Checkpoint Washington - August 1, 2010

Pentagon demands Wikileaks return documents

Eleven days after the renegade Web site Wikileaks publicly disclosed more than 70,000 classified U.S. field reports from the war in Afghanistan, the Pentagon said Thursday that it wants them all back.

By Craig Whitlock | August 5, 2010; 3:24 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (25)

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U.S. releases annual report on global terrorism

The State Department on Thursday released its annual report on terrorism and counter-terrorism in countries around the world. Its central conclusion: the core al-Qaeda group located in Pakistan "remained the most formidable terrorist organization targeting the U.S. homeland."

By Mary Beth Sheridan | August 5, 2010; 2:37 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)

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Spain harbors 'racist prejudices,' until Michelle Obama arrives

First lady Michelle Obama, along with her younger daughter Sasha, arrived in Spain Wednesday for a private visit. For the State Department, it seemed like the perfect time to remove a consular notice warning U.S. travelers to Spain that "racist prejudices" could lead to the arrest of African-Americans who visit the country.

By Glenn Kessler | August 4, 2010; 6:35 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (30)

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Vietnam-era general, wronged by Nixon, is vindicated by Obama

President Obama has officially rehabilitated a deceased Air Force general who was demoted in 1972 as commander of air operations during the Vietnam War for allegedly ordering unauthorized bombing missions into North Vietnam, the Pentagon announced Wednesday.

By Craig Whitlock | August 4, 2010; 3:29 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (45)

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Petraeus issues new rules on use of force

A month after taking charge in Afghanistan, Gen. David Petraeus on Wednesday issued an updated tactical directive governing the use of force by U.S. and NATO troops, urging them to "redouble" their efforts to protect Afghan civilians.

By Craig Whitlock | August 4, 2010; 1:15 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (7)

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Senate panel delays vote on START treaty

Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass), chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, has postponed the first big vote on the president's new nuclear-weapons treaty, noting that Republicans want more time to decide whether they'll support it.

By Mary Beth Sheridan | August 3, 2010; 3:22 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)

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For Petraeus, the same medicine for different wars

Some things, like counterinsurgency, don't change very much. Gen. David H. Petraeus published on Sunday his counterinsurgency guidance for troops in Afghanistan. His recipe for waging war in the Hindu Kush borrows the same core principles that he advocated during...

By Greg Jaffe | August 2, 2010; 6:45 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)

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