“Michael Mullen” on The Daily Caller

Last year, I threw my hat in the ring as a candidate for U.S. Senate in Colorado. I decided to run primarily out of anguish for the direction our country was headed. All of us watched as spending increased, government grew and American families and businesses struggled to keep their heads above water. Now, almost two years later, I’m afraid things aren’t much different. While on the campaign trail, I often spoke with activists, small business owners, and hard-working families about Washington’s out-of-control spending. I heard from folks who, even in a tough economy, make it a priority to live within their means and balance their budgets. Folks like us who pay our bills on time. (more)

The Pentagon responded to Rhode Island Democratic Rep. Jim Langevin’s concerns about female soldiers being encouraged to wear the hijab while serving in Afghanistan Thursday evening. (more)

In the coming weeks, Congress will consider legislation to raise the debt ceiling. In fact, to actually call it a debt “ceiling” is one of the biggest frauds in the American political lexicon. As our government continues to spend without paying for it, our irresponsible $14 trillion national debt continues to explode, and the debt ceiling moves right along with it. There has got to be a way to force Congress to rein in the debt and be more careful with taxpayers’ money. (more)

The 112th Congress, which will be sworn in later this week, will have the monumental task of cleaning up the mess made by the Democrat-controlled 111th Congress. First and foremost, it should be the goal of this Congress not to increase the exploding national debt. The 111th Congress added a seemingly impossible $3.22 trillion to the national debt in just two years, for a grand total of nearly $13.9 trillion and counting. Every American man, woman and child now owes $44,886.57 each toward the national debt. America cannot sustain itself on this massive borrowing and trillion-dollar deficit spending. (more)

In August of this year, Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, advised Congress that “The National debt is the biggest threat to our national security.” In November, voter sentiment against the debt and deficit led to an historic rebuke of Congressional incumbents. In December, the president’s debt commission laid out in stark terms the imminent economic impact of continued deficit spending. Apparently rejecting these clarion calls, the president and Congress acted in the lame-duck session to cut not one dime of federal spending, while increasing the national debt by nearly $1 trillion. They are ignoring a glaring problem that, if not addressed soon, will cause a panoply of other problems. (more)

The Senate should reject any stand-alone amendment overturning the 1996 congressional law preventing gays from serving in the military. Why? (more)

As Secretary of Defense Gates noted, any question about North Korea has only one response: “I don’t know.” There is indeed so little we know about this barbarian kingdom with nuclear weapons. Hence almost anything one does say is speculative. (more)

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen today warned of destabilization in East Asia if North Korea acquires nuclear weapons or continues to provoke its neighbors. (more)

Outgoing Florida Republican Sen. George LeMieux plans to make his Senate colleagues put their money where their mouth is on deficit and debt reduction by forcing them to vote on it before the end of the year. (more)

A few years ago, politicians, economists and military analysts calculated that Communist China might be able to deny access to the western Pacific by 2025. Their calculations were wrong. China threw down the gauntlet this summer and claimed sovereignty over the seas from Vietnam to the Philippines, and from the Leizhou Peninsula to oil rich Borneo. While the Pentagon makes plans to further weaken our navy, Pacific trade routes are slipping under Chinese control, our Asian allies are drifting toward Beijing, and freedom of the seas is fading. (more)

President Obama relieved Gen. Stanley McChrystal of his command of the war in Afghanistan Wednesday because of insubordinate remarks by him and his aides in a Rolling Stone article published earlier this week. (more)

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, said this morning that he’d prefer that Congress not overturn the ban on allowing openly gay people to serve in the military until the Defense Department has finished studying how such a repeal would be implemented. (more)

Is a U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) briefing team from Gen. David Petraeus, rather than Israeli construction in East Jerusalem and Vice President Joe Biden’s embarrassment in Israel, at the heart of the current rift in U.S.-Israel relations, or is it just an excuse? (more)

The one government institution that is conservative and apolitical by nature is the U.S. military. President Obama with his liberal agenda is trying to change that by politicizing and liberalizing the military by repealing the “don’t ask, don’t tell” (DADT) law and his henchmen are Secretary Robert Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen. (more)

Few have had the opportunity to lead our country’s uniformed services. We are proud to have done so, and humbled by the countless sacrifices of our men and women in uniform. Their efforts have placed our security on a solid foundation. (more)

A spokesman for John McCain said on Tuesday evening that the Republican senator opposes allowing gays to serve openly in the military, despite increasing political support for repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. (more)

On Tuesday Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Michael Mullen will appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee to discuss repealing the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy and changing the law that prevents gay people from serving openly in the military. But polls show a majority of service members are still against allowing gays to serve openly. (more)