First, there is not much hope of the American people wishing for another Republican president. That can be open for argument, but I cannot think that any Republican will have an advantage by being a Republican. GWB has tarnished that coin.
People are open for a change. The Democrats are capable of doing something ridiculous, but assume that will not happen. We can also assume that Bush will do something spectacular that will change everything. Not a money bet.
Barack Obama is unlikely to win if he gets the nomination. That will be obvious by polling. His chances are not realistic.
Hillary Clinton has peaked in popularity. She is not going to win any converts and has problems with her Iraq vote over on the very significant left side of the party
Yet the Democrats are very determined to win. It will become obvious that the Democrats have one candidate that can hold onto existing Democratic states and add the red states, of Virginia, Ohio and Florida. That is Jim Webb.
Who do the Republicans have that can keep those three states , win Pennsylvania and possibly New York?
Do the math.
Maine-4
Vermont-3
New Hampshire-4
Massachusetts -12
Rhode Island -4
Connecticut-7
Pennsylvania -21
New Jersey- 15
New York - 31
Delaware-3
Virginia- 13
Ohio- 20
Michigan-17
Wisconsin-10
Illinois-21
Iowa- 7
Minnesota-10
Florida- 27
Washington- 11
Oregon- 7
California- 55
Hawaii- 4
306,and it is President Webb.
Jim Webb is on his third wife (Hong Le Webb), so he can go up against Giuliani and their serial polygamy issue cancels out. He won the Navy Cross in Vietnam so if he goes head-to-head against John McCain the war hero issue cancels out.
ReplyDeletewiki says:
ReplyDeleteReagan Democrat is an American political term used by political analysts to denote traditionally Democratic voters, especially white working-class Northerners, who defected from their party to support Republican President Ronald Reagan in both the 1980 and 1984 elections
James Webb was once a Reagan Republican.
A future wiki entry?
Webb Republicans, a term used by political analysts to denote traditionally Republican voters, especially white working-class Red Staters, who defected from their party to support Democratic President James Webb in both the 2008 and 2012 elections.
Mr "Macaca" Allen was touted as possible GOP President timber, why not the fellow who took his head?
Meanwhile, back at the Ranch
ReplyDeleteBAGHDAD (Associated Press) -- Iraq's deputy prime minister, a Sunni who crossed the country's sectarian divide to join the Shiite-led government, was gravely injured Friday in a suicide bombing at a mosque in the courtyard of his home, his chest pierced with shrapnel, authorities said. Nine people were reported killed in the attack.
A man wearing an explosives vest blew himself up as Salam al-Zubaie, one of two deputies to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, and other worshippers were leaving the mosque near the heavily fortified Green Zone, according to police and a Sunni politician.
Nine people were killed in the attack, including an adviser to the deputy prime minister, and 14 were wounded, including five of al-Zubaie's bodyguards. The adviser, Mufeed Abdul-Zahra, was wounded and died later at the hospital.
Harith al-Obeidi, a lawmaker with the Sunni Accordance Front, the largest parliamentary bloc to which al-Zubaie also belongs, said the deputy prime minister's brother, cousin and the imam of the mosque also were among those killed. He said the prayer room was in a tightly secured area and cars would be searched but not people.
State-run Iraqiya television, citing a "special source," reported that the attacker was one of al-Zubaie's bodyguards but that could not be confirmed.
WASHINGTON (Associated Press) -- Marines accused of shooting and killing civilians after a suicide bombing in Afghanistan are under U.S. investigation, and their entire unit has been ordered to leave the country, officials said Friday.
ReplyDeleteArmy Maj. Gen. Francis H. Kearney III, head of Special Operations Command Central, ordered the unit of about 120 Marines out of Afghanistan and initiated an investigation into the March 4 incident, said Lt. Col. Lou Leto, spokesman at Kearney's command headquarters in Tampa, Fla.
It is highly unusual for any combat unit, either special operations or conventional, to have its mission cut short.
A spokesman for the Marine unit, Maj. Cliff Gilmore, said it is in the process of leaving Afghanistan, but he declined to provide details on the timing and new location, citing a need for security.
I am not endorsing him.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it’s been a tough day for the US and UK. But the troops are professional and there is always tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteAlso compliments Al-Jazeerah:
“US-UK News corporate media do not publish photos of the daily massacres in Afghanistan. Readers are urged to send photos of Afghanis killed by NATO occupation forces or links of websites which publish such photos.”
America Is Evil
***
"He's a piece of shit."
ReplyDelete---
Agreed,
But he is far too honorable for the Democrat Nutroots.
Also does not have Hillary's Millions and Mafia Level Backup Depth.
ReplyDeleteBasra as the model...for chaos and the enemy killing each other
ReplyDeleteFri March 23
British leave, battle erupts over Basra
Just two days after British troops pulled out of downtown Basra, Iraq's second-largest city and center of the country's oil-rich south, fighting erupted between ...rival Shiite groups in street battles Thursday.
An eyewitness reported that masked gunmen swept through the center of the city carrying AK-47s and rocket launchers as members of Moqtada al Sadr's Mahdi Army and the Fadhila Party, which controls the province, apparently fought over a government building just vacated by British troops.
The turmoil in the capital of the southern province, home to a key port and most of the country's oil wealth, signals the beginning of the kind of battles that could erupt in Iraq as outside forces depart, say analysts. "There will be a power vacuum in Basra," says Martin Navias, an analyst at the Centre for Defence Studies at King's College in London. "As the British begin to extricate themselves from Basra there will be...fighting among these groups."
Fadhila officials said that "neighboring" countries, in a veiled reference to Iran, were backing certain factions in Basra including an individual they named who has known links to Mr. Sadr. "Iranian influence in southern Iraq is very strong and there are loads of Iranian personnel running around Basra, but which faction they are coming down for is unclear," says Mr. Navias.
I put a YouTube Video on James Webb over at Observanda.
ReplyDeleteLord Acton: The second President to use nuclear weapons, like Truman, will be a democrat...
ReplyDeleteSo kiss the red states goodbye.
allen,
ReplyDeleteThat link you posted isn't the Aljazeera that is based in Qatar (the one most think of as reflecting Arab opinion) it is a US based organization.
Elijah,
ReplyDeleteHaven't been keeping track, but hear we had multiple chances to take out Sadr years ago, so he must be dead, right?
"Reaction to the decision has been almost as sulfurous as it was to the cancellation of the opera.
ReplyDelete“When the Koran is put above the German constitution, I can only say, ‘Good night, Germany,’ ” Ronald Pofalla, general secretary of the main conservative party in the country, the Christian Democratic Union, said to the mass-market paper Bild.
Dieter Wiefelspütz, a member of Parliament from the more liberal Social Democratic Party, said in an interview that he could not recall any court ruling in years that had aroused so much indignation."
---
Yet "Justice" whoever gets on US TV and is treated with respect as he spouts on about the propriety of citing sources other than the US Constitution.
Still think it'll come down to Rudy and Gore.
ReplyDeleteCompetency to lead will be the primary issue.
Yeah, doug, that Dr Khan, what did he know. General Gul, an incompetent Spy Master that spent US funds to empower the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Don't worry, be happy.
ash,
ReplyDeleteAnd?
You have photos to contribute?
You left out New Mexico, AZ, Montana and Nevada, from the Dem column. That could be another 20.
ReplyDeleteEach are States that would have gone Dem, if '06 had been a Presidental year.
Florida and Ohio, Ohio still looking bad for the GOP. Florida, without Jeb, real fragile for the boys.
"Haven't been keeping track, but hear we had multiple chances to take out Sadr years ago, so he must be dead, right?"
ReplyDeleteWhat's your point?
With your rationale, if we kill
Ahmadinejad during his transit to the UN is the Iran nuclear issue solved?
Seems to me whether he is dead or alive, Shiites are currently killing one another.
Does that mean if we kill (if he isn't alrady dead) Bin Laden the Wahhabi threat is solved?
Abracadbra must have caught that bad vibe, elijah
ReplyDeleteIranian President President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called off his trip to New York to attend a critical United Nations Security Council meeting.
Iranian officials say the trip was canceled because the United States issued visas too late.
But State Department officials say all 75 visas for Mr. Ahmadinejad, his security detail, flight crew, and other officials were approved and handed over to Iranian representatives in Switzerland Friday. They say the visas were approved even though some of the applications were incomplete.
The State Department says the United States fulfilled its host country obligations in time for Mr. Ahmadinejad to travel to New York.
Could the change of itinerary have something to do with Iran's having seized 15 British sailors this morning?
ReplyDelete(How to spin that against Bush and/or the Jews?)
Don't get me wrong, i'd like to see fat boy bleed, but the death of a single individual will not win the struggle.
ReplyDeleteDR, your past posts this week about Musharraf falling and the jihadist ISI taking over were interesting.
No one addressed the Hindu response?
Interesting that there is now speculation of the Russian
"sizzler" as a destroyer of aircraft carriers.
The French carrier joining the naval assets...interesting.
Elijah,
ReplyDeleteWretchard has a thread on the expected demise of Musshie at Belmont.
By Hindus I assume you mean India ...
ReplyDeleteMy bet is they stand pat unless attacked. The recent bombings in India suggest just how fragmented Indian society is.
With their large minority Muslim population would they take the internal risks that acting preemptivly against Pakistan would entail?
I'd bet not, but not with much money.
ash wrote:
ReplyDeleteallen,
That link you posted isn't the Aljazeera that is based in Qatar (the one most think of as reflecting Arab opinion) it is a US based organization.
Good one ash ,really. I also assumed it was the Qatar bunch or wherever they are in the middle east.
Domain Name:ALJAZEERAH.INFO
Created On:24-Jan-2002 19:57:31 UTC
Last Updated On:02-Sep-2003 02:52:25 UTC
Expiration Date:24-Jan-2013 19:57:31 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:MIT (R141-LRMS)
Status:OK
Registrant ID:C1695329-LRMS
Registrant Name:Hassan A. Elnajjar
Registrant Organization:Hassan A. Elnajjar
Registrant Street1:PO Box 724
Registrant Street2:
Registrant Street3:
Registrant City:Dalton
Registrant State/Province:GA
Registrant Postal Code:30720
Registrant Country:US
Registrant Phone:+1.7062780955
Registrant Phone Ext.:
Registrant FAX:
Registrant FAX Ext.:
Registrant Email:editor@aljazeerah.info
Admin ID:C1695326-LRMS
allen replied: And?
Well allen it appears that some Mohammedan is spewing his progaganda from within US borders (Dalton GA). Kind of likeTokyo Rose operating out of New York City, dontcha think? Perhaps not surprising, but somewhat galling to me that they're operating on our home turf.
“Mohammad Mir Ali Mohammadi, press secretary of Iran’s mission at the U.N., told The Associated Press that the U.S. did not deliver a visa to the U.S. Embassy in Bern, Switzerland, in time for Ahmadinejad to pick it up before flying to New York for the Saturday session.”
ReplyDeleteOK. That covers the US pigs and monkeys.
Now, how to work in the Zionist entity and the Palestinian people?
Look Who’s Not Coming to Turtle Bat
stoutfellow,
ReplyDeleteGateway, I think, had up a thread about the guy this morning. He is a tenured professor within the University of Georgia system.
Chicago policeman beats the poop out of a female bartender.
ReplyDeleteHe was out of "uniform" so it's okay. Then other Chicago policemen attempt, supposedly, to intimidate both the bartender and bar owner into not testifying.
Anthony Abate is the officers name, he's off to rehab.
Yep, the uniform makes the man.
Thanks Doug, that was a good thread.
ReplyDeleteFrom the thread DR concerning India; Abu Yussif said...
you have to know that since the war in afghanistan began america has had a contigency plan if/when pakistan becomes ruled by someone who actually reflects the will of the people there. in some ways, the war on terror might become a little less complicated if pakistan turns openly and aggressively hostile to america. it's not a pretty thought, though.
Seems there have been joint U.S-Indian exercises concerning such a scenario.
Also, the Chinese may wish to take advantage of such a situation with regards to Taiwan.
The question is...are the Taiwanese currently nuclear capable?
Also, the Iranians sinking an aircraft carrier would be a short lived victory.
Allen: Could the change of itinerary have something to do with Iran's having seized 15 British sailors this morning?
ReplyDeleteBack in the days when Great Britain actually had a navy, that was an act of war.
stoutfellow,
ReplyDeleteNo rudeness to you was intended.
Why would I spend valuable time with Ash, whose defensive comment went to ownership rather than the content?
My curtness was probably the result of fatique. Most of the day has been spent STRUGGLING to get an answer to a simple question; to wit:
“Has the Untied States suffered another attack comparable to 9/11?”
For those compelled to relate to me, in response, the tragedy of dolphins illegally trapped in tuna nets, well, why not?
"Back in the days when Great Britain actually had a navy, that was an act of war."
ReplyDeleteteresita, I was thinking the exact same thing concerning the part...
that was an act of war
DR,
ReplyDeleteHe WASN'T wearing a uniform.
The Arizona State Veteran Home, which cares for the state's oldest veterans, has been fined $10,000 and five staffers have been fired after state investigators found cases of "substantial" patient neglect, according to documents obtained today by The Arizona Republic.
ReplyDeleteDuring a routine inspection of the home at Third Street and Indian School Road, investigators documented several instances of patients being neglected.
Those cases, which involved veterans ranging from 70 to 94 -years old, include:
• A patient's colostomy bag not being emptied and the patient left in soiled bedclothes for 50 minutes after activating a call button.
• A patient dragging herself down the hallway in a urine-soaked nightgown because no one would answer her call button.
• Patients were left unsupervised while smoking and were observed burning their clothes.
• One patient's penis was damaged so severely by a catheter that it faced what inspectors called "erosion," according to the report.
The facility provides long-term care to as many as 200 veterans of World War II and the Korean War.
It is run by the state of Arizona Department of Veterans' Services and is one of the few places in the state for veterans to receive skilled nursing and long-term care.
Some patients are eligible for similar care from the Veterans Administration facilities, but VA patients usually have more serious disabilities than those at the state home.
As a result of the investigation the Arizona Department of Health Services, the Arizona Department of Veterans' Services fired five staff people "This is probably the worst survey that we have had as far as the veterans home is concerned," said Pat Chorpenning, director of the Arizona Department of Veterans' Services
"I think to a large degree there was a lot of complacency on the part of leadership and I think there's been some complacency on the part of individuals within specific areas of the home," he said.
"I think above everything else I haven't stayed on top of it as much as I should have."
The problems were found after a routine inspection of the facility. Inspectors found patients were in "immediate jeopardy" because patients were being left unattended while smoking. Inspectors would not leave the facility until employees came up with a plan to address for smoking patients, some of whom were wondering the hallways and had their clothes burned by cigarettes.
"This is serious; this is very serious," said Mary Wiley, director of licensing services for the state health department.
In addition to the federal fine, the facility could face fines from the state as well.
elijah,
ReplyDeleteNot a shot was fired in defense of the British craft by the naval forces of the MNF.
Yeah, exactly.
ReplyDeleteI said he was out of uniform
If he had been, he may not have done it.
The uniform makes the man, I said.
Not the job, or the employeer, it's the uniform that changes peoples behaviour, no?
allen,
ReplyDeleteNo rudeness to you was intended.
None was perceived.
What makes you suspect that another 9/11 magnitude attack has occurred?
Right again, allen, the Iranians did not fire their weapons, so the MNF could not, either.
ReplyDeleteRules of Engagement.
Do not fire unless fired upon, and not always then.
The Brits gave up without a fight.
Viva Basra!
allen -
ReplyDeleteseems others are sharing your view
This was a view expressed at TimesOnline...
Maybe I'm just another bloodthirsty warmongering Yank, but could some Brit out there PLEASE explain to me how fifteen British sailors and Marines were taken captive by Iranians with FRIGATE HMS CORNWALL just looking on, and not stopping and boarding the Iranian ship to get their men back! Ox, where is thy yoke?
- TheMadKing, Nashua, NH USA
stoutfellow,
ReplyDeleteNo such attack has occurred, precisely the point of the exercise.
Getting others to admit that no such attack has occurred is the chore - you know, some churlish nod to Bush might be necessary - couldn't have that - wouldn't fit the meme.
What?
ReplyDeleteThe Charles de Gaulle is accompanied by French Task Force 473, which consists of five warships: the FNS Cassard guided missile destroyer, the FNS Tourville anti-submarine frigate, the FNS Dupleix destroyer adapted for escorting oil tankers and the FNS Marne, a command and supply vessel. Captain of the French task force is Rear Adm. Xavier Magne. Commander of the American flotilla is Rear Adm. Kevin Quinn.
Its arrival raises to four the number of Western aircraft carriers cruising within striking distance of Iran, including the USS Eisenhower and USS Boxer.
DR,
ReplyDeletePeople who wear the uniforms of police officers, firemen, and American military members are PRESUMED worthy. Those violating governing codes of conduct are stripped of such presumptive authority and generally severely punished. Without such presumption, I doubt civilized society would be possible. With rare exception, courts throughout the civilized world have ruled in favor of the authority of the uniform; thus, investing the wearer of the uniform with the power of the state. Hence, in a very real manner, the uniform makes the man. If you doubt, refuse to pull over when next ordered by a uniformed police officer. Better yet, try running a checkpoint manned by the uniformed military. Do report back.
It is the uniform that gets saluted, not the man, allen.
ReplyDeleteAt least back when men were in uniform.
You are right, about the uniform representing the State. With that uniform comes added responsibility.
But wjen that State power is abused, as it often is, wearing the uniform is no defense.
Nor is there a presumption that the uniformed are correct, especially with Police.
There is always a presumption of innocence, in the US. Those in uniform must prove they are correct, unlike in France where those in uniform ARE assumed correct. But not in the US.
You could always move on, to where the Socialists rule the culture and society, you think like one.
Like crediting the Government for what does not happen, but avoiding responsibility for what did.
ReplyDeleteBack to 9-11, where NO ONE in Government was responsible for the breakdown in Immigration contols or the lack of follow up on FBI agent reports of suspect Mohammedans at flight schools.
But stand ready to take full credit for what Osama and the boys have not done.
DR,
ReplyDeletere: Like crediting the Government for what does not happen, but avoiding responsibility for what did.
Who did this?
"What makes you suspect that another 9/11 magnitude attack has occurred? "
ReplyDelete---
:-)
Stoutfellow wins a keg of Sierra Nevada for the funniest post of the week!
Rat,
ReplyDeleteI still say there is an equivalence between the now ever-growing Talibanistan and the NEGLECT Prior to 9-11.
AND,
It is no longer BEFORE 9-11!
Seems a simple point, does it not?
“Maj. Cliff Gilmore, a spokesman for Marine Special Operations Command, confirmed to The Examiner that the company of 120 Marines is redeploying.”
ReplyDelete“The company is now redeploying to Kuwait after just a few weeks in Afghanistan in what was supposed to be a six-month tour.”
“A Marine officer assigned to special operations said Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry, the top U.S. commander, took the extraordinary step of expelling the unit after he consulted with Afghan Prime Minister Hamid Karzai.
A spokesman for Eikenberry could not be reached today.
Gilmore said, ‘The unit responded to the ambush and the local population perceptions of that response have damaged the relationship between the local population and the Marine special operations company.’"
NO word of any impending charges against the United States Marines for playing hardball. This is a shame, really. Some USMC tough love might straighten things out in short order.
Top general in Afghanistan expels Marines
Maybe.
Allen: Who did this?
ReplyDeleteThere is no god but Misfortune, and Murphy is his prophet.
doug,
ReplyDeleteA keg for no other cause than the exhaustive research done, leading to the formulation of the informed question. I will never forget the courtesy.
Allen,
ReplyDeleteWretch has a thread up on the Marines.
This Will Make You Proud
ReplyDelete"By his outstanding display of decisive leadership, unlimited courage in the face of heavy enemy fire, and utmost devotion to duty, 1st Lt. Chontosh reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service."
___ Citation (in part) The Navy Cross
At least they are not in leg irons, like the Hamdania 8 Marines being held at Camp Pendelton were.
ReplyDeleteAfter holding seven Marines and one sailor in maximum pretrial confinement for three weeks, Camp Pendleton officials have decided to ease up on them.
The eight men are from the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. They're being jailed at the Camp Pendleton brig on suspicion of killing an unarmed Iraqi man in Hamdania, Iraq, on April 26. Their attorneys and military officials have predicted that charges of murder, assault, kidnapping and conspiracy are in the offing.
Yesterday, base officials said they were switching the security level for the suspects from “maximum custody” to “medium-in” custody.
The change, they said, followed a review by a brig classification and assignment board. The panel determined that the suspects merited the less stringent “medium-in” confinement.
Under maximum custody, the suspects were forced to wear handcuffs and leg-irons whenever they left their cells – both in and outside the brig.
With medium-in custody, no constraints are used while the suspects remain inside the brig. When outside the facility, the prisoners are handcuffed, and guards carry leg cuffs to use if needed.
The suspects are now allowed to have physical contact with visitors on weekends and holidays. They also get an hour of recreation daily in the brig's yard without having to wear cuffs.
“I am excited that (base officials) have decided to decrease the level of confinement. I think they rushed to judgment in putting them in maximum confinement,” said attorney Joseph N. Casas, who, along with attorney Jane L. Siegel, represents Pfc. John J. Jodka from Encinitas.
On Thursday, Casas and Siegel appeared on national television to argue that the Hamdania eight were being treated as convicts instead of men who haven't been charged with a crime.
Jeremiah Sullivan III, who represents the lone sailor, has on two occasions compared the imprisonment of his client with that of the notorious fictional cannibal Hannibal Lecter made famous in the movie “The Silence of the Lambs.”
The Haditha Marines were treated a bit better:
Mattis allowed the eight defendants to remain unconfined pending a preliminary hearing, at which a presiding officer will recommend to him whether to order courts-martial or dismiss the charges. Timing of the charges during the holidays was "coincidental," Navarre said.
Only 20 of the 24 civilians who died at Haditha were named as homicide victims. Navarre said it was "privileged information" why four of the deaths were not considered to warrant criminal charges.
Puckett, the lawyer for Wuterich, said his client denies "killing anyone unlawfully" and denies the charge that he made a false official statement.
"They did everything they were supposed to do that day in protecting themselves," Puckett said. The squad "engaged hostile forces" in places that "contained innocent civilians," an unfortunate but common occurrence in war, Puckett said.
The parents and sister of Sharratt, a rifleman from Carbondale, Pa., defended his actions.
"Justin has given everything to his country and has done nothing to disgrace it," said Sharratt's mother, Theresa Sharratt. "To the Marine Corps I simply say: Shame on you - for abandoning my son."
Music to the ears of the DU among us, 'Rat:
ReplyDelete---
DU: Die, Rush Limbaugh and Tony Snow
What better way to wrap up a Friday than a dip into the slime pit that is Democratic Underground?
In a thread titled, Die, Rush Limbaugh, Die, here's the DU post of the day:
YellowRubberDuckie Donating Member (1000+ posts) Fri Mar-23-07 05:28 PM
30. My hatred for Tony Snow goes deep...
My love for the Edwards Family goes even deeper. I hope they slip and Tony bites it. I'm sorry, he's dumb, he's hateful, and some people just don't deserve to live while good people die.
Duckie
The thread may be killed, so here you go: A nice big screenshot.
http://www.cadillactight.com/
Yep, pays to be a Marine officer, 'cause they sure don't treat Staff Sergents and enlistmen the same way.
ReplyDeleteAt least not according to Theresa Sharratt
doug,
ReplyDeleteRead the BC and followed the links. Mush ambiguity about the circumstances surrounding the event, other than, when fired upon, the Marines returned fire in spades. Some innocents may or may not have been killed.
The sort of tough love administired by these Marines may have been a bit stronger than the usual shot and scoot locals have gotten used to. Those Marines can leave some marks of chastisement, upon the unrepentent or reprobate.
Will any arrests and/or successful prosecutions come from the shootout? Taking them out en masse makes that unlikely.
Ever more civility and politeness in the political debates.
ReplyDeleteWe have habu, they have Yellowduckie, gotta love it.
One of those decisions, which Wuterich admits to in the interview, was shooting five unarmed Iraqi men in their backs. Wuterich says the men were running from a car that had appeared on the scene at about the same time their comrade was killed by a roadside bomb. Wuterich says their killing was justified; he says he identified them as having hostile intent toward the Marines. Wuterich also maintains that the Iraqi men disobeyed the orders of one of his squad members and that the Iraqis should have known what to do.
ReplyDelete"Normally the Iraqis know the drill...if something happens...get down, hands up...They started to take off, so I shot at them," Wuterich says......"
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNot the same Rules of Engagement LTC Kurilla operated with, while Mr Yon was with him, in Mosul.
ReplyDeleteA single, old Iraq man was shot to death by a group of seven troops and a medic. No prior fire had been taken from the compound holding the old Iraq victim. He was taken outside, made to knell over an improvised IED hole and killed. So were the charges.
ReplyDeleteSince returning to Penedelton, four of the gentlemen have pled to lesser charges committed in the course of the murder. One is already serving prison time.
So, how have these men been ill treated?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteElijah: PLEASE explain to me how fifteen British sailors and Marines were taken captive by Iranians with FRIGATE HMS CORNWALL just looking on, and not stopping and boarding the Iranian ship to get their men back!
ReplyDeleteObviously, there was nothing the frigate could do, because by the time they got permission from Blair to move, the Iranians had already crossed back over the line into their own waters, where the following exchange occured:
ENGLISH CAPTAIN: Well, u-- um, can we come over and have a look?
IRANIAN CAPTAIN: Of course not! You are English types-a!
ENGLISH CAPTAIN: Well, what are you, then?
IRANIAN CAPTAIN: I'm Iranian! Why do think I have this outrageous accent, you silly captain?!
ENGLISH CAPTAIN: What were you doing in Iraqi waters?
IRANIAN CAPTAIN: Mind your own business!
ENGLISH CAPTAIN: If you will not show us the Royal Marines, we shall take your ship by force!
IRANIAN CAPTAIN: You don't frighten us, English pig-dogs! Go and boil your bottom, sons of a silly person. I blow my nose at you, so-called English Captain, you and all your silly English k-nnnnniggets. Thpppppt! Thppt! Thppt!
ENGLISH CAPTAIN: Now look here, my good man--
IRANIAN CAPTAIN: I don't wanna talk to you no more, you empty headed animal food trough wiper! I fart in your general direction! Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!
ENGLISH CAPTAIN: Is there someone else over there we could talk to?
IRANIAN CAPTAIN: No. Now, go away, or I shall taunt you a second time-a!
Wuterich and Allen's guys are two separate incidents, right Allen and Rat?
ReplyDeleteLatino Leaders' Silence Is Killing Blacks
ReplyDeleteLos Angeles Times
Disgusting stuff, Charles:
ReplyDeleteAnd the notion that Latinos are killing blacks in an effort to "ethnically cleanse" their neighborhoods is extremely troubling. Many African Americans are especially perplexed because they remember that when we had the numerical advantage, African Americans did not target Latinos for murder to rid them from our neighborhoods. It would have been unthinkable.
---
Many years ago, Black Americans lost their jobs in So Central to Illegals, speeding it's decline to today's degraded state:
A Sad Harbinger of the future for the country.
Airman competes for Miss USA crown
ReplyDeleteIGNORE The Risks
ReplyDelete---
My point re:
the 9-11 question, Allen, and Rufus, is that it can be easily argued that leaving Al Queda untouched in Pakistan may well have left us in greater risk now than we were prior to 9-11, especially given the much closer access to Nukes.
Make Sense?
In June 2004 a similar incident occurred; the Iranians held eight British servicemen for three days before releasing them. Now, the Iraqis, Iranians, and Coalition naval forces have had four years to work together and observe each others actions. With that much experience, and with the previous incident in mind, a “simple mistake” remains possible but also is an unlikely explanation for this latest Iranian capture. A much more plausible explanation would be Tehran ordering the creation of a news event to distract the Iranian domestic audience from Mr. Ahmadinejad’s fumbling with the United Nations, and the imminent vote of the Security Council to increase its punishment of Iran.
ReplyDeleteNaturally, it is a risky business to manufacture international incidents to cover up bad news elsewhere. Perhaps a different junior officer with the British boarding party, under slightly different circumstances, might have chosen to resist capture. In that scenario, the day could have ended with a surface naval engagement, an air strike on an Iranian naval base, and lots of blood and oil on the water. Next would come statesmen on all sides pondering what must be done to protect their nations’ prestige.
Senior leaders in Tehran must now be wondering what trouble their president will blunder into next. And whether he or Iran will be able to wriggle out from the next incident without gunfire and explosions. Military escalation, even if blundered into, plays right into the air and naval power dominance of the Americans. From this perspective, President Ahmadinejad may be America’s best friend and Iran’s walking time-bomb.
Westhawk
Doug said: Senior leaders in Tehran must now be wondering what trouble their president will blunder into next.
ReplyDeleteNice theory, but the Brits were captured by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, who answer directly to the big guy, Ayatollah Khameni. "President" Ineedanewjob is a figurehead.
Here ya go, Rufus; Whit.
ReplyDelete... more "conspiracy" for thought!
Commerce chief pushes for 'North American integration'
"While the Bush administration insists the controversial Security and Prosperity Partnership is just a dialogue with Canada and Mexico, a State Department cable released to WND shows Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez pressing to implement major trilateral initiatives to help "capture the vision of North American integration."
Phylldan: But if he [Webb] ran for national office after only three months as Senator, Virginians would be very put off by that.
ReplyDeleteCounterexample: Gore didn't even carry his own state of Tennessee in 2000, yet he came within about 500 votes of taking it all.