Kelley B. Vlahos

Kelley Beaucar Vlahos, a Washington, D.C.-based freelance writer, is a longtime political reporter for FoxNews.com and a contributing editor at The American Conservative. She is also a Washington correspondent for Homeland Security Today magazine. Her Twitter account is @KelleyBVlahos.

Newt Gingrich: A Menace to Society?

Like a bad penny, Newt Gingrich is back, this time demanding that Tea Partiers grab their muskets for the next revolution – in fact it’s a World War – looming on the horizon. While it sounds farcical, Gingrich’s usual demagoguery and naked opportunism have taken on an even more cynical and pernicious tone this time … Continue reading “Newt Gingrich: A Menace to Society?”

Post-9/11 Militarism Helps BP, Hurts America

Down on the bayou, reporters and activists have been pulled over and questioned by British Petroleum security guards and local police because they might be “terrorists.” Journalists have been kicked off public property, detained, harassed, and forced to hand over their photographs – and their Social Security numbers. They’ve been prevented from renting boats or … Continue reading “Post-9/11 Militarism Helps BP, Hurts America”

The Dark Legacy of Gen. McChrystal

Gen. Stanley McChrystal might have left town through the back door with his four stars barely intact, his 35-year career in the Army humiliatingly cut short by a lack of judgment with a counterculture magazine. But in reality, he got off easy. As a four-star popular with his peers, McChrystal will have professional options most … Continue reading “The Dark Legacy of Gen. McChrystal”

Exum’s Challenge: Game On!

As the dust was settling on what has been glibly called the “Rolling Stan” affair, it became apparent that the biggest damage that reporter Michael Hastings wrought was not in exposing Gen. Stan McChrystal and his staff for their impolitic grumblings, but in challenging the very strategy of the war itself. More specifically, he raised … Continue reading “Exum’s Challenge: Game On!”

Obama Is No Superman

As the ecology in the Gulf circles the sticky tar drain of evolution, and countless livelihoods spanning at least four states going down with it, Americans are wondering where their Superman is. The disappointment that President Barack Obama seems stuck in the phone booth, still deciding whether to get his suit on, is nothing new. … Continue reading “Obama Is No Superman”

COIN Think-Tank Jumps Shark

The first thing one noticed about this year’s annual conference for the Center for a New American Security – the think-tank for the Washington defense and foreign policy establishment today – is how un-newsworthy it was. In fact, Google it, and pretty much nothing comes up. It might have been planned that way. The year … Continue reading “COIN Think-Tank Jumps Shark”

Wali Karzai: A Deal We Should Refuse

There is a “chubby” man with a big smile on his face sitting in the middle of the crossroads at Kandahar. He is smiling, no doubt, because he knows he has the power to influence the success or failure of the international military mission in Afghanistan today. And he embodies everything that is wrong with … Continue reading “Wali Karzai: A Deal We Should Refuse”

Reflections on Rolling Thunder

WASHINGTON – It is all too clear why we can’t seem to protest our way out of this war. And as a result, the war itself may never end. In fact, Gen. Stanley McChrystal recently suggested that “Operation Enduring Freedom” in Afghanistan may be just that – “enduring” – for a very, very long time. … Continue reading “Reflections on Rolling Thunder”

Rand Paul Drinks Tea, Turns Into Hawk?

“When it is said that nothing, including a nuclear strike, is off the table on Iran, are those who say it not also threatening genocide?” – Rep. Ron Paul, May 22, 2007 “I don’t think you take [nuclear weapons] off the table.” – Rand Paul on Iran, The O’Reilly Factor, May 19, 2010 “Rand Paul … Continue reading “Rand Paul Drinks Tea, Turns Into Hawk?”