During his controversial address to students and faculty at Columbia University, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made a startling admission:  “My country has no homosexuals.”  Tacit to his statement is the axiomatic fact that his country is also suffering from a shortage of male flight attendants, dance choreographers, hairdressers, makeup artists, ice skaters, Cher impersonators, and Republican Senators from Idaho.

American gays immediately reacted.  “We can help,” said one activist, who asked to remain anonymous because he feared his life partner might attempt to stymie his efforts.  “If we focus on it, we can turn Tehran into Key West in no time.”

If you watched the Petraeus hearings last week you saw Senator Jim Webb roll in on the general about “dwell time.”  Dwell time refers to the amount of time a warfighter has at home following a deployment.  Traditionally the dwell time ratio has been 2:1 - two months at home for every one away.  Currently it’s 4:5 for most active duty Army units - 12 months at home for every 15 away . . . and 15 months away is a LONG FRIGGIN’ TIME.  In spite of all the happy talk from Army leadership and high-ranking DoD civilians, a 4:5 dwell time ratio is unsustainable.  Eventually even the most hardcore patriots will start talking with their feet.  Plus, let’s be honest:  This demand is the function of a mismanaged war, not any pressing threat to our way of life.  That fact isn’t lost on the troops or their families, trust me.

Here’s Senator Webb’s pitch:

I can’t say I’m surprised by the reaction of commentors and bloggers across the bloggisphere but at the same time . . . I am surprised.  I mean, holy shit, folks, all the ten of us did was sit down with President Bush for a conversation and a quick spin around the Oval Office.  And on the backside of that event, all most of us did was blog matter-of-factly about it.

Apparently that’s a crime or at least an opportunity squandered according to those to the left of me. Apparently the idea that the president might be a decent man in person is anathema to them, and that someone might relate that sort of observation makes him a heretic.  So what would others have had us do?  Wear Code Pink tiaras?  Spill cow’s blood on the conference table in the Roosevelt Room?  Gimme a break.  (And these people wonder why other blogging groups haven’t received a similar invitation?)

I went into the meeting with an open mind and came away impressed by the man and the place.  No more; no less.  My politics haven’t changed.  I still think the Iraq invasion was a mistake . . . like I’ve always thought the Iraq invasion was a mistake.  (Check my op-ed archives at Military.com for proof.)  But we’re in now, and, in spite of what the Democrats would have us believe, if we truly give a damn about our future, there’s only one way out.  And if you pull the string with any of the candidates from either party you’ll find that to be true.  Only the exceptionally wreckless like Ron Paul (not Bill Richardson) have a plan that’s notably different – and fortunately for the world, Ron Paul doesn’t have any chance of getting elected.

But this sort of reality doesn’t keep liberals — if they are in fact liberals of which I refer – from jumping up and down and getting all red-faced.  Their reaction is obligatory and derivative now, like a commercial starring Dennis Hopper.  And it doesn’t represent how most of Americans feel about - not the war - but the way forward out of the war and those fighting it on their behalf.

In a historic blogosphere first, President Bush sat down with a small group of military bloggers, including yours truly representing Military.com and Defense Tech. I’ve got to tell you, all politics aside, it was a very cool experience.

First, a disclaimer to hardcore traditional media zealots. This meeting didn’t happen in the Press Room because it wasn’t designed to be a press conference. It was a conversation and an opportunity for the president to demonstrate that he was aware of what the milbloggisphere is capable of. And certainly the meeting came about because the staffers were convinced the assembled had shown themselves in writing to be pro-mission (or in my case pro-military), if not pro-administration.

We met with the president in the West Wing’s Roosevelt Room, which is adjacent to the Oval Office. The president walked in without any fanfare and worked his way around the table, shaking hands and thanking folks for coming. He sat down at the head of the table and spoke for a time before opening up the floor for discussion. Here are some of the highlights from my notes. (Remember it’s hard to write and maintain eye contact with the Commander-in-Chief):

“The question is will we do what it takes to defend ourselves?”

“We should be optimistic that freedom can take root in parts of the world where it’s been written off.”

“We need to change the conditions that cause 19 kids to get on planes to kill Americans.”

“This strategy is my strategy.”

“I’m defining a horizon of peace.”

“I don’t mind people attacking me . . . that’s politics . . . but I do mind people impugning the integrity of our generals.”

The questions started with Bill Roggio and Bill Ardolino, who were beaming into the room via VTC from Baghdad - a nice touch in support of milblog cred. John from Castle Argghhh! mentioned that his local lawmaker (a Democrat) in Kansas has awakened to the power of the blogoshere. Matt from Blackfive.net allowed that he had an embed headed for the Phillipines to join a special forces unit there, which caused the president to chuckle and opine to General Lute (the recently-appointed war czar), “Milbloggers in the Phillipines.”

I was next. I started by telling President Bush that I had spent Tuesday morning watching the original 9-11 “Today Show” broadcast in real time and that the experience had left me, among other thoughts and emotions, wondering whether his petition to the nation had been strong enough in terms of calling citizens to duty. (You all remember the snippet made famous in “Farenheit 911″ where he tells the nation to “go to Disneyworld.”)

The president paused for a moment and then replied that he believed the nation had responded. “Volunteerism is up nationwide,” he said. “I’m headed to Quantico after this meeting to speak to a group of Marine second lieutenants, men and women who are joining the fight in spite of what they hear in the polls.”

About that time Chief-of-staff Josh Bolten poked his head in, a signal that told the president that Marine One was ready to go. “I want to show you all the Oval Office before I go, though,” he said as he rose from his chair.

I queued up behind him as he opened the big door to the Oval Office, and I was reminded of when Dorothy entered Oz. The colors, the lighting, the history (good and bad) . . . it was a rush. The president gave me one of his signature “it’s good to be king” expressions and quipped, “Pretty nice, huh?”

“Yessir, Mr. President. Pretty nice.”

So we each had our photo taken in front of his desk (I had a vision of the classic Nixon/Elvis shot), and I moved across the room to talk to Tony Snow (it was his last day on the job) and Dana Perino (who’s about five feet tall, max).

We finished our time with the Commander-in-Chief by ambling out to the Rose Garden and watching him get on Marine One for his flight to Quantico. As the helo flew out of sight somebody in the group spotted Barney, the First Dog. Bonus!

I will say, in general, at this meeting President Bush came off as more comfortable with the message than I’ve seen him appear on TV or in speeches. No deer-in-the-headlights stuff here. Truly unwaivering and passionate. He also grew very emotional as he made a linkage between his father’s service in World War II and the fact that Japan is now an ally and then said, “I’ve had meetings with the prime minister of the country he fought.” He actually teared up as he said that.

But my favorite quote came when he told us that he’d just finished reading three books about George Washington and his legacy. Again he gave that wry smile and said, “If they’re still writing about the first guy then the forty-third guy doesn’t have anything to worry about.”

All in all, it was an amazing day and one I’ll never forget. In fact, I’d rank the event a close second to the time I sat in with Cheap Trick. It was that good.

(Photo: Bill Roggio’s view of the meeting through his VTC screen in Iraq. I’m on the far right. That’s President Bush in the middle. Looks comfortable, don’t he?)

 (Cross-posted at Defense Tech.)

Today is the 6th anniversary of 9-11, of course, and I’ve spent the morning watching MSNBC’s rebroadcast of the “Today Show” as it aired on that day.  There’s something exceptionally chilling and sad about reliving the events in real time, especially watching the North Tower burn and knowing that the South Tower will be hit at 9:03.  Listening to Katie Couric, Matt Lauer, Tom Brokaw, et. al. deal with images that confront them one hears the sentiments of a nation - our collective loss of innocence.  Osama Bin Laden’s name comes up for the first time at 10:05, just an hour after the second plane hit the South Tower.  Jim Miklazewski isn’t sure what caused the Pentagon to shake during his first report after the jet hit.  Tom Brokaw characterizes the attack as an “act of war” just after the North Tower falls.  President Bush says, “Terrorism will not be tolerated,” in brief remarks on his way out of Booker Elementary School in Florida.  More bogus information than I remembered:  Explosion at the State Department, bomb at a high school near the WTC, and another jet headed for the Pentagon.  The United Flight 93 crash isn’t reported for nearly an hour after it crashes into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Like everybody, I’ll never forget where I was that terrible morning.  I was at the Naval Academy, where I was stationed, lecturing (along with my friend “Boomer” Stufflebeem, who was a rear admiral attached to the Pentagon at the time) a group of midshipmen on how they needed to be ready for rapid change as naval officers.  After the lecture I returned to my office in Luce Hall.  Carrie called me and told me a plane had hit the North Tower.  The reporters were saying it was a small aircraft.  I jumped on my computer and went up CNN.com and saw the photo of the impact on the tower.  I counted the floors and the windows and commented that the wingspan of whatever had hit the building was too wide to be a small plane.  Suddenly she said, “Another plane just hit the other tower!”  Officers who were in the adjacent rooms started flooding into my office.  The discussion was lively and full of conjecture, as you can imagine.  A few minutes later we located a TV a couple of floors up, getting there just in time to see the South Tower fall.

I lived on the Academy grounds so I went home to watch the news with Carrie for a time.  After lunch I headed back to the office to teach my afternoon class only to find that the Academy had been shut down.  The faculty had been sent home and the mids had been holed up in Bancroft Hall.  It was quiet and made even more eerie by the beauty of the day.

So six years goes by . . . not necessarily in the blink of an eye, certainly not for those who’ve been deployed multiple times for extended periods during that time.  But it goes by, in any case.  And in those years the unity we had on 9-11 has eroded for myriad reasons, mostly because war is hell and victory is seldom definitive.

But watching 9-11 in real time six years later helped to explain how we got where we are today.  It didn’t justify it; it just helped to explain it.

As you probably saw on TV this week, the previously No. 5-ranked Michigan Wolverines were beaten by Division 1-AA powerhouse Appalachian State in Michigan’s home opener at “The Big House.” Here are some video highlights of the final moments, including audio of the radio call by the Mountaineers’ local affiliate:

Why do we love it so when Goliath gets his ass handed to him? Is it because he’s so damn arrogant most of the time? Hmmm . . .

I saw Navy play Michigan in “The Big House” when I was a First Class Midshipman back in the day. Navy put up a good showing but lost in the end, 21-16. I couldn’t believe how loud 105,000 people could be when they cheered. I can just imagine how quiet it was at the end of last weekend’s game.

I had a chance to chat with Senator John McCain yesterday as part of my weekly “The Editor’s Desk” podcast at Military.com. Check it out here.

Regardless of your politics, you should be aware of (if not respectful of) what this man has done in his life. Never mind what he’s accomplished as a lawmaker. His career as a naval aviator is more impressive, in my book. Few know that he was aboard the USS Forrestal (CV 59) when a Zuni rocket inadvertantly fired across the flightdeck, setting off a massive fire that killed scores of men and destroyed dozens of aircraft. Here’s the video:

McCain was in the cockpit of an A-4 waiting to launch, parked on the port side aft, right next to the A-4 that was hit by the rocket.  The Zuni hit his jet and exploded.  Once he realized how bad the situation was, he ejected out of his burning jet and parachuted into the water behind the carrier scrambled out of the cockpit, slid down the jet’s nose, and jumped off the refueling probe. He then ran across the flight deck to see how he could assist in the fire fighting effort, only to be driven off by a series of explosions.

Some months later his jet was hit by a SAM over Hanoi during a bombing run.  He ejected at high speed.  The wind blast broke both arms and his right leg.  He landed in a lake in the middle of Hanoi, unconscious.  He came to and fought to get to the surface but sank again.  He finally located his lift preserver and floated to the top of the lake only to be greeted by an enraged mob.  Soldiers had to intervene to keep him from being killed by the locals.

McCain was taken to Hoa Lo prison and immediately worked over for information by his captors.  Soon the Vietnamese found out he was a four-star admiral’s son, so they nursed him to health and took him to “the Plantation” for propaganda purposes.  He spent two years in solitary.

When McCain’s father took the CINCPAC job, the Vietnamese tried to get him to accept early release.  In spite of his health and frequent torture sessions, he refused.

Here’s an except from Honor Bound (USNI Press), a wonderful book about American POWs in Vietnam:

“Cat [one of the guards] made the PW pay for denying them their coup, singling him out for what was probably the harshest sustained persecution of any prisoner at the Plantation, lasting over a year, including an episode in September 1968 when over a span of four days his left arm was rebroken, he was trussed in ropes, and he was beaten ‘every two to three hours’ until he signed a confession of criminal wrongdoing and apology.

“That statement was about all they got out of the ‘crown prince.’ He fended off pressure to meet with the delegations. He diverted interrogators with useless information, once listing the offensive line of the Green Bay Packers as the members of his squadron.”

Here’s another video, this one highlights from “Faith of My Fathers”:

Too often the political spectacle in this country blurs what great men did during their time in uniform. Remember the late, great Medal of Honor winner James B. Stockdale’s 15 minutes in the political spotlight? Here’s a reminder:

I got to know Admiral Stockdale in the early ’90s when I was a Navy lieutenant working as the editor of Approach magazine (and flying with the aggressor squadron at NAS Oceana - not a bad gig).  Not only had Stockdale proved himself as the senior ranking officer during seven years in the crucible of a Hanoi prison, once he was repatriated he dedicated himself to the life of the mind.  In the final decade-plus of his life he was as close to a true, credible philosopher as this nation has ever produced.  (Check out his book Thoughts of a Philosophical Fighter Pilot for proof of this.) So how is it that this man is perceived by the American public for even a second as other than the hero he is? And what is it about the campaign process that we’ve allowed ourselves to be co-opted by those who, say, think nothing of a $1,000 haircut?

Dennis Miller nails it here:

The bottom line:  Success in politics has little to do with demonstrated character, and we seldom demand demonstrated character from our politicians.  What does that say about us?

Alas, this is what the Internet has wrought . . . along with this administration.  Remember the post 9-11 petition by our President to “go to Disneyworld”?  That set the tone:  “Don’t worry.  Our military will kill the thing that scares you.  Go about your business.”

But the noise didn’t go away quickly enough.  So now “war weary” people have information without context.  Get yourself an RSS feed; program your Tivo; get the news you like, when you like it.  Now you’re a real 21st Century American.  Now choose a side.  Be adamant.  AND WRITE EMAILS IN ALL CAPS WITH A LOT OF EXCLAMATION POINTS AT THE END OF YOUR SENTENCES SO PEOPLE WILL KNOW YOU’RE REALLY FIRED UP!!!!!!  (This is a sign of real convinction in your political leanings.)

This war is a mess.  There is no good option at this point.  I GOT IT!!!!!  But I grow tired of dipshits for whom the concept of duty is wholly foreign.  Fortunately for the nation, there are Americans who understand what duty’s all about.  They salute and carry out the orders they are given.  What a concept.

Robert E. Lee said it best:  “Duty is the sublimest word in our English language. Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more. You should never wish to do less.”

Military servicemembers know what their duty is; they endeavor to do it.  That is laudable in the era of self-centered, WalMart-going, big SUV-driving, huge Plasma TV-watching America.  Too many fat people arcing around with a sense of entitlement.  Not enough folks simply trying to do their duty as American citizens.  (Or even wondering what their duty might be.)

And supporting the military don’t mean a person’s a Republican or pro-Bush.  Grow up.

This iconic photograph drew a number of responses from readers of the Nashville paper, The Tennessean, including this one:

Dear Tennessean:

The Tennessean’s April 5 photograph of young Christian Golczynski accepting the American flag from Marine Lt. Col. Ric Thompson is one of the most moving and emotion provoking images I have ever seen.

As one would expect, many of your readers were touched by this incredible picture. Staff Sergeant Golczynski had previously served one full tour in Iraq. Shortly before his death on March 27 he wrote to his family that he had volunteered to do this a second time due to our deep desire to finish the job we started. In his letter he said, “We fight and sometimes die so that our families don’t have to.” Tragically, Staff Sergeant Golczynski had only two weeks remaining on his second tour. We look at the photograph of Christian every day. It is displayed prominently in our home. Our hearts ache for Christian and for all those who have lost loved ones in this controversial conflict.

When looking at the face of Christian Golczynski I am reminded that doing what is right is not always easy and doing what is easy is not always right. Christian’s dad knew that too.

James Drescher

Franklin, TN

I have looked into the eyes of a family member as I handed him or her a folded American flag at the end of a military burial service. I have fought to maintain my composure as I said, “On behalf of a grateful nation . . .” And looking at this picture I am struck by several thoughts:

Lieutenant Colonel Thompson is not some administrative staffer for whom the notion of service and sacrifice is some vague concept to be carted out when it’s politically expedient. He feels the tragedy to his marrow. Yet he can look in the eyes of this fallen warrior’s son and offer compassion, strength, and hope.

Staff Sergeant Golczynski would have taught Christian what it takes to be a good citizen, husband, and man.

There is peace and clarity of purpose in Staff Sergeant Golczynski’s legacy. That is a father’s gift to his son. That should see Christian through.

Regardless of our politics or stances on the Iraq war, we should be mindful of the fact that scenes like this are playing out daily across this country.

(Cross-posted at Defense Tech)