Comments on: BushCo wants to work one more war in, for old times’ sake http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/01/17/6578/ Just another WordPress weblog Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:24:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.1-alpha by: Phoenician in a time of Romans http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/01/17/6578/#comment-482738 Fri, 18 Jan 2008 13:20:56 +0000 http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/01/17/6578/#comment-482738 <i>That Bush wants to have a war with Iran can only mean two things. Either he’s completely delusional and thinks we’ll win, or he knows what every other person with the talent to tie her shoes can tell you, which is that our already overstretched military can’t handle it and we’ll lose for sure. (In the former case, my guess is he’s hoping they can create the idealized Republican war, fought mainly by overpaid mercenaries. A completely privatized war! Bush finally gets the dream for the aristocrats of America—a return to medieval standards, with petty royalty having private armies paid for by taxpayer money.) In the latter case, is it possible the Bush wants to start a war he knows we’ll lose?</i> There's an old saying that winning and losing are events in the minds of the participants. Your air force is not overstretched, as far as I know. It is quite possible that the Bush Administration might consider a bombing campaign as a containable event, and pass it off as a "successful" response. That it would lead to easily foreseeable consequences could be left for someone else to clean up. Exit George, feted for having shown those ragheads a thing or two. Now reading - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fiasco-American-Military-Adventure-Iraq/dp/0143038915/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1200680404&amp;sr=8-1" rel="nofollow">Fiasco</a> by Thomas Ricks. Recommended. That Bush wants to have a war with Iran can only mean two things. Either he’s completely delusional and thinks we’ll win, or he knows what every other person with the talent to tie her shoes can tell you, which is that our already overstretched military can’t handle it and we’ll lose for sure. (In the former case, my guess is he’s hoping they can create the idealized Republican war, fought mainly by overpaid mercenaries. A completely privatized war! Bush finally gets the dream for the aristocrats of America—a return to medieval standards, with petty royalty having private armies paid for by taxpayer money.) In the latter case, is it possible the Bush wants to start a war he knows we’ll lose?

There’s an old saying that winning and losing are events in the minds of the participants.

Your air force is not overstretched, as far as I know. It is quite possible that the Bush Administration might consider a bombing campaign as a containable event, and pass it off as a “successful” response. That it would lead to easily foreseeable consequences could be left for someone else to clean up.

Exit George, feted for having shown those ragheads a thing or two.

Now reading - Fiasco by Thomas Ricks. Recommended.

]]> by: Medium Dave http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/01/17/6578/#comment-482531 Thu, 17 Jan 2008 17:05:09 +0000 http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/01/17/6578/#comment-482531 Scott, I was struck by the similarity of your scenario to the one described in the "Shallow Reasons" thread (in which we hear of a guy who's foisting responsibility on his wife for a messy household, and threatening to leave her). The micro to your macro, you might say. Scott, I was struck by the similarity of your scenario to the one described in the “Shallow Reasons” thread (in which we hear of a guy who’s foisting responsibility on his wife for a messy household, and threatening to leave her). The micro to your macro, you might say.

]]> by: louise http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/01/17/6578/#comment-482519 Thu, 17 Jan 2008 15:59:11 +0000 http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/01/17/6578/#comment-482519 Ah, there's nothing better than the "First Day of School/War"- a new Captain America backpack full of newly sharpened pencils, brand-new maps and notebooks, unopened Crayons and the smell of Laura's freshly baked cookies for everyone in the Oval Office, is there, W? Good times, good times... Ah, there’s nothing better than the “First Day of School/War”- a new Captain America backpack full of newly sharpened pencils, brand-new maps and notebooks, unopened Crayons and the smell of Laura’s freshly baked cookies for everyone in the Oval Office, is there, W?

Good times, good times…

]]> by: JohnL http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/01/17/6578/#comment-482507 Thu, 17 Jan 2008 15:21:09 +0000 http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/01/17/6578/#comment-482507 Now remember there are two sides to every story. It could be that Bush is pushing this as part of the confrontation policy with Iran, but it could also be that the Pentagon is pushing it because they want <a href="http://cernigsnewshog.blogspot.com/2008/01/more-on-hormuz-spin.html" rel="nofollow">something</a> from the White House. I don't trust Bush, but people in the Pentagon haven't covered themselves in glory either. Now remember there are two sides to every story. It could be that Bush is pushing this as part of the confrontation policy with Iran, but it could also be that the Pentagon is pushing it because they want something from the White House.
I don’t trust Bush, but people in the Pentagon haven’t covered themselves in glory either.

]]> by: jpav0923 http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/01/17/6578/#comment-482506 Thu, 17 Jan 2008 15:08:01 +0000 http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/01/17/6578/#comment-482506 Iran will eventually need to be dealt with. Hopefully the Israelis will take out their nuke facilities for us as they did in Osirik in 1981. However, if not I believe President Bush has the courage to whack them sometime after Election Day and before Inauguration Day. Remember in 2004 he waited until after the election to stage the battle of Fallujah. I suspect we will be seeing a glorious fireworks show over the skies of Tehran in December. Hopefully it will increase the profits of Haliburton. Iran will eventually need to be dealt with.

Hopefully the Israelis will take out their nuke facilities for us as they did in Osirik in 1981.

However, if not I believe President Bush has the courage to whack them sometime after Election Day and before Inauguration Day. Remember in 2004 he waited until after the election to stage the battle of Fallujah.

I suspect we will be seeing a glorious fireworks show over the skies of Tehran in December.

Hopefully it will increase the profits of Haliburton.

]]> by: jpav0923 http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/01/17/6578/#comment-482504 Thu, 17 Jan 2008 15:03:07 +0000 http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/01/17/6578/#comment-482504 Iran will eventually need to be dealt with. Hopefully the Israelis will take out their nuke facilities for us as they did in Osirik in 1981. However, if not I believe President Bush has the courage to whack them sometime after Election Day and before Inauguration Day. Remember in 2004 he waited until after the election to stage the battle of Fallujah. I suspect we will be seeing a glorious fireworks show over the skies of Tehran in December. Hopefully it will increase the profits of Haliburton. Iran will eventually need to be dealt with.

Hopefully the Israelis will take out their nuke facilities for us as they did in Osirik in 1981.

However, if not I believe President Bush has the courage to whack them sometime after Election Day and before Inauguration Day. Remember in 2004 he waited until after the election to stage the battle of Fallujah.

I suspect we will be seeing a glorious fireworks show over the skies of Tehran in December.

Hopefully it will increase the profits of Haliburton.

]]> by: jpav0923 http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/01/17/6578/#comment-482503 Thu, 17 Jan 2008 15:01:58 +0000 http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/01/17/6578/#comment-482503 Iran will eventually need to be dealt with. Hopefully the Israelis will take out their nuke facilities for us as they did in Osirik in 1981. However, if not I believe President Bush has the courage to whack them sometime after Election Day and before Inauguration Day. Remember in 2004 he waited until after the election to stage the battle of Fallujah. I suspect we will be seeing a glorious fireworks show over the skies of Tehran in December. Hopefully it will increase the profits of Haliburton. Iran will eventually need to be dealt with.

Hopefully the Israelis will take out their nuke facilities for us as they did in Osirik in 1981.

However, if not I believe President Bush has the courage to whack them sometime after Election Day and before Inauguration Day. Remember in 2004 he waited until after the election to stage the battle of Fallujah.

I suspect we will be seeing a glorious fireworks show over the skies of Tehran in December.

Hopefully it will increase the profits of Haliburton.

]]> by: Squashed http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/01/17/6578/#comment-482466 Thu, 17 Jan 2008 13:01:15 +0000 http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/01/17/6578/#comment-482466 After primary is the talk around arm force blogs. (We have new prez, so everybody can adjust their geopolitics and war strategy.) After primary is the talk around arm force blogs. (We have new prez, so everybody can adjust their geopolitics and war strategy.)

]]> by: Grammar RWA http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/01/17/6578/#comment-482457 Thu, 17 Jan 2008 12:26:12 +0000 http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/01/17/6578/#comment-482457 <a href="http://www.thepaincomics.com/weekly080116a.htm" rel="nofollow">Tim Kreider clears away your doubts:</a> <blockquote>Do not make the mistake of imagining that there are certain things George could not or would not dare to do anymore now that he’s lost all credibility and squandered his political capital. This administration has never operated according to the customary rules of governance. They’ve always behaved more like a military junta or an imperial regime than a presidential administration, doing whatever the fuck they wanted, figuring: who was going to stop them? Their political philosophy predates not only the Constitution but the Magna Carta--it’s the Divine Right of Kings. If they want to attack Iran---and they do--I assure you they will. I am aware that it would be politically suicidal, logistically impossible, and may well result in the final collapse of the United States as a world power. They will do it anyway. Just because it’s unimaginable does not mean it will not happen.</blockquote> Tim Kreider clears away your doubts:

Do not make the mistake of imagining that there are certain things George could not or would not dare to do anymore now that he’s lost all credibility and squandered his political capital. This administration has never operated according to the customary rules of governance. They’ve always behaved more like a military junta or an imperial regime than a presidential administration, doing whatever the fuck they wanted, figuring: who was going to stop them? Their political philosophy predates not only the Constitution but the Magna Carta–it’s the Divine Right of Kings. If they want to attack Iran—and they do–I assure you they will. I am aware that it would be politically suicidal, logistically impossible, and may well result in the final collapse of the United States as a world power. They will do it anyway. Just because it’s unimaginable does not mean it will not happen.

]]> by: Bitter Scribe http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/01/17/6578/#comment-482450 Thu, 17 Jan 2008 12:07:25 +0000 http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/01/17/6578/#comment-482450 Did I hear someone say "Gulf of Tonkin"? Did I hear someone say “Gulf of Tonkin”?

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