Now that congressional Republicans have lost the battle to prevent President Obama and congressional Democrats from imposing government-controlled healthcare on Americans, what strategy should they pursue to regain control of the House and Senate in the November mid-term elections? Of course, that’s their goal, but what’s the best way to achieve it?

In a final attempt to pass Obamacare, it appears that Democrats will resort to legislative obfuscation to convince a handful of House Democrats they’re not committing political suicide by voting for it. At last count Democrats were five votes short of the 216 necessary.

In a last-ditch effort to get those votes, Nancy Pelosi plans to use a maneuver dreamed up by House Rules Committee Chairwoman Louise Slaughter of New York. The “Slaughter solution,” would allow House members to vote on a new bill with changes to the Senate's that includes language stating that the Senate bill was “deemed passed.” A reconciliation measure then could to go forward on the original Senate bill without a separate roll call vote on it in the House.

Assuming Speaker Pelosi finds the fearless five, Obamacare passes, and the Democrat base is reenergized, it will super-energize Republicans and Independents who oppose Obamacare to turn out in droves in November. The Slaughter solution will become the Slaughter-House suicide.

On Saturday, March 13, newly elected Senator Scott Brown (R MA) gave the Republican weekly response to President Obama's Saturday address.

Articulating Republican taking points, his appeal was aimed more at undecided Democrat House members than the American people who have already made up their minds.

Republicans chose Brown to give the response to President Obama's weekly address to remind Democrat Representatives, about to vote again on healthcare reform, what happened on January 19 in the Massachusetts special election. Brown defeated his Democrat challenger in one of the most liberal, Democrat states in the country. He won openly campaigning to become the "41st Senator," bring to an end Democrats filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, and stop government-controlled healthcare reform dead in its tracks.

Whether any House Democrats even heard or watched Brown's appeal, especially the five Nancy Pelosi has targeted, we can't be sure. No doubt their telephones are ringing off the hook, their email inboxes are full, and the lobbies of their offices are overflowing with people trying to influencing their vote. I doubt they had the time to listen to Brown.

More unnerving, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has likely has invited them over to watch The Godfather with her, after which she intends to make them an offer they can't refuse.

I hope Republicans have a plan B.

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The Hurt Locker, a somewhat controversial movie about an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team in Iraq directed by Kathryn Bigelow, tied with her ex-husband James Cameron’s blockbuster Avatar for nine Academy Award nominations. Last night it won six, including best movie and best director. This low-budget war movie that only earned $12.7 million domestically certainly will benefit from the publicity this recognition will bring it. Despite the controversy and its poor showing at the box office it's an excellent film, reminiscent of when good war movies were about warriors and not about politics.

How many of your favorite 'war movies' are on this list of selected Oscar winners? See mine below

2006 - Letters from Iwo Jima - Best Sound Editing

2001 - Black Hawk Down - Best Film Editing & Sound

2001 - Pearl Harbor - Best Sound Editing

1998 - Saving Private Ryan - Best Director, Cinematography, Sound Effects Editing, Film Editing, & Sound

1996 - The English Patient - Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actress, Art/Set Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design, Film Editing, Original Dramatic Score, & Sound

1986 - Platoon - Best Picture, Director, Film Editing, & Sound

1979 - Apocalypse Now - Best Cinematography & Sound

1978 - The Deer Hunter - Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actor, Film Editing, & Sound

1970 - Patton - Best Picture, Director, Actor, Set Decoration, Film Editing, Sound, & Writing

1970 - MASH - Best Writing

1953 -  From Here to Eternity - Best Picture, Director, & Film Editing

1949 - 12 O'Clock High - Best Supporting Actor & Sound

1943 - For Whom the Bell Tolls - Best Supporting Actress

1932 - A Farewell to Arms - Best Cinematography & Sound

1927 - Wings - Best Picture & Effects

My Top 10 US War Movies List

We Were Soldiers (2002)

The Patriot (2000)

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

MASH (1970)

Patton (1970)

In Harms Way (1965)

On The Beach (1959)

From Here to Eternity (1953)

Twelve O’clock High (1949)

They Were Expendable (1945)

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On February 25th, President Obama hosted a healthcare summit at Blair House to break the stalemate between Democrats and Republicans on healthcare reform. It wasn’t successful. Now, in a last-ditch effort, Democrats appear ready to use the infamous “reconciliation process” in an attempt to pass their bill over Republican opposition, believing they will be better off passing an unpopular bill than if they pass no bill at all.

Democrats may or may not have the votes to pass “Obamacare” using reconciliation. To do that the House must first pass the Senate bill before the Senate can pass a reconciliation version with 51 votes; and many House Democrats don’t like the Senate bill for a variety of reasons. Beyond that, there are major procedural obstacles to overcome in the Senate.

Let’s assume, however, that Nancy Pelosi holds her troops together in the House, Harry Reid overcomes the obstacles in the Senate, and the President signs Obamacare into law. Just how will Democrats be better off? Does this mean, as Democrat leaders and pundits suggest, that they will lose fewer House and Senate seats in November than they otherwise might? (Continued)

In 2008, Gregg Bergersen was arrested, convicted, and sentenced to five years in prison for selling secrets about US-Taiwan Military programs to Tai Kuo, a Louisiana businessman who turned out to be a Chinese spy. Now a video of Bergersen taking money from Kuo is part of a February 28, 60 Minutes segment on Chinese espionage in the United States. It was painful for those of us who knew and worked with Bergersen at the Defense Security Cooperation Agency to learn of his activities. It's informative, however, to watch the video. It shows us how casually some people can betray their country, foolishly believing they can get away with it. (Continued)

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Sarah Palin’s return to the spotlight with her successful book tour, her contract with and frequent appearances on the Fox News Channel, and her speech at the National Tea Party Convention have sparked a new flurry of speculation about her presidential ambitions and prospects. Tea Party conservatives love Palin. But according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll, 70 percent of Americans believe she isn’t qualified to be the President of the United States. The left incessantly ridicules her. And even some Republicans make comments that reveal their doubts about her. Are her prospects really as bad as some would lead you to believe? Perhaps not! Continued

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The arrest on February 8, 2009, in Karachi, Pakistan, of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban's top military commander, in a joint raid by the CIA and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is a major achievement. It strikes a serious blow to the Taliban leadership as US forces conduct a major offensive against the Taliban in Afghanistan. It also signals a new level of cooperation between the US and Pakistan's ISI against the Taliban. The ISI has long been accused of sympathizing with the Taliban and providing it sanctuary. continued

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Why have President Obama’s approaches to the treatment of captured terrorists and attacking terrorists in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Yemen been fundamentally inconsistent? On one battlefield he concedes the advantage to the enemy. On the others, he gives them no quarter.

This week's column (Obama’s War on Terror) was delayed by the historic blizzard that hit the Washington, DC, metropolitan area beginning Friday evening, February 5. It's still snowing as I write this on February 10 from a second major storm. Total accumulation outside is around 35 inches. Our power has been back on for about 42 hours after 41 hours without it.

To people from places that routinely get this much snow, 35 inches is no big deal. To those of us who are long-time residents of the National Capital Region, however, this is, as President Obama and others have phrased it, "snowmaggedon."

Residents of this area have a reputation for panic at the first signs of the smallest snowfall. Drivers struggle to control their vehicles, as snow tires and chains are a rarity. Supermarket shelves are emptied for fear of days without access to them. This time their panic was justified.

As with all natural catastrophes, however, the men and women who must respond to this situation, as usual, have done a magnificent job. Snowplow drivers, power-company employees, policemen, and fire fighters are working long and difficult shifts. I salute them. Forty-one hours in the 19th century gives one a renewed appreciation for them.

Looking on the bright side, the federal government has been closed for three days. It likely will be closed tomorrow and even Friday.  Perhaps administration officials, senators and congressmen will take this time off to consider how much better off we all would be with a little less government.

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Amidst the barrage of criticism leveled at President Obama in recent months over his decisions on healthcare reform, trials for terrorists, and the US economy, he made at least one decision last week that is worthy of praise from his critics. On Friday, January 29, he notified to Congress the sale of $6.4 billion worth of arms sales to Taiwan.

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China's previous reactions to major US arms sales to Taiwan over the past 20 years have followed a pattern. They issue strongly worded statements, warning of dire consequences. They break off military exchanges (when they have existed). And they reiterate talking points, saying that the US is interfering in the internal affairs of China, threatening China's national security, and, since President Ma Ying-jeou took office in Taiwan, inhibiting China-Taiwan détente.

China also has put pressure on US business with divisions that sell defense equipment to Taiwan, although this has had limited effect as US companies are in no position to refuse participation in government-to-government sales to Taiwan through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) system.

In due course, however, US-China relations have always returned to their own equilibrium. Economic interdependence and political necessity constrain China from allowing the Taiwan issue to dominate the relationship.

Will this time be different? China's political and economic stature have given it a self image of a world power equal to the United States. Chinese leaders may see US economic dependence on China's willingness to purchase US Treasury Bonds as leverage they can and should use. And they may believe that Barack Obama is a US President they can pressure.

Chinese leaders have demonstrated in the past a willingness to subjugate national interest to national pride. They could overplay their hand. More likely however, they won't. They know they can't inflict pain on the US without inflicting pain on themselves. Their economic growth is too dependent on the US market and, since 1949, China-Taiwan relations have never been better.

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You have to wonder if the Obama administration officials who came up with the idea of establishing the High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group (HIG) weren’t overly influenced by Hollywood. It's a familiar, action-packed concept. Highly-skilled interrogators work out of Washington, DC, under the direct supervision of the White House. They deploy around the world to obtain critical intelligence from newly captured high-value Islamist-Jihadist operatives in the nick of time to prevent a catastrophic terrorist attack. It would make a great prime-time TV series.

If Hollywood were to produce such a program, however, they’d have to write scripts that had little resemblance to the real one. Few Americans would tune in more than once to a series in which the likes of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed were read their Miranda rights, provided a comfortable cell with a copy of the Qur'an, and asked politely if they would cooperate with US Intelligence before their lawyers arrived. Americans would much prefer to watch protagonists that behaved more like 24's Jack Bauer or Vince Flynn’s Mitch Rapp.

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