a story according to their world view (HT: RealClearPolitics)

Lifson starts his article:

"It seemed so long ago that the old media and their liberal cohorts were able to mount successful campaigns manipulating the public into support for dubious propositions: Bill Clinton’s veto of a GOP budget as a “Republican shutdown” of the government; the public “demanding” Campaign Finance Reform, or Linda Tripp as demon.

The formula was simple: provide a carefully selected mix of data, hammer away on themes making the conservatives look mean, extreme, stupid, corrupt or narrow-minded; take polls with questions designed to elicit majorities favoring the liberal solution, and then wield the polls as irrefutable evidence of the need to let the people have their way. Intimidate wobbly conservative office-holders. Snatch victory and pound-home the manufactured memes of conservative depravity with casual press references well into the future.

The rise of the new media was supposed to change it all. Bloggers would expose inconvenient facts. Fox News Channel and talk radio would place the facts before enough people that water cooler talk, family get-togethers, back fence conversations, and other casual encounters would enable the conservative view to get exposed to a critical mass of Americans.

But in the case of Terri Schiavo, the old media game has worked...."

Read the entire article...it makes some great points which you never hear in the MSM.

I am not so sure the MSM has fully succeeded.  Too many events are happening this week yielding little time for people (and some bloggers) to reflect.

However, La Shawn Barber and Michelle Malkin and a host of others continue to expose facts in this case and make excellent points in their posts (see the ABC memo scandal).

I am still shocked at the whole tragedy and cannot believe this is happening in our country.  Judicial/Media tyranny must be checked and people need to be held accountable.

I believe a full account of events will be exposed as long as able bloggers continue to report the story.

Thankfully, many are doing just that!

UPDATE: See latest posts from Michelle Malkin (I sent Kurtz my "ditto") and La Shawn Barber...let the blogswarms begin!

UPDATE II.5: Captain Ed and company will be talking about the fake talking points memo on Northern Alliance Radio delayed replay Monday-Friday at noon, 6pm, midnight, and 6am CST.

This cuts across DoD

A few items of interest to all DoD members and supporters:

First, in BRAC news:  The BRAC Panel has been named. Dave Montgomery of Knight-Ridder News Service (HT: Aim Points)

"Headed by former Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony Principi, the commission could recommend cutting or realigning up to a fourth of the nation's estimated 450 major military installations, the biggest round of base closings since World War II. President Bush and Congress must ratify its recommendations.

Bush submitted the list of nominees in response to a congressional mandate creating the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission. The commissioners are expected to be confirmed easily by the Senate."

The nominees are:

"In addition to Principi, the nominees are former Rep. James Bilbray, D-Nev.; Clinton administration Assistant Defense Secretary Philip Coyle; retired Adm. Harold Gehman Jr.; former Rep. James Hansen, R-Utah; retired Army Gens. James Hill and Claude Kicklighter; George H.W. Bush administration Transportation Secretary Samuel Skinner of Illinois; and retired Air Force Gen. Sue Ellen Turner of Texas."

There is an interesting point in the article regarding the return of nearly 70,000 troops and 100,000 dependents from overseas in Korea and Europe...where to put them?

Also there is a BRAC timeline at the bottom of the article...Go read the story.

Second, regarding the Joint Strike Fighter: The GAO has called the JSF program "unexecutable."  Renae Merle of the WaPo has the story (you need to register for free access to WaPo) (HT: Aim Points)

Basically, the JSF program needs a $10 billion dollar increase:

"Nearly half the increase, $4.9 billion, is needed to lower the aircraft's weight because being heavier hurt "the aircraft's key performance capabilities," the report said. The Pentagon said more money was also needed to add anti-tampering technology to keep sensitive technology safe."

"The fighter was designed to be a low-cost replacement to the Air Force's F-16, with different versions being developed for the Navy, Marine Corps and British forces."

More details in the article.  Keep a watch on this program.

Finally, thinking of my space weapons school friends (who are in town for their conference): Walter Pincus of the WaPo reports on Pentagon is working to develop a suborbital space capsule by 2010 (no HT to Aim Points on this one).

"This year, the Falcon program will test a launcher for its Common Aero Vehicle (CAV), an unmanned maneuverable spacecraft that would travel at five times the speed of sound and could carry 1,000 pounds of munitions, intelligence sensors or other payloads. Among the system's strengths is that commanders could order a CAV -- an unpowered glide vehicle -- not to release its payload if they decided not to follow through with an attack."

Sounds pretty cool...space launch is the challenge.  I wonder what else DARPA is working on or has in mind?

The article has some great quotes from Commander of Air Force Space Command and other potential uses for space.  Go read the article.

Stay tuned.

Atlanta Murders: Update

La Shawn Barber has some interesting details about the capture of Atlanta murder suspect Brian Nichols...

I didn't know the judge killed was the same judge who offered a baby-killing mother five years probation if she consented to sterilization...

Also, if you click on the CNN link on LBC you find that Nichols first trial ended in a hung trial...the jurors in the first trial believed Nichols to be guilty, but prosecutors failed to prove their case.  The CNN story also says:

"...some jurors even contemplated writing [Fulton County District Attorney] Howard's office to 'express our frustration at how poorly both the police investigation and the district attorney's office had conducted the investigation and trial.'"

What is going on in Atlanta?

No more ransom payments

After putting our troops in more danger and while the MSM maligned these brave men and women...

Italy agrees to change its policy of paying ransom money to terrorists.  Also, it is official now...the Italians did in fact keep US officials in the dark about their operation to free a kidnapped journalist.  Michelle Malkin has the story.

Again, this is outrageous (see previous post), I hope this story doesn't get buried in the news given the Atlanta shootings and capture of murder suspect Brian Nichols.  I am not holding my breath...CNN.com certainly isn't carrying the story at this hour.

No One Comes Close

I was going to post an update on this topic myself...however, Spouse Corner pretty much captures it all.

All I can do is shake my head in disbelief, then salute smartly and carry on.

UPDATE:  The President has departed the base.  Someone finally came to their senses and allowed us to wave at the motorcade from the porch.  Word of mouth spread quickly and I saw several families with flags along the route...the way it is supposed to be.  My kids really enjoyed it though I'm not entirely sure if it was actually waving at the President or just being able to be outside again.  It is a beautiful evening.