posted by O-Trap

If Ben Shapiro even sees that this is a good idea, it should be obvious to everyone.

 

Yup.

posted by O-Trap

If Ben Shapiro even sees that this is a good idea, it should be obvious to everyone.

 

While i dont disagree with this course of action I would still rattle their cages a bit about a response.

If this is indeed what President Trump does then this is the narrative I see playing out:

From Democrats:  Our troops and assets get bombed and he does nothing.  Weak.  If he does do something, it was either too much or not enough.

and if this was President Obama in office doing the exact same thing then just change the above to say "From republicans"

posted by like_that

Anyway, the more that comes out about Iran's "strike," the more it looks like they are trying to save face.  Despite the MSM getting a hard on for WWII to start, so they can trash orange man, it seems like there are no casualties and no real significant damages.

Yeah. No need for this to escalate anymore. Apparently we knew they were going to launch the strike beforehand.

posted by like_that

Anyway, the more that comes out about Iran's "strike," the more it looks like they are trying to save face.  Despite the MSM getting a hard on for WWII to start, so they can trash orange man, it seems like there are no casualties and no real significant damages.

"... no *American casualties ..."

I thought I heard that there were Iraqi casualties, though I don't recall hearing it was that many.

Still, blowback has hurt us plenty of times before.
 

posted by thavoice

While i dont disagree with this course of action I would still rattle their cages a bit about a response.

 

If this is indeed what President Trump does then this is the narrative I see playing out:

From Democrats:  Our troops and assets get bombed and he does nothing.  Weak.  If he does do something, it was either too much or not enough.

 

and if this was President Obama in office doing the exact same thing then just change the above to say "From republicans"

Democrats are going to shit on Trump no matter what he does, so it really shouldn't be taken into account when evaluating his course of action.

I don't see any reason to rattle their cages further, though.
 

So Trump is coming on TV to speak about this.  

My guess is he will draw his read line and then smack them with sanctions.  

posted by Spock

So Trump is coming on TV to speak about this.  

My guess is he will draw his read line and then smack them with sanctions.  

I hope not.  I've been told by a few people over there that it would be best if things just died down entirely.  They've all said basically the same thing: that it's best for both us and Iran if it goes away now.

posted by O-Trap

I hope not.  I've been told by a few people over there that it would be best if things just died down entirely.  They've all said basically the same thing: that it's best for both us and Iran if it goes away now.

Iran and their shenanigans aren't going to "go away". 

posted by Spock

Iran and their shenanigans aren't going to "go away". 

What about us and our shenanigans? We ever going to just “go away”? 

posted by Rotinaj

What about us and our shenanigans? We ever going to just “go away”? 

posted by Rotinaj

What about us and our shenanigans? We ever going to just “go away”? 

We get shenanigans because we spend trillions.

posted by Spock

Iran and their shenanigans aren't going to "go away". 

Based on what?  Your personal psychological evaluation of the decision-makers?
 

posted by Rotinaj

What about us and our shenanigans? We ever going to just “go away”? 

Not until we're no longer the world power.  I'd wager the Neo-Assyrians, Neo-Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Portuguese, etc. all thought their empires would last forever.  Ours is simply the Johnny-come-lately, powerful though it may be.

As for our shenanigans, it's just business as usual.  More meddling and aggression, followed by more blowback.  The cycle will continue.

In fact, let's recap:
 

• In 1953, the US government initiated Operation Ajax and helped the British government overthrow the democratically-elected, secular Iranian government and empower a dictator (because the Brits wanted that sweet, sweet Iranian oil), laying the foundation for the eventual ousting of that dictator and the plunging of Iran into decades of authoritarian theocracy and global pariah status.
   
• When that revolution came in 1979, revolutionaries besieged the US embassy, believing (correctly, but who's counting?) that the US government had shown itself to be an enemy of the Iranian people. They took American hostages, and the "hostage crisis" lasted more than a year. American warmongers on both sides of the aisle have wanted to carpet bomb Iran ever since.
   
• For most of the 1980s, Iran and Iraq were engaged in a brutal war in which more than a million people were killed. The US assisted Saddam Hussein in launching chemical weapons attacks against Iran that killed tens of thousands, and Uncle Sam even shot down an Iranian airliner full of civilians (Iran Air 655, if you're curious).
   
• On several occasions after 9/11, the Iranian government made diplomatic overtures to the US to settle outstanding hostilities and chart a path to peace. In exchange, they wanted a seat at the table regarding the futures of Afghanistan and, later, Iraq. Their overtures were rebuffed at every turn.
   
• The neoconservatives (including the Bush crew and warmongering interventionist Democrats like Hillary Clinton) have been nurturing a distaste for Iran since 1979. They've never accepted the complete failure of US intervention in Iran, and the Israeli ethno-state has its hooks sunk deep in their worldview.
   
• Obama did a good job (and you know it pains me to say that) keeping the wolves at bay, even thought the $1.7 billion was complete horseshit. Either way, the Democrats' nomination of warmonger Hillary Clinton and the ascent of Trump all but guaranteed we'd be headed toward a flashpoint, and unfortunately, Obama did a shitty job by continuing a precedent that the the President can start a war any time he wants without bothering to ask Congress.

There is no reason the US and Iran need to be enemies. The Iranian people are not our enemy. They've endured generations of torment at the hands of the imperialist powers, all because their ancient civilization happened to be sitting on top of some oil, and the Limeys wanted it.

Iran's hostility to the US is not irrational, it's the end result of decades of aggression and antagonistic meddling toward the Iranian people by the US government that has already resulted in untold thousands of deaths.

But there's good news, too.  There is generational change happening in Iran, and generational opposition to its authoritarian government. There is a legitimate chance at peace if the warmongers can just be kept down long enough for the people harboring these old hatreds to age out. The only thing that is going to ruin it is if some simpleton thug in charge of the most powerful military on earth decides to start a war because his feelings are hurt.

And here we are.
 

posted by Spock

We get shenanigans because we spend trillions.

I admire your open admission of your own sense of entitlement.

I laughed at Iran's press conference in how they destroyed part of the base "that they said the spent a lot of money on"

Dont know why I thought it was funny but $$$ was the least of the worries when an attack occurs!

posted by thavoice

I laughed at Iran's press conference in how they destroyed part of the base "that they said the spent a lot of money on"

 

Dont know why I thought it was funny but $$$ was the least of the worries when an attack occurs!

They're just trying to save face.  I don't blame them, honestly.  They live in a much more volatile region of the world, and it's probably in their best interest to get other nations to believe they can carry a big stick.

Turns out that Season 4 of WWIII was just as short and boring as the rest.

posted by fish82

Turns out that Season 4 of WWIII was just as short and boring as the rest.

That media lie, I mean narrative, lasted a mere 3 days.

Can’t wait to see what the next one will be.