Ben Carson is an amazing physician — but can he fix what’s ailing America? Conservatives will be the judge, now that the famed doctor is throwing his surgical cap into the 2016 ring. Joining a crowded field that already includes Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Carly Fiorina, Dr. Carson isn’t your run-of-the-mill presidential candidate — and that may be the best thing the neurosurgeon has going for him! A lifetime in medicine, not politics, has given the popular speaker a different perspective on the country’s woes — one that many believe is desperately needed.

“I’m probably never going to be politically correct because I’m not a politician,” he said. “I don’t want to be a politician. Because politicians do what is politically expedient — I want to do what’s right.” Most famous for his 2013 National Prayer Breakfast speech, in which he criticized the administration’s failed policies in front of the President, Dr. Carson has rocketed up the conservative charts. Since then, the African-American doctor has never shied away from criticizing the far-Left agenda, earning him plenty of fans in a country fed up with the mushy middle.

[Monday] morning, in the doctor’s hometown of Detroit, Carson gave those fans something else to cheer about: an official White House run. The Democrat-turned-Republican spoke candidly about the need for a new direction in America — and how change will only be possible if conservatives shrug off the Left’s intimidation campaign and speak out. “We think about all of those brave men and women who sacrificed life and limb over the years so that we could be free. We dare not soil their efforts by being timid now and not standing up for what we believe. To recognize that one of the rules for radicals is that you make the majority believe that what they believe is no longer relevant and no intelligent person thinks that way,” he said during his official announcement . “And that way they will keep you silent. I will tell you something. They don’t care what you believe as long as you keep your mouth shut… We have to start opening our mouths for the values and principles of America.”

As far as Dr. Carson is concerned, that’s the prescription for a healthier, more successful nation: “not allowing ourselves to be manipulated by people who think that they are the kingmakers — who think that they are the rulers of thought. They are not the rulers of thought. We, the people, are the rulers of thought in this nation… Other people cannot dictate it for us. We never allow anybody to take the right away from us. We do that when we submit to silliness.” Although Dr. Carson doesn’t have military experience, he says he was drafted into the campaign — both by supporters and a “nudge” from God. Never one to put faith on the backburner, Carson talked openly about how religion has shaped his life. “I was a terrible student. My brother was a terrible student. [My mom] did not know what to do. So she prayed. She asked God for wisdom. You know what? You don’t have to have a Ph.D. to talk to God. You just have to have faith.”

From his rise out of poverty to his stellar career, Dr. Carson’s path to the presidential campaign has taken plenty of twists. As he has his whole life, this doctor is determined to beat the odds. Ben often says that liberals “don’t know what to call” black conservatives — but in this case, “worthy adversary” certainly applies!

Women Get Military’s SEAL of Approval

If you’re looking for the real war on women, check out the U.S. military! There, the commander-in-chief is determined to let moms, daughters, and wives do what he never did: serve on the front lines. According to the U.S. Naval Special Warfare Command, officials in some of the most elite fighting forces in the world say they’ve found “no barriers” to integrating women into Navy SEAL teams. As one of his final acts as Defense Secretary in 2013, Leon Panetta lifted the Combat Exclusion Rule that exempts women from the front lines — with assurances that several high-risk jobs, including the SEALs and the Army’s Rangers, would remain closed to female service members.

Today, the headlines tell a different story. Under new Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, the final approval process is already underway for mixed-gender teams, creating serious upheaval in America’s top warrior units. Contrary to popular opinion, this isn’t a matter of throwing open tent flaps and inviting women in. Almost none of these combat units are equipped with facilities for women, which means that the military (which is already operating on a shoestring budget) would have to allocate significant resources to reconfigure.

If that’s the case, they’d better get started. Based on the Pentagon’s estimates, women could enter SEAL training as early as 2015. “We don’t see anything that will prevent us from moving forward with our integration,” a source told the Washington Times. Including, it seems, common sense.

No one is suggesting that women aren’t capable or haven’t served their country with distinction. They are and have. But much like the plan to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the risks of this experimentation (physical stamina, emotional stress, sexual assault, pregnancy, adultery, unit readiness and cohesion, family breakdown) seem secondary to the administration’s liberal agenda. The military isn’t — and never should be — the great societal equalizer. Its mission is to produce the most lethal fighting force in the world — a goal clearly jeopardized by this President’s radical priorities.

Believe it or not, this announcement comes on the heels of a failed trial of this same sort in the Marine Corps Infantry Officer Course. After intense pressure to integrate women into the testing phase, not one passed. The Army is taking a similar tact, testing women in Ranger School at Fort Benning. After the first week, fewer than half remain. And while officers insist that “standards will not be lowered,” no one is holding their breath. Given the given the choice of improving national defense or being politically correct, we know where this administration stands. Under this President, even the military surrenders to radical feminism.

This is a publication of the Family Research Council. Mr. Perkins is president of FRC.