Happy Valentine’s Day.  It isn’t Valentine’s for those who will get hit with bullets or bombs today.  And it will happen.  So let’s get down to business.

The top officer in the US Military is the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  The Chairman is the principal military adviser to President Obama.

Recently, Congressman Todd Akin from Missouri has taken up the cause of repairing the Army MEDEVAC failures.

Previously, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) provided Congressman Akin with a deceptive, error-filled letter whose content could have been written by Baghdad Bob for Ripley’s Believe it or Not! You have to see it to believe it.

Congressman Akin continued to push, but he was stonewalled.  Mr. Akin was undeterred and responded by redoubling his efforts.  For example, he marshaled other concerned Members of Congress, and altogether 17 Members sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta.

The response by Mr. Akin and other Members of Congress is heartening.  This is how a democracy should work.  We citizens raised valid, important points.  It took some time to get their attention, but once we got beyond those hurdles, Members of Congress have taken on the cause by first searching for the truth.

On two occasions, Mr. Panetta did not respond to Mr. Akin.  On the second occasion, Mr. Panetta passed the buck back to General Dempsey, the Chairman of the JCS.  General Dempsey’s response to Mr. Akin avoided the most important questions.  General Dempsey’s response was also demonstrably deceptive.  General Dempsey clearly states that he is responding on behalf of Secretary Panetta, meaning that Mr. Panetta endorses the deception.

With that realization, we have exhausted the military chain of command.  And so this has finally become a matter for the Commander in Chief:  President Obama.

If General Dempsey has provided a briefing to President Obama that parallels what we see below, General Martin Dempsey should be fired.  If in good faith President Obama should make the mistake of repeating this from General Dempsey, at best he will look clueless to most combat veterans.

Despite those who wish to politicize this, the MEDEVAC problems did not arise under the watch of President Obama.  They’ve been going on for years.  I believe that if President Obama is properly informed, he will intervene.

President Obama: Please speak with Congressman Todd Akin in private, and with experienced Army Dustoff and Air Force Pedro pilots, before saying anything on this subject publicly.  If you speak to Mr. Akin and to those pilots, you will know the truth.

The duplicitous letter from General Dempsey (click images to enlarge):

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