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Armchair criticisms of military decisions

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storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
More like giant cherries
#76: Jan 4th 2011 at 10:35:39 AM

The War On Terror doesn't count? In case you haven't been keeping score Al Qaeda and their allies hate us and struck us precisely because we have rights. Their demands upon us basically amount to shred the Constitution, enact a Muslim theocracy and submit to their style of fascism.

The "War" On Terror has done more to damage our rights than the terrorists ever did.

Assasinations and the like might have done the job.
. We've already done hundreds of them. And the rate has accelerated since Obama took office.

edited 4th Jan '11 10:35:50 AM by storyyeller

Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's Play
saladofstones :V from Happy Place Since: Jan, 2011
:V
#77: Jan 4th 2011 at 10:44:17 AM

How is this not a war, it was declared. :V

As for going into Afghanistan, even if Al Qaeda had recruits in Saudia Arabia, it was largely acknowledged that their base was within Afghanistan/Pakistan.

We also just can't go into a country and invade it, otherwise we wouldn't just have Black Ops. forces in the area.

The problem with most Black Ops., assassinations and the such can be explained as such: We can kill Bin Laden and his closest advisers and damage his operation, but there are others looking to replace him and the region has not changed to support the US any more or be any more stable, if anything, Black Ops. can add more instability than formal invasion, just look at how much CIA blowback has led to further incidents.

Well he's talking about WWII when the Chinese bomb pearl harbor and they commuted suicide by running their planes into the ship.
RawPower Jesus as in Revelations from Barcelona Since: Aug, 2009
Jesus as in Revelations
#78: Jan 4th 2011 at 11:04:01 AM

[up][up]Oh. So much for that.

Is Obama acknowledged by the military as much as other presidents, what with him being the first US president in ages not to have any military background whatsoever? How does his diplomacy work, in comparison to the others?

'''YOU SEE THIS DOG I'M PETTING? THAT WAS COURAGE WOLF.Cute, isn't he?
thatguythere47 Since: Jul, 2010
#79: Jan 4th 2011 at 11:45:21 AM

Most of the foreign world views Obama as a cross between Jesus and Shaft. Most of the planet is happy that he's not a trigger happy nut. Wouldn't know about the middle east views on him though.

edited 4th Jan '11 11:46:09 AM by thatguythere47

Is using "Julian Assange is a Hillary butt plug" an acceptable signature quote?
Kino Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: Californicating
#80: Jan 4th 2011 at 11:46:21 AM

[up]"Let's punk him for his lunch money credibility!"

edited 4th Jan '11 11:46:34 AM by Kino

Scrye Since: Jan, 2001
#81: Jan 4th 2011 at 11:48:39 AM

The general consensus changes according to branch and MOS. For example, an Airman might think Obama's a pretty cool guy. A Marine grunt usually thinks he's better off sitting on the sidelines and shouldn't fire extremely competent ISAF commanders because they don't say nice things about him.

"True story, I came when I read Scrye's story, and so did everyone within five miles." —OOZE
thatguythere47 Since: Jul, 2010
#82: Jan 4th 2011 at 11:50:06 AM

Thanks kino, now im picturing a mini Bin Laden and a little gang beating up lill 'bama.

Is using "Julian Assange is a Hillary butt plug" an acceptable signature quote?
TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#83: Jan 4th 2011 at 11:50:26 AM

You'd think that Military and Politics are two things that shouldn't mix, but it's pretty obvious that they do and that at some level they seriously have to.

MajorTom Since: Dec, 2009
#84: Jan 4th 2011 at 11:59:02 AM

^^^ I wouldn't say that. My brother's a Chair Force (who gets his Staff Sergeant's stripes this approaching summer) and he says he and a lot of guys around him don't particularly care for Obama's policies regarding the military.

edited 4th Jan '11 11:59:40 AM by MajorTom

Scrye Since: Jan, 2001
#85: Jan 4th 2011 at 12:05:24 PM

Change it to a seaman then.

Or I could be wrong and the entire military just doesn't like him.

"True story, I came when I read Scrye's story, and so did everyone within five miles." —OOZE
TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#86: Jan 4th 2011 at 12:07:46 PM

I wouldn't take "The people that Major Tom personally associates with including friends family and servicemen that he interacts with on a regular basis" as a standard random sample (no offense intended).

MajorTom Since: Dec, 2009
#87: Jan 4th 2011 at 12:14:41 PM

^ Well considering none of the military tropers here are positively Squeeing over Obama's every move, it's not that inaccurate an extrapolation that Obama is widely disliked across the entire military.

RawPower Jesus as in Revelations from Barcelona Since: Aug, 2009
Jesus as in Revelations
#88: Jan 4th 2011 at 12:15:00 PM

don't particularly care for

You know, this confuses me greatly. Why use "don't care for X" when you mean "hate X's guts"?

'''YOU SEE THIS DOG I'M PETTING? THAT WAS COURAGE WOLF.Cute, isn't he?
Scrye Since: Jan, 2001
#89: Jan 4th 2011 at 12:20:35 PM

Because of what happened to Mc Chrystal when he was a bit more blunt.

"True story, I came when I read Scrye's story, and so did everyone within five miles." —OOZE
TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#90: Jan 4th 2011 at 12:33:54 PM

Well here's an interesting question: what if there's a self-selection bias for joining the military that coincides with a certain political stance? In that case, "Armchair critic!" is just an excuse for military men of the <Political Spectrum> to automatically dismiss those of the other end of the <political spectrum>, on issue where military and politics collide.

RawPower Jesus as in Revelations from Barcelona Since: Aug, 2009
Jesus as in Revelations
#91: Jan 4th 2011 at 12:35:12 PM

... Had a general done such a thing under the Bush administration, he would hardly have been given a different treatment, yes?

'''YOU SEE THIS DOG I'M PETTING? THAT WAS COURAGE WOLF.Cute, isn't he?
TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#92: Jan 4th 2011 at 12:36:50 PM

Well, now you're just throwing around hypotheticals~

<Cough> Colin Powell <Cough>

edited 4th Jan '11 12:37:04 PM by TheyCallMeTomu

Scrye Since: Jan, 2001
#93: Jan 4th 2011 at 12:38:04 PM

We won't know for sure. I wouldn't assume either way. Powell resigned of his own accord.

edited 4th Jan '11 12:39:21 PM by Scrye

"True story, I came when I read Scrye's story, and so did everyone within five miles." —OOZE
TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#94: Jan 4th 2011 at 12:39:41 PM

Didn't the Bush presidency have a nasty habit of getting rid of people that didn't agree with them? I think it's safer to assume that they would have kicked someone out than to assume that they wouldn't have, and that it's not a ballsy statement to begin with. We can't know for certain, but anyone who was okay with Bush getting rid of people of whatever status he did really shouldn't hold Obama to different standards. Even for the military.

<Strokes armrests>

Yeah. "Resigned." Pfft. Just like Nixon. Nah, that's not fair. Some resignations aren't forced from above, and I don't know enough to say in this instance.

edited 4th Jan '11 12:40:40 PM by TheyCallMeTomu

storyyeller More like giant cherries from Appleloosa Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
More like giant cherries
#95: Jan 4th 2011 at 1:24:53 PM

How is this not a war, it was declared

I don't think you can officially declare war on an emotion.

Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's Play
saladofstones :V from Happy Place Since: Jan, 2011
:V
#96: Jan 4th 2011 at 1:31:21 PM

Don't be a smartass.

Well he's talking about WWII when the Chinese bomb pearl harbor and they commuted suicide by running their planes into the ship.
pvtnum11 OMG NO NOSECONES from Kerbin low orbit Since: Nov, 2009 Relationship Status: We finish each other's sandwiches
OMG NO NOSECONES
#97: Jan 4th 2011 at 1:36:03 PM

I work with a lot of career navy veterans. They don't like Obama. Some actually hate the man. I have nothing personal against him, I just disagree with a few of his decisions and policies.

And yes. Politics and the military are intertwined. The military does what the politicians tell them to do.

Happiness is zero-gee with a sinus cold.
DasAuto Sapere Aude from Eastphalia Since: Jul, 2009
Sapere Aude
#98: Jan 4th 2011 at 2:27:22 PM

Most of the foreign world views Obama as a cross between Jesus and Shaft.
ASFIK the leaked diplomatic cables actually showed that people didn't really warm up to Obama beyond a superficial level and even that has moslty worn off by now. He's still more popular than Bush but that doesn't say much.

Now if you excuse me, Starfleet is about to award the Christopher Pike Medal to my dick.SF Debris
saladofstones :V from Happy Place Since: Jan, 2011
:V
#99: Jan 4th 2011 at 3:59:29 PM

At least in Belgium hes viewed extremely poorly, especially among the Socialists oddly enough.

Part of the problem with Bush, in Belgium, is that a lot of people believe that Bush was involved with 9/11 and a lot of people here also don't understand that the Bin Laden family is a major political faction within Saudi Arabia and given that Bush was in oil, it was only natural they would have a relationship.

edited 4th Jan '11 4:01:04 PM by saladofstones

Well he's talking about WWII when the Chinese bomb pearl harbor and they commuted suicide by running their planes into the ship.
RawPower Jesus as in Revelations from Barcelona Since: Aug, 2009
Jesus as in Revelations
#100: Jan 4th 2011 at 4:01:24 PM

Why? For not doing stuff? His administration is Clinton I all over again! Despite the fact that, by choosing a conservative (by Democrate standards), veteran Cabinet unlike Clinton, he had tried to avert the same mistake.

So the attacks have been diminishing for the two last years. Does that have anything to do with Obama's promise that the USA would retreat?

edited 4th Jan '11 4:03:16 PM by RawPower

'''YOU SEE THIS DOG I'M PETTING? THAT WAS COURAGE WOLF.Cute, isn't he?

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