Interesting doings recently in the Middle East proving the lesson that if you wait long enough, circumstances change, often in your favor. Maybe all the US has to do to win is to do what Bush has been suggesting all along: stay the course. That is, circle the field and let the inherent tribal distrusts and hatreds of the Shia and Sunni do our work for us. Maybe, just doing nothing is what is required of us right now. You Buddhists out there will appreciate that.
According to MEMRI, the Iranians are planning to undermine the yearly Moslem pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. That ought to go over well with the Saudis, who are already threatening to kick the Iranians to kingdom come–and that’s the nicest thing they’ll do to them.
Also, the recent ‘election’ woes of Ahmadinejad, as Michael Ledeen observes (“The Iranian electoral ritual doesn’t tell us what the people want; it tells us what the tyrants have decided.”), are handing the administration a golden opportunity to join in solidarity with those Iranians–especially the brave students–who long for freedom. (Yes, they exist. And they’re prepared to risk their lives for it.) Let’s pray that Bush recognizes this opportunity to undermine the ayatollahs in time.
Then, via Captain Ed, a promising sign of agreement by the Shia to end their insurgent activities in Baghdad–the recognition of the need for another course of action. No more than a promise, but still.
This agreement will put more pressure on the Sunnis to respond in kind. The Shi’ite militias, after all, arose as a response to the original Ba’athist remnants attempting to extend their reign of terror after the fall of Saddam, and the Sunni political parties have done little since then to stop it. Perhaps the Sunnis now understand that the continuance of the insurgencies puts them at risk of annihilation by the Shi’ites if Iraq descends into civil war. If they haven’t up to now, they should, and they should take this opportunity to calm the waters.
Oh, and Iraq’s economy is booming–booming. Do you have any idea what effect that might have on those Iraqis who, perhaps for the first time in their lives, are now able to conceive of a life with prosperity for all?
Also of profound importance–to the history-challenged–is this post at Hot Air about Frank Capra’s Oscar-winning documentary, Prelude to War, which demonstrated that WWII could be anticipated by about 8 years. (Hint to dumbstruck leftists: Capra wasn’t the only one in the West who realized this. No shit. Contrary to what the voices in your heads keep telling you, it is actually possible to distinguish between Good and Evil–even a dog can do it! In fact, many Americans–some of them, relatives–can tell the difference, which is why they can predict the course events are likely to take in the future. Of course, if you’re a Liberal, this magical ability is forbidden to you. Nevertheless, it exists. At least, you’ve got Rosie.)
In short, a good two weeks for the President and a bad two weeks for the Left’s self-destructive, deeply immoral, fantasies of defeat.
Updated: To clarify the use of the word, anticipated, and punch up my last sentence. I’m feeling artistic today.
Oh, uh good post. Real good post if you like shotgun blasts of fragmented ideas and wrong headed flotsam.
“The Iranian electoral ritual doesn’t tell us what the people want; it tells us what the tyrants have decided.”)
Ledeen, no less. If he were to announce his bold shock of recognition that the sun rises in the east,
we should all do a factcheck. Holy Moly.
This dunderhead (a stature he shares with all the other Iraq-war cheerleaders and co-conspirators)
could never be right even if he were a broken watch. I don’t want to hear any more crap about my ideas, grahem cracker.
threw in a couple of hard returns for your bewildered benefit, macaroon.
Are you still here? I thought Jeff would have banned you last night.
Maybe he was just in a good mood. Don’t worry, you’ll get another chance.
The article about the Iraqi economy was very interesting. The whole thing was very ironic: “The media has been telling you it is awful here, and no reasonable company would invest in this awful; Iraqi companies are making assloads of money!” One of those things is not like the others. However, the ironic tone is dispelled (at least in its original incarnation) by the closing line, which basically says that America is producing a booming economy with its presence. The irony there shifts from being a thick-skulled inability to relate facts with one another to actually being more of an “I told you so” tone that only becomes clear at the very end.
Also, I find that the fact that you’re sitting on your fat, retired, ass quaffing appletinis before noon while some poor student in Iran is fleeing for his life right now to be rich.
Rich.
Jeff, why don’t you change this to “Protein Stupid”, much more apt, don’t you agree?
Capra’s “Prelude to War was released in 1942 and won an Oscar that year for best documentary. It didn’t anticipate ANYTHING. Idiot. It attempted to peg the beginning of WWII as Japan’s invasion of Manchuria. Please learn how to properly use the word “anticipate”. And while you’re at it, realize that as far this country was concerned, WWII didn’t begin until Dec. 7, 1941.
Speaking of idiots, raj, ahem wrote the article, not Jeff.
Reading for comprehension’s not just a good idea. It can also save one from looking like a completely arrogant ass.
I think the US Navy would disagree with you raj. They were very much in a shooting war before December 7, 1941.
USS Kearny DD-432
USS Reuben James DD-245
BTW, Jeff didn’t write the post, genius. ahem did.
TW: society. Some commenters here aren’t fit for any type.
And Additional Blonde Agent beat me to the punch. Well, I can hope that repetition will help it sink in through the rocks in raj’s brain pan.
TW: stop. “Stop and think before hitting submit” is always good advice. Don’t you agree raj?
Nice way to start out a post that says absolutely nothing in huge bold strokes, semanticleo. Irony is just so edgy!
I see Semiconscious is still living
updown to the handle she always manages to misspell.She’s sad she didn’t get that good, hard banning she so desparately wanted.
So you admit that, in your mind, anyone who wants the US to win in Iraq (“all the other Iraq-war cheerleaders”), is a dunderhead?
But, you support the troops, right?
raj:
Actually, many in the US would consider themselves at war with Nazism/fascism from long before December 7th.
Consider all those good Lefties who went and fought in the Abraham Lincoln brigade and other International Brigades. Many felt that they were fighting fascism ahead of the mainstream US opinion.
Or consider FDR. What was he doing authorizing the occupation of Iceland, when he’d been busily promising mothers that their sons would fight in no foreign wars? What was he doing engaging in joint war plans and meetings with the Brits in places like Newfoundland, long before December 7th?
And ever hear of the Flying Tigers? This group of US military officers were able to “volunteer” (as the American Volunteer Group) to go and fight the Japanese. They were recruited before December 7, 1941—again, WTF, if we weren’t at war ‘til then?
Why is sematicpussy (See, I can act like a 3rd grader too!!!) so mad? Could that be heet with a really bad period? Ledeen’s an idiot? Is this just in general or because he supported the battle in Iraq? And, other than acting like a gesticulating rhetorical asshole, semanticleo, you haven’t overwhelmed anyone with anything close to a semblance of intellectual discourse. Are you intelligent because you say so? Or are you actually intelligent?
semi-antic is quite intelligent, but she’s a fool.
The two qualities aren’t mutually exclusive.
Regards,
Ric
A massive shia-sunni cold war replete with nuclear proliferation?
All. according. to plan.
Yessir, I remember Bush’s 2002 SOTU well, and he was right: if we do things right, we can finally radicalize the middle east and create the conditions where every nation will begin their own nuclear programs.
raj, you sullen bitch: That’s what I like about smart guys like you; your idea of an argument is to retreat into legalism.
Yes, technically, dipshit, the American involvement in WWII didn’t start until after Pearl Harbor. I see you were in class that day. Good. But an observant and intelligent person could see something alarming brewing many years in advance of the date Britain and, finally, America actually got sucked in. Unlike you, some observers can understand the implications of what they see and read. You, it appears, live in a vacuum, incapable of connecting the events of history in any meaningful way.
You hopeless, stupid, shithead. I know it’s dark in there. Very, very dark. It must be hell.
jpe: You’re the kind of guy who likes to jerk off into the Ranch dressing, right?
Oh you kid.
Yessir, if Bush hadn’t singlehandedly created all the terrorists in the world, the only deaths in the non-radical middle east would be from old age.
Oh, and before the ouster of Saddam, no one would have wanted nuclear weapons *coughnorthkoreacough*. Especially Saddam.
Iranians have stirred up do-do in Mecca before.
Saudis respond with calm and careful action…Machine guns ON!
Ah. So it’s your opinion that had nothing been done noone in the middle east would be seeking nu-clear weapons?
TW yellowcake
Hey, like Rodney King: it’s all the US’ fault.
Yellowcake
Isn’t that the cake Joe Wilson baked up for ‘bush lied, people died’ public consumption? And using his wife Plame as frosting to sweeten the taste.
I read somewhere ole Joe’s moving to Land of Socialist Enchantment, Santa Fe, NM, hooking up with a couple of Truther friends to help get Richardson nominated?
I do not mean this personally, ahem, but; DUH!
The only way we can lose is to quit. There is, simply, no way that our objectives won’t be realized if we keep at it.
Everything else is simply a matter of efficiency.
There it is, Syn. Except for the 500 tons of the stuff that the IAEA couldn’t account for. OOoops!
In the case the “stuck in 2003” folks missed it, President Bush has never said “stay the course,” according to him and Tony Snow. Are you guys calling my President a liar?
By the way, RTO, I was checking your blog and I was curious what a professional thinks of “transformation.” Personally, I’m lukewarm to the idea. I base that on the “transformers” apparent disdain for armor. My study of history (including Gulf War I) shows the decisive arm of almost any successful mission is the shock and heavy guys (curse you John Keegan). The Israelis couldn’t take the plains of Canaan for a lack of chariots, outnumbered two and three to one, the heavy infantry of the Greeks beats the Persians, Alexander’s heavy cavalry (his Companions) smashes Darius’s levies, the Romans disciplined alternations of the phalanx to the legion created a world empire, on and on.
Seems to me a lot of the transforming ideas were to have light armor at most and just be extremely mobile. And, while on the face of it that sounds good and works against a third rate army like Iraq (or basically anyone right now), I don’t think it anticpates fighting an equal power someday (someone utilizing that movement doctrine themselves?) or someone trained to fight without much C and C. I can only think of three putative cxhallengers (and all in the most distant future): the Russians, Chinese, and, maybe, the European Union.
I think the most obvious criticism of my analysis is that none of those “powers” is within 15 years of challenging us militarily, but I think if you stop being the best at something, then you don’t take recognize what the other guy can do (ask the French Knights about longbow before Agincourt); whereas I think the inherent weakness of the transformative folks is they rely so much on air power. Air power never won any war (although it did put a rather abrupt end to the last World War) and is certainly a tactical necessity. Nontheless, bombing never made anyone surrender (a persuasive argument can be made that it made the Iraqis surrender in 1991, but I always though whenever you press gang people, you’re going to get a lot of surrending to news crews).
Anyway, when I saw that on your blog, I wondered what your views were.
Other posters: feel free to ignore this. Hell, RTO, feel free to ignore it.
2003 ain’t bad…hell, most democrats are stuck 30 years before that.
Do you have a link for Bush denying he ever said “stay the course”?
semi-antic is quite intelligent, but she’s a fool.
The two qualities aren’t mutually exclusive.
Ric,
You’re correct in the conclusion, but ‘cleo’s intelligence is in dispute, because it’s never on display. Unlike actus, who while being unadmirable in humanitarian and philosophical qualities, occasionally makes an actual point, ‘cleo never presents us such.
So we must wonder if banning a nonentity is a transformative action, conferring entity-hood. And whether we want to risk that. I vote yes.
Cordially…
Where were you during the elections, Lee? It was in all the papers. Here are some links.
Here’s one link http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/23/AR2006102301053.html
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/10/24/MNG0VLURES1.DTL
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/24/world/middleeast/24policy.html?ex=1319342400&en=d2474a88b94411df&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
It was a silly thing to say all along, indicative of an attempt to project resolute stubborness, rather than the tactical or strategic flexibility every commander in chief uses and exercises.
So, abandoning it private would have been better than adandoning it in public, but abandoning does reflect a statement of truth about what commanders do and moves away from reflexive silliness like “stay the course”.
Reminds me of when he told Matt Lauer in 2004 that he didn’t think it was possible to eliminate terrorism. That was a statement reflective of reality (terrorism is a tactic and you can’t beat a tactic, especially as one as old as war). You can eliminate threats and you can certainly destroy Al Queda, but declaring war on terrorism is like declaring war on massed infantry attacks. It’s not something that can be stopped.
Happy linking.
Click if you can handle THE TRUTH!
Timmys the only inlightenid one here!
Maybe also update to not use the word ‘boom’ to refer to events in Iraq?
Timmy, from the headline of the second link you provided:
This, you see, is quite different from the way you attempt to spin it:
You tried to charactorize Bush as a pretty stupid liar, when the reality is something different.
That, I’m afraid, makes you the liar.
I see your massed infantry attacks and raise you the “War on Poverty”…..
how about the “war on drugs”?
Thanks, um yeah, for once again providing an insight on why we shouldn’t let you have a hall pass.
Now get back in your rubber room or you won’t get any tapioca.
Yeah, I agree the war on poverty, like the war on drugs is bound to fail, because neither poverty nor drug use will ever be eradicated (although we have done a fantastic idea of raising living standards in our communities over the last 40 years.
Sorry, for the second link, I was in a hurry, because I didn’t know there was a politically aware person who missed that discussion. Point still remains, George said in an interview he never said “stay the course.”
Some of you are fantastic at noting the forest for the trees
On 10/23/06 the President claimed to not believe stay the couse and Tony Snow said the next day that the President did not say it. Google it yourself. And watch about calling people a liar when they are, apparently following current events more closely than you are
I say add the extra forces, use them against the areas where al Qaeda is believed to be and then pull back to the bases.
The Iraqis need to do the policing, we can help them, but our main goal should be OFFENSIVE missions and training. Not sitting targets.
timmy,
here is what you said:
Your claim is that Bush denys ever using that phrase. All three of the links you provided, including the report from 10/23, says they are no longer using that phrase.
See how you made an untrue statement?
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