Comments on: The Gates Doctrine: Caveat Emptor http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/21170/the-gates-doctrine-caveat-emptor/ Sun, 27 May 2012 09:11:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: NomNomNom http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/21170/the-gates-doctrine-caveat-emptor/#comment-1183662 NomNomNom Wed, 15 Apr 2009 04:11:06 +0000 http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/?p=21170#comment-1183662 Not to mention current interference: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=91334&sectionid=351020403 US tries to choose Ali Ahmad Jalali as future prez of Afghanistan; suggests other candidates all drop out, offers guarantees of positions for 3 other US stooges http://www.icosgroup.net/modules/reports/power_to_the_people/electoral_dynamics good synopsis of the likely candidates Not to mention current interference:
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=91334&sectionid=351020403 US tries to choose Ali Ahmad Jalali as future prez of Afghanistan; suggests other candidates all drop out, offers guarantees of positions for 3 other US stooges
http://www.icosgroup.net/modules/reports/power_to_the_people/electoral_dynamics
good synopsis of the likely candidates

]]> By: elise http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/21170/the-gates-doctrine-caveat-emptor/#comment-1183526 elise Wed, 15 Apr 2009 02:08:29 +0000 http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/?p=21170#comment-1183526 to77 have you forgotten or did you never know about the Tet Offensive, Mai Lei, the fall of Saigon and 50,000 American dead? Body counts published by the Pentagon trying to convince the public the only thing that matters is how many of the enemy you killed that day, even while hundreds of thousands more were coming? Gorilla warfare against an inferior army with no uniform and innocent civilians killed because soldiers couldn't tell the difference between combatants and non-combatants? Napalm scorching the earth, burning the flesh from anyone in it's path? A civil war going on long before most of us could have identified Vietnam on a map and old tribal animosities we couldn't begin to comprehend? I truly feel sorry for anyone who has to believe in a fairy tale, invincible country which, by virtue of it's sheer size and wealth, will endure if we just ignore history. to77 have you forgotten or did you never know about the Tet Offensive, Mai Lei, the fall of Saigon and 50,000 American dead? Body counts published by the Pentagon trying to convince the public the only thing that matters is how many of the enemy you killed that day, even while hundreds of thousands more were coming? Gorilla warfare against an inferior army with no uniform and innocent civilians killed because soldiers couldn’t tell the difference between combatants and non-combatants? Napalm scorching the earth, burning the flesh from anyone in it’s path? A civil war going on long before most of us could have identified Vietnam on a map and old tribal animosities we couldn’t begin to comprehend? I truly feel sorry for anyone who has to believe in a fairy tale, invincible country which, by virtue of it’s sheer size and wealth, will endure if we just ignore history.

]]> By: elise http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/21170/the-gates-doctrine-caveat-emptor/#comment-1183244 elise Tue, 14 Apr 2009 22:46:36 +0000 http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/?p=21170#comment-1183244 Why do you need a definition of failure, Tex? The stated goal in Vietnam was to prevent the spread of Communism and when our troops left, the South was under the control of the North. Mission not accomplished. If you think we won anything in Iraq, you aren't paying attention. Leaving up to 70,000 soldiers there for an unspecified length of time does not constitute victory. Leaving 30,000 soldiers in South Korea for half a century isn't winning. In Afghanistan, we are doing the same thing the old Soviet Union did there and it destroyed their country in the end. Gen Swartskopf understood the dangers of invading Iraq in the first Gulf War and GHWB apparently concurred. What was the original goal of the invasion? Regime change. Not WMDs or terrorism because neither existed in Iraq. What was the goal in Afghanistan? To capture Bin Ladin and rid the country of Taliban. Well, Bin Ladin is still free and the Taliban are still fighting after eight years. Fifty years after the Korean conflict, it is still communist and they are moving closer to becoming a nuclear country. Go back to our interference in the civil war in Nicaragua. Daniel Ortega is again the president and all the meddling of the CIA amounted to nothing. Evo Morales is still president of Bolivia in spite of the very best efforts and money from the US. Hugo Chavez survived an attempted overthrow of his government in spite of direct interference by our government. Columbia, Peru, El Salvador, Guatemala, just read the link: http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=283 Why do we do these things? Does anyone really know? I haven't even listed the places in Africa going back to a government sanctioned assignation of Patrice Lamumba in the 1950s when Eisenhower was president. Why do you need a definition of failure, Tex? The stated goal in Vietnam was to prevent the spread of Communism and when our troops left, the South was under the control of the North. Mission not accomplished. If you think we won anything in Iraq, you aren’t paying attention. Leaving up to 70,000 soldiers there for an unspecified length of time does not constitute victory. Leaving 30,000 soldiers in South Korea for half a century isn’t winning. In Afghanistan, we are doing the same thing the old Soviet Union did there and it destroyed their country in the end. Gen Swartskopf understood the dangers of invading Iraq in the first Gulf War and GHWB apparently concurred. What was the original goal of the invasion? Regime change. Not WMDs or terrorism because neither existed in Iraq. What was the goal in Afghanistan? To capture Bin Ladin and rid the country of Taliban. Well, Bin Ladin is still free and the Taliban are still fighting after eight years. Fifty years after the Korean conflict, it is still communist and they are moving closer to becoming a nuclear country. Go back to our interference in the civil war in Nicaragua. Daniel Ortega is again the president and all the meddling of the CIA amounted to nothing. Evo Morales is still president of Bolivia in spite of the very best efforts and money from the US. Hugo Chavez survived an attempted overthrow of his government in spite of direct interference by our government. Columbia, Peru, El Salvador, Guatemala, just read the link: http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=283
Why do we do these things? Does anyone really know? I haven’t even listed the places in Africa going back to a government sanctioned assignation of Patrice Lamumba in the 1950s when Eisenhower was president.

]]> By: rw http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/21170/the-gates-doctrine-caveat-emptor/#comment-1183062 rw Tue, 14 Apr 2009 19:56:02 +0000 http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/?p=21170#comment-1183062 Isn't Mel Goodman the same poster who wrote an article on Tammy Duckworth with erroneous information in it and Larry Johnson apologized for allowing it to be posted.... Isn’t Mel Goodman the same poster who wrote an article on Tammy Duckworth with erroneous information in it and Larry Johnson apologized for allowing it to be posted….

]]> By: TexasBuckeye http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/21170/the-gates-doctrine-caveat-emptor/#comment-1183049 TexasBuckeye Tue, 14 Apr 2009 19:42:04 +0000 http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/?p=21170#comment-1183049 "<em>And whether you want to admit it or not the Iraqi people are worse off under the present situation than they were under Saddam Hussein</em>." Have you lost your ever-lovin' mind? That's about the most uninformed statement I've heard in a while. <strong>Hummer is the new Iraqi status symbol</strong> Ali al-Hilli is a happy man. He has a wife and three kids, a prosperous business and -- this is the important part -- a Hummer. Hummers in Baghdad are symbols of much more besides: increasing security, returning normality and a yearning for the trappings of sovereignty. Al-Hilli allowed that there was something else, too, a little more indefinable, which in Arabic is hasad thukuri, and which in English will be translated later. And Iraqis love their cars. "In Iraq, people judge you by your car, and you're not a man without one," he said. When it comes to Hummers, he added, they will nearly always be bigger than anyone else's vehicle. That is where hasad thukuri comes in; roughly translated, it means penis envy. http://www.startribune.com/world/42445472.html?page=1&c=y “And whether you want to admit it or not the Iraqi people are worse off under the present situation than they were under Saddam Hussein.”

Have you lost your ever-lovin’ mind? That’s about the most uninformed statement I’ve heard in a while.

Hummer is the new Iraqi status symbol

Ali al-Hilli is a happy man. He has a wife and three kids, a prosperous business and — this is the important part — a Hummer.

Hummers in Baghdad are symbols of much more besides: increasing security, returning normality and a yearning for the trappings of sovereignty. Al-Hilli allowed that there was something else, too, a little more indefinable, which in Arabic is hasad thukuri, and which in English will be translated later.

And Iraqis love their cars. “In Iraq, people judge you by your car, and you’re not a man without one,” he said. When it comes to Hummers, he added, they will nearly always be bigger than anyone else’s vehicle. That is where hasad thukuri comes in; roughly translated, it means penis envy.

http://www.startribune.com/world/42445472.html?page=1&c=y

]]> By: Lisabona http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/21170/the-gates-doctrine-caveat-emptor/#comment-1182744 Lisabona Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:21:46 +0000 http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/?p=21170#comment-1182744 We lost 4 more ships hyjacked by the pirates from Somalia. What action 0bama will take ? Stay tunned! We lost 4 more ships hyjacked by the pirates from Somalia. What action 0bama will take ? Stay tunned!

]]> By: lee M http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/21170/the-gates-doctrine-caveat-emptor/#comment-1182721 lee M Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:46:36 +0000 http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/?p=21170#comment-1182721 We got into this war in Iraq because George Jr. wanted to prove something to "Daddy". We had no business going in there. Saddam Hussein was not a threat to us. He was all bluff and bluster. And whether you want to admit it or not the Iraqi people are worse off under the present situation than they were under Saddam Hussein. The only winners here are the imams and the War Lords. The average Iraqi has, and will, suffer more as the Americans leave and they are at the mercy of the various religious factions that think nothing of doing away with whole families that do not follow their particular line. At least Saddam Hussein, although an evil person, kept the country under control. America is a wonderful country, and I am proud to be an American, but that doesn't mean that we should try to be the saviour of the world. Not every country wants or needs our interference. No one can tame Afghanistan. The next most powerful country in the world, Russia, tried and failed. We have spent far too much in both blood an treasure trying to make this place a democracy and it hasn't worked. Karzai has now accepted Sharia Law. This is in no way compatable with democracy. We need to get out of there and tend to our own business. Insight Analytical has a post today on Sharia Law and what it means when it takes over a country. You might try reading this post and think twice about supporting any government that practices it. We got into this war in Iraq because George Jr. wanted to prove something to “Daddy”.

We had no business going in there. Saddam Hussein was not a threat to us. He was all bluff and bluster. And whether you want to admit it or not the Iraqi people are worse off under the present situation than they were under Saddam Hussein. The only winners here are the imams and the War Lords. The average Iraqi has, and will, suffer more as the Americans leave and they are at the mercy of the various religious factions that think nothing of doing away with whole families that do not follow their particular line.

At least Saddam Hussein, although an evil person, kept the country under control.

America is a wonderful country, and I am proud to be an American, but that doesn’t mean that we should try to be the saviour of the world. Not every country wants or needs our interference.

No one can tame Afghanistan. The next most powerful country in the world, Russia, tried and failed. We have spent far too much in both blood an treasure trying to make this place a democracy and it hasn’t worked. Karzai has now accepted Sharia Law. This is in no way compatable with democracy. We need to get out of there and tend to our own business.

Insight Analytical has a post today on Sharia Law and what it means when it takes over a country. You might try reading this post and think twice about supporting any government that practices it.

]]> By: Betty http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/21170/the-gates-doctrine-caveat-emptor/#comment-1182714 Betty Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:34:45 +0000 http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/?p=21170#comment-1182714 War is good for GE's bottom line. War is good for GE’s bottom line.

]]> By: Sassy http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/21170/the-gates-doctrine-caveat-emptor/#comment-1182706 Sassy Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:24:14 +0000 http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/?p=21170#comment-1182706 It was very impressive to see our missles going into the chimneys in Iraq...what precision! Yet we are still there. We are still bogged down in Afghanistan. Like Vietnam, when we are the outsiders, the home team has a turf advantage that is difficult to match. Gates thinks this will be combat of the future, but we are reaching the breaking point on sustained missions that require years of nation building. We are running out of money, time, and personel in my opinion. It was very impressive to see our missles going into the chimneys in Iraq…what precision!
Yet we are still there. We are still bogged down in Afghanistan.
Like Vietnam, when we are the outsiders, the home team has a turf advantage that is difficult to match.
Gates thinks this will be combat of the future, but we are reaching the breaking point on sustained missions that require years of nation building.
We are running out of money, time, and personel in my opinion.

]]> By: candymarl http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/21170/the-gates-doctrine-caveat-emptor/#comment-1182700 candymarl Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:16:37 +0000 http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/?p=21170#comment-1182700 Saying 'you might want to read a book' is a suggestion not an insult. Unless you think book reading is an insult. Saying ‘you might want to read a book’ is a suggestion not an insult. Unless you think book reading is an insult.

]]> By: candymarl http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/21170/the-gates-doctrine-caveat-emptor/#comment-1182698 candymarl Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:14:39 +0000 http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/?p=21170#comment-1182698 See Korea. There's still a North Korea. I lived in Korea. See Vietnam. The Communists run the government. See Afghanistan the warlords and Taliban have joined forces. The <em>warlords were on our side when this thing started</em>. Have we lost in Afghanistan? Open to debate. What was the point of Iraq? They neither attacked us nor declared war on us. I'm not saying never fight. But fight when necessary and choose your battles wisely. See Korea. There’s still a North Korea. I lived in Korea. See Vietnam. The Communists run the government. See Afghanistan the warlords and Taliban have joined forces. The warlords were on our side when this thing started.

Have we lost in Afghanistan? Open to debate.

What was the point of Iraq? They neither attacked us nor declared war on us.

I’m not saying never fight. But fight when necessary and choose your battles wisely.

]]> By: to77 http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/21170/the-gates-doctrine-caveat-emptor/#comment-1182696 to77 Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:12:49 +0000 http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/?p=21170#comment-1182696 by the way you dont even have to read a book to realize his (and apparently your) claim we have lost 3 wars is stupid, you just have to read a newspaper. And if you dont want people to "get testy" with you don't start off your comment by insulting people by saying "you two might want to read a book". Being a vet doesnt buy you license to be a jerk. by the way you dont even have to read a book to realize his (and apparently your) claim we have lost 3 wars is stupid, you just have to read a newspaper.

And if you dont want people to “get testy” with you don’t start off your comment by insulting people by saying “you two might want to read a book”. Being a vet doesnt buy you license to be a jerk.

]]> By: to77 http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/21170/the-gates-doctrine-caveat-emptor/#comment-1182690 to77 Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:05:23 +0000 http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/?p=21170#comment-1182690 you can make that claim about vietnam (and I still say it's because we werent committed to winning, it was a lack of political resolve, we quit) but to say we have lost in Iraq is stupid and I think the jury is still out on Afghanistan. "Guess who’s running the country now" that criteria for failure does not apply to Iraq and doesnt apply (yet) to Afghanistan. "How many years and how many lives and treasure will we spend?" We may be in Iraq and Afghanistan longer (which I think is irrelevant) but we have spent a fraction in terms of lives and treasure by comparison to WW2. The claim we have lost 3 wars is ignorant and is just clearly wishful thinking. you can make that claim about vietnam (and I still say it’s because we werent committed to winning, it was a lack of political resolve, we quit) but to say we have lost in Iraq is stupid and I think the jury is still out on Afghanistan.

“Guess who’s running the country now” that criteria for failure does not apply to Iraq and doesnt apply (yet) to Afghanistan.

“How many years and how many lives and treasure will we spend?”

We may be in Iraq and Afghanistan longer (which I think is irrelevant) but we have spent a fraction in terms of lives and treasure by comparison to WW2.

The claim we have lost 3 wars is ignorant and is just clearly wishful thinking.

]]> By: Mercedes http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/21170/the-gates-doctrine-caveat-emptor/#comment-1182677 Mercedes Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:46:43 +0000 http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/?p=21170#comment-1182677 It is very interesting for me to see the comments in the last two paragraphs of this article from a recognized expert in defense matters. First, maybe Gates wasn't listening to what Obama said in his inaugural address, but when has Obama ever said what he means? Obama is the biggest flim-flam man on the face of the planet. Secondly, if Gates and Obama want the American military to be able to respond to "any and all crises, even those that have no relevance to American national interests, let alone vital national interests", then to me that seems another way, maybe a more mainstream, non-tin-foil-hat way, of describing a "New World Order". If the US has this capability, the next question is "Who is controlling it?" We know who will be paying for it. When did the American people authorize the dissolution of the Republic? Change? Hope? Where is the US Congress? It is very interesting for me to see the comments in the last two paragraphs of this article from a recognized expert in defense matters.

First, maybe Gates wasn’t listening to what Obama said in his inaugural address, but when has Obama ever said what he means? Obama is the biggest flim-flam man on the face of the planet.

Secondly, if Gates and Obama want the American military to be able to respond to “any and all crises, even those that have no relevance to American national interests, let alone vital national interests”, then to me that seems another way, maybe a more mainstream, non-tin-foil-hat way, of describing a “New World Order”. If the US has this capability, the next question is “Who is controlling it?” We know who will be paying for it.

When did the American people authorize the dissolution of the Republic? Change? Hope? Where is the US Congress?

]]> By: candymarl http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/21170/the-gates-doctrine-caveat-emptor/#comment-1182672 candymarl Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:40:22 +0000 http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/?p=21170#comment-1182672 You two might want to read a book. It didn't take this long to win WWII. Then we were fighting against people <em>with an Army, Navy, and an Air Force</em>. I think that's the writers point. We got bogged down in Vietnam and we didn't win now did we? Guess who's running the country now? The very folks we fought. That means we lost. How many years and how many lives and treasure will we spend? Don't get testy with me. I'm a vet. You two might want to read a book. It didn’t take this long to win WWII. Then we were fighting against people with an Army, Navy, and an Air Force.

I think that’s the writers point. We got bogged down in Vietnam and we didn’t win now did we? Guess who’s running the country now? The very folks we fought. That means we lost.

How many years and how many lives and treasure will we spend?

Don’t get testy with me. I’m a vet.

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