Condoleezza Rice and Senator Richard Lugar (IN) propose a civilian corp to help the military with post-war stabilization and reconstruction. In their own words, the Civilian Reserve Corps are "essential for our national security, and the Senate should authorize the creation of the corps. Over the past decade and a half, the United States has learned that some of the greatest threats to our national security emerge not only from the armies and arsenals of hostile nations but also from the brittle institutions and failing economies of weak and poorly governed states."

Credit belongs to Thomas PM Barnett for keeping the idea of a Civilian Reserve Corp (or SysAdmin in his vernacular) in the public dialogue but the idea has been mentioned in the Summary of National Security Strategy 2002 and again by President Bush in the 2007 SOTU. Wikipedia credits former Supreme Allied Commander and 2004 Presidential candidate, Wesley Clark with a similar proposal during the 04' campaign. I find Clark's plan to be heavy on the domestic front (how do repealing the tax cuts fit into the plan?) I recommend Dr. Barnett's System Administrators (SysAdmin) for the direction the Civilian Reserve Corp should take.

Light posting this week. I will be traveling for a few days so here is some interesting reading.

• Air Mobility Command passed a major milestone Nov. 19, when an AMC aircraft flew the command's one millionth sortie since September 11, 2001. The landmark flight was a C-17 mission flown to Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan. The crew was from the 62nd Airlift Wing's 10th Airlift Squadron, McChord AFB, Wash.

Other mobility facts: - About every 90 seconds a mobility aircraft lifts off somewhere in the world.- Since Sept. 11, 2001, AMC tankers have passed nearly 1.2 billion gallons of fuel to U.S. and allied aircraft.- AMC airlift is keeping about 12,000 people and almost 5,000 trucks off Iraqi roads each month, helping to defeat the enemy's IED strategy. - AMC aircraft are responsible for transporting the nation's senior leaders, including the president. - AMC is rushing about 12 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles to Iraq and Afghanistan every day. The command has delivered more than 1,000 MRAPs. - AMC aeromedical crews provide timely airlift and medical care to their fellow warriors, rapidly moving injured service members from the battlefield to the U.S.

• HRC's buying of political endorsements with the promises of money and ambassadorships.
• "The tragedy of the Commons", 1st Thanksgiving style by John Stossel.
• Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz on the Democrats and Waterboarding. Dershowitz is always interesting because he is a liberal who is a strong supporter of Israel, he wrote a book on pre-emptive warfare and is a supporter of torture in the "ticking time bomb" scenario.
• There is no way to understand the nexus of the world, globalization, and foreign policy without reading Thomas PM Barnett's blog. It's a must-read for this international affairs neophyte. There is a new video of the Pentagon's New Map brief up at TED. I am on a international affairs, strategy, and military reading kick lately. Please feel free to recommend books to me. For Christmas, I will take the C-SPAN video.