Missile Test Said Successful

Believe me, I have been watching the news. But between the regular ugly and the real ugly, what's to blog about? The economic numbers are ugly. Real ugly - another Kennedy in politics and Barney Frank holding court on the auto industry - as if he knows anything about the private sector outside of a prostitution ring. I imagine people have always been disappointed in our politicians. But I can't help thinking that we have a particularly incompetent and annoying group these days.

Anyway, just coasting until something actually happens. Things are in sort of a doldrum right now being between administrations and all. I think even the hope and change balloon has finally popped. Still hard to imagine America elected a media darling without a serious resume. I guess that tells you a lot.

At least there was this spot of good news, assuming our new kumbaya in chief doesn't kill the program. No doubt we'll pay for the havoc the Dems are going to reek on the defense budget just as we paid for Clinton's cuts when it came time to fight a war

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military conducted a successful test of its system built to knock out long-range missiles that could be fired by North Korea or Iran, the Pentagon said on Friday.

The target missile for the test over the Pacific was launched from Kodiak, Alaska and an interceptor was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, officials said. The intercept took place at 3:29 p.m. EST.

Of course we don't need missiles anymore, Obama gonna change the world.

Yeah ... right.

Comments

[jharp]

"the havoc the Dems are going to reek on the defense budget just as we paid for Clinton's cuts when it came time to fight a war"

So what is the magic number we should be spending on defense? Since as it is now we spend what the rest of the world combined spends is that the number?

And kindly refresh my memory how Clinton's cuts hurt us.

And of course W's goodwill mission didn't hurt us at all. Only 4,200 killed and 10's of thousands wounded. Not to mention the loss of equipment and 5 years of desert wear and tear on the equipment that didn't get blown up.

"But I can't help thinking that we have a particularly incompetent and annoying group these days."

You have the present group confused with the one that left in 06. Still we have 6 weeks left of the worst President ever but don't worry. Things are soon to change in a big way.

[Fred Beloit]

"Things are soon to change in a big way."

---------ISSUE-------------------------------------------OBAMA POSITION----
Stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon?--------------Present-----------
Increase Taxes?------------------------------------------Present-----------
Deny workers secret union ballot-------------------------Present-----------
Ban semi-automatic weapons-------------------------------Present-----------
Take the fight against terrorism into Pakistan-----------Present-----------

[WAHOO WILLIE]

"And kindly refresh my memory how Clinton's cuts hurt us."

Why thank-you for asking there harpie...... First let me admit that Rummy was continuing down the same path until 2001. He's real instrumental in our inability to fight in two theaters now and why reserve and guard units are being rotated. SO Slick Willie does not deserve all the blame. Those broken down under armored HumVee's, shortage of body armor....repairing equipment en route to the gulf began with Clinton and a shortage of funds for maintenance. Training? Oh yeah, we spent loads on social experimentation. Such wise moves as "prevention of sexual harrasment" training, "Total Quality Management" training, dont ask, dont tell was just swell and my personal favorite "Consideration of others" training. Yep, thinking about how your enemy feels about himself is REAL helpful on the battlefield...especially as opposed to learning how to unjam your weapon....or not shoot former football players. Clinton continued Carter's wonderfully wise idea of contracting support services....because YOU think it saves you money. The idea worked great during the first gulf war when oour reserve ships, the ones we paid millions to be maintained, had to be repaired, some towed and repaired while being loaded......At least one sunk. So basically, downsizing, being smaller, faster, smarter are all good ideas. But it always, always boils down to being unprepared for the next big event.

[Lala]

Time for a Mark Steyn column

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NzA2Y2E2MDU2YjQzOTQwZjUzNjcwZDA0OTE3YmFkYzg=

"Oh, I don’t know about that. In fact, you’d be hard pressed from most news reports to figure out the bloodshed was “linked” to any religion, least of all one beginning with “I-“ and ending in “-slam.” In the three years since those British bombings, the media have more or less entirely abandoned the offending formulations — “Islamic terrorists,” “Muslim extremists” — and by the time of the assault on Bombay found it easier just to call the alleged perpetrators “militants” or “gunmen” or “teenage gunmen,” as in the opening line of this report in the Australian: “An Adelaide woman in India for her wedding is lucky to be alive after teenage gunmen ran amok…”

Kids today, eh? Always running amok in an aimless fashion.

The veteran British TV anchor Jon Snow, on the other hand, opted for the more cryptic locution “practitioners.” “Practitioners” of what, exactly?

[WAHOO WILLIE]

We don' need no stinking missles.......

[jharp]

"But it always, always boils down to being unprepared for the next big event."

But Mr. Willie, there was no big event. The Iraq War was unnecessary and our military was in fine shape for no war.

And let's face it we spend too damn much. Don't you think it's a little excessive for us to spend what the rest of world combined spends?

[Anon]

You're conflating two different things again...the Iraq War and overall U.S. military spending.

The Iraq War was stupid, pointless, self defeating, wasteful, counter productive and overall very destructive to U.S. interests across the board.

However, history has shown over and over again that military deterence works, it works very well and has worked for thousands of years. When your enemies believe you are 'invincible' or too powerful to attack or any other permutation, they don't attack, they mind their own business.

When a great power is perceived to have weakened militarily or weakened its resolve to use its military, then interlopers become bolder, and almost universally, the formerly great power who got either weak or sloppy or both will fall.

Part of the stupidity of the Iraq War is that, rather than be a crowning victory that would erase all thoughts of Vietnam, it turned out to be Exhibit A in the limits of military power used in loose conformity with modern rules of warfare and conventions on treatment of civilians.

So, the Iraq War weakened the perception of US military might and capabilities. Very bad.

There is no doubt a huge amount of waste in the Pentagon, just like in every other part of the federal government, but gutting DOD is short sighted. Given the collapse of the economy, we need the military superiority more than ever to give us some breathing room to recover.

[WAHOO WILLIE]

No harpie, our military was NOT in "fine shape for no war". If there is to be "no war" then we don't even need a military. Shall we give them up? Are you willing to take that chance? Worked well on 6 Dec '41 too. Where were we 24 hours later? You're right,as "big events" go, Iraq shouldn't have required much, but did you miss the part about sending shit over that had to be repaired on the way? Not long ago you were one of the ones whining about sending the kids in with no body armor. Now you want them prepared to sit around hoping nothing happens. Yes we spend way too much and I certainly dont think we should be protecting ungrateful people's borders. Just how far do we let the Russian's roll into Georgia though? How long would there be two Koreas? Because the rest of the world has proven they can't/wont do anything for themselves. I guess we could do like WWII and wait until our merchant fleet is being sunk....we wont have to worry about a navy since we no longer want to pay for one.

Spending? Dude, all you "the public" sees is spending on bombers and battleships. If you knew how they really waste your money on stupid shit.....most of which is to make you think they aren't wasting it....you'd all be marching in the streets.

[Lala]

World Socialists not happy

http://wsws.org/articles/2008/dec2008/pers-d06.shtml

New York Times bares Obama’s campaign lies on Iraq war
6 December 2008

In an article buried on page 35 of its main news section, the New York Times Thursday provided a candid analysis of the glaring contradiction between the antiwar sentiments to which Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama appealed in the run-up to the November election and the actual policies that President-elect Obama is preparing to implement come January

read more at link

[mark l.]

"And kindly refresh my memory how Clinton's cuts hurt us."

"First let me admit that Rummy was continuing down the same path until 2001. He's real instrumental in our inability to fight in two theaters now and why reserve and guard units are being rotated. SO Slick Willie does not deserve all the blame."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Nine out of 10 active-duty Army divisions -- 80 percent of the Army's active-duty combat divisions -- are committed to Iraq, Kerry said. They either are there, preparing to go or just returned."

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/06/03/kerry.military/index.html

spread to thin fighting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. total population? 60 million.

population of Iran?
66 million.

So, in 2001 we found ourselves with a military sufficient to fight in countries with total popualtion under 60 million.

I'm sure you remember the discussion of democrats in regard to bush spreading our military 'too thin'. In the context of the military providing for 1/3 the active troops we had in 1992, we probably have been spread too thin since we followed our belief that the close of the Cold war was the end of conflict.

I don't blame the dems, the gop pursued the same belief when they took control in 94.

The military cuts provided for 200 billion surplus per year, while clinton was in office. An econmic miracle? only if you never have to pay the piper. The bill came due on 9/11, and when we invaded AG and Iraq.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_War#Coalition_military_personnel_deployment.7FUNIQ5e22ed5ef522af-nowiki-000000F8-QINU.7F36.7FUNIQ5e22ed5ef522af-nowiki-000000F9-QINU.7F

us military size, in theatre, in the first gulf war?

"575,000 - 697,000"

The whole 'Powell' doctrine of using overwhelming military force was left off the table. (I have to laugh about the whole "powell doctrine", what military commander wouldn't reccommend 'overwhelming military force'?)

[jharp]

"If there is to be "no war" then we don't even need a military. Shall we give them up? Are you willing to take that chance?"

C'mon Willie, you know it's not an all or nothing choice.

I think us spending what the rest of the world combined spends is excessive.

By a lot.

[Anon]

I suspect that jharp thinks a strong military is a vestige of the past that we can do without and that all those billions should be spent on special people's who have self esteem problems.

Yeah, the navy is in bad shape, that's for sure. I was against closing all the bases, all that did was make "the military" even more separate and alien from the rest of the country and along the way it decimated several local economies and towns...but apparently these folks weren't special or oppressed or agrieved enough to matter.

Though I am also against the star wars system or whatever they call it now since by all reports it doesn't work or even close. The military spends too much on high tech toys and not enough on training of the actual soldiers. They've also started to resemble the rest of our society in ignoring history and precedent in favor of whatever the newest trend or fad is.

[jharp]

"The bill came due on 9/11, and when we invaded AG and Iraq."

Just imagine how different things would have been had Bush paid attention to the August 6th warning and been able to stop the attacks.

I have a hard time forgiving him for doing nothing. Didn't lift a goddam finger.

And then compounds our problems by invading a country that was no threat.

George Bush's presidency sucked. Sucked bad. And we are all paying a tremendous price for it. Some with their lives. Some maimed and crippled for life.

Darkest days in America in my life. And it all happened under the watch of George Bush and a republican congress.

[jharp]

"I suspect that jharp thinks a strong military is a vestige of the past that we can do without"

Not at all.

Just saying that us spending what the rest of world combined spends is too much. That's all.

[mark l.]

"If there is to be "no war" then we don't even need a military."

as it stands, we are the only nation that can provide massive relief to devastated areas, quickly.
Even in peace, we remain the greatest force for good, in the history of mankind.

Earthquakes, tsunamis, and any future global disaster will have to be responded to by a large military force. should I be sorry that they don't get to shoot anyone?

[WAHOO WILLIE]

Harpie, there was NO specific threat that muzzies were going to fly airplanes into the WTC in August or any other time. You people whine that Cheney may be listening in to your aunt martha's cranberry dressing recipe over the phone but apparently want the government rounding up middle eastern people living in the US on some veiled threat that "somebuddy's gwan do sumpin reaaally nasty one day"

Mark when we get rid of our military we dont need anymore, we'll just use their old stuff so the peace corps can do relief.

[jharp]

"Harpie, there was NO specific threat that muzzies were going to fly airplanes into the WTC in August or any other time."

There was a specific threat the bin Laden was determined to attack within the U.S. using airplanes. I agree that they didn't provide a date or what the target would be.

And my point is George Bush did nothing. Not one goddam thing. And goes on to be re elected campaigning that he's the one to keep us safe.

Go figure.

[WBestPresidentEver]

HARP, YOUR CUSSING AT GOD NEEDS TO STOP ! yOU DISRESPECTFUL CREEP ! And if you think anyone cares if you can't forgive Bush for whatever it is you have a beef with him for that is your problem. Get over it fool. The darkest day in your life is the day you were born.
Too damn bad that Mr. Clintex did not get Bin Laden when he could have. Too bad Clintex sent our guys and resulted in BLACK HAWK DOWN and our men were killed and drug through the streets and he just left and did nothing. GOODNESS, THAT WAS OKAY HUGH? Thats the dems for ya, Chicken crap. No balls, thieves and liars.

AND HARPIE....GUESS WHAT "HE", PRESIDENT BUSH....DAMN WELL DID KEEP US SAFE, TOO ! YOU GOT A DAMN PROBLEM WITH THAT ? SHOVE IT BUDDY. AND QUIT YOUR CUSSING.
I hope you do not celebrate Christmas, OR MAYBE TO GO TO REV. WRIGHTS CHURCH !

God does not like it when you use his name in vein.

JUST ...DAMN YOU !! God is watching you and all you do and say and he is not a happy camper over your behavior or any of the dems is congress. Especially, your best buddie, Barney Franks.

[WBestPresidentEver]

May missle fragments fall on JHARPS head. Maybe they will knock some sense into him and he will have to change his diaper.

And. as far as Obama is concerned. He is learning as time goes on.

His on the job training is going to be long and hard. Hope for the good of the country he will get a passing grade.
When the US is attacked again he will freak out. He will probably hide under his desk. Bet he choses to use Kennedys Desk in the oval office as it has a trap door in the front. He can hide his skinney self there well.

[Fred Beloit]

The Harpo plan for formulating the military budget is quite interesting and deserves the attention of all smart folks. I'll lay it out briefly. Find out what all the other countries spend by going to the Muffingtonpost. Add up all the numbers. Then make the U.S. military budget one dollar less. Harpo is simply brilliant.

"Just saying that us spending what the rest of world combined spends is too much. That's all."

But gosh, how did Muffpo find out what China's military budget is? One would think they would either keep it a state secret or lie about it, one. Likewise Roosha, North Korea, and quite a few others. I suppose there are guesstimates out there though. Thanks, Harpo, honk honk.