Comments on: Let me try again

By: buddy larsen

buddy larsen — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 04:41:15 +0000

LOL –’portable fusion generator’ –meanwhile, should it ever come to that, Israel should look at a map of Texas –the coastline from Corpus Christi to Brownsville and inland an approprite distance to match the current size of Israel: 1) warm weather 2) seacoast 3) very lightly populated [mostly big ranches] by friendly folks most of whom would welcome some growth & excitement.

By: Carl Sesar

Carl Sesar — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 00:44:05 +0000

Talking it up with Syria is just another way for Obama to 1) undermine the United States, and 2) soften Israel up for the kill. Every little bit helps.

By: blert

blert — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 19:07:07 +0000

Sam…

I understand there is a weakness in their inertial containment mechanism.

Hence, they have a very short operational life.

By: JMH

JMH — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:31:14 +0000

How about we kill Assad and most of the Syrian military, and if we don’t like the guys that take their place, kill them. Rinse & repeat until good outcome. This is much easier than trying to install anyone in particular or running the country.

The Roman Republic had sort of the same philosophy. The first time some region caused trouble, Rome would defeat it, install a new government, then bring all their troops home and grant their defeated enemy independence saying “we’d rather be your friends than your masters.” Some places caused trouble a second time, in which case the Romans would repeat the whole process over again. Most places figured it out after the second time.

But some people continued to cause trouble. Those, eventually, the Romans would decide simply couldn’t govern themselves without causing trouble for their neighbors. They’d either be annexed as a provinced ruled from Rome without any self government (e.g. Macedonia), or simply destroyed and the people told to go live (or die, whatever, we don’t care) somewhere else (e.g. Carthage or Corinth).

By: Sam

Sam — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 13:26:10 +0000

Wonder how long we’re going to be in this hellish place called the Middle East.

It actually seems like the best scenario would be to move Israel out of the place altogether.

Can we find them island in Pacific Canada/US coastline and have them migrate there? Then we don’t have to worry about the Arabs/Middle East so much?

We can give New Israel the proper military protection then as a US State or a colony. Talk about a boot-on-the-ground project!

Israel’s revenge to the Arabs can be a portable fusion generator!

By: Lifeofthemind

Lifeofthemind — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 05:56:50 +0000

The sequence should have been: 2001 Afghanistan, 2002 Lebanon, 2003 Syria, 2004 Iraq, 2005 Iran. Going straight into Iraq in 2003, without securing a flank, was a bold move but proved A Bridge to Far. On the local level it worked eventually and the virus of Democracy may be inserted, time will tell. It did not serve as a jumping off point for securing America’s interests in successfully prosecuting the War on Islamist Terror in neighboring sanctuaries.

By: Utopia Parkway

Utopia Parkway — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 05:42:32 +0000

In 2000 or so during the last Israeli-Syrian negotiations the negotiations foundered on a 10 meter wide strip of land. AFAIK all the other issues had been agreed to. I believe that today the Israelis are no more likely to give up this strip of land and the Syrians are no more likely to give up the demand for it. There are of course plenty of new issues, like Iran, Hez, Hamas and whatever else. In Israel no one really is willing to give up the Golan. Israel has controlled it for longer than modern Syria did (!) The articles that I’ve read in the Israeli press make suggestions like, if we were to get real peace then we could lease Golan for 99 years, or if we were to get real peace then we could give up half of Golan etc. No one trusts Assad and Syria’s idea of peace mainly just includes getting back the Golan. They have no interest in an Israeli embassy in Damascus or trade agreements or any kind of normal relations with a normal country.

What will eventually happen is that Syria will step over the line and Israel and/or the US will be forced to act. There will be a regional war. It will be brutal. And then there will be peace.

By: Lifeofthemind

Lifeofthemind — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 05:14:53 +0000

The late Miles Copeland of the CIA, the father of the rock drummer, wrote a book titled “The Game of Nations” about Egypt’s leader who perfected the art of falling uphill. The best line was something like, “Why is it so important for Nasser to appear like a big wheel before a bunch of losers?”

By: starling

starling — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 03:44:47 +0000

noprisoners: I think your impresswion is correct. Socrates spoke to Alcibiades about this same thing well over 2000 years ago. Who will deliver the same lecture to the One?

Wretchard, a short post from 3 years on my business blog examined a MEMRI report on structural problems in the Syrian economy. http://tinyurl.com/d827em Not much has changed since then, except possibly for the worse.

By: ECM

ECM — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 03:13:08 +0000

noprisoners:

Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance and a deep need for admiration. They believe that they’re superior to others and have little regard for other people’s feelings. But behind this mask of ultra-confidence lies a fragile self-esteem, vulnerable to the slightest criticism.

From: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/narcissistic-personality-disorder/DS00652