Center for a New American Security

Which shows that defunding

Which shows that defunding NPR is a far cheaper way to head off the Islamist threat than missiles.

110 missiles? In one day?! At

110 missiles? In one day?! At afgans or Libyans?

"The president had a caveat,

"The president had a caveat, though. The American involvement in military action in Libya should be limited — no ground troops — and finite. “Days, not weeks,” a senior White House official recalled him saying.."

The Senior White House adviser wouldn't be someone you know, would it?

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/19/world/africa/19policy.html?_r=2&hpw

"The change became possible, though, only after Mrs. Clinton joined Samantha Power, a senior aide at the National Security Council, and Susan Rice, Mr. Obama’s ambassador to the United Nations, who had been pressing the case for military action, according to senior administration officials speaking only on condition of anonymity. Ms. Power is a former journalist and human rights advocate; Ms. Rice was an Africa adviser to President Clinton when the United States failed to intervene to stop the Rwanda genocide, which Mr. Clinton has called his biggest regret. "

Yeah we got into the Balkans the same way, POTUS follows the women. Mind you it was not months, but years .

So who builds these expensive

So who builds these expensive devices of destruction? Ironically enough AM, Raytheon Missile Systems, who is the # 3 supporter for CNAS.

http://www.cnas.org/support/our-supporters

The US is going to have to replenish its depleted supplies and the Navy is going to be putting in a purchase order for +$200 million dollars in missiles. Thank goodness taxpayers are keeping CNAS's # 3 supporter in business, right?

Your paycheck and the desk you sit at, partially came from company who builds these devices. Does that make you ashamed, proud or indifferent?

Let's hope you don't join the list of stars like: Mariah Carey, Beyonce and Usher who gave back the money they received for performing for, those who profit from violence (whether justified or not). Hate the thought of you living on the streets Bro.

Funny you say that AM. This

Funny you say that AM.

This "funny" photo was posted by someone at the USIP. Why don't you ping them on email AM and find out who Matt the Jumper is @ USIP?

http://media.photobucket.com/image/US%20Institute%20of%20Peace%20guns%20...

Glad to see everyone is taking this 3rd war so seriously. Even those who are being paid to be preventing it. I feel like I'm watching an episode of "The Family Guy"....

Shiiiit...Cause that sky gonna light up like the 4th of July!

Andrew, good thrust. I was

Andrew, good thrust.

I was watching Laura Bush on TV talking about equaling immunizing children in Africa to National Security. It was something that the Gates Foundation was trying to get behind. It is the Conservative du jour getting behind Liberial issues, so the Liberials can market their agendas. Malinda Gates was on stage too. She was trying to compound her giving with taxpayers money to extend her agenda. Gee the Gates have about 200 Billion and they give half that away, they will have 100 Billion left. They want me to give my 13 cents, then I will have no cents left. Something wrong there with the math, seems to me I gave Billy Gates a lot of money for software to keep up to date on my outsourced high tech job. I pay tax dollars so my government and Unversities can purchase more of MicroSoft software, which they change out at every update with the hardware (three year renewal cycle). How many multiplers can we stand as tax payers? The Bush family gets $800,000/yr as a salary from the taxpayer, plus Security times two. Is that enough? I am really glad that Melinda Gates, the Bushes, the Clintons, the Obamas, the Carters, and so many other Government employees will have nice retirement and can afford to give to charities, I will never in my life see any of that, ever. Those are not hard feelings or sour grapes, just reality. I will have to move to Africa to get the 13 cent shot for my kids. Obama has taken how many vacation in the past two year, more than I can count. It has been about ten years since I had a vacation. Must be nice, that I am paying for Obama's.

The jest of the conversation was, "for only 13 cents a day you can immunize this child in Africa". Then pan off to a picture of a kid with flies on his face. Sort of reminded of me on a hot summer day. We always swatted flies growing up. I had to help my parents in the graden and that is where the bugs lived.

No I am not cold hearted, just practical. Take that 13 cents a day then wrap around a bureaucracy, people that spend their days fund raising, people that develop logistics to get the 13 cent shot in to an arm, and the list goes on. United Way has managers that make six-figure salaries, that is the truth. Really, the Salvation Army has about the best efficiency of people that support-to-actual support, not sure that is true today.

Once you get past the burden cost of doing good deeds, then there are the number of people that want to do good. take that 13 cents and multiply it by the other people that have "only a 13 cent good deed" cost. It only cost this small amount. That is the sales pitch.

Again it is about delivery, not a cold heart. It is easy to get the emotions going. Never waste a Crisis.

We have a lot as Americans, but as Americans we can not have everything. We have limits. I like to see Social Security and Medicare one of these days, I really do not know if I will ever see it. I paid my whole life for it, hopefully it is the only welfare that I will take from the Government.

Can we take care of our own people before we take care of the world? That is my voice and it is swamped out by all the other people hawking their 13 cent solutions to fix the world.

Good luck on your issue. The discussion needs to be on priorities and return to the people that pay the bill.

Investment are not always good, just look at our American home values, I hope that your 401K is doing well. Then again, you have time in towards a Government pension and 401Ks may not be on your list of concerns.

Please enjoy your government pension, me and a lot of other Americans are giving up a lot every day to make sure you have it.

PS.....Take the cost of those Tomahawks and add in the DELIVERY COST. Costs of fuel for the ships, Cost of the salaries and health care of the sailors, Cost of the paper pushers in the Pentagon, Cost of the decision makers, Cost of flying Hillary Clinton and Obama around the world. Cost of their retirements, Cost of filling the cavities in their kids teeth, Cost of all the things that it took to launch that missile, and then add in the cost of operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, anti-terrorism in Yemen.........and do not forget the foreign aid spending........

Then as the cherry on the cake..........put on top of that heap.........the 13 cents it cost in electricity it only cost just to get that Tomahawk out of its bay.

Well, eventually we would

Well, eventually we would move to all new Tomahawks. At which point, all the old ones would be scrapped (or given away as military aid). so actually using the old ones really shouldn't count in figuring the expense of the attack. it is, after all, a sunk cost which will never be recovered. At least this way we get some good out of them.

If I have one criticism of

If I have one criticism of your work

Its that you failed to really address the financial cost of your opinion on the "sustainable" way ahead in Afghanistan, nor the political cost at home.

How many years of NPR or USIP is funded by the 25K troops you find "sustainable" post 2014 in Afghanistan? Is that force even politically sustainable in the US? You had a section labeled "cost" and detailed the mounting debt of this country but never took the next step of measuring value to cost. Same goes for the 2012 election. Can Obama or his opponent afford the hits? I think General P already knows this and that no matter how many times he comes to Congress there's no more time on the clock at home, but the inevitability hasn't hit home yet. If you're going to jump all over our action in Libya, it's only fair to revisit your earlier views.

And for the record, unless someone knocks off the Colonel soon, I worry if this thing drags out because we've already crossed the rubicon on this. Somehow watching Britain and France taking the lead on this reminds me of their grab for the Suez in 1956 only Ike had the fortitude to stay out of that one.

With Senator Kerry and

With Senator Kerry and Admiral Muller saying we will not use ground troops and with MG distributing these weapons, Libya's own people / tribes will kill each other off fighting to get to gain control. MG has just put his own suicide vest and hit the plunger. He's giving the UN the middle finger and will most likely commit much more horrible atrocities before he dies. Why are we sitting back on our hands again? WE ARE AT WAR!

We can't predict what will happen, but MG will not leave Lybia or go away, unless UN Troops go into Tripoli and take him out, dead or alive.

MG will continue to be a thorn in the UN's side and he will most likely resort to gorilla tactics himself and use subversive means to commit acts of violence again all UN countries that took part in this.

Is there a Tomahawk with MG's name on it? I hope so!

So because money was spent

So because money was spent foolishly in one place, we shouldn't try to keep from spending it foolishly in another, Abu? That's what's called a logical fallacy.

Mr. Exum has a history of this. I know he is just having blog fun, but it's a bit odd, really.

:) It feels like the old days at Abu M with me complaining about your posts!

No one who supports the spending priorities of the Obama administration should ever, ever complain about budgets. The prior administration cracked the piggy bank and the current one has completely smashed it.

I am not sure we shall be able to recover. Nations have tipping points. Robert Samuelson made that point in a CSPAN After Words, or perhaps in the Washington Post.

Pay attention to the entire budget and budget drivers, Mr. Exum, not the nitpicky stuff.

I am amused when I see progressives champion defense cuts while defending Obama Care and entitlements. I am willing, as a citizen and voter, to support across the board cuts to everything and a repeal of Obama Care. That's called being serious about debt. These sorts of cuts would affect my livelihood, btw.

Do you think we will have any money left for any USIPs in the future if we continue on this foolish, dangerous spending path?

I am deeply skeptical about the action in Libya and the reasons go beyond the haphazard spending priorities of our generally porky Congress and this feckless administration.

Fun Fact of the Day: What does the CBO say about the Obama budget again?

You CNAS lot are an odd bunch. I mean, I like it here but I can't figure you lot out? You seem to think throwing money at social programs solves all ills, regardless the program; regardless the bill.

Now, do I have to put up another smiley to show you all that I come in peace and do generally like it around this blog?

How convenient we note that

How convenient we note that upfront costs, but not the oodles of money that (often misnomer) organizations like the USIP cost the U.S. taxpayer by getting us involved in crusades around the world in the first place.

Would we like to go back and document just how many of our interventions, from Somalia onward, that the majority of the nice, pet liberal-internationalists at USIP have supported?

$81 million isn't the cost of

$81 million isn't the cost of an alternative to USIP - it, and other military expenditures, are often bi-product COSTS of interventionist organizations like USIP. A portion of those military expenditures, in fact, should added to the USIP's own assessed costs.

From just a quick search of their website, at the USIP's "Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention":

"Libya: Preventing Violence Against Citizens

March 2011 | On the Issues by Lawrence Woocher

The situation in Libya has brought the spotlight to the challenge of preventing mass violence against civilians. Lawrence Woocher, senior program officer for the Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention discusses the current developments in Libya and talks about USIP's Genocide Prevention Task Force...

How has the task force influenced the U.S. government’s thinking?

"One of the task force’s major recommendations was for the President and other senior officials to demonstrate that preventing genocide and mass atrocities is a priority for the United States, including by speaking out publicly on the issue. Vice President Joe Biden gave a speech last week at the Holocaust Museum in which he articulated a “four-fold” approach to genocide prevention by the Obama administration, which closely tracked themes from the task force: (1) “recognize early indicators of potential atrocities, and respond accordingly,” (2) “develop and implement strategies to prevent atrocities before they occur,” (3) “enhance the training and enrich the doctrine that guide our foreign service officers and our military personnel in their work to identify potential and confront actual atrocities,” and, (4) “work with our international partners to coordinate our efforts.” ...

How should this approach inform U.S. action towards Libya?

A general policy framework like the one Biden described can’t dictate actions in any particular case. But it does provide some hints. While the crisis in Libya may not have been foreseen, by now there is no doubt about the acute risk of massive violence against civilians. Although current options may be unattractive, past experience suggests that future options will become even riskier and more costly if violence is allowed to fester ..."

Naturally, the "current options" all involve getting deeper into the morass. I have little doubt Mr. Woocher, so-called expert at the government funded "Peace Institute," is more or less happy with firing Tomahawks into Libya, and having other people bear the cost of them and his continued salary.

Interesting to read "the

Interesting to read "the Pope's" explanation concerning the HQ and Task Force communication failures in Afghanistan and with J2. Building the network, good spin, but I'm sure he made some noteworthy improvements.

The entire hour-glass analogy, embarrassing, especially with the technology, hardware and software available to him. MacArthur would be embarrassed for him, if he were still alive.

I do hope the General (ret.) is enjoying instructing at Yale, but he will never teach at West Point and I'm positive that hurts him deeply.

Here's a fun fact from the

Here's a fun fact from the past:

In an editorial published on 18 July 1921 The Times denounced the British government for its adventures in the ME, saying that "while they have spent nearly 150,000,000 pounds since the Armistice upon semi-nomads in Mesopotamia they can find only 200,000 pounds a year for the regeneration of our slums, and have had to fordbid all expenditure under the Education Act of 1918."

Today 7:18 PM Gaddafi

Today 7:18 PM Gaddafi Compound was struck by an attack. Both CNN and AFP are reporting that Gaddafi's compound has been hit with an air strike. AFP says that a building was destroyed. CNN is indicating that there are two round holes on top of the building. Unit-28 (GBU-28) BLU-113 Penetrators were most likely used. This could be over tomorrow folks. http://www.flickr.com/photos/8816532@N02/1320469169/

Elf, *That's a good one.

Elf,

*That's a good one. Hillary finally made it by proxy. Maybe Monica will get a rest tonight.

*If Obama is a Multi-Lateralist, he forgot one group in his little merry band of War makers, The American Public.

*Why should we fund USIP? Three WARS! USIP is not very effective, why are we paying for ineffective?

*Maybe that is the blog fun and the joke is on the US. Try being ineffective at the place you work and see what happens.

*Walk into your Boss's office, say that you just spent $100 million plus of the company's money on Tomahawks and you are working out the reason why and where the return is going to come from.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

........One last thing. The Obama Administration is blaming the press for its open ended Libya policy.

White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer, travelling in Latin America with Obama, blamed the media for whipping up the controversy and focusing on domestic political implications rather than the results the policy was yielding in Libya.

“There is a perpetual criticism in an industry that promotes every disagreement from every side on both issues,” he wrote in an email to POLITICO. “There is no business model in the modern media that promotes comity. If we worried too much about criticism, we wouldn’t get out of bed in the morning.”

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0311/51632.html#ixzz1HEfAwqMP

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*******Sounds like the QUEEN's English to me. No wonder Americans think these guys are from somewhere else!

At least Reagan figured out how to speak to Americans. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoPu1UIBkBc

Fnord... You guys missing a

Fnord...

You guys missing a helicopter?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgBR_mAptQc

here's a good comment from

here's a good comment from Balloonjuice

Has anyone actually read the UN Security Council “no-fly zone” Resolution 19/3, ((main points here—c/o The Guardian)?
I remember when the talk about the all-Libya no-fly zone rose to a fever pitch a few days ago, even as it looked like what the Libyan opposition really needed was a “no shelling the crap out of opposition-held towns” zone. Well, the resolution does in fact includes that, and orders a cease-fire to boot.
Qaddafi’s spokesdroid responded with an agreement to comply with all of the above, incidentally misquoting the part about exemptions for commercial and humanitarian flights. Meanwhile, tanks raced toward Banghazi and al-Ajdabiya, shelling all the way, so they could ensconce themselves in the middle of town with the opposition civilians as human shields.
They got what they deserved.

If Qaddafi wants to hole up in the middle of Tripoli with his loyalists volunteering to catch bullets for him, let him. Build a wall around them and let them sit there and rot. It’s a bonus if his sons (and daughter or two) are with him, but they probably aren’t that stupid. I’d love to see if he can buy food, water and electricity (and waste removal) on credit.

The US and the coalition can still mess this up, but I think they’re doing a great job so far.

Also, the Tomahawks are already paid for. Too.

So Exum, just because COIN is an Epic Fail in A-stan doesnt mean we have to be dumbasses in Libya.
Obama is opportunistic and exploitive and using the pan-arab pan-euro coalition and the UN resolution to do what America does best.....bring the rain.
Now if we go in after Qaddafi takes a powder and try that retarded COIN missionaries with guns thing again, that would be bad.
But I think Obama is waay too smart for that.
;)

Hey Elf, reference the photo

Hey Elf, reference the photo in the WSJ you mention, you have it completely wrong there. It's not "enhanced interrogation" there, the soldier is just asking the wounded man, "hey, I adjusted the loose nuts on your bedframe, the least you can do is say 'thanks' "

Some (Abu M) may consider the

Some (Abu M) may consider the cost of Tomahawk missiles in dollar terms, but to the Libyan rebel or to a Benghazi civilian subjected to loyalist artillery barrages, these particular Tomahawk missiles have priceless value.

"weekend missile attack could

"weekend missile attack could have funded NPR for a year. Okay, so it has that going for it."

So, really, the government

So, really, the government should pay off my student loans, since they are far cheaper than the cost of even one missile!

Really, though, does anyone take you seriously?

couldn't we save some time

couldn't we save some time and drop a missle on NPR?

You know what’s funny? If

You know what’s funny? If they legalize marijuana and DON’T collect tax money they’re hoping for, the politicians will claim “legalization failed”, not because of a rise in crime or accidents (the fears they claim to have) but because it didn’t generate the revenue they hoped it would.
TUV Rheinland of North America