"This was the voice of moderation until 13 Sept, 2025"
Bob Mackey by Robert R. Mackey, LTC, USA (Retired) All–Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I blame Red Dead Redemption and getting the first kid off to college. Crossposted from HuffPo. I read Huffington Post daily, and not just because they were nice enough to allow me to blog. I like the spread of news available; … Read more
by Robert R. Mackey Just like most of you, I've been spending the last day just watching videos and reading spin from all sides. Here's my 50 cents on the whole mess. And it is a mess, a mess of Israel's making. Recently, I read Ben MacIntyre's new book Operation Mincemeat, the story of … Read more
by Robert R. Mackey crossposted from the Huffington Post This is the third, and unless there is a major gaffe tonight from Richmond, the final part of my writing on the serious problems with Confederate Heritage Month in Virginia. In the first entry, I noted the slight "omission" by Governor McDonnell of the institution of … Read more
by Robert R. Mackey Yesterday, I wrote on the subject of Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell's proclamation of "Confederate History Month" and the misuse of history. In response, the Governor's office issued a statement noting that "a major omission" in the original proclamation. That oversight? That there were actual slaves in Virginia in 1861. And that they … Read more
by Robert R. Mackey (cross-posted from Huffington Post) I opened this morning's Washington Post to find that the governor of Virginia, Robert McDonnell, has determined that the state's tourism demands requires a renewal of "Confederate History Month," which has lain dormant for the past eight years. Ok, I get it. The state needs money and the … Read more
by Robert R. Mackey All,First, sorry it has been a bit since I last posted. Work has been heavy, and my son is getting ready to start at George Mason this fall. Unlike his wastrel father (BA, Political Science), the boy is somewhat more motivated (Applied Computer Science, Simulations Design). So, I've been putting off … Read more
by Robert Mackey Mark Mazetti's newest article on the suicide bombing that killed CIA agents in Afghanistan, "U.S. Saw a Path to Qaeda Chiefs Before Bombing, " has this interesting tidbit worth considering: "Mr. Balawi proved to be one of the oddest double agents in the history of espionage, choosing to kill his American contacts at … Read more
by Robert Mackey A post I did a few days ago on the argument for manned nuclear bombers, much like any freewheeling discussion on most blogs, soon turned to an interesting cul-de-sac of discussion on the nature of warfare, those whose job it is to both fight and conduct warfare (two quite different things), and … Read more
by Robert Mackey When I was a kid, I remember watching Dr. Strangelove for the first time. Being a male and having grown up in a household filled with World War I, World War II, Korea and (later) Vietnam veterans, I thought the coolest thing in the world were the scenes showing a thundering B-52 … Read more
by Robert Mackey First, a quick introduction and greeting. My name is Robert R. Mackey (not to be confused with the Lede author) and I'm an historian and retired US Army officer. My specialty, oddly enough, is a strange mix of American Civil War history, history of intelligence, and counter-terrorism. In the past, I've worked … Read more