A note from Mike walker, Col. USMC (retired)

The Heroes at Benghazi, 9/11 2012 (two posts)

All,

The report that is unofficially coming out of the Pentagon today, if accurate, is frustrating, heartbreaking and heroic.

The main point is that the two former Navy SEALS who died could have stayed safe and sound at a nearby secure CIA facility in Benghazi.

After reporting the attack at the Consulate up the chain, the two were ordered repeatedly by their superiors to "stand down" and not go back to the Benghazi Consulate.

They disobeyed orders and went in and rescued several Americans trapped there.

Ambassador Chris Stevens was not amongst them. Without hesitation, they returned to try to get him out and died during that attempt.

They sacrificed their lives so others might live and acted above and beyond the call of duty.  They gave the last full measure of devotion to their country.

Added post...

Next, my post was to honor heroes, like Chris Stevens, not to point fingers.

That the CIA chain of command told two national heroes to "stand down" was a justified call in a tough situation. They faced a very dangerous situation and endorsing two, albeit extraordinary, Americans to embark on an extremely dangerous mission was not an act of cowardice or misjudgment. It reflected a true appreciation of the value of the lives of Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods.

That two superior and veteran operators of the caliber of Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods decided to push forward despite the odds is what made their actions above an beyond the call of duty.

I find myself in the fundamentally consistent yet superficially contradictory position of strongly supporting the decision of their superiors to have them “stand down” and their personal decision to push into the fight.

The distinctions in making the hard decisions between mission accomplishment and looking out for your men for the leader compared to the guys at “the pointy end of the spear” can, and on this occasion was, a gulf of vast dimensions.

The decision-makers sitting safe and sound were faced with a multitude of information that could only be described as chaotic. They knew that telling Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods to go forward was an unacceptable risk for those two tremendous Americans. They said: “stand down.”

For Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods, they saw the same chaos and risks with the added crystal clear knowledge that they and they alone could save the lives of others. They made their decision.

That is what made their actions so special – the resolute decision of sacrifice and the uncommon valor in the face of almost certain death.

Semper Fi,

Mike 

Strategies for the Stretch Run to Nov. 6

Over the last 40 national surveys, Mr. Romney is at or above 50% in 11, with Mr. Obama at or above 50% in one

By KARL ROVE, Wall Street Journal

This year's presidential election was transformed between the first debate's opening statements in Denver and the closing statements in Boca Raton. As a result, most of the negative impressions created by the Obama campaign's five-month, $300-million television advertising barrage were destroyed. Seen unfiltered, Gov. Mitt Romney came across as an earnest, straightforward, thoughtful conservative with a concrete plan for the nation's future.

Wednesday's RealClearPolitics.com average of polls showed Mr. Romney with 48% support to President Barack Obama's 47.1%. On the eve of the Denver debate, Mr. Romney had 46% and Mr. Obama 49.1%.

More revealing, in the past week's 40 national surveys, Mr. Romney was at or above 50% in 11, with Mr. Obama at or above 50% in one. Mr. Romney leads 48.9% to 46.7% in an average of these surveys. At this same point in 2004, President George W. Bush led Sen. John Kerry in this composite average, 48.9% to 45.8%.

So what are each candidate's strategies for the stretch run?

New television spots reveal the Romney campaign's closing message. One says another four years for Mr. Obama would mean more debt, up to 20 million people losing their employer-provided health insurance, higher taxes, rising energy prices and Medicare cuts. Other ads emphasize Mr. Romney has a plan for jobs and showcase his success as a Republican governor in a Democratic state.

This three-part strategy—matter-of-factly indict Mr. Obama's failed policies, highlight a common-sense conservative agenda to create jobs and growth, and stress Mr. Romney's capacity to provide bipartisan leadership—was evident in all three of his debate performances.

The Obama campaign strategy also has three elements. The first was embodied in a glossy 20-page pamphlet issued Tuesday, entitled "The New Economic Patriotism: A Plan for Jobs & Middle-Class Security." Mr. Obama is distributing 3.5 million copies of it nationwide but it is too late: Voters concluded months ago that he lacks a forward-looking program. The pamphlet itself is a second-rate repackaging of Mr. Obama's lackluster convention speech and has been rightly dismissed by many in the press as a PR ploy. Even an accompanying TV ad swing won't rescue Mr. Obama.

The second strategic thrust of the Obama message was exemplified in three TV ads released on Tuesday. They warn that Mr. Romney would end all abortion, gut Medicare, and undermine education. But this repeats months of similar messaging, so it is hard to believe that it will undo Mr. Romney's current momentum.

The final element of Mr. Obama's strategy is to constantly question Mr. Romney's truthfulness. The president says his opponent suffers from "stage-three Romnesia," as if the GOP challenger were a disease. While calling his opponent a liar thrills partisans, Mr. Obama risks turning off swing voters, especially since Mr. Romney's favorability rating is now higher than his own.

In an Oct. 21 Monmouth/SurveyUSA/Braun poll of registered voters, Mr. Romney was viewed favorably by 49% and unfavorably by 39%, up from 41% favorable and 40% unfavorable on Sept. 16.

The president's problem remains the economy. Facts belie his argument that it is largely healed. Rather, it is producing jobs at a slower rate than last year, generating an average of 131,000 a month so far in 2012. At that rate, it will take three years just to get employment back where it was when the recession started, 138 million. Meanwhile, approximately four million to five million more Americans will have entered the workforce without jobs. Voters are uneasy and disapprove of Mr. Obama's economic stewardship.

This race will be close, depending on a few states. The good news for Mr. Romney is that the ones he needs are breaking his way. He leads in most recent polls in Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, New Hampshire and Colorado.

That puts the former Massachusetts governor at 261 in the Electoral College with Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and the great prize, Ohio, still up for grabs. In those states, Mr. Obama has at best a thin edge, while Mr. Romney has momentum, a stronger argument, and time to grab the nine additional electoral votes he needs.

An incumbent president's final number in opinion polls is often his Election Day share of his vote. Undecided voters generally swing the challenger's way. So if Mr. Obama goes into Nov. 6 below 50% in these states—as he now is in almost every one—he is likely to lose them and his chance at a second term.

Mr. Rove, a former deputy chief of staff to President George W. Bush, helped organize the political action committee American Crossroads.

Economics from an expert, Mike Walker, Col. USMC (retired)

The Deficit and Recent Presidents

All,

You will hear a lot about the Federal deficit over the next few weeks. Here are some numbers:

When President Clinton handed over the reins to President Bush, the Federal deficit stood at $5.7 Trillion. President Clinton oversaw the slowest growth in the deficit in the last several decades.

Eight years later, President Bush handed President Obama a $10.3 Trillion deficit. The 9/11 attacks, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the added cost of creating the Department of Homeland Security, etc, all led to higher spending. 

Also, in the closing months of Bush Administration the housing bubble burst, that led to the TARP bailouts for banks and GM plus bailouts for AIG, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Taken together, the bailouts accounted for about $630 Billion of the $4.6 Trillion deficit increase during the eight years under President Bush.

Just under four years later, the Federal deficit stands at $16.2 Trillion.

Mike

Allen West, Florida Congressman (FLA 22).... I had the honor to be his "graphics guy" during his last election. He gave a typically strong speech last Saturday in Temecula, CA...

Watch the YouTube video  here http://youtu.be/TvppF6b6Lu4

Contributed by Mike Walker, Col. USMC (retired)

New Job Numbers

All,

Most were happily surprised at the drop in unemployment rate, while some others were suspicious about the rate going below 8% right as the election draws near.

I am not a fan of conspiracy theories and do not believe in one now. Nonetheless, someone has to explain how this happened and why this is good news. Here is why:

It has been bantered about that the decrease is due to a rise in involuntary part-time employment. That is dubious news as the number is seldom discussed and an INCREASE had traditionally been seen as BAD not good news (see: http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/110482/). 

Additionally, a jobs number in the range of 114,000, the September number, is NOT good.

(see: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/05/business/economy/us-added-only-115000-jobs-in-april-rate-is-8-1.html?pagewanted=all).

The figure of 300,000 to 400,000 jobs per month is considered "robust growth." (see: http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/04/04/march-job-gains-good-but-market-may-have-hit-plateau?vwo=ecfb2).

Together, the numbers do not make a lot of sense:

2012 Month Unemployment Rate New Jobs Created  Involuntary Part-time Employment

April   8.1% 115,000 7.7 million

May   8.2% 69,000 8.1 million

June   8.2% 80,000 8.2 million

July   8.3% 163,000 8.25 million

August   8.1% 96,000 8.03 million

September   7.8%        114,000          8.61 million

The bottom line is that two pieces of bad news (weak job creation and an increase in involuntary part-time employment) is double bad news while the declining unemployment rate is good news.

But what does it all mean?

Mike