Summary: One in three U.S. veterans of the post-9/11 military believes the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were not worth fighting, and a majority think that after 10 years of combat America should be focusing less on foreign affairs and more on its own problems, according to a Pew Research Center opinion survey. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on October 5, 2010, Aubrey Immelman reported that Stearns County Sheriff John Sanner announced that nothing of consequence was found in the July 2010 search of the Rassier farmstead in the Jacob Wetterling kidnapping investigation; however, he added that technology could eventually improve to the extent that it would allow for future testing of the items seized.

  ::  Read Comments (0)

Summary: President Barack Obama’s June 22, 2011 speech to the nation made it abundantly clear that the commander-in-chief is determined to end the U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan, irrespective of “conditions on the ground” and without “benchmarks of success” or the other classical wartime caveats and equivocations. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on June 25, 2010, Aubrey Immelman reported that legislators or candidates in nearly 20 states were pushing for tougher anti-illegal immigration measures similar to Arizona’s sweeping new immigration law.

  ::  Read Comments (0)

Summary: In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, says much of the Taliban’s battlefield momentum has been halted, putting the U.S. on course to begin pulling out troops in July 2011 and shifting security responsibility to the Afghans. He cautioned, however, that security progress remains “fragile and reversible,” with tough days ahead as the Taliban launch an expected spring offensive. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on March 15, 2010, Aubrey Immelman reported that the arrest of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar — second in the Taliban only to one-eyed leader Mullah Mohammed Omain — reportedly infuriated Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who was said to have been holding secret peace talks with the Taliban’s No. 2 when he was captured in Pakistan the previous month, in February 2010.

  ::  Read Comments (0)

Summary: The number of foreign troops killed in Afghanistan this year has reached at least 500, compared with 521 in all of 2009, according to the independent monitoring site icasualties.org and a tally compiled by Reuters. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on September 6, 2009, Aubrey Immelman reported that opinion polls showed support for President Barack Obama and his policies dipping sharply, though he remained personally more popular than his policies. How will those dynamics impact the 2010 election and what do they tell us about President Obama’s personal qualities and leadership style?

  ::  Read Comments (0)

Summary: A majority of Americans see no end in sight in Afghanistan, and nearly six in 10 oppose the nine-year-old war, according to a new Associated Press-GfK poll. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on August 20, 2009 Aubrey Immelman featured a new Washington Post-ABC News poll showing that a majority of Americans viewed the war in Afghanistan as not worth fighting, with just a quarter saying more U.S. troops should be sent to Afghanistan.

  ::  Read Comments (0)

Summary: The latest Associated Press-GfK poll shows President Barack Obama’s marks for handling the 8-year-old Afghanistan war have jumped by double digits — 52 percent now approve — since he capped a three-month strategy review by announcing a big troop increase. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on December 17, 2008, Aubrey Immelman reported that the speaker of Iraq’s parliament, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, announced his resignation after a parliamentary session descended into chaos as lawmakers argued about whether to free a journalist who had thrown his shoes at President George W. Bush; that Vice President Dick Cheney, in an interview with ABC News, attempted to justify the decision to invade Iraq; that a double-bombing targeting traffic police in Baghdad killed at least 18 people and wounded 52; and that Iraq’s Minister of Science and Technology escaped injury in a car bomb explosion that appeared to be an assassination attempt.

  ::  Read Comments (0)

Summary: As public support for the Afghanistan war erodes, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Adm. Mike Mullen says the security situation in Afghanistan is serious and deteriorating. … Fifty-nine-year-old grandfather becomes oldest U.S. soldier killed in Afghanistan. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on the 40th day of his campaign against U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann for the Republican nomination as House of Representatives candidate in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, Aubrey Immelman continued his 50-mile walking tour across the Sixth District from Waite Park to Rockville, Cold Spring, Richmond, and Roscoe, stopping by the Rockville Rock-Fest festival and parade.

  ::  Read Comments (0)

Summary: A new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows a majority of Americans now see the war in Afghanistan as not worth fighting, and just a quarter say more U.S. troops should be sent to Afghanistan. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on the 37th day of his campaign against U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann for the Republican nomination as House of Representatives candidate in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, Aubrey Immelman focused on national security issues, including the increasing sophistication of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan to mount complex, coordinated attacks; and the precarious security situation in northern Iraq.

  ::  Read Comments (0)