Daniel Gallington

Radicalizing youths in Islamic world a deadly weapon

Radical Islamic leaders teach that martyrdom in the process of killing non-Muslims promises a trip to heaven. And, recent reports say that a 17-year-old was a key participant in the Barcelona attacks.

August 22, 2017

Russia probe may see indictments by Mueller

The grand jury is the prosecutor's best friend: If he wants to get rid of a weak, unpopular or politically incorrect situation, he does a "slow roll" to the grand jury and then says, "Well, the grand jury refused to indict," and shrugs his shoulders. The case -- and whatever controversies are associated with it -- simply goes away and the prosecutor washes his hands of it.

August 9, 2017

President Trump’s tweets sting the media

I admit, I'm a real fan of President Trump's tweets. It's an uncensored, uninhibited and direct way for him to react and communicate "his take" on daily events. Even though his lawyers may cringe and wish he wouldn't tweet, it has changed -- forever -- the "natural order of things" in Washington D.C., a city forever in love with itself.

July 17, 2017

North Korea nuclear aggression requires clear U.S. line drawing

Now that North Korea has a bunch of nukes and is testing ways to deliver them by ballistic missile, we need to address the stark realities of what this new threat really means for us.

June 28, 2017

James Comey wrote memos for leaking

What gets James Comey in trouble is that he leaked official memos that were most probably classified. He should have turned them over to the FBI or somewhere else in the Justice Department and then simply kept his mouth shut. And if he didn't trust anybody at the department, he should have sent the memos on to the congressional intelligence committees (and thereby been protected as a whistleblower).

June 14, 2017

Donald Trump agenda hampered by Obama holdovers, disgruntled GOP

Donald Trump won the presidency because of a key sector of votes in traditionally Democratic states -- votes based primarily on the dramatic economic decline in these industrial-manufacturing regions. In short, the election was another confirmation that, absent a perceived and immediate catastrophe of some kind, most people, quite understandably, vote their economic interests and concerns -- i.e., jobs, jobs and jobs.

June 7, 2017

News scripted by kids without a clue

Many think as a society we have slipped past the line defining our ability to discern reality from political spin. On the other hand, we are generations of conditioned consumers who have been subjected to the most sophisticated ad campaigns ever imagined. In short, if there is or has ever been a way to sell something, we have heard or seen it.

November 29, 2016

Who will Obama pardon?

Looking beyond the upcoming election to the last few days of Barack Obama's legal status as a president, it's interesting to speculate who he might pardon from their past criminal behaviors, whether indicted, convicted, incarcerated or released, or whether they are just under investigation.

November 1, 2016

Why neoconservatives don’t like Donald Trump

The Details: What exactly is "neoconservatism" and where did it come from?

September 21, 2016

Hillary Clinton’s long list of lies

Many of us remember the classic line from the "Seinfeld" show, that "it's not a lie if you believe it." Applying that theme to the evolution of Hillary Rodham, then Hillary Rodham Clinton, and now just plain Hillary Clinton, here are the notable accomplishments of her "public service" career:

June 19, 2016

DANIEL GALLINGTON: Donald Trump’s leverage

Donald Trump is our latest counterculture political hero who has captured the attention of millions of frustrated American voters -- both Democrat and Republican -- with his sharp criticism of the self-perpetuating and often incompetent Washington political establishment.

June 6, 2016

DANIEL GALLINGTON: Mixed opinions over Trump’s national security stance

While closing out his rivals in the Republican primary elections, Donald Trump has also given new life to some "outsider" national security proposals and opinions. For example:

May 31, 2016

DANIEL GALLINGTON: Lessons in the wake of EgyptAir

Thousands of missed flights. Mile-long waiting lines at airports. Then just when Americans are ready to scream over passenger screening delays, another aircraft goes down in the Middle East, hammering home the difficulty of balancing airline accessibility with security.

May 22, 2016

DANIEL GALLINGTON: Apple-FBI encryption debate about money

While now mooted because the FBI has broken the code, the media has been all over the legal struggles between the FBI and Apple -- this as the FBI sought to require Apple to go behind the access code of the iPhone used by the Sacramento ISIS inspired terrorists.

March 30, 2016

DANIEL GALLINGTON: Forecasting national security scenarios

The theme here is that the 2016 presidential election will likely cause a swing back to the center for American politics -- and this will be true (with one exception) no matter who wins. However, for national security issues and budgets, there could be sizable and significant differences between the candidates. Here are some of the various factors at work:

February 22, 2016

DANIEL GALLINGTON: Hillary Clinton’s company in national security violations

Since the Hillary Clinton private server email scandal hit the front pages, parts of the story have become clearer while other parts have been obfuscated.

February 16, 2016

DANIEL GALLINGTON: Spying on foreigh targets can uncover naughty U.S. officials

Every few years it's revealed that members of Congress may have gotten caught up in intelligence surveillance or an operation of some kind -- usually owing to their contacts with foreign leaders or their representatives. It's reported now that the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence is going to look into the matter.

January 26, 2016

DANIEL GALLINGTON: Nuclear scenarios in the Middle East

Many of us "cold warriors" hope that someone, somewhere in our government is thinking or worrying about how a nuclear exchange could or would likely happen in the Middle East and what we would or could do in such an event.

January 14, 2016

DANIEL GALLINGTON: Needed: A Muslim reform conclave

It's long past time for Islamic leaders of the world to meet and agree to isolate and condemn their religion's most radical elements: Today, those groups would include the Islamic State (or ISIS), and other groups professing to follow the Koran by killing those who do not share their interpretations of Muslim teachings and practices.

January 6, 2016

DANIEL GLALLINGTON: No more Clinton, no more Bush

When national security was the main concern of voters in past presidential elections, Republicans had a leg up. This was mostly due to the perceived and historical expertise Republicans had with national security matters, especially during the Cold War. Ronald Reagan was perhaps the best example -- he brought an end to the Cold War while causing the Soviet Union to implode.

January 4, 2016