65 to 31. The least we owe to the gay men and women in our military who protect us. Today’s vote is the beginning of your long, long, long overdue recognition. On behalf of a grateful nation, we extend this to you, the same as we extend it to everyone serving in the military alongside [...]

Time‘s Jason Motlagh has an excellent story about the aftermath of an Afghanistan night raid. Read the whole awful thing, but this stands out: In Loyi Rud, the effects of the night raid appear to have alienated even the local law enforcement officials. Nimatullah, after all, had no prior criminal record, and was well known [...]

Sixty-three votes for cloture to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. Procedural hurdles cleared, final repeal inevitable. Now for the Pentagon’s “deliberate” certification on implementation, signed by Gates and Mullen in consultation with the service chiefs. This is going to take a while — through 2011, certainly — but repeal is as good as law. That’s [...]

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 1160-10 December 17, 2010 DOD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Spc. Sean R. Cutsforth, 22, of Radford, Va., died Dec. 15 at Ghazni Province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire. [...]

Rep. Peter King will hold hearings on “the radicalization” of American Muslims when he gets his gavel for the House’s homeland-security committee. Framing the question that way predetermines its outcome: millions of Americans will be presumptively guilty of drifting into fellow-traveling with al-Qaeda. But King is right that even a statistically miniscule rise in homegrown [...]

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 1152-10 December 15, 2010 DOD Identifies Marine Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Staff Sgt. Justin E. Schmalstieg, 28, of Pittsburgh, Pa., died Dec. 15 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 1st Explosive [...]

Via Media Matters, a 3:30 cavalcade of pure homophobia from Rep. Louie Gohmert. Appealing to the need for military strength to justify preventing thousands of troops from serving openly is truly the jingoism of fools. And in the House today, this guy lost. No idea if the Senate will ultimately give him his W, as [...]

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 1154-10 December 15, 2010 DOD Identifies Marine Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Lance Cpl. Jose A. Hernandez, 19, of West Palm Beach, Fla., died Dec. 14 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st [...]

National Journal‘s Michael Hirsch has an exceptionally insightful piece about John Kerry as a bellwether for Senate Democratic positioning on Afghanistan. It’s a story that lends itself to cynicism — Kerry must be wringing his hands because he wants to be secretary of state — and that cynicism might be appropriate. But it’s also possible [...]

I don’t actually know anything about this case, but the State Department’s answer is laughably inadequate: Question: Environmental organization Friends of the Earth has issued a press release regarding Secretary Clinton’s former presidential campaign manager who is now an oil industry lobbyist. Does the Secretary’s past association with lobbyist Paul Elliot present a conflict of [...]