Chairman of the Joint Chiefs ADM Michael Mullen is in Afghanistan for another first hand look at the conflict. There will soon be more U.S. troops in Afghanistan than Iraq.

Hundreds of National Guard troops have been mobilized in Massachusetts ahead of what officials say could be dangerous flooding Tuesday across the Northeast.

250 members of the Nevada Army National Guard returned home Monday after more than a year-long deployment to Afghanistan.

During Women’s History Month, we recognize women who are achieving more at the Defense Department.

Nearly four decades after his plane was shot down over Laos, the remains of Major Curtis Daniel Miller were laid to rest Monday in his home state of Texas.

These days, if you’re a Democrap Democrat, these are hardly the best of times for you. If you’re President Obama, especially so.

Scott Brown, the newly sworn-in senator from the state of Massachusetts, has started, in my estimation, the beginning of the end for a lot of lefties who are up for reelection in November 2010. Brown’s seat in the U.S. Senate has officially given the Republican Party relevancy again as the Senate is no longer filibuster-proof with a 59-41 advantage to the Dems.

And yet, the once potent majorities in both the House and Senate now need to use political Viagra to remain active.

And to be sure, casualties will be the codeword as Brown’s presence in the Senate ensured that healthcare reform – Obama’s version of it – has been put on the backburner for right now. And you can rest assured: There is nothing that Nancy Pelosi can do to ensure passage of any healthcare reform bill.

Another victim of Brown’s election win? Craig Becker. You’re probably thinking, “Who in the hell is Craig Becker?” Yeah, so did I. In any case, Becker is Obama’s nominee to the National Labor Relations Board. He passed the first hurdle by getting House passage, but now he has to face the Senate, where he will a much tougher road to hoe. RINO John McCain says that he plans to block the nomination, and you can safely assume that Brown will do the same.

Becker’s a union guy, so you can safely assume that he’s all for the “Card Check”. He would also make pro-union changes to the NLRB without Congressional approval, which is a Constitutional no-no.

That aside, the Demcrats, even before Brown was sworn in, were looking into “reconciliation”, which is where the Senate needs only a simple majority – 51 votes, to be exact – to get past any GOP blockades. Thus far, no luck as even the lefties are having trouble in bridging divides within their own party.

As what can be described as old news, there’s Demcorats who want a healthcare reform bill passed – any version, for that matter. And that doesn’t sit well for the vast majority of the country (yours truly included). Then there’s those who want the legislation scrapped.

Then there’s the obstacle facing the Democrats right now: the federal budget. They’re sitting on their hands as the party doesn’t want to put their incumbents on record as supporting spending that would probably be criticized in a political campaign. But to be fair here, the lefties are taking a stab at bipartisanship, as they’re trying to unite with Republicans in a deal which would give businesses a tax break for hiring unemployed workers. But it’s obvious that this wouldn’t happen if not for the fact that Brown is one vs. 100 (apologies to the game show).

But bipartisanship only takes you only so far; what is telling is that not one Republican attended the farewell speech of  former Sen. Paul Kirk, who was the fill-in for the then-vacant Ted Kennedy seat.

Now that Brown is in the Senate mix, he hasn’t divulged as to how he will vote on the Becker nomination or any other pending legislation. But Brown did say at least this much at his very first press conference: “The last stimulus bill did not create one new job.” That’s where things get gray, as there’s not any true definition of what a “new job” is. A new job could very well be one that’s only two weeks in length, or it can be something permanent. Most definitely up for discussion.

Once Brown’s “rock star” persona wears off, then he’s just a regular senator, albeit one with the least amount of seniority. And that’s where we will find out if there is any “voter’s remorse” coming from the state of Massachusetts. Let’s see how his actions while on the Senate floor turn out.

Then when he comes up for reelection, you can ask this question: “What did Brown do for me?”

Political strategist Ed Rollins talks about the crisis Democrats find themselves in after the Scott Brown victory.

Jim sent this in:

“If you want to know what the Democrats are up to, just listen to what they accuse the Republicans of doing.” – Ann Coulter

The Massachusetts’ special U.S. Senate election has gotten tighter, but the general dynamics remain the same.

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters in the state finds Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley attracting 49 percent of the vote while her Republican rival, state Sen. Scott Brown, picks up 47 percent.

Three percent (3 percent) say they’ll vote for independent candidate Joe Kennedy, and two percent (2 percent) are undecided. The independent is no relation to the late Edward M. Kennedy, whose Senate seat the candidates are battling to fill in next Tuesday’s election.

Coakley is supported by 77 percent of Democrats while Brown picks up the vote from 88 percent of Republicans. Among voters not affiliated with either major party, Brown leads 71 percent to 23 percent. To be clear, this lead is among unaffiliated voters who are likely to participate in the special election.

A week ago, the overall results showed Coakley leading by a 50 percent to 41 percent margin. The closeness of the race in heavily Democratic Massachusetts has drawn increasing national interest, and Brown made it clear in the final candidate debate last night that a vote for him is a vote to stop the national healthcare plan Democrats are pushing in Congress.

The results of this poll are not precisely comparable with last week’s results because this poll includes the independent candidate by name while the previous poll simply offered the choice of “some other candidate.” Additionally, the latest poll results include “leaners.”
Leaners are those who don’t initially have a preference for one of the major candidates but indicate that they are leaning in that direction. Without “leaners,” Brown was actually ahead by a single percentage point.

All recent polls place Coakley right around the 50 percent mark and support for opposition candidates above 40 percent. Turnout will be the key, and Brown’s voters appear to be more energized.

All polling indicates that a lower turnout is better for the Republican. The new Rasmussen Reports poll shows that Brown is ahead by two percentage points among those who are absolutely certain they will vote. A week ago, he trailed by two among those certain to vote.

To overcome the enthusiasm gap and help generate a larger turnout, national Democrats are getting involved in the race. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is reportedly spending more than half a million dollars in the final days of a campaign that Coakley has long been the heavy favorite to win. Senator John Kerry in an emergency fundraising letter for Coakley today says the race is “a dead heat,” and he and former President Bill Clinton plan to campaign in the state on Friday.

Brown raised more than $1 million on Monday and appears to have narrowed the financial gap so far. Coakley has gone negative in the second television ad of her campaign, one that includes Brown in front of a picture of conservative radio commentator Rush Limbaugh. She also sought to link Brown to former President George W. Bush during the debate.

Fifty-nine percent (59 percent) of likely voters in Massachusetts have a favorable opinion of Brown, and 58 percent say the same about Coakley.
Fifty-nine percent (59 percent) of voters think Coakley will win the election, while 33 percent expect a victory for Brown.

Coakley, who was elected attorney general in 2006, defeated several other candidates to win her party’s nomination in a Dec. 8 primary. Brown, who has served in the State Senate since 2004, won the GOP primary the same day.

Officials with the European Union Naval Forces are confirming Somali pirates have hijacked a tanker carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia to the United States.

Military leaders believe that Afghanistan’s Logar Province, which is south of Kabul, is a critical region in the country.

The 57th annual Christmas parade outside of Boston, Massachusetts had a military theme this year as the town of Quincy said goodbye to troops heading overseas.

I bet at some time or another you always wanted to know which states are in the worst financial shape; well folks, I present to you the top ten states.  And trust me – the numbers will boggle your mind.  Here they are:

California

FY2009 Deficit: $13,700,000,000

Projected Stimulus Funds: $7,854,800,000

Governor: Arnold Schwarzenegger (R)

Up for Reelection in 2010?: No

Job Approval Rating: 38% Approve, 54% Disapprove*

Source: Field Research Corp., 3/3/09

Illinois

FY2009 Deficit: $4,300,000,000

Projected Stimulus Funds: $2,713,550,000

Governor: Pat Quinn (D)

Up for Reelection in 2010?: Yes

Job Approval Rating: 49% Approve, 6% Disapprove*

Source: Chicago Tribune, 2/11/09

New Jersey

FY2009 Deficit: $3,600,000,000

Projected Stimulus Funds: $1,763,258,000

Governor: Jon Corzine (D)

Up for Reelection in 2009?: Yes

Job Approval Rating: 40% Approve, 50% Disapprove*

Source: Quinnipiac, 3/12/09

Massachusetts

FY2009 Deficit: $2,400,000,000

Projected Stimulus Funds: $1,314,888,000

Governor: Deval Patrick (D)

Up for Reelection in 2010?: Yes

Job Approval Rating: 28% Approve, 68% Disapprove*

Source: SurveyUSA, 2/26/09

Florida

FY2009 Deficit: $2,300,000,000

Projected Stimulus Funds: $3,546,800,000

Governor: Charlie Crist (R)

Up for Reelection in 2010?: Yes

Job Approval Rating: 67% Approve, 22% Disapprove*

Source: Quinnipiac, 2/18/09

Pennsylvania

FY2009 Deficit: $2,300,000,000

Projected Stimulus Funds: $2,528,086,000

Governor: Edward Rendell (D)

Up for Reelection in 2010?: No

Job Approval Rating: 47% Approve, 38% Disapprove*

Source: Quinnipiac, 2/11/09

Georgia

FY2009 Deficit: $1,999,662,000

Projected Stimulus Funds: $2,200,000,000

Governor: Sonny Perdue (R)

Up for Reelection in 2010?: No

Job Approval Rating: 57% Approve, 39% Disapprove*

Source: Rasmussen, 12/11/08

North Carolina

FY2009 Deficit: $2,000,000,000

Projected Stimulus Funds: $1,838,396,000

Governor: Bev Perdue (D)

Up for Reelection in 2010?: No

Job Approval Rating: 43% Approve, 32% Disapprove*

Source: Public Policy Polling, 2/18/09

Connecticut

FY2009 Deficit: $1,700,000,000

Projected Stimulus Funds: $718,194,000

Governor: M. Jodi Rell (R)

Up for Reelection in 2010?: Yes

Job Approval Rating: 75% Approve, 19% Disapprove*

Source: Quinnipiac, 2/11/09

New York

FY2009 Deficit: $1,700,000,000

Projected Stimulus Funds: $3,991,858,000

Governor: David Paterson (D)

Up for Reelection in 2010?: Yes

Job Approval Rating: 26% Approve, 71% Disapprove*

Source: Marist Institute, 2/18/09