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Why Soleimani Was Killed...

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  • #31
    Originally posted by Starlight View Post
    ...6 Pentagon officials have resigned in the last month...
    Let's see if one of our Media Tourists can name them or their position. FYI, 26,000 people work at the Pentagon. Resigning happens on a daily basis for a host of reasons.
    That's what
    - She

    Without a clear-cut definition of sin, morality becomes a mere argument over the best way to train animals
    - Manya the Holy Szin (The Quintara Marathon)

    I may not be as old as dirt, but me and dirt are starting to have an awful lot in common
    - Stephen R. Donaldson

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    • #32
      The message Ayatollah Ali Khamenei received...

      Atheism is the cult of death, the death of hope. The universe is doomed, you are doomed, the only thing that remains is to await your execution...

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbnueb2OI4o&t=3s

      Comment


      • #33
        Originally posted by Mountain Man View Post
        Also, whatever attacks might have been planned in the near future will have those militias saying, "Uh, our head guy just got waxed. Maybe we should lay low for a bit."
        And when they hand the "command jacket" to his replacement, will he ask "why does this have a bull's eye on the back"?
        The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

        Comment


        • #34
          Alarmists Were Wrong about the Soleimani Strike

          I suppose the love affair between the leftists and this "beloved general" has gotten lost in all the impeachment hoopla?

          Tehran’s response to it shows that the current U.S. policy toward Iran is working.

          Two weeks ago, the United States seemed on the brink of starting another war in the Middle East after a drone strike killed Iran’s most notorious spymaster, Qasem Soleimani, as he departed an international airport in Baghdad. The shadowy general, in charge of the Iranian equivalent of the CIA, was one of the most effective operatives in the Middle East’s history. He built a sprawling army of proxy militias throughout the region and helped expand Tehran’s dominance in nearby countries.

          But the dust has now settled, and none of the doomsday scenarios that so many in the media warned about has come to pass. It is true that Iran launched a missile attack into U.S. bases in Iraq, but the attack was merely symbolic. As Iraqi officials revealed the following day, Iran had informed them of an imminent attack on U.S. bases, a message that the Iraqis promptly and predictably passed on to the Americans. No fatalities were recorded, but the Iranian regime still told its followers that dozens if not hundreds of Americans were killed as a result of the retaliation.

          Indeed, none of the doomsday scenarios were plausible to begin with. Iran has a narrow menu of options in terms of escalation against the U.S. It is not interested in a direct war with the U.S., nor are any of its proxies or allies in the region. The regime faces increasingly crippling sanctions imposed by Washington, and domestic unrest is building up with occasional street protests. Also, its allies in Iraq and Lebanon have been under unprecedented pressure from grassroots protests, persistent since October. In Syria, the currency is collapsing on historic levels as more than one third of the country remains outside the control of the Iranian-backed government. Iran is embroiled in domestic and regional crises, and many of the gains it made in recent years are still tenuous.

          In the panic that followed the news of Soleimani’s killing, that essential context was overlooked. Pundits and former officials warned of a showdown, between Iran and the U.S., that Tehran would not want. When the confrontation did not pan out, critics still maintained that this was mere luck. One journalist suggested that the war was averted because the mullahs in Iran exercised “more restraint” than the U.S. did.

          In reality, the alarmism was never warranted. ....
          The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

          Comment


          • #35
            Originally posted by JimL View Post
            So, are we to believe that the death of Soleimani puts an end to the planned attacks he made?
            The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

            Comment


            • #36
              Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
              Alarmists Were Wrong about the Soleimani Strike

              I suppose the love affair between the leftists and this "beloved general" has gotten lost in all the impeachment hoopla?

              "Alarmists": This was an irresponsible, likely illegal action that could very well lead to outright war with Iran.

              <Several reports that show the administration's rationale for the strike was a lie>

              <Iran chooses a symbolic retaliatory strike, killing Iraqis and injuring Americans>

              <Administration lies about casualties in effort to deescalate>

              NAT REV: "See? No war!"

              --Sam
              "I wonder about the trees. / Why do we wish to bear / Forever the noise of these / More than another noise / So close to our dwelling place?" — Robert Frost, "The Sound of Trees"

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              • #37
                Originally posted by Sam View Post
                "Alarmists": This was an irresponsible, likely illegal action that could very well lead to outright war with Iran.
                Perhaps you're unaware that your statement sounds just a tad 'alarmist'?
                The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                Comment


                • #38
                  Originally posted by Sam View Post
                  <Iran chooses a symbolic retaliatory strike, killing Iraqis and injuring Americans>
                  On this point, I'm definitely not comfortable...

                  U.S. says 34 troops diagnosed with traumatic brain injury after Iran strike

                  WASHINGTON, Jan 24 (Reuters) - The Pentagon said on Friday that 34 service members had been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury following missile strikes by Iran on a base in Iraq earlier this month, a number higher than the military had previously announced.

                  President Donald Trump and other top officials initially said Iran's attack had not killed or injured any U.S. service members.

                  Last week the U.S. military said 11 U.S. troops had been treated and transferred out of Iraq for concussion symptoms after the attack on the Ain al-Asad air base in western Iraq and this week said additional troops had been moved out of Iraq for potential injuries.

                  Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman told reporters that 17 service members diagnosed had already returned to duty in Iraq.

                  Eight service members who had been previously transported to Germany had been moved to the United States and would receive treatment at either Walter Reed military hospital or their home bases.

                  Hoffman said the service members were being treated on an outpatient basis and were transported back to the United States in order to be closer to their pre-deployment bases.

                  Nine service members remain in Germany and are undergoing evaluations and treatment.

                  Hoffman said the military had seen symptoms like headaches, dizziness, sensitivity to light and nausea.

                  On Wednesday, Trump appeared to play down the injuries, saying he "heard that they had headaches and a couple of other things."
                  The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                  Comment


                  • #39
                    Alarmists were wrong because Trump and his subordinates were willing to lie* so deescalation can happen. This surprised those used to hawkish neocons and neolibs at the wheel.

                    Iran also did their share of lying to deescalate. Despite the 'Death to America' slogans that people take far too seriously, Iran's leaders are very cool and pragmatic, meaning no open war.

                    *As Starlight points out, believing any of the justifications given is for the gullible.
                    Last edited by demi-conservative; 01-25-2020, 01:41 PM.
                    Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.

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                    • #40
                      Originally posted by seanD View Post
                      4-D chess?
                      For once shunya is making sense, though it is more likely that the hawks were behind it.
                      Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.

                      Comment


                      • #41
                        Originally posted by demi-conservative View Post
                        Alarmists were wrong because Trump and his subordinates were willing to lie* so deescalation can happen. This surprised those used to hawkish neocons and neolibs at the wheel.

                        Iran also did their share of lying to deescalate. Despite the 'Death to America' slogans that people take far too seriously, Iran's leaders are very cool and pragmatic, meaning no open war.

                        *As Starlight points out, believing any of the justifications given is for the gullible.
                        Yes, as I've pointed out numerous times, "lying" often seems to be the language of diplomacy. It's not at all unusual for the US, for instance, to publicly scold Israel for attacking a nuclear site, while privately high-fiving them and coordinating with them.
                        The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                        Comment


                        • #42
                          Now that the dust has settled, demi will just observe that there are downsides to assassinating an ally* who was on a peaceful mission, a helpful and effective ally against the Taliban in 2001 and ISIS recently. On the other hand, just about anyone who is anyone in the Middle East has been both an ally and enemy of the US many times over.

                          *going by the new standard of 'da Kurds are our allies'.
                          Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.

                          Comment


                          • #43
                            Originally posted by demi-conservative View Post
                            Now that the dust has settled, demi will just observe that there are downsides to assassinating an ally* who was on a peaceful mission, a helpful and effective ally against the Taliban in 2001 and ISIS recently. On the other hand, just about anyone who is anyone in the Middle East has been both an ally and enemy of the US many times over.

                            *going by the new standard of 'da Kurds are our allies'.
                            The prevailing loyalty being "our enemy's enemy is our friend (today)"
                            The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                            Comment


                            • #44
                              Originally posted by demi-conservative View Post
                              For once shunya is making sense, though it is more likely that the hawks were behind it.
                              They're demanding US withdrawal as we speak. Instead Trump threatened them with sanctions. I don't think he did it as an out, I think he did it because he was pressured by the senators like that article reported. That just makes more sense to me. And there's no more reason Trump will order a pullout in Iraq than in Afghanistan. He doesn't have the backbone to go up against the MIC and hawks in Washington that prostitute for them (even less now that they have that impeachment noose around his neck). And now, because tensions are heightened, US troops are even more vulnerable than before. But... no war lol.

                              Comment


                              • #45
                                Originally posted by JimL View Post
                                So what? It's possibly true, but if so the President played right into their hands. If that story is true, then other than his own death, the outcome is exactly what Soleimani intended.
                                No JimL it was not President Trump playing into the Iranian hands the objective was to kill Soleimani and the group that was planning more attacks. if he was playing into the Iranian hands why did they only make a token attack with plenty of warning hmm.

                                Comment

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