Link to Reuters


Crazy photos. Makes the prisoner trade seem that much worse.

not to worry. they will soon have their training area back in afghanistan, and they will be able to practice until their hearts content. in a couple of years time, they won't be missing passenger airplanes when they fire missiles at them any more.

. . . . the militants had fired rockets at passenger planes but missed. "It seems there was some ill-planning on their part."

I'm really a little bit surprised by this. They know we're leaving in a short (by their standards) time frame. You'd think they'd be on their best behaviour until we are out the door. Then again, every organization has its radical elements.

(06-09-2014 08:37 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  I'm really a little bit surprised by this. They know we're leaving in a short (by their standards) time frame. You'd think they'd be on their best behaviour until we are out the door. Then again, every organization has its radical elements.

why not do it now? they obviously have nothing to fear from us.

(06-09-2014 08:43 AM)EagleX Wrote:  

(06-09-2014 08:37 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  I'm really a little bit surprised by this. They know we're leaving in a short (by their standards) time frame. You'd think they'd be on their best behaviour until we are out the door. Then again, every organization has its radical elements.

why not do it now. they obviously have nothing to fear from us.

True that. After the "prisoner swap" they pretty much have nothing to worry about from us. Might as well start getting their licks in so the population can properly remember to cower when the time comes.

(06-09-2014 08:48 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(06-09-2014 08:43 AM)EagleX Wrote:  

(06-09-2014 08:37 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  I'm really a little bit surprised by this. They know we're leaving in a short (by their standards) time frame. You'd think they'd be on their best behaviour until we are out the door. Then again, every organization has its radical elements.

why not do it now. they obviously have nothing to fear from us.

True that. After the "prisoner swap" they pretty much have nothing to worry about from us. Might as well start getting their licks in so the population can properly remember to cower when the time comes.

I remember when our enemies hesitated to phuck with us because they never knew what crazy ol' george bush might do about it.

(06-09-2014 08:50 AM)EagleX Wrote:  

(06-09-2014 08:48 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(06-09-2014 08:43 AM)EagleX Wrote:  

(06-09-2014 08:37 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  I'm really a little bit surprised by this. They know we're leaving in a short (by their standards) time frame. You'd think they'd be on their best behaviour until we are out the door. Then again, every organization has its radical elements.

why not do it now. they obviously have nothing to fear from us.

True that. After the "prisoner swap" they pretty much have nothing to worry about from us. Might as well start getting their licks in so the population can properly remember to cower when the time comes.

I remember when our enemies hesitated to phuck with us because they never knew what crazy ol' george bush might do about it.

Liberals, and other terrorists, hate people with balls.

(06-09-2014 08:50 AM)EagleX Wrote:  I remember when our enemies hesitated to phuck with us because they never knew what crazy ol' george bush might do about it.

Quite frankly, "crazy ol' George Bush" was too much of a wuss for my tastes. Never fight a war you don't intend to win. And he got us into two of them. And that's probably why we have Obama now.

(06-09-2014 09:02 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(06-09-2014 08:50 AM)EagleX Wrote:  I remember when our enemies hesitated to phuck with us because they never knew what crazy ol' george bush might do about it.

Quite frankly, "crazy ol' George Bush" was too much of a wuss for my tastes. Never fight a war you don't intend to win. And he got us into two of them. And that's probably why we have Obama now.

let's just pretend like we had this argument, and save us both the time and effort of the next 50 or 60 replies. we could both script them in advance, and know that it doesn't really get us anywhere.

(06-09-2014 09:06 AM)EagleX Wrote:  

(06-09-2014 09:02 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(06-09-2014 08:50 AM)EagleX Wrote:  I remember when our enemies hesitated to phuck with us because they never knew what crazy ol' george bush might do about it.

Quite frankly, "crazy ol' George Bush" was too much of a wuss for my tastes. Never fight a war you don't intend to win. And he got us into two of them. And that's probably why we have Obama now.

let's just pretend like we had this argument, and save us both the time and effort of the next 50 or 60 replies. we could both script them in advance, and know that it doesn't really get us anywhere.

Good idea. I don't think we differ much in what needs to be done, just differ in our opinion as to whether GWB did it.

(06-09-2014 09:12 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(06-09-2014 09:06 AM)EagleX Wrote:  

(06-09-2014 09:02 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(06-09-2014 08:50 AM)EagleX Wrote:  I remember when our enemies hesitated to phuck with us because they never knew what crazy ol' george bush might do about it.

Quite frankly, "crazy ol' George Bush" was too much of a wuss for my tastes. Never fight a war you don't intend to win. And he got us into two of them. And that's probably why we have Obama now.

let's just pretend like we had this argument, and save us both the time and effort of the next 50 or 60 replies. we could both script them in advance, and know that it doesn't really get us anywhere.

Good idea. I don't think we differ much in what needs to be done, just differ in our opinion as to whether GWB did it.

I'd have said nuke the bastards and be done with it... It's not Bush's call though, he has to get all of that approved. I don't think he's a wuss at all, I think he knows he can't simply show our domination and be done with it.

America does not have the fortitude to "win" any war. Our military is being slashed, our borders are being overrun and the Republic is being whipped into submission by the socialist/communists. Our leadership are a bunch of hapless failures.

(06-09-2014 09:25 AM)LSU04_08 Wrote:  

(06-09-2014 09:12 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(06-09-2014 09:06 AM)EagleX Wrote:  

(06-09-2014 09:02 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(06-09-2014 08:50 AM)EagleX Wrote:  I remember when our enemies hesitated to phuck with us because they never knew what crazy ol' george bush might do about it.

Quite frankly, "crazy ol' George Bush" was too much of a wuss for my tastes. Never fight a war you don't intend to win. And he got us into two of them. And that's probably why we have Obama now.

let's just pretend like we had this argument, and save us both the time and effort of the next 50 or 60 replies. we could both script them in advance, and know that it doesn't really get us anywhere.

Good idea. I don't think we differ much in what needs to be done, just differ in our opinion as to whether GWB did it.

I'd have said nuke the bastards and be done with it... It's not Bush's call though, he has to get all of that approved. I don't think he's a wuss at all, I think he knows he can't simply show our domination and be done with it.

I would not have nuked. But I'd have gone in as an army of (conventional) destruction, not an army of occupation.

(06-09-2014 09:29 AM)SumOfAllFears Wrote:  America does not have the fortitude to "win" any war. Our military is being slashed, our borders are being overrun and the Republic is being whipped into submission by the socialist/communists. Our leadership are a bunch of hapless failures.

politely, I couldn't disagree more.

it wasn't a failure of leadership. the failure was ours; the american public. we simply don't have the stamina for a prolonged shooting war, even after our homeland is attacked by radicals that admit in stark terms that they want to exterminate us from the face of the earth. we thought we were playing a video game, or watching a movie, or something. we're pampered, spoiled, and simply not used to really having to work for very much -- not even our very survival.

(06-09-2014 09:29 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(06-09-2014 09:25 AM)LSU04_08 Wrote:  

(06-09-2014 09:12 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(06-09-2014 09:06 AM)EagleX Wrote:  

(06-09-2014 09:02 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  Quite frankly, "crazy ol' George Bush" was too much of a wuss for my tastes. Never fight a war you don't intend to win. And he got us into two of them. And that's probably why we have Obama now.

let's just pretend like we had this argument, and save us both the time and effort of the next 50 or 60 replies. we could both script them in advance, and know that it doesn't really get us anywhere.

Good idea. I don't think we differ much in what needs to be done, just differ in our opinion as to whether GWB did it.

I'd have said nuke the bastards and be done with it... It's not Bush's call though, he has to get all of that approved. I don't think he's a wuss at all, I think he knows he can't simply show our domination and be done with it.

I would not have nuked. But I'd have gone in as an army of (conventional) destruction, not an army of occupation.

I can agree with that... Be the aggressor, not the one waiting for them to make the first move. Go in, take care of business, and bam, we're done in no time at all.

(06-09-2014 09:35 AM)EagleX Wrote:  

(06-09-2014 09:29 AM)SumOfAllFears Wrote:  America does not have the fortitude to "win" any war. Our military is being slashed, our borders are being overrun and the Republic is being whipped into submission by the socialist/communists. Our leadership are a bunch of hapless failures.

politely, I couldn't disagree more.

it wasn't a failure of leadership. the failure was ours; the american public. we simply don't have the stamina for a prolonged shooting war, even after our homeland is attacked by radicals that admit in stark terms that they want to exterminate us from the face of the earth. we thought we were playing a video game, or watching a movie, or something. we're pampered, spoiled, and simply not used to really having to work for very much -- not even our very survival.

Yall are both correct. The attitude that you named off, paired with the leadership that SoaF named, it's a lose/lose situation everytime.

The goal should be to have the most powerful military in the world--and never use it because nobody is crazy enough to mess with us.

Iraq and Afghanistan were quagmires.

We declared war on Terrorism, which is basically a countryless war. A war that will never be won by either side.

(06-09-2014 09:48 AM)gdunn Wrote:  Iraq and Afghanistan were quagmires.

We declared war on Terrorism, which is basically a countryless war. A war that will never be won by either side.

we were attacked. unprovoked. we didn't declare sh!t. I can't believe people have already forgotten how this started.

(06-09-2014 09:35 AM)EagleX Wrote:  

(06-09-2014 09:29 AM)SumOfAllFears Wrote:  America does not have the fortitude to "win" any war. Our military is being slashed, our borders are being overrun and the Republic is being whipped into submission by the socialist/communists. Our leadership are a bunch of hapless failures.

politely, I couldn't disagree more.

it wasn't a failure of leadership. the failure was ours; the american public. we simply don't have the stamina for a prolonged shooting war, even after our homeland is attacked by radicals that admit in stark terms that they want to exterminate us from the face of the earth. we thought we were playing a video game, or watching a movie, or something. we're pampered, spoiled, and simply not used to really having to work for very much -- not even our very survival.

There may be elements of truth about the attitude that you have described in certain sectors of American society, (I would hasten to add they have existed for at least a century), but I don't think that attitude exists in those who actually do the fighting. I would emphatically argue that those in the US military are very used to having to work for a lot and are no where near "spoiled."

As others have mentioned, in my opinion, the main problem with our Middle Eastern experience was its asymmetrical nature against ideas rather than nations.