[FreeBeacon] The Obama (spit) administration has restricted the U.S. Pacific Command from sending ships and aircraft within 12 miles of disputed Chinese-built islands in the South China Sea, bolstering Beijing's illegal claims over the vital seaway, Pentagon leaders revealed to Congress on Thursday."The administration has continued to restrict our Navy ships from operating within 12 nautical miles of China's reclaimed islands," Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) said in opening remarks criticizing the failure to guarantee safe passage for international commercial ships in Asia.
"This is a dangerous mistake that grants de facto recognition of China's man-made sovereignty claims," he said.
The South China Sea is a strategic waterway used to transport $5 trillion annually in goods, including $1.2 trillion in trade to the United States.
"The Great Retreat" - kind of sucks.