Published OpEds and Commentaries

Since I retired from active duty in August 2004, I have sought to publish thought-provoking commentaries that would provide unique perspectives and context to important issues related to war and peace. Drawing on a decade of experience overseas as a soldier, diplomat, and intelligence officer, I wrote these columns to contribute to a more lucid, balanced and constructive discussion on a wide range of sometimes esoteric topics; foreign and defense policy, intelligence reform, and covert operations. It was my hope to offer something fresh and interesting to a wide range of readers; policy-maker, opinion-maker, homemaker. In each column I sought to be nonpartisan; to persuade more that to preach; to bridge the left-right, liberal-conservative, and red-blue divides; to suggest that those with opposing views might share common ground even on sensitive and divisive issues-- to include the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the broader war against terrorist networks. I again thank my readers for their comments and constructive criticisms.

If you were only to read three of the commentaries below, I suggest they be these:

1 Feb 05 Christian Science Monitor
"US must regain moral ascendancy”

19 June 05 Albany Times Union
“Room for Debate”

16 Feb 06 The Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin)
“Diplomat would have much to say to U.S”

26 May 06 Philadelphia Inquirer
“Make transparency part of U.S. military justice”
(also published in the DoD Early Bird and The Sunday Gazette)

19 Mar 06 San Francisco Chronicle
“Security here and abroad: Crunch time in Iraq”

2 Mar 06 The Army Times
“Grading the Pentagon-- what the troops think about Iraq, GWOT, SECDEF”
(also Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps Times)

16 Feb 06 The Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin)
“Diplomat would have much to say to U.S.”

16 Feb 06 Nezavisimaya Gazeta (Moscow, Russia)
“Force may require restraint”

15 Jan 06 The Sunday Gazette (Schenectady, NY)
“Bush should appoint Muslim to bench”

11 Nov 05 amNew York
“On Iraq, on Veterans’ Day”

4 Oct 05 Fort Worth Star-Telegram
“The danger of Pentagon obstruction”

29 Aug 05 The New York Post
“Train the Troops in Penn Station”

28 Aug 05 Albany Times-Union
“To protect, serve and fight”

26 July 05 The San Francisco Chronicle
“Applying Truman order to gays in the military”

25 July 05 The Army Times
“Rating Rumsfeld-- a DoD Command Climate Survey "

17 July 05 Fort Worth Star-Telegram
“A playbook for John Negroponte”

19 June 05 Albany Times Union
“Room for Debate”
(Also published in Dallas Morning News, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Mobile Register (AL), Buenos Aires Herald)

29 May 05 Fort Worth Star-Telegram
“Careerist, appointees and John Bolton”

30 Mar 05 The Irish Voice
“Iraq insurgency—lessons from Ireland”

20 Mar 05 The San Francisco Chronicle
“Iraq—a halftime assessment”

1 Dec 04 Chicago Tribune
"Why the Fallujah Mosque shooting matters"

14 Nov 04 Albany Times-Union
"Over There”