Op Ed Columns

Key SOTU takeaway: The sequester is happening, and it’s going to hit the Navy hard

2013-02-14T20:11:10Z

Daily Caller

By: Robert C. O'Brien

President Obama’s State of the Union address made it clear that sequestration is coming to the United States Armed Forces. President Obama acknowledged in his speech that “these sudden, harsh, arbitrary cuts would jeopardize our military readiness.” He then attempted to lay the blame for the sequester on Congress, stating, “In 2011, Congress passed a law saying that if both parties couldn’t agree on a plan to reach our deficit goal, about a trillion dollars’ worth of budget cuts would automatically go into effect this year.”

A Bipartisan National Security Agenda

2012-11-29T00:53:45Z

The Diplomat

By: Robert C. O'Brien

The White House announced on Wednesday that President Obama will host Governor Romney for a post-election lunch in Washington on Thursday. The lunch is symbolic of the best of America, a bi-partisan tradition of coming together after a tough election campaign. Given the challenges facing the United States, it is important that President Obama and Governor Romney seize the opportunity to move beyond symbolism and set a bipartisan agenda on four key national security issues.

In his concession speech, Governor Romney stated, “the nation, as you know, is at a critical point. At a time like this, we can't risk partisan bickering and political posturing. Our leaders have to reach across the aisle to do the people's work. And we citizens also have to rise to the occasion.”

Obama Failed to Mention Loss of Aircraft Carrier from Navy Fleet

2012-10-31T17:54:05Z

Newswmax

By: Robert C. O'Brien

Robert C. O'Brien's Perspective: Governor Romney was right and President Obama was wrong when it comes to the importance of maintaining a strong United States Navy

“[W]e have fewer ships than we did in 1916. Well, governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets, because the nature of our military's changed. We have these things called aircraft carriers, where planes land on them.” That unfortunate quip was, of course, made by President Obama at the debate on foreign policy at Lynn University earlier this month.

A Tale of Two Debates: Obama Rallies Base; Romney Makes Case to Independents

2012-10-17T17:54:26Z

FlashReport

By: Robert C. O'Brien

After a lackluster performance in Denver two weeks ago, President Barack Obama entered into last night's debate seeking to rally his base and dispel doubts that he still wanted the job. Given his Denver reviews, it was almost impossible for the President not to exceed expectations in Long Island. Indeed, one journalist from a major daily told me that many of his colleagues had already written most of their "Obama comeback" stories on the assumption that President Obama would give a solid performance at Hofstra University.

Is the Benghazi Attack Obama’s Madrid Train Bombings?

2012-10-15T21:47:22Z

PJ Media

By: Robert C. O'Brien and Brad Thor

On March 11, 2004, bombs ripped through Madrid’s commuter train system killing 191 people and wounding an additional 1,800. The terrorist attack took place three days before Spain’s general election and completely turned it upside down. The ruling People’s Party lead by then-Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar chose to cast blame on Spain’s Basque separatist organization ETA, while the Socialist opposition pointed to al-Qaeda as the culprit.

By blaming ETA, Anzar’s camp hoped to curry votes by drawing attention to their leader’s tough campaign against the Spanish terror organization. The Socialists, on the other hand, hoped voters would hold Aznar responsible for having incited Islamic extremists by his support of America’s war in Iraq, which was exceedingly unpopular in Spain.

The German U-Boat Reborn

2012-08-14T22:51:24Z

The Diplomat

By: Robert C. O'Brien

Although the media has recently focused on the significant reductions to naval budgets in the West, with particular attention being paid to the downsizing of the Royal Navy and the sequestration cuts facing the United States Navy, a number of nations are now seeking to enhance their naval capabilities. For those nations, submarines offer a unique platform to strike enemy targets on land or at sea using conventional or unconventional weapons. In Asia, there is a even nascent submarine race underway with Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam all announcing planned acquisitions in the face of China's burgeoning fleet of nuclear and diesel-electric boats. At least two navies are turning to Germany to provide a unique set of undersea capabilities, albeit for very different areas of operation.

My predictions for Super Tuesday

2012-03-06T20:58:03Z

The Daily Caller

By: Robert C. O'Brien

On Tuesday, the Republican nominating process moves into high gear with contests in 10 states. Mitt Romney, who has pulled off five straight wins, has the momentum. That momentum is reflected in the latest Gallup tracking poll, which puts Romney up by 16 points over Rick Santorum. Here are my predictions for your Super Tuesday office pool.

Obama's Falklands Failure

2012-02-21T20:16:41Z

The Diplomat

By: Robert C. O'Brien

America’s failure to clearly back Britain in its current diplomatic row with Argentina over the Falkland Islands risks sending the wrong message to U.S. allies in Asia.

Will the geography of the primaries sink Newt Gingrich in February?

2012-01-30T17:17:03Z

Fox News

By: Robert C. O'Brien

The quote "geography is destiny" is attributed to Napoleon. The emperor was, of course, referring to the fate of nations but he could just have easily been referring to American presidential politics.

While the rise of cable news and social media has to some extent nationalized our politics, geography still matters.

The early GOP primaries have confirmed this fact and geography have favored , so far. His good fortune is likely to run out in February.

Romney Closes in New Hampshire With Economy Focus

2012-01-24T22:15:02Z

Newsmax

By: Robert C. O'Brien

When GOP front-runner Mitt Romney announced the formation of his presidential exploratory committee on April 11, he did it from the football field of the University of New Hampshire, declaring: “In Nevada, I walked through a neighborhood with homes vacant or in foreclosure. Unemployment there is over 13 percent. Across the nation, over 20 million Americans still can't find a job, or have given up looking.