Working Together in Cambodia

For John, BLUF:  US and Cambodian forces working together.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

How many of us follow Voice of America (VOA)?  Not as many as follow City Life, I suspect.  Thus, I will quote this Wednesday, 22 May 2013 item in full.  By the way, if you wish, you can Watch and Listen to VOA in Khmer

This item it titled Military Exercises Begin Between US, Cambodian Forces. The author is Suy Heimkhemra, VOA Khmer, and she wrote the piece on 17 May

PHNOM PENH - Joint military exercises between Cambodian and US forces began Thursday morning, the first of four days at training center outside Phnom Penh.

The Angkor Sentinel exercises, held at the National Training Center for Multinational Peacekeeping Forces in Kampong Speu province, is the fourth to be held since 2010.

More than 300 Cambodian troops will take part in the training, which aims at improving their capability to take part in UN peacekeeping operations.

Moeung Samphan, secretary of state for the Ministry of Defense, said the training would further strengthen military ties between Cambodia and the US.

“This training is really appreciated, and significant for building and strengthening Cambodia’s military capacity to have professional skills, knowledge and real practice to effectively respond to the UN peacekeeping missions,” he said.

Exercises will be held at the command post and field training levels, including in the use of equipment to counter improvised explosive devices, officials said.

Jeff Daigle, deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy, said the exercises would put together Cambodian peacekeepers who are ready to be deployed in the field with US military personnel with extensive operational experience.

“This type of exercise is really important for helping the capability of the Cambodians for them to deploy,” he said. Cambodia has already made significant contributions to UN peacekeeping efforts outside of Cambodia, and the Angkor Sentinel exercises will help the continue to do so, he said. “And the American side is learning, as well,” he said.

Decades ago I provided close air support to Cambodian forces, in an unsuccessful battle against the Khmer Rouge.  Maybe if the US Congress hadn't told us to stop those sorties it would have turned out differently.  But, Richard Nixon was President and the Congress, controlled by the Democrats, felt that President Nixon was improperly and immorally extending the war that we had inherited from the French and which had been joined in ernest by Presidents Kennedy and Johnson.  I wish I had done a better job back in 1973.

Regards  —  Cliff

Should We Have To Know On Which Side Our Bread is Buttered?

For John, BLUF:  The question is, does the IRS operate like Chicago.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

Over at The InstaPundit is a fairly expanded post about "The Chicago Way".  It is from an article by Columnist John Kass♠ in The Chicago Tribune, which appears to be behind a paywall.  Professor Reynolds headlined his post:

JOHN KASS:  IRS scandal a reminder of how I learned about The Chicago Way.

Here is the thing.  If the American People come to believe the IRS is being subsumed under "The Chicago Way" it will result in a major loss of faith in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,♥ something that is already being questions due to size, complexity, rigidity and affordability.  The outcome of a collapse of faith would not be good and might even echo over into congressional elections.

Answer to the question in the title is "Not for getting government services".

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  Mr Kass is about 14 years younger than I am, but we both spent some time in Oak Lawn, Illinois.  I spent a couple of months and graduated from 8th grade there.
♥  "Obama Care".

Our Trust in Government

For John, BLUF:  The IRS appears to be out of control and that is as bad as being out of control, from a political point of view.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

When the Obama Administration kicked off I had some hope that the promise of transparency and openness in government would be fulfilled.  What was I thinking?

From long time Washington Post reporter Dan Balz, we have an opinion piece on President Obama's current situation.  It is titled "Obama’s trust-in-government deficit".  That the IRS is involved is doubly problematic for the President, in that success for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act hinges on acceptance of the IRS as a trustworthy agent of implementation.  If we can't trust the IRS to give some local Tea Party organization a tax exempt status and find it is asking about what people "pray about", it is going to be rough sledding.  While the question about "prayer meetings" may actually be legitimate, it is well beyond the giggle limit♠ for many Americans.  Trust depends upon predictability.  Americans are not seeing the kind of predictability they think they should have from the IRS.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  It would appear that acting IRS commissioner Steven Miller realized the problem, given that he ducked and weaved around this issue while testifying before the House Ways and Means Committee this last Friday.

What The Heck Is Water?

For John, BLUF:  Life is grinding routine, day after week after month after year.

From the background to the below video:

In 2005, author David Foster Wallace was asked to give the commencement address to the 2005 graduating class of Kenyon College.  However, the resulting speech didn't become widely known until 3 years later, after his tragic death.  It is, without a doubt, some of the best life advice we've ever come across, and perhaps the most simple and elegant explanation of the real value of education.

This is the abridged version.

Hat tip to the Althouse Blog.

Regards  —  Cliff

Love for GOP

For John, BLUF:  Be optimistic.

KSL, out of Salt Lake, reports that Saratoga Springs, Utah, Mayor Mia Love has announced she will run again for the Utah Fourth Congressional District.  In 2012 she lost the election for the seat by 768 votes.  In announcing her new run on Saturday Mayor Love said:

I am confident in our country.  I am confident in our future.  And I have great confidence in the people of Utah and America.

This is good news for Republicans.

Hat tip to the Instapundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Unhelpful Comparisons

For John, BLUF:  Keep calm and carry on.

Still with us, one of the two iconic Washington Post Reporters from the days of the Nixon meltdown in office, Mr Bob Woodward, is comparing Benghazi to Watergate.

I believe we should go slow here.  I don't think anyone should be hoping for an early exit by President Obama.  For one thing, the Vice President is Joe Biden.♠  For another, to have our first self-identified Black President go out under disgrace would harden lines for well into the future and that would be bad for all of us.  With an alert Congress we can endure just about anything.  The time of President Andrew Johnson shows us that.

We need investigations and hearings and the like, but there should be no talk of anything except correcting and improving the system.  And I doubt piling on more laws will help.  Likely they will harm.  Sunlight as disinfectant is the best solution.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  And, for our Democratic Party friends, the Republican Speaker of the House, if Mr Biden succeeds President Obama, is only a heartbeat away until a new VP is sworn in.

President Obama as King Henry II

For John, BLUF:  If you are a true believer, a hint from the boss is sufficient.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

OK, so the source is Red State Blog, but still, there is a certain historical truth to this argument.

Obama went on the campaign trail in 2010 and told supporters to “punish our enemies.”  The IRS did just that.  The need for specificity or explicitness was unnecessary, just like in 1170.

The year 1170 you ask?  Who can forget the famous line,

Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?

The ruler was Henry II and the target was the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas à Becket, later to become Saint Thomas of Canterbury.

And we have the lineage.

While not a line that any jury would convict on, many people have gone off and done dumb things based upon what they thought the boss wanted.

And for those of you who think that this will bring down the President, our historic example tells us that while Henry II did penance, he kept the thrown.  And the murderers were not tried, let alone convicted.

Regards  —  Cliff