Making the rounds of traditional and Web media are remarks Presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) made in New Hampshire earlier this week that criticize the use of airpower in Afghanistan. He said there should be more troops on the ground “so we’re not just air-raiding villages and killing civilians.” In his blog on WashingtonPost.com, William Arkin decries both Obama’s “strategic implications” and his facts, but he also criticizes the Air Force for not contacting the Senator to set him straight. Arkin says he has studied the issue and can state that the idea that aircraft “are responsible for more civilian deaths than ground forces is false.” Unfortunately, at last check, readers posting comments to Arkin’s piece disagreed with his view, which by the way is not anti-Obama. He calls the Illinois Senator “independent and nimble-thinking,” in most instances.
Three of four congressional committees with influence over defense policy have voted to change the official name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War—but final approval of the Pentagon rebrand is months away and not yet assured.