Global War on Terror III: Dick Cheney's Hague ICC Vacation

[Patman]

Re: Global War on Terror III: Dick Cheney's Hague ICC Vacation

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JUST... saw that... if so, I want a DNA test done by a 3rd party (UN Commission or something).

[WeWantMore]

Re: Global War on Terror III: Dick Cheney's Hague ICC Vacation

Certainly makes sense in raising the threat level then. Going to be a few disappointed jihadists tomorrow.

[Patman]

Re: Global War on Terror III: Dick Cheney's Hague ICC Vacation

Certainly makes sense in raising the threat level then. Going to be a few disappointed jihadists tomorrow.

The thing is... provably dead... the biggest fear I had was that he was going to live on in righteous defiant memory... the funny thing is tough... it never really happened... while its been mostly our concern lately... and frankly it should be.... I have never recieved the impression that he had been revered at any level (edit: in recent years)... but that's what happens when you lose a war (and arguably, they got their butts whipped)... Arab culture doesn't do well with losing.

Nevertheless, him having assumed room temp... you know, it really all depends upon the Arab/Muslim fealty to him... I think everybody else has just assumed he was dead or otherwise no longer a point... the point has been the larger West v. Islam relationship at various levels. It has reverted to "Islam" and not to a man "bin Laden".

Who knows, we'll see

[Hammer]

Re: Global War on Terror III: Dick Cheney's Hague ICC Vacation

JUST... saw that... if so, I want a DNA test done by a 3rd party (UN Commission or something).

PER FOX NEWS:

He was killed a week ago by a US bomb. They were waiting DNA results for confirmation.

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Global War on Terror III: Dick Cheney's Hague ICC Vacation

PER FOX NEWS:

He was killed a week ago by a US bomb. They were waiting DNA results for confirmation.

Boy, that was way off the mark.

[Priceless]

Re: Global War on Terror III: Dick Cheney's Hague ICC Vacation

Boy, that was way off the mark.

You seem surprised.

[WeWantMore]

Re: Global War on Terror III: Dick Cheney's Hague ICC Vacation

I don't know about you guys, but I routinely shout out "Allahu Akbar" when searching for a bathroom.

'Maybe he was looking for the bathroom': Family defends Yemeni passenger who stormed cockpit, shouting 'Allahu Akbar' as plane came in to land at San Francisco'

The Yemeni man who was wrestled to the floor after pounding on the cockpit door of a plane approaching San Francisco may have mistaken it for the bathroom.

Rageit Almurisi cannot speak English very well and could have misunderstood the signs inside the jet, his cousin claimed.

The maths teacher, who was heard yelling 'Allahu Akbar' as he allegedly battered the door, had also only been on three planes in his life and would have been unfamiliar with the layout.

Seems plausible.

[joecct]

Re: Global War on Terror III: Dick Cheney's Hague ICC Vacation

I don't know about you guys, but I routinely shout out "Allahu Akbar" when searching for a bathroom.



Seems plausible.

Most of us shout that while IN the bathroom..

[amherstblackbear]

Re: Global War on Terror III: Dick Cheney's Hague ICC Vacation

Congress debating post OBL Afghanistan policy.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/11/wo...tary.html?_r=1

What's the call, Obama? Double down? Draw down? No change?

The word 'Pakistan' appears nowhere in the article. If that's an accurate characterization of the policy debate, we may as well skip straight to hoping the administration stumbles onto the right policy, for whatever reason.

[Kepler]

Re: Global War on Terror III: Dick Cheney's Hague ICC Vacation

Congress debating post OBL Afghanistan policy.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/11/wo...tary.html?_r=1

What's the call, Obama? Double down? Draw down? No change?

The word 'Pakistan' appears nowhere in the article. If that's an accurate characterization of the policy debate, we may as well skip straight to hoping the administration stumbles onto the right policy, for whatever reason.

I'm sure Pakistan is at the top of the policy debate and I'm equally sure that for obvious reasons it is nowhere to be seen in public comments on the debate.

Amazing photo in that article, BTW:

*****http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2011/05/11/world/MILITARY-1/MILITARY-1-articleLarge.jpg******

[Kepler]

Re: Global War on Terror III: Dick Cheney's Hague ICC Vacation

Next time you see a soldier back from Afghanistan, thank him for his service.

[amherstblackbear]

Re: Global War on Terror III: Dick Cheney's Hague ICC Vacation

I'm sure Pakistan is at the top of the policy debate and I'm equally sure that for obvious reasons it is nowhere to be seen in public comments on the debate.

I'm sure you're right on the administration not telegraphing its position. I just can't remember the last time that Congress was discreet on foreign policy. It probably was before electricity.

So if the article summarizes what's going on in Congress, it's pretty remarkable that there isn't a faction organized around "Uh, guys . . . the nukes are in Pakistan . . . OBL was in Pakistan . . . AQ was in Pakistan . . . some subset of Pakistani officials (maybe a large set) knew AQ and OBL were in Pakistan . . . now might not be a good time to ramp up Afghanistan if it means losing leverage with Pakistan. Eyes on the prize, folks."

Maybe you're right that the above is the administration's basic stance. Unfortunately for them, they're stuck justifying that policy with one of the arguments in what's passing for public debate. Not an appetizing menu (thus the joke about getting the right outcome, with whatever public rationale)

A) Mission accomplished, return home. Screw this foreign policy stuff. (middle 60% of country)
B) Mission not accomplished. There are still people to kill. Now that we're getting results, the time is right to sell the public on another surge (Neocons)
B) Get out yesterday. The mission was wrong, anyway (Kucinich)
C) Kind of don't do anything, sell it as stay the course, carefully leaving "course" undefined
D) I want to get out, but I'm kinda scared to say it, so I'm going to argue for a deliberately paced drawdown, such that I leave wiggle room for stopping the drawdown or speeding it up if I change my mind later (the John Kerry position)

[Kepler]

Re: Global War on Terror III: Dick Cheney's Hague ICC Vacation

Maybe you're right that the above is the administration's basic stance. Unfortunately for them, they're stuck justifying that policy with one of the arguments in what's passing for public debate. Not an appetizing menu (thus the joke about getting the right outcome, with whatever public rationale)

I think that would be a bigger problem if there were distinct, differentiated policies laid out by either the administration or its electoral opponent, but neither is the case. The election is actually coming along just in time to get some clarity (this is one of the great benefits of having elections). Even then, I think the positions are going to be pretty similar unless the GOP loses its mind again and nominates another Neocon ("Invade every country within a thousand miles of Israel and baptize all the Muslims. It's the only way to be sure.")

"Wait and see" is an easily defensible war position absent some large Vietnam-like public outcry. It would take genuine vision to do anything else. Without some sort of shift, the status quo may continue in Afghanistan, until the moving-construction-hole of foreign crises pops up somewhere else (post-Castro Cuba as a failed state harboring terrorists, Colombia and Venezuela go to war over harboring each others' rebels, Nigeria goes ape**** and the oil stops flowing, Libya... oh, wait.)

[Kepler]

Re: Global War on Terror III: Dick Cheney's Hague ICC Vacation

Not really a surprise.

The ICOS study showed a divide between people in southern Afghanistan and other parts of the country -- which have not been a recent focus of NATO operations -- where there are more favorable views about the foreign military presence.

More than 90 percent of southern respondents said they thought foreigners disrespected Islam and Afghan traditions, compared with 47 percent of northerners. The opinions could reflect the struggle that foreign troops, who have been trained primarily to fight, have faced as they seek to communicate NATO's mission to Afghans.

That may have allowed the Taliban to gain an upper hand in the information war, building consensus around its views on issues such as the role of women in society and democracy, the study suggests.

The polling showed that support for educating girls and giving women the right to vote dropped in southern Afghanistan from last fall. Sixty-six percent of those polled in southern Afghanistan said they opposed educating girls and 61 percent opposed the vote for women. Opposition to both measures was at 49 percent last year in the south.

Stupid Brits always drew the maps wrong.

*****http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/pubfiles/swaraaj-Pashtun-ethnic.jpg******

[joecct]

Re: Global War on Terror III: Dick Cheney's Hague ICC Vacation

Not really a surprise.



Stupid Brits always drew the maps wrong.

*****http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/pubfiles/swaraaj-Pashtun-ethnic.jpg******

Africa, too.

Wonder when we'll get countries based on ethnicity???