Comments on: NATO destruction https://habitablezone.com/2016/07/21/nato-destruction/ Sun, 19 Apr 2026 17:51:50 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: mcfly https://habitablezone.com/2016/07/21/nato-destruction/#comment-37036 mcfly Fri, 22 Jul 2016 00:42:37 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=58792#comment-37036 Trump, demanding full payment for services rendered. Trump, demanding full payment for services rendered.

]]> By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2016/07/21/nato-destruction/#comment-37035 ER Fri, 22 Jul 2016 00:20:35 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=58792#comment-37035 I wouldn't be surprised if every President since Eisenhower hasn't sung some variation of that same tune... Obama's been working quietly, behind the scenes, on a lot of topics that the Republicans have neglected or ignored in the past. He has deported more illegal aliens that any President before him. He is working feverishly to build a NATO-type organization in SE Asia as a containment for the PRC, something to replace the old SEATO that other Presidents have neglected. He is fighting a very effective war against ISIS in the Middle East, without committing large numbers of US troops. A war he is winning, in case no one's noticed. He has rebuilt the US economy, which is now the strongest in the world. He has rescued the auto industry, and they have repaid their debt to the US government, with interest. Except for the debt we had to go into to rescue the economy, he has cut government spending and taxes substantially. He has attempted a robust expansion of infrastructure investment to create jobs and rebuild the nation, which has been frustrated repeatedly by the Republicans because they know it would be of great benefit to the nation, its workers, and Obama's reputation. He has brought millions of previously uninsured people into the health insurance system. He has worked on a major nuclear treaty with Iran, one that will allow careful and detailed inspection of their nuclear program, rather than allowing them to work on it in secret. Has he done everything he set out to do, or needed to do? Certainly not, no President has ever done that. Has he made mistakes? Probably, every President has. Now, exactly what has the Republican-dominated Congress accomplished in the last 8 years? QED. I wouldn’t be surprised if every President since Eisenhower hasn’t sung some variation of that same tune…

Obama’s been working quietly, behind the scenes, on a lot of topics that the Republicans have neglected or ignored in the past.

He has deported more illegal aliens that any President before him.

He is working feverishly to build a NATO-type organization in SE Asia as a containment for the PRC, something to replace the old SEATO that other Presidents have neglected.

He is fighting a very effective war against ISIS in the Middle East, without committing large numbers of US troops. A war he is winning, in case no one’s noticed.

He has rebuilt the US economy, which is now the strongest in the world.

He has rescued the auto industry, and they have repaid their debt to the US government, with interest.

Except for the debt we had to go into to rescue the economy, he has cut government spending and taxes substantially.

He has attempted a robust expansion of infrastructure investment to create jobs and rebuild the nation, which has been frustrated repeatedly by the Republicans because they know it would be of great benefit to the nation, its workers, and Obama’s reputation.

He has brought millions of previously uninsured people into the health insurance system.

He has worked on a major nuclear treaty with Iran, one that will allow careful and detailed inspection of their nuclear program, rather than allowing them to work on it in secret.

Has he done everything he set out to do, or needed to do? Certainly not, no President has ever done that. Has he made mistakes? Probably, every President has.

Now, exactly what has the Republican-dominated Congress accomplished in the last 8 years?

QED.

]]> By: SDG https://habitablezone.com/2016/07/21/nato-destruction/#comment-37034 SDG Fri, 22 Jul 2016 00:07:18 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=58792#comment-37034 According to this article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/04/28/trump-says-our-allies-have-to-pay-up-obamas-been-saying-the-same-thing-for-years/ According to this article:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/04/28/trump-says-our-allies-have-to-pay-up-obamas-been-saying-the-same-thing-for-years/

]]> By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2016/07/21/nato-destruction/#comment-37033 ER Thu, 21 Jul 2016 23:42:39 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=58792#comment-37033 If what he says is true, and not just another Trump exaggeration or misrepresentation, we are committing ourselves to a potential military disaster, (or a humiliating, cringing back-down) to use our troops as a trip-wire to discourage Russian saber-rattling and muscle flexing. Lets face it, its highly unlikely NATO could stop any determined Russian aggression now, and certainly not if our allies don't commit themselves to a higher condition of readiness. So what the hell are we doing there anyway? Will we start lobbing nukes? Do the Russians believe we'll start lobbing nukes? Remember the old film "War of the Worlds", where the Martians are on the move, crushing the US forces arrayed against them? Their beleaguered commander calls headquarters for instructions, and is ordered to fall back, regroup,and to try to stop them. In other words, what his orders really are is,<em> "Stay there and let them kill you, maybe it will slow them down until we can think of something to do." </em>Dr Clayton Forrester accurately asseses the situation: <em>"Get your people out of here, General. This is no defense against that kind of power." </em> A trip wire force has some credibility (as it does in S Korea), especially if there is an implied threat of going nuke, but only if the host country has a robust military force as well and has the will to use it. Likewise, Japan and Taiwan also have credible military defenses of their own. So does Viet Nam. They may not have the ability to stop a determined attack, but they can make it costly for the enemy, and give us time to react. No, I'm not ready to give Trump full credit for statesmanship or military policy on this, but I wouldn't dismiss him altogether, either. If what he says is true, and not just another Trump exaggeration or misrepresentation, we are committing ourselves to a potential military disaster, (or a humiliating, cringing back-down) to use our troops as a trip-wire to discourage Russian saber-rattling and muscle flexing. Lets face it, its highly unlikely NATO could stop any determined Russian aggression now, and certainly not if our allies don’t commit themselves to a higher condition of readiness. So what the hell are we doing there anyway? Will we start lobbing nukes? Do the Russians believe we’ll start lobbing nukes?

Remember the old film “War of the Worlds”, where the Martians are on the move, crushing the US forces arrayed against them? Their beleaguered commander calls headquarters for instructions, and is ordered to fall back, regroup,and to try to stop them. In other words, what his orders really are is, “Stay there and let them kill you, maybe it will slow them down until we can think of something to do.” Dr Clayton Forrester accurately asseses the situation: “Get your people out of here, General. This is no defense against that kind of power.”

A trip wire force has some credibility (as it does in S Korea), especially if there is an implied threat of going nuke, but only if the host country has a robust military force as well and has the will to use it. Likewise, Japan and Taiwan also have credible military defenses of their own. So does Viet Nam. They may not have the ability to stop a determined attack, but they can make it costly for the enemy, and give us time to react.

No, I’m not ready to give Trump full credit for statesmanship or military policy on this, but I wouldn’t dismiss him altogether, either.

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