Abu Muqawama retains its autonomy and the views and beliefs expressed within the blog do not reflect those of CNAS. Abu Muqawama retains the right to delete comments that include words that incite violence; are predatory, hateful, or intended to intimidate or harass; or degrade people on the basis of gender, race, class, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or disability. In summary, don't be a jerk.
Apologies for the delay in posting new stuff, but I'm currently on vacation at my beloved childhood home in America's Finest City. The gorgeous weather, fantastic surfing, and incomparable fish tacos make it hard to concentrate on blogging, counterinsurgency, defense policy, or any of the other things that normally preoccupy me in DC.
I'll be one of the guest bloggers (along with Denominator, who you've already met, and a couple of others) while Abu Muqawama is away. I am going by Ibn Muqawama, but I am not related to the legendary AM, nor can I claim to be anywhere as great and accomplished. I can only hope to try to help keep the blog afloat until the Boss Man returns. We'll cover a lot of the same areas as usual; this blog is, after all, "the go-to for the COIN set" (thanks, Ms. Vlahos!) and I, for one, would hate to disappoint its many fans by changing things up too much.
But if you think all we're worried about are sneaky Taliban insurgents, think again! You may be aware that there's been some hubbub of late sparked by a certain hermit kingdom in Northeast Asia led by some guy with a fetish for WMD. And the United States and international community have had a devil of a time figuring out what to do about it. But according to this unintentionally hilarious paragraph in an otherwise interesting Foreign Policy column, we've been worrying too much about the DPRK's nukes and not enough about its secret ninja army:
"As for North Korea's Special Operations Forces (SOFs), South Korean estimates now place their numbers at as many as 180,000 men. North Korean SOFs are probably among the best- trained, best fed, and most motivated of all the forces in their military. They routinely undergo intense training that includes carrying 50 pounds of sand for 10 km in one hour, hiking in extreme cold weather, martial arts methodologies that include fighting with three to 15 opponents, and even using spoons and forks as weapons. Troops also engage in intense marksmanship training and even daily knife-throwing training. They can attack quickly, reaching key nodes in South Korea by aircraft, through tunnels in the DMZ, or even by maritime vessel."
God help us all. And watch your silverware.
Short of involving peas, I'm
Short of involving peas, I'm struggling to come up with a way to use a spoon as a weapon.
Maybe it's some kind of zen counterpoint to Nagl's Soup With A Knife philosophy. Maybe the Norks have learned to cut steak with a spoon. After all, 50 years is a long time to keep yourself occupied with no electricity.
What we all really should be
What we all really should be worried about is the coming ecological crisis, as the Natural Security blog points out. The water-supply in Iraq is running out.
And on that note, any chance that any of the guestbloggers will do an update on Iraq and the challenges of the withdrawal from the cities, as well as the refugee/climate crisis there? It has sort of disappeared from the Abu M radar the last six months.
One thing less to worry
One thing less to worry about:
June 25, 2009: Last February, Kyrgyzstan ordered the U.S. to leave the Manas air base it has been using (to support operations in Afghanistan) for the last seven years. Now, after the U.S. matched the Russian offer, Kyrgyzstan has decided that the United States can stay after all.
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htmurph/20090625.aspx
Kilo, "Norks", I like that
Kilo, "Norks", I like that one. Never having served on the penninsula, I don't know if you made that up or if it's from somewhere else, but mind if I start using it? Anyway: I'm not all that sure that I'm too worried about the Norks Special Operations guys. There was much ado made about them back in the 70s and 80s, when they were still making regular cross-border mayhem. But now? Anyone? Fnord: This being the out-and-about season, AM has brought four of us aboard, in part b/c several of us will be off running around ourselves and it will take that many of us to cover his normal load. I'll be spotty/absent myself for a week starting later today, for example, and Londistani is doing things that will keep him away for a bit. But if nobody has done anything on that by the time I get back, I'll address your question.Sounds to me like the South
Sounds to me like the South Koreans are hyping the threat beyond all recognition. No country on earth has the resources to train 180,000 men to anything resembling "special operations forces" capabilities as we define them, and most certainly not North Korea. The key words are "best fed." May be true -- possibly over 1,000 calories/day, even? God help us!
I know this is an oldie and
I know this is an oldie and everyone on the internets has seen it, but:
Kim Jong Ill (the illmatic)'s Live Journal:
"On the plus side, I think my hair looked pretty good today. Also I went frolicking at Paektu Mountain and the rainbow came out again. After dinner some of my subjects sang me a song because I invented Outer Space."
http://users.livejournal.com/kim_jong_il__/?skip=40
*On a more serious note: What's going on with Laura Ling? Awful.
On the Nork SF, I guess
On the Nork SF, I guess Spetznas like infiltrators/deep cover agents is the one reason to be a bit worried. But there is very little to do about that, innit?
Don't forget to hit Hodad's
Don't forget to hit Hodad's on Newport in OB...Great Burgers.
"No shoes, no shirt, no problem"
Man, I miss San Diego...
Well, if the "Norks"
Well, if the "Norks" (fantastic term, btw) are getting frisky, I'm sure we're gonna need all those F-22s; thank God the patriotic honest brokers in Congress restored some of the funding....
....And those Chon'ma tanks or whatever - "upgraded" T-62s - might be more than a match for the Abrams... Why did Gates have to shelve the FCS-mounted vehicle system? Why?
Fear-mongerers pointing to a stupid old man and a bunch of artillery tubes pointed at Seoul that we couldn't stop anyway as a reason to fund unnecessary weapons and fight the COIN-ization wave is pitiful.
That said, the comments here and live-journal bit made me laugh at least....
The North Korean Ninjas
The North Korean Ninjas remind me of a character from the movie Mystery Men. namely, the Blue Rajah!!
http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTM2MjQxNTc4NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMD...
"Probably among...the best
"Probably among...the best fed" in the entire military?
I think when that's a sign of strength, you are no longer intimidating.
Yawn. I'd be more concerned
Yawn.
I'd be more concerned if this was a part of their training:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAhSSy4_7mc
NOT WORK SAFE
(Also "Norks" is a fantastic term)
"Probably among...the best
"Probably among...the best fed" in the entire military?
I think when that's a sign of strength, you are no longer intimidating.
Ditto... I'm wondering how well 180,000 soldiers who get to enjoy a WHOLE cup of rice a day and maybe some occasional fish or chicken would hold up against 10,000 soldiers living on 3,000 calories a day plus NO X-plode and NitroTech.
I'd better get started writing that research grant proposal before anyone steals the idea...
What should the main role of
What should the main role of North Korean special forces be? Are they seizing airports before an invasion, or trying to disrupt South Korean society as much as possible? Should they mainly train for insurgency operations? Is the organization primarily focused on kidnapping Japanese movie stars?
P.S. In the game Crysis, Nork special forces can can also turn invisible.
Well, during the Blue House
Well, during the Blue House Raid in 1968, their role was apparently to educate four random South Korean woodcutters about the joys of Communism. For hours.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_House_Raid#The_Blue_House_Raid
I suspect that this was an attempt to test new techniques for boring the enemy to death, but perhaps they should have been trialled under controlled conditions before Nork SOF tried them in the field.
Rumor has it that the Norks
Rumor has it that the Norks use this video for training SOFs recruits. Be afraid, be very afraid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxkr4wS7XqY
Thank you for posting in AM'
Thank you for posting in AM' s absence.
I have to disagree though and say that best city is NEW YORK CITY.
I, for one, welcome our new
I, for one, welcome our new spoon-wielding Nork overlords. And this post does nothing but make my mouth water at the thought of some good ole fashioned La Posta.
-- And when you find
-- And when you find Locksley, cut out his heart with a spoon!
-- Why a spoon, cousin? Why not a knife, or a sword, or ...
-- Because a spoon is duller, you fool, it'll hurt more.
Also:
Three generals are arguing about whose troops are best. And the Russian says "Well, as Napoleon said, an army marches on its stomach. And Russian soldiers are the best because they're the best-fed. Every one of them receives 2000 calories a day."
"That's not enough for a fighting man," says the British general. "British troops get a minimum of 3,000 calories a day."
"You can't fight on that," says the American general. "US army rations guarantee our troops 5,000 calories every day."
"5,000 calories? That's impossible!" the Russian says. "No man can eat an entire sack of potatoes in 24 hours!"
-- And when you find
-- And when you find Locksley, cut out his heart with a spoon!
-- Why a spoon, cousin? Why not a knife, or a sword, or ...
-- Because a spoon is duller, you fool, it'll hurt more.
Also:
Three generals are arguing about whose troops are best. And the Russian says "Well, as Napoleon said, an army marches on its stomach. And Russian soldiers are the best because they're the best-fed. Every one of them receives 2000 calories a day."
"That's not enough for a fighting man," says the British general. "British troops get a minimum of 3,000 calories a day."
"You can't fight on that," says the American general. "US army rations guarantee our troops 5,000 calories every day."
"5,000 calories? That's impossible!" the Russian says. "No man can eat an entire sack of potatoes in 24 hours!"
Kilo's comment evoked a good
Kilo's comment evoked a good laugh; honestly, though, whether they're armed with rifles, spoons, or sporks, that's 180,000 fanatical wackjobs I would not want running around in my backyard. It might not be practical training, but I can imagine a lot of of these guys, post-conflict, ending up like the Japanese holdouts in the Pacific.
c/haak exactly what i was
c/haak
exactly what i was thinking - post collapse, what are 180000 guys (or 40 years worth of them) who have spent their days throwing knives and fighting 3-15 opponents at once armed only with a spoon, going to do?
probably move to america. the movie would be a cross between "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" and "Scarface".
"Kilo, "Norks", I like that
"Kilo, "Norks", I like that one."
I got that from the ArmsControlWonk guys. I keep telling them it's slang for boobs but they won't listen to me.
What a bunch of goddamn
What a bunch of goddamn pansies. Did a single one of you actually see "The Hurt Locker"?
You are all so lame. But that is becuase Abu Mook is your idol. Faggots. I don't mean that in a gay way.
I mean that in as much as Exum, CNAS, Rachel Maddow isn't really as hardcore as actually following the story.
P.S. This is why Exum needs to go change his diapers so soon after being promoted?
P.S. Who is Denominator? What is this shit? Does Denom have his own blog?
In as much as the "Norks"
In as much as the "Norks" are a threat, I don't think they are what they think they are. It's a classic example of Kim Jong Il surrounding himself with "yes men". He probably thinks he's stronger than he actually is.
If it ever comes to pass that NK needs to be invaded, I say we let the South invade and follow up with three CA BDEs and contractors to build McDonalds and Burger King.
Secure them, feed them, get them jobs, and it's over.
J. Rico: Impressive
J. Rico: Impressive blustering. Where you trying to express some sort of coherent thought, or are you just feeling like roaring a bit?
Or we may need to worry
Or we may need to worry about a President and Congress who are bankrupting us, destroying any semblance of transparency, solvency, or legality with breakneck speed. Not certain of course if I'm talking about TARP, the stimulus, cap and trade, healthcare....I haven't watched the news so I probably missed another trillion since last night...
Welcome to ChicagoStan. Libs should know they won't get the EU's local chapter. They'll get a banana Republic - Hell we're more than halfway there.
Oh, and in the coverage of the vampire pederast's death (MJ) --- you may have missed there's something else you won't get. You won't get your precious little darlings out of GITMO. nope. They're going to be detained indefinitely. For about 90 out of the 229 remaining - no trial.
Indefinite detention by Executive Order
Don't get me wrong, I am glad they're meeting the minimum level of responsibility. At least for defense and foreign policy.
Har De Har Har....
While it is true that the
While it is true that the North Korean military has been given the lion's share of the available resources, people seem to forget that it also hasn't fought in a war in quite some time. Indeed, I'm not certain if it has been involved in any kind of major military engagement since the 1950s. By contrast, the United States and South Korea have had far more experience since then.
Coinoperator07 said: "Secure
Coinoperator07 said:
"Secure them, feed them, get them jobs, and it's over"
You should read Stathis Kalyvas's "The Logic of Violence in Civil Wars" to expand your mind concerning human behaivor and motivaton, especially in war.
Juan, you don't need to
Juan, you don't need to write postscripts in a comment on a blog. The cool thing about electronic word processing is that you can go back to the body of the text you've written, above the signature line, and add more words. In fact, you didn't even have a signature in your note, so they're not really postscripts at all. Is the first postscript a question or a declaration? For that matter, what does the rest of the comment mean? You seem to be saying that Andrew Exum (a man), The Center for a New American Security (an organization) and Rachel Maddow (a woman, or the eponymous television program) are not (isn't?) "as hardcore as actually following the story" (an activity). Under what circumstances would it be appropriate to compare these four concepts? 'Apples and Oranges' would be an inappropriate analogy, because it fails to convey how dissimilar these things really are. What you did was like comparing apples with second-stage turbine blades, trade unionism, happiness and Gibraltar apes.
You start out calling us "goddamn[ed] pansies", and then ask if any of us saw The Hurt Locker. Are those two statements related? Would we cease to be pansies if we saw The Hurt Locker? Or were you simply distracted by something in the middle of writing your comment, and broke momentarily from your bizarre attack on the blog to ask us our opinion of a film? If the second is true, then, yes, I saw The Hurt Locker, and it was good.
You show remarkable restraint in terming us 'lame' in the following sentence, but then throw it all away: to wit- "Faggots". A nice, short, easily interpreted insult. But not "in a gay way". The only possible interpretations remaining are that you have confused us for:
1. cigarettes
2. disgusting meatballs
3. MiG-15s
4. bits of wood
5. Exum's underclass servants from when he went to Eton.
I'm a particular fan of the last one, since it makes a lot more sense than the explanation you subsequently offered up, and would jibe well with the line you're pushing about how we all kowtow to Exum because he's our idol.
Have another try at explaining what you meant. Goodness knows, watching Rachel Maddow leaves me completely unable to form complete thoughts, too. I'm sure that with some time spent editing your remarks, they will come across in a coherent and intelligible form that we can all understand well enough to refute, or at least disagree with.
Or you could just stop coming here altogether, that would work.
To have people come and
To have people come and troll this blog... it's... I just can't find the right words to describe "intellectuals," likely in their 30s and 40s, acting like petulant 17 year olds on a World of Warcraft forum. It's kind of amazing to witness. Wait, I found it: "unprecedented." I cannot think of a blog that has dealt with such complex issues getting trolled in such a base fashion. That isn't to say we're a bunch of very intelligent people (although one might dare), it's just to say the average issue here, not including LEGOs and Dave Chappelle, is quite complex. Throw a government-made artificial intelligence into the mix (SNLII) of political, social, and military issues, and you're looking at a recipe for deep complexity. And along comes a guy throwing around "faggot" like this was high school gym class.
Dus Ex; Its the Blackfive
Dus Ex; Its the Blackfive syndrome. Over there, I was just told Im a cocksucker for Obama and to wipe the blood of my liberal hands. Somehow, it seems that the Bush Kool-Aid has lingering after-effects, among them an ability to argue points without resorting to namecalling and/or generalizations. (The funny thing is that they get all girlymen if someone else does it, par example Abu M commenting on Krauthammers cornhole.) The Ann Coulter Derangement Syndrome (ACDS)? The Fox-plague? I dunno.
"I mean that in as much as
"I mean that in as much as Exum, CNAS, Rachel Maddow isn't really as hardcore as actually following the story."
Respect going out to all the hardcore FP readers out there.
You could sell the rights to that sentence to Dan Brown for his next mystery novel.
Tom Hanks as Tommy Rico in The Enigma Code. Coming Soon.
@Kilo, "Tom Hanks as Tommy
@Kilo,
"Tom Hanks as Tommy Rico in The Enigma Code. Coming Soon."
Now disagreements or not, that merited a laugh. I like being enigmatic meself, but that's cuz 1) I'm Irish, and 2) Direct doesn't seem to work if there's a fundamental disagreement, so create a mystery for the intrepid searchers for truth to find.
@Fnord,
I recall XM phraseology was more along the lines of K-Hammers piehole, not cornhole. It wasn't quite that harsh, for Dr XM likes to keep it slightly tonier. It's that time at Eton.
In Norwegian, a fagott is a
In Norwegian, a fagott is a 1,3 meter long wooden instrument. Perhaps he alludes to all the Coin-folks playing the same tune? In wich case, he has a point.
Can nyone recommend to me a blof that follows Iraqi politics and developments in English?
Blog, even.
Blog, even.
@Fnord, 1) Blog = Talismans
@Fnord,
1) Blog = Talismans Gate. By Nibras Kazimi. Iraqi Blog
2) "In Norwegian, a fagott is a 1,3 meter long wooden instrument." Uh, for what???
1.3 meters?!~? You freaks.
We blow it ;-)
We blow it ;-) http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fagott
(In english, its also a slang for a half-smoked cigarette butt, wich you suck on. Go figure.)
Thanx for link.
For Gian: Sir, Granted, I
For Gian:
Sir,
Granted, I over simplified in my statement but I do believe something to that degree would work enough to stablize a situation such as an invasion of NK. I will look up the Kalyvas piece. I'm always willing to expand my knowledge. I just know what I have done in the past and it worked (Baghdad 06-07). If I can improve on that, I'm willing to try.
One thing I would change that we really screwed up in Iraq is concentrating on power to the local community leadership before enforcing a national governmental identity.
Chris
Chris: Where were you at in
Chris:
Where were you at in Bdad in 06? Did we know each other.
Kalyvas's work is important I think because it moves Coin thinking beyond the more mono-causal, developmental approach that came out of the early 60s that really was nothing more than economic determinism. You and I both know that what motivates people in an insurgency and in civil war can be economics, or not at all, or a combination of lots of things. Again, Kalyvas's work really gets into the comlexity of it all.
gian
In actuality the ROK Marines
In actuality the ROK Marines have some of the most effective combat records in the last 50 yrs. Many times in the Nam they were outnumbered, outgunned, and still came out on top. Their kill ratio was 12 to 1 on average, sometimes as high as 20 to 1. As for underestimating an enemies abilities, dedication, and potential................ well that's downright foolish. Many of the NVA and VC were on what we would consider a starvation diet, yet they caused us quite a bit of trouble. What if you don't mind me asking do you consider a threat? When you do something other than flap your jaws and ridicule people, (aside from worshiping Exum) let me know.
"Visitor", I think you
"Visitor", I think you forget a couple of factors in comparing the VC to the norks. The VC were acting in a population where they at least had some legitimacy, and had local enablers. They had lines of communication and lines of supply on both sides of the "front". A Nork attack would first have to penetrate the DMZ, then operate in a hostile enviroment, basically a suicidal attack. ANd if they are going to go suicidal, they might as well use nukes, and if Seoul gets nuked then some nork commandoes is going to be a minor problem. Not saying that they are not a threat, but a vision of 180 000 suicide ninjas storming the front seems a bit far fetched to me.
As for ridiculing people, I think folks who call other folks wooden instruments deserve what they get. Compared to Blackfive, the level of civility here is pretty good. Try making an argument, back it up with facts and/or logical lines of thought and lay off on the incentive and it usually works fine. This blog seems to operate on the lines of a walk-in dinner party. Being rude about the host usually aint a good way to introduce yourself. Know what I mean?
First Fnord, I appreciate
First Fnord, I appreciate the civility in which you responded. Let me say that. That being said, I personally know of many outfits in many military's that would be a major threat , with 5000 men. First on my list would be the bygone Force Recon American Marines. Consider the also gone RECONDO's of the Nam days. Hell the Gurkha's would be a very dangerous force to recon with. Underestimating an enemy is as bad as failing to attack when you can by insecurity.
Secondly, I have read and disagree with Exums evaluations many times. Following a personality of political savvy and agenda in matters of "intelligence" is usually unwise as by virtue of the politics they have an agenda.
If you can't get along with that.............. well my apologies. I do have reasons, and I do not usually discuss personalities on a site.
Hi Visitor, thanks for
Hi Visitor, thanks for bringing up this point. I would agree that we underestimate an adversary at our own peril, that soldiers can fight hard on empty stomachs, and that we should be wary of the DPRK, even if their military is rather strung-out. But would you disagree that an army with food shortages and 1970s equipment is at a disadvantage when it comes up against a well-fed one with modern equipment? I think that's the point we were trying to make - that nobody really expects that the DPRK would be able to triumph over UN forces in a potential second Korean war. It certainly wouldn't be easy though, which is why we want to avoid fighting in the first place. Are these men extremely dangerous? Yes. Would it suck to have 5,000 DPRK troops on the loose behind UN lines in the event of war? Yes. But I don't believe that their efforts could change the outcome of a potential conflict when the main body of the North Korean Army is unable to match the ROK/US forces. There's just no way for the North to win, in the end.
I ridicule Johnny Rico because he deserves it. He takes the name of a character from Starship Troopers and then trolls counterinsurgency blogs. He calls you and I faggots, tells us that he will kill us, demands that we make him food and write him short essays. Never mind that none of that makes sense, he's gonna say it any way. He does the same thing over at Ricks' blog, where when last i saw him, he was trashing officer candidates as naive cowards. He'll get no civility from me.
WRT disagreeing with AM: welcome to the club. I suspect that, politically, he and I are like night and day; in fact, most of the time I find myself agreeing more with Gian Gentile in these debates that take place. However, that won't stop me from coming here, because I like to hear opposing viewpoints. If you read only opinions and analysis from people you agree with it leaves you with a distorted worldview, as I see it. Fnord is some sort of anarchist or something (I'm still not sure exactly where he's been coming from), Madhu is a Doctor in Chicago, Gentile is this blog's "arch enemy", SNLII is an advanced computer system, and I am incredibly long-winded and preachy...there's a diversity of views and backgrounds here. This blog has been troll-free since its creation; I just wish it would stay that way. Thanks for your concern about ridicule; that's exactly why I responded like I did.
"Visitor": Agreed on 5000
"Visitor": Agreed on 5000 making trouble. As a Norwegian reservist, thats more or less what we are trained in as a defense. Blow up roads and cut the wires behind the advance elements, etc. (Another reason why the draft is the bulwark against tyranny.) 5000 is a valid number, and sounds much more like a realistic Spetznas-strike force capable of doing infrastructural mayhem with clear orders.
But what I think is the issue here as much as a real threat assessment is the current climate of minor nations and/or partisan DC wonks behaving like dramaqueens, exagerating their enemies and portraying them as suicidal lemmingflocks. We saw it in the runup to the Iraq war, we saw it against Iran, we saw it in Georgia and we now see an example in S. Korea: Willing press-outlets serving as tools for those who wish to focus the US military might their way. While we dont usually discuss Israel here, I personally find the echos from Jerusalem Post distributed far and wide, and that paper in my eyes aint a rational project anymore, building on the image of a vast Behemeot enemy hellbent on collective suicide. Thats the same feeling I get from the number 180 000 norks.
To your last point: "Following a personality of political savvy and agenda in matters of "intelligence" is usually unwise as by virtue of the politics they have an agenda." That I dont understand. If you mean that Exum has an agenda, that is true, though I dont see it to be intelectualy dishonest. G. Gentile still posts here to put it that way. Compared to the competing brand, Blackfive, this site is a haven of civility. While most of the readers here disagreed with Bush, terms like "BushNazi" were shouted down collectively. Over at Blackfive the POTUS is regularly called "Obambi", "Hussein" and other versions of ridicule. Over here extremists like me and Elf are engaged in more civilized banter, even if it can get rowdy and decidedly unprofessional now and then. I guess the formula is something like: Facts beat funny, funny beats stupid, stupid beats fact. Rock Paper Scissors.
Btw, from a left wing perspective, may I coin a negative term on the pro-COIN crowd, COINquistadors? TY.
You mean "COINquistadores"
You mean "COINquistadores" ... ?
But it wouldn't fit for "native" armies embracing COIN doctrine ...
They'll stay Coindinistas in your book?
It would be a valid term
It would be a valid term from the left-wing critiscism that COIN is just another face for "friendly colonialism" with Iraq and the oil-fields as an example. Hell, if I was a outsider who had not followed the gradual process of the COIN paradigm, I too would have been suspicious that it was all part of the plan, to start out with maximum brutality in Iraq and then switch to pop-centric warfare so as to make the inhabitants grateful to be occupied by the new and kinder force. While the missiongoals, economic dominance and bribes for everyone above a certain level, remined constant of course. It will be really interesting to see how much Iraqi nationalist backlash the new process of selling out to the oil-folks will raise this time around, now that its Malikis goons who will defend them. My guess is that we will hear reports about labour-leaders disappearing in approx 6 months. And then it will be Colombia all over again.
this is not a critiscism of the performance post 2006, btw, but just a cynical view Im guessing many Iraqis share. Bait and switch, I think its called in American? Wich reminds me, is there anyone doing anything on the Iraqi refugee-problem as part of opening lines to Syria?
@Fnord, Yes, you and I are
@Fnord,
Yes, you and I are the permanent resident jokers, aren't we? At least we try and keep the snarks original.
in that noble vein..
"I too would have been suspicious that it was all part of the plan.."
Of course we know now --- what *&%!! plan!
Iraqi refugees: good news. I don't know about Syria BUT I got a lot closer last week to getting number 4 terp out. And I thought this one was hopeless. Keep buggering on, said Winston Churchill.
Re: Honduras "Obama says
Re: Honduras
"Obama says coup not legal"
Are you crazy, Sir? I am not expert on the Honduran Constitution, but most reports make it clear Zelaya can't seek another term. And normally Constitutions are not ammended by plebesites passed out by your ACORNish supporters..... the Honduran Supreme Court said he should go, his Attorney General said he should go, he fired the Chief of the Armed Forces when he wouldn't pass out the ballots with the proposal....this guys clearly trying to be the next Latin American President for Life.
Oh, the Chavez endorsement doesn't actually ring the Liberty Bell, either.
So much for non interference!! So he contributes to perhaps starting a civil war within an ally and neighbor, and can barely condemn barbaric actions by a dangerous enemy that has killed many of us?
Elf: Good to hear about the
Elf: Good to hear about the terp. Anything you need done, put it out. You should have been kicking Exum a lot more about that if its an ongoing project.
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