Some clips from today's news. The more things change…

In today’s Washington Post, we have an article showing that North Korea’s foreign minister has called Secretary of State Hillary Clinton "vulgar and stupid".  Although I am a Democrat and in fact, I backed Hillary Clinton for President in the primary, I wonder where the North Korean government was in the general election?  The Republicans could have used the help!     

Also from the W.P., here is extensive coverage with several videos concerning the Marines in Afghanistan.

A government audit of the embassy staff in Baghdad urges immediate and large reductions in staff there.  It costs too much.  Imagine that!

Also, in Kyrgyzstan where we want to keep our Air Base, we are overlooking the dictator there and the human rights abuses throughout the nation in order to keep the base.  We have been here many times before in our history.  It makes the people hate us.  We know that.  We have written enough books about it to fill libraries.  We are doing it again.  Anybody want to take a stab at explaining this to me?

Obama (Captain-Team U.S.A.)  and Maliki (Owner/Manager Iraq All Stars) have met at the White House and decided that America is on track for a withdrawal from Iraq by August 2010.  The only problem here is that thousands of troops from the U.S. will be left behind as "advisors" and "trainers".  We have been here before, this is how Viet Nam started.  Sigh!!!!

And finally, in what may be the oldest disabled veteran remains from a war ever found, scientists yesterday claimed that they have found the remains of a murdered Neanderthal (them) who had been killed with a weapon that only Cro Magnon (us) could make and use.  He had been stabbed between the ribs with a Cro Magnon spear that had apparently been thrown about 70,000 years ago in what is now Iraq (surprise!).  Neanderthal supposedly did not throw spears, he used them to stab.  Only Cro Magnon knew how to accurately throw a spear and hit a target.  This mess goes back that far!  Who knew?

It is going to be another long day.

CWO3 Tom Barnes, USCG (Ret.)

update: 2:46 PM EST:  Bin Laden’s eldest son killed in Pakistan.