An Open Letter To President Obama.

[Peregrinator]

William R. Polk in The Nation:

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20091019/polk

"In recent events I see an opportunity to accomplish American objectives while avoiding a course of action that could derail plans for your presidency, just as the Vietnam War ruined the presidency of Lyndon Johnson."

I thought he made some interesting points.

[Wok]

Originally Posted by Peregrinator

William R. Polk in The Nation:

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20091019/polk

"In recent events I see an opportunity to accomplish American objectives while avoiding a course of action that could derail plans for your presidency, just as the Vietnam War ruined the presidency of Lyndon Johnson."

I thought he made some interesting points.

The Nation hates America.

TERRORIST.

[rosco rathbone]

We got out of Vietnam and the world did not end as predicted.

[Peregrinator]

Originally Posted by rosco rathbone

We got out of Vietnam and the world did not end as predicted.

Isn't it funny how that worked? It's not a dictatorship either.

[Wok]

Originally Posted by rosco rathbone

We got out of Vietnam and the world did not end as predicted.

And the communism did not spread.

[Wok]

Originally Posted by Peregrinator

Isn't it funny how that worked? It's not a dictatorship either.

Yeah, they had some economic reforms...

[Peregrinator]

Originally Posted by Wok

Yeah, they had some economic reforms...

Just a few.

[busybody]

http://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=678590

[busybody]

Originally Posted by Wok

The Nation hates America.

TERRORIST.

word

[rosco rathbone]

We'll end up getting out of Afghanistan eventually and probably patrolling via drones, spies, special forces and whatnot in order to prevent AQ strongholds from reforming.

[Wok]

Originally Posted by rosco rathbone

We'll end up getting out of Afghanistan eventually and probably patrolling via drones, spies, special forces and whatnot in order to prevent AQ strongholds from reforming.

The Soviet Union did not have much luck.

[Wok]

Originally Posted by Peregrinator

William R. Polk in The Nation:

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20091019/polk

"In recent events I see an opportunity to accomplish American objectives while avoiding a course of action that could derail plans for your presidency, just as the Vietnam War ruined the presidency of Lyndon Johnson."

I thought he made some interesting points.

Oh, and Helen Thomas had some advice tor Obama too along similar lines.

And yes, she hates America too.

[rosco rathbone]

Originally Posted by Wok

The Soviet Union did not have much luck.

They weren't exactly keeping the gloves on, either.

[Wok]

Originally Posted by rosco rathbone

They weren't exactly keeping the gloves on, either.

Yeah, you are right.

[rosco rathbone]

In his pretty decent book Losing Hurts Twice As Bad which I read a little while ago, Christopher Fettweis challenges the "if we don't fight them there, we'll fight them here" argument. He says that modern terrorists like the 9-11 cell do most of their work in society. They don't need cave hideouts in the Himalayan foothills to be effective.

[Peregrinator]

Originally Posted by Wok

Oh, and Helen Thomas had some advice tor Obama too along similar lines.

And yes, she hates America too.

I go back and forth with her. But no one can argue with her experience.

[Peregrinator]

Originally Posted by rosco rathbone

In his pretty decent book Losing Hurts Twice As Bad which I read a little while ago, Christopher Fettweis challenges the "if we don't fight them there, we'll fight them here" argument. He says that modern terrorists like the 9-11 cell do most of their work in society. They don't need cave hideouts in the Himalayan foothills to be effective.

That makes sense. Osama had to hide somewhere with the whole damn world looking for him, but so many of the "foiled plot" types have been found in England and the US.

[rosco rathbone]

Originally Posted by Peregrinator

That makes sense. Osama had to hide somewhere with the whole damn world looking for him, but so many of the "foiled plot" types have been found in England and the US.

He's irrelevant anyway. It's a decentralized structure. It's satisfying to feel like we've decapitated it, but even after we hang Osama there will be attacks.

[Peregrinator]

Originally Posted by rosco rathbone

He's irrelevant anyway. It's a decentralized structure. It's satisfying to feel like we've decapitated it, but even after we hang Osama there will be attacks.

Yup. That was part of the genius of the whole organization.

[rosco rathbone]

Originally Posted by Peregrinator

Yup. That was part of the genius of the whole organization.

The main thing that chaps my ass is "nation building".

All you have to do in order to tell how well that's going to work out is imagine how you'd feel if a bunch of dudes in turbans and head towels showed up in your neighborhood and, backed by a couple tens of thousands of scared teenagers with machine guns, began to tell you that everything about your way of life was wrong.

What's so hard to understand about that?

Then someone always comes along when you make this argument and calls you "arrogant". News flash: People in Afghanistan want some of what we have, sure, but that doesn't mean they want us "nation building." They have a nation and proud traditions going back thousands of years.

They aren't stupid. They know that with Western capitalism and markets and democracy comes all the down-side of Western culture. Shit like feminism, Hollywood, and a bunch of other stuff they hate ten times as badly as the most backwards Bible Belt trog.

[Peregrinator]

Originally Posted by rosco rathbone

The main thing that chaps my ass is "nation building".

All you have to do in order to tell how well that's going to work out is imagine how you'd feel if a bunch of dudes in turbans and head towels showed up in your neighborhood and, backed by a couple tens of thousands of scared teenagers with machine guns, began to tell you that everything about your way of life was wrong.

What's so hard to understand about that?

Then someone always comes along when you make this argument and calls you "arrogant". News flash: People in Afghanistan want some of what we have, sure, but that doesn't mean they want us "nation building." They have a nation and proud traditions going back thousands of years.

They aren't stupid. They know that with Western capitalism and markets and democracy comes all the down-side of Western culture. Shit like feminism, Hollywood, and a bunch of other stuff they hate ten times as badly as the most backwards Bible Belt trog.

I've been saying that all along myself. If any other country attacked us and deposed our government, for whatever reason, I'd suddenly become a "terrorist" or "freedom fighter," depending on who was labeling me. You can bet your ass I'd kill as many of them as I could, whatever the label. And I'd take whatever help I could get, from whomever was offering. Iran wants to give me weapons and training? Great! Mexico? Excellent. Anyone at all that wanted to help me drive them the fuck out.

[rosco rathbone]

Originally Posted by Peregrinator

I've been saying that all along myself. If any other country attacked us and deposed our government, for whatever reason, I'd suddenly become a "terrorist" or "freedom fighter," depending on who was labeling me. You can bet your ass I'd kill as many of them as I could, whatever the label. And I'd take whatever help I could get, from whomever was offering. Iran wants to give me weapons and training? Great! Mexico? Excellent. Anyone at all that wanted to help me drive them the fuck out.

My theory on this is that we are stuck in 1945.

[Peregrinator]

Originally Posted by rosco rathbone

My theory on this is that we are stuck in 1945.

Philosophically, yeah. Unfortunately, the other guys aren't.

[rosco rathbone]

Originally Posted by Peregrinator

Philosophically, yeah. Unfortunately, the other guys aren't.

I'm just saying, we are always expecting to be welcomed with flowers and unconditional surrender.

[Peregrinator]

Originally Posted by rosco rathbone

I'm just saying, we are always expecting to be welcomed with flowers and unconditional surrender.

Yeah, exactly. The whole run-up to Iraq was filled with that sort of nonsense.