lucius septimius 1/4/2020 7:51:45 AM

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Occasional Reader 1/4/2020 7:55:34 AM

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Kosh's Shadow 1/4/2020 7:56:08 AM

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Reply to lucius septimius in 1:

Well, I could hear the Reserves training, getting ready for wowah with the eye-ranians.

Kosh's Shadow 1/4/2020 8:04:22 AM

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In #2 Occasional Reader said: Also: have House Democrats demanded that Suleimani be allowed to lie in state in the rotunda yet? Or, I mean, at least, a sponge containing the larger bits of him.

They have already started the process to clone him from his nose

(if you don't get the reference click here)

lucius septimius 1/4/2020 8:07:12 AM

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Reply to Kosh's Shadow in 4:

I love that movie.

lucius septimius 1/4/2020 8:08:02 AM

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Reply to Occasional Reader in 2:

It's amazing how easy it was for Trump to get the leading Democrats to side openly with Iran.  Great optics.

lucius septimius 1/4/2020 8:11:01 AM

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WSJ lead editorial today (behind paywall, otherwise I'd post it) laid out in some detail the legality of Trump's actions.  Short story:  if you oppose Trump blowing up a terrorist, than you also must have opposed JFKs blockade of Cuba and actions by every subsequent president in defense of the nation.  To be fair, I've seen a number of leftist posters on Twitter saying that they also opposed Obama's drone strikes, but that strikes me as disingenuous -- they still were too enamoured* of the crease in his trousers to ever had openly criticized him.

*Statutory Canadian Content.

Syrah 1/4/2020 8:15:39 AM

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The Iranian navy is a collection of speed boats.

the Iranian army was unable to do much but get its own soldiers killed when fighting an equally inept Sadam Hussein. 

The Iranian Air Force might last almost as long as the Iraqi air-force did when up against the US in the second gulf war. (Wasn’t that almost an hour with most of their aircraft destroyed on the ground?)

Trump is not into nation building so I don’t see him wanting to bother all that much taking and holding ground. Trump’s style seems to be more along the break things, kill people and go away war fighting  

I don’t understand why all the lefties are freaking out over a draft  Iran does not have the capacity to wage a war that would require a US draft.

Kosh's Shadow 1/4/2020 8:32:11 AM

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In #8 Syrah said: The Iranian Air Force might last almost as long as the Iraqi air-force did when up against the US in the second gulf war. (Wasn’t that almost an hour with most of their aircraft destroyed on the ground?)

That assumes they can even get their planes in the air and into a battle without them crashing (link)

lucius septimius 1/4/2020 8:32:18 AM

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In #8 Syrah said: I don’t understand why all the lefties are freaking out over a draft  Iran does not have the capacity to wage a war that would require a US draft

Lefties know fuck all about war.  That's why it's so easy to get them riled up.  Remember when the first Gulf War was supposed to cost us 50,000 dead?

lucius septimius 1/4/2020 8:33:22 AM

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In #8 Syrah said: I don’t understand why all the lefties are freaking out over a draft  Iran does not have the capacity to wage a war that would require a US draft

Lefties know fuck all about war.  That's why it's so easy to get them riled up.  Remember when the first Gulf War was supposed to cost us 50,000 dead?

Kosh's Shadow 1/4/2020 8:35:13 AM

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In #6 lucius septimius said: It's amazing how easy it was for Trump to get the leading Democrats to side openly with Iran.  Great optics.

Not that difficult. Note that the only "Arab Spring" event that Obama didn't support was the "Orange Revolution" iirc, in Iran in which the Iranians protested Ahmadinijad's (sp?) election. But then, it was clear for a long time that Obama would kiss any of the mullah's behinds to get a "deal"

And remember, Iran declared war on the US 40 years ago - Trump is the first to actually respond (outside the failed attempt to rescue the hostages)
,

doppelganglander 1/4/2020 8:45:43 AM

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Reply to Kosh's Shadow in 12:

I've seen tons of stories about Iranians "in mourning " and vowing revenge for the so-called assassination, but very few about the much larger celebrations by pro-democracy Iranians. Maybe this is the opening they need to topple the regime.

lucius septimius 1/4/2020 8:53:37 AM

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doppelganglander 1/4/2020 8:54:40 AM

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Reply to lucius septimius in 15:

They've been informed that Franz Ferdinand is not just a band, but that's all they know.

Kosh's Shadow 1/4/2020 9:19:12 AM

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Reply to lucius septimius in 1:

There is apparently a NY Slimes article on that. 
Not opening it, but I got this in a "Pocket" email:

Sarah Mervosh, The New York Times

Interest in the draft and “World War III” surged online, stalling the government website where young men are required to register. Here’s what you need to know.

Kosh's Shadow 1/4/2020 9:29:14 AM

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In #13 doppelganglander said: I've seen tons of stories about Iranians "in mourning " and vowing revenge for the so-called assassination, but very few about the much larger celebrations by pro-democracy Iranians.

I saw one or two, I think in JPost, but I cannot find them now!

Occasional Reader 1/4/2020 9:32:43 AM

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In #8 Syrah said: I don’t understand why all the lefties are freaking out

That’s what they do.  That’s *all* they do.

Kosh's Shadow 1/4/2020 9:42:23 AM

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Reply to Kosh's Shadow in 18:
The article on the Iranians celebrating said that the media in Iran will lose all connection with the government if they write on the celebrations (and probably stronger threats, too)

doppelganglander 1/4/2020 9:50:42 AM

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Reply to Kosh's Shadow in 20:

The US media is not state-run - at least, not by the United States.

Syrah 1/4/2020 10:10:57 AM

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Reply to Kosh's Shadow in 17:

The article does not mention the number of people that were drafted to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

I am sure that the article’s author knows the number.  It is a nice round number that is easy to remember.

Kosh's Shadow 1/4/2020 11:28:20 AM

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Reply to doppelganglander in 21:

Yes, but the US media doesn't want their representatives in Iran thrown in prison, and any Iranian organization talking to the US media faces a similar problem.

It was US-based Iranians that are on social media with people still in Iran who have spilled the beans

Kosh's Shadow 1/4/2020 11:29:02 AM

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Reply to Kosh's Shadow in 23:

Plus most if the US media is more supportive or Iran than Israel.

Syrah 1/4/2020 12:26:54 PM

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Questions.

Was Qasem Soleimani more than just a top General? Was he the person in the Iranian Government that effectively controlled Iranian policy?

If Soleimani was the power behind the regime, or at least, had enough power that his opinion on policy was accommodated, what will Iran be able to do with out him?  Will Iran now be able to pursue things that Soleimani would have opposed, such as de escalating the war with the west?

Syrah 1/4/2020 12:37:48 PM

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https://www.pri.org/stories/2020-01-03/gen-petraeus-qasem-soleimani-s-killing-its-impossible-overstate-significance

In a recent interview discussing the Soleimani

General Petraeus, did you ever interact directly or indirectly with him? 

Kosh's Shadow 1/4/2020 12:51:54 PM

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Reply to Syrah in 25:

I don't think he was setting policy, but setting strategy and tactics. He was the head of the terrorist snake

Kosh's Shadow 1/4/2020 12:53:33 PM

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I have seen one article referring to a "cycle of violence", but the article was better than the headline would suggest, and gave various alternatives.

But the next time I hear anyone criticizing Israel for a "cycle of violence", I will wish I had a cartoon of a motorcycle, loaded with bombs, and driven by someone in a keffiyah, captioned "Cycle of Violence"

Syrah 1/4/2020 1:00:22 PM

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Reply to Kosh's Shadow in 27:

Does having Soleimani out of the picture change the options choices that Iranian leadership can choose from?

As to the power role that Soleimani had, did he serve at the pleasure of the black robed leaders, or did they lead at his pleasure?

it may be that the leadership circle were all in a agreement on all things, but I have begun to wonder how powerful Soleimani was in the Iranian regime. 

Kosh's Shadow 1/4/2020 1:12:01 PM

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Reply to Syrah in 29:

It gets rid of a capable general (although a terrorist one)

Kind of getting rid of Yamamoto or if the Allies had offed Rommel

Kosh's Shadow 1/4/2020 1:20:24 PM

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Reply to Syrah in 29:

I think what it does is restrict what the mullahs can do successfully. 

But bigger than that, it tells them they can't just push the US around.

For once, they will face penalties.

They captured a US Navy boat under Obama and got an apology. Trump would write the apology on the nose of a missile.

Kosh's Shadow 1/4/2020 1:43:55 PM

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One more thing - a very common comment during the discussion of the Iran "deal" was that the alternative would be war with Iran.

My answer- Would you rather the war wait until Iran has nukes? 

Once Iran has nukes (G-d forbid!), they can blackmail other countries. Put Hizballah and Hamas under their nuclear umbrella - but not so much threatening Israel, as threatening everyone else.

Start the attacks on Israel, and tell the EU and US that if they aid Israel, they will be targets for nukes. If Israel launches nukes against Iran, they'll attack Europe. Get maximum pressure on Israel.

It would work - at least if Trump isn't in office. The EU's would sacrifice Israel for any excuse they can get.

lucius septimius 1/4/2020 1:53:40 PM

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In #32 Kosh's Shadow said: The EU's would sacrifice Israel for any excuse they can get.

Those sophisticated Europeans can always be counted to look out for the Jews ...

Kosh's Shadow 1/4/2020 2:30:03 PM

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In #33 lucius septimius said: Those sophisticated Europeans can always be counted to look out for the Jews ...

As in "Look out! There's a Jew about to steal a Christian child for blood!"

lucius septimius 1/4/2020 2:36:21 PM

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Reply to Kosh's Shadow in 34:

My exes major professor, a German Jewish refugee from before the war, regularly invited people to his apartment on Friday evening for a sort of non-observant shabbat.  Martinis were the usual drink served, but on one occasion he served red wine.  As he handed her a glass he smiled and said "blood of a Christian child, eh?"