(CNN) – Two American tourists have been kidnapped in the southern part of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, a security official said Friday.

Obama Announcing New Programs for Vet Hiring

President Barack Obama plans to announce a new job-hiring plan that could see thousands of post-9/11 veterans filling first responder positions across the U.S., as well as a conservation program intended to put 20,000 vets to work restoring and protecting the nation’s national parks.

In winding down war, a fundamentally different challenge in Afghanistan than in Iraq

The narrative that the Obama administration has laid out for winding down the war in Afghanistan has a familiar feel: It is intended to evoke the gradual withdrawal from Iraq.

Marine Fights Conviction for Suicide Attempt

HAGERSTOWN, Md. — A discharged Marine private who slit his wrists in a suicide attempt is fighting his military conviction for deliberately injuring himself, arguing the punishment is inconsistent with the armed forces’ efforts to battle a rise in suicides during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Combat troop ailments drive medical retirement backlog

Tens of thousands of combat troops who undergo routine health checks before returning home need treatment for ailments ranging from bad backs to mental illness, helping to drive a backlog of troops waiting for medical retirements, new Pentagon data show.

Danger Pay Now Calculated By the Day

WASHINGTON — Starting this month, the Defense Department will calculate imminent-danger pay by the day rather than the month, a cost-cutting move the department estimated last year could save $30 million annually.

U.S. government, military to get secure Android phones

(CNN) – Some U.S. officials this year are expected to get smartphones capable of handling classified government documents over cellular networks, according to people involved in the project.

Historically, in an election year, the State of the Union Address is always part campaign speech.  President Obama’s 2012 address was no different.  The President seemed to be back in campaigning-mode.  During his term, his harshest critics in his own party have chided the President for being too easy a negotiator and not utilizing the bully-pulpit more effectively.  The President made mention of the political turmoil in Washington and election-year shenanigans a number of times.  He said that Americans think that Washington is “broken,” and called on the members of Congress to send him bills on a number of initiatives for his immediate signature.  President Obama is at his best when he is in campaign-mode, because he is calculated and effective and delivers his points in such a way that his sincerity is hard to question.

The President’s urging of Congress to take action this year is actually a brilliant political move.  While the Republicans try to deny their obstructionism, it is a fact that the threat of the filibuster has been used more times in the past three years than ever before.  If this practice continues and even typically noncontroversial country business is subject to the gridlock of the past three years, President Obama will be able to effectively point his finger at the Republicans in Congress and lay blame at their feet.  If the Republicans do work with the Obama Administration and Democrats in Congress to do the country’s business, the President will be able to tout this as a victory as well.  By so blatantly working to make the President’s first-term a failure, the Republicans may have painted themselves into an electoral corner.  Their base will never vote for Obama nor will they seem to ever give him any credit.  Yet, the ever-valuable independent voter could be swayed by this tactic.  Despite being bad policy for the country, a continued gridlock in Congress could actually help the President win reelection.

This State of the Union Address addressed the veterans’ community directly a number of times.  This is something that speeches in the past have been lacking.  Again, perhaps the President has heard the appeals of veterans’ groups – like the IAVA, whose slogan “We’ve Got Your Back,” the President appropriated into the end of the speech – and realizes that one of the key constituencies for reelection and for the future of the nation is the veterans’ community.  Of course, the cynic in me also sees this as a way in which to sell the narrative that the war is almost over.  While no troops are left in Iraq, the situation in the country has deteriorated since we left.  The President and his surrogates on the news are saying that the Afghanistan war is almost won as well, despite the consensus that the situation is more accurately a stalemate.  Still, the President has been relatively successful as Commander-in-Chief and perhaps his renewed focus on veterans is recognition of that.

Here are key initiatives from President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday night:

U.S. special forces rescue Somalia aid workers

U.S. special forces swooped into Somalia in a pair of helicopters in a daring overnight raid to rescue two kidnapped aid workers — an American and a Dane — and killed several gunmen, American officials said Wednesday.

Grant money to go toward educating former service members

National Louis University recently awarded $749,599 in grant money from the Robert R. McCormick Foundation for Education to Employment Initiative, which is aimed to helping former service members and other underserved students.

Conference Previews Coming DoD Budget Scuffles

SAN DIEGO — A high-ranking Pentagon officer expressed both muted concern and upbeat resolve about the Defense Department’s budget shortfalls during remarks kicking off a major naval warfare conference here Tuesday.

House Bills Promote Religion at War Memorials

WASHINGTON — The House on Tuesday passed two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials. One writes into law the propriety of displaying religious markers at war memorials while the other orders that the Interior Department add to the World War II Memorial in Washington a plaque with Franklin Roosevelt’s prayer to the nation on D-Day.

Report: Numbers of homeless female vets doubles

NAPLES, Italy — The number of homeless female veterans has more than doubled, and their numbers are likely to increase as servicemembers return from Iraq and Afghanistan if the Deparment of Veterans Affairs does not address the specific needs of women veterans, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office.

Military mentions in Obama speech were carefully phrased

NPR’s “It’s All Politics” blog analyzed President Barack Obama’s references to U.S. military operations in Tuesday’s State of the Union address and concluded his words were carefully chosen.

Military commanders in Afghanistan have stopped making public the number of allied troops killed by Afghan soldiers and police, a measure of the trustworthiness of a force that is to take over security from U.S.-led forces.

DoD close to final tests on breast cancer drug

After more than a decade of study, U.S. military researchers are poised to enter final testing on a vaccine that greatly reduces the recurrence of breast cancer.

Iranian lawmaker: Obama proposed direct talks

TEHRAN, Iran —President Obama has called for direct talks with Iran in a secret letter to the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader that also warned Tehran against closing the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a conservative Iranian lawmaker was quoted as saying Wednesday.

Afghan air force learns to fly _ and fix aircraft

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Twenty years ago, Afghan Air Force pilot Maj. Abdul Aziz was streaking across the sky in the Soviet Union’s deadliest fighter-bomber.

DA: Homeless Killings Suspect Stalked Victims

An Iraq War veteran accused of killing four homeless men in suburban Los Angeles was described as “a monster” by prosecutors who charged him Tuesday.

Army Confirms Carson Soldier Was Stabbed

Army investigators can now confirm that a 28-year-old Soldier killed in Fort Carson barracks earlier this month had apparent stab wounds.

Investigation: Afghan gunman acted alone in killing 8 airman, contractor in April

WASHINGTON — A veteran Afghan military pilot acted alone when he killed eight U.S. airmen and a civilian contractor last year at Kabul International Airport, according to an Air Force investigation released Monday.

Analysts: U.S., Pakistan collaborating again on drone strikes

ISLAMABAD — Two apparent U.S. drone attacks last week on militant targets in Pakistani tribal areas bordering Afghanistan very likely signal the resumption of joint counterintelligence operations by the CIA and Pakistan’s military spy agency, security analysts here said Monday.

MLK Day produces help for veterans

Martin Luther King Jr. Day generally brings out the humanitarian side of people as the doctor himself called on others to help those in need, and this year is no exception.

Early Retirement Could Be Bad Deal for Troops

Servicemembers who accept a 15-year retirement incentive approved by Congress this month stand to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars over the lifetime of their retirement payments, according to early estimates.

In any primary presidential horse-race, the media likes to follow the front-runner for whichever nomination is sought.  In 1972, the mainstream media had written off candidate George McGovern, who became the eventual nominee.  Part of his base was mobilized by the coverage of Hunter S. Thompson of Rolling Stone at the height of his Gonzo mastery.  In 2008, former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney was considered the front-runner for much of the lead up to the Republican primary elections.  Arizona Senator John McCain was written off as finished, his staff had quit and he’d had trouble raising money.  Yet, even before Super Tuesday, Senator McCain had secured the nomination and Romney was sent packing for four more years.

I think it is safe to say that Romney was elated when Obama won the election, I even think he might have voted for him.  While Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, and other potential 2012 candidates flocked to jobs at Fox News, Romney stayed away from that.  He wrote a book and donated the proceeds to charity.  That he was running again in 2012 seemed inevitable.

The problem Romney faces is that he just isn’t very likable.  He is tall, square-jawed, and a full head of hair – he looks like someone who would play the President in a movie.  Still, there is something about Candidate Romney that turns off voters in a big way.  As the field of candidates widened, Romney never panicked.  Despite the upheaval and intensity of the Republican base, Romney realized that he was one of the best candidates to draw in those independent voters that make all the difference.  Candidates like Herman Cain, Rick Santorum, and Michele Bachmann were attractive to the far-right, but seemed far too conservative to last against general-election-level scrutiny.  Texas Congressman Ron Paul, former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich are attempting to be serious candidates, but were all deemed unelectable by the media.  Texas Governor Rick Perry was brought in like a mid-season trade with high promise, but has underperformed and embarrassed himself over and over again.  That Romney should win the nomination seems inevitable to Romney.

Currently Gingrich holds the top spot in the polls.  At the last Republican debate in Iowa, Romney tried to squash an accusation from Perry by betting him $10,000.  Perry, a consummate Christian, said he’s not “in the bettin’ business.”  And Romney only convinced voters that he was more of an out-of-touch rich guy than they had previously though.  In an interview posted on the Politico website, Romney says that even if he loses he wins, because he has a good life to go back to.  Is he conceding defeat or merely trying to appear reasonable.  In the coming weeks before the first caucuses and primaries, Romney has to invigorate the base with an excitement that he has currently been unable to tap into.  He may be the logical choice, but voters in an election year with economic troubles and in the midst of war are rarely, if ever, logical.