Two years ago, I began writing these weekly missives in the hope that somehow, I could share a bit of wisdom that has accumulated over the years. The update this week marks number 100 in my effort to do so. I’m sure it comes as no surprise to most of my Read more…
When you take a long trip as Shelley and I are doing this week, crossing half of our great continent, you have time to think about things. In a moment of silence when I had muted the radio, I asked Shelley what was on her mind. She is a deep thinker. I wasn’t Read more…
For the next two weeks, we’ll be on the road visiting our kids and grandkids in Kansas City. So, I just wanted to touch on a few items this week. Officers of the First Division Dinner: Every year since the end of WWI, the officers of the 1st Infantry Division who have served Read more…
I have listened closely to those who have debated one side or the other concerning the role the West should play in Ukraine’s struggle for survival. Vladimir Putin’s war crime-laced naked aggression against Ukraine is nauseating. One need only see the pictures that are now becoming available in the news to see Read more…
The war in Ukraine—one that amounts to naked aggression by Russia—has set the stage for a tutorial on failed diplomacy. By failed I mean in the signals that diplomats and national leaders send when they are glib. Sadly, the United States has led the way when it comes to sending the wrong Read more…
Where is the United Nations (UN)? For the first time in recent history, certainly since 1945, a major war has erupted on the European continent. In the wake of Victory in Europe (V-E Day) on May 8th, 1945, and Victory in Japan (V-J Day) the following August 15th, the world powers Read more…
The time for talk is over. The time for action is upon us as it hasn’t been since the waning of the Cold War. Russia is essentially an economically emaciated remnant of the former Soviet Union. But it remains a significant world power given its robust nuclear weapons arsenal. We were reminded of this Read more…
Like many of you, I am watching what is occurring in Ukraine and am deeply concerned. It is no secret that I am a national security hawk and, by that, I do not mean one who wants to see us at war. America has spent many years fighting insurgency wars that frankly Read more…
In 1963, two years after the Berlin Wall was constructed with Russian support to stop people from leaving communist East Germany, then-President John F. Kennedy delivered his stirring “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech signaling America’s solidarity with Germans. Twenty years later, in 1983, then-President Ronald W. Reagan called out Russians Read more…
America and the world are witnessing a dramatic paradigm shift in how civilized nations address naked aggression. It’s not the first time. We saw this in both the First and Second World Wars. After WW I, world powers attempted to counter war through the League of Nations, a coalition for the Western Allies Read more…