Brian M Downing and the world at war. Timely, thoughtful, and nonpartisan analysis of military matters. @BrianMDowning1.
Brian M Downing Their moral passion spent most of its force in self-accusing, self-denial and self-scourging. They began by howling their sins from the mourners’ bench; they came to their end, many of them, in the supreme immolation of battle. – HL Mencken While thinking (more) about Terry Jones’s efforts Read More …
Brian M Downing The White House is obviously in a state of flux. Key personnel have come and gone in the six months of the Trump presidency and more changes may follow. There’s also been change in less prominent but nonetheless important slots. Last week, National Security Advisor and three-star Read More …
Brian M Downing I used to have fairly interesting dreams, the details of which I shall omit just now. Suffice it to say that advancing years and predilection with foreign policy have taken a toll. My reveries were usually graced with young women such as the one I chatted with Read More …
Brian M Downing The term “regime change” once had great attraction. A troubled land would be put on the right path, with American help, and democracy and prosperity would follow. But the ousters of Saddam Hussein and Muammar Qaddafi brought anarchy and havens for Islamist militants, and the idea fell into Read More …
Brian M Downing The Vietnam War had many ironies, twists, and convolutions. Villages, it was said, had to be destroyed in order to save them. Leaders saw signs of significant progress shortly before an unexpectedly strong enemy offensive. The values and institutions that governed America were close to collapse as a Read More …
Brian M Downing I voted in the 1964 presidential elections. I wasn’t old enough, but I went into a voting booth and pulled a lever. I wasn’t in Cook County, but I nonetheless took part in the election. Pulling the lever that November evening and watching events unfold over the Read More …
The Project for a New American Democracy © 2016 Brian M Downing A Washington think tank, the Project for a New American Democracy, plans to turn the crisis-ridden country around by supporting an outspoken, recently-retired general in a presidential bid. His election will be a precursor to a military takeover Read More …
The Project for a New American Democracy © 2016 Brian M Downing Genre Political thriller/social commentary (85,000 words) Tagline Seven Days in May, again. Synopsis A Washington think tank, The Project for a New American Democracy, plans to turn the crisis-ridden country around by supporting an outspoken, recently-retired general in Read More …
Brian M Downing In recent days we have learned of the secretive National Security Agency’s engagement in data-mining the Verizon system. Yesterday we learned that NSA was doing the same in a few other cyberplaces, including Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, PalTalk, AOL, Skype, YouTube, and Apple. I can only wish Read More …
Brian M Downing I’ve followed the campaign since it began an hour or two after Obama was sworn in. I’ve read the papers, seen the primary debates, and talked to friends, except for the ones who are diehard believers in one of our dollar-store parties. Tthere’s only one candidate out Read More …