Redlines and the Problems of Intervention in Syria; An In-depth Analysis

STRATFOR "What the United States learned in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya is that it is relatively easy for a conventional force to destroy a government. It is much harder  -- if not impossible -- to use the same force to impose a new type of government. The government that follows might be in some moral sense better than what preceded it -- it is difficult to imagine a more vile regime than Saddam Hussein's -- but the regime that replaces it will first be called chaos, followed by another regime that survives to the extent that it holds the United States at arm's length. Therefore, redline or not, few want to get involved in another intervention pivoting on weapons of mass destruction."
  George Friedman is the Chairman of Stratfor, a company he founded in 1996 that is now a leader in the field of global intelligence. Friedman guides Stratfor’s strategic vision and oversees the development and training of the company’s intelligence unit.

Obama’s Psychodramas

Victor Davis Hanson  "We know this much about this therapeutic and dishonest age: When the next horrific act occurs, one of two things will follow. Either we will rush to pass laws that will make us feel good but do nothing to address the existential crisis. Or we will be silent about enacting reforms of our existing flawed laws that might have prevented the horror, but would make us feel far too uncomfortable."

President H.W. Bush, then and now

Bush School Students Surprise President Bush with Flash Mob at Texas A and M Univ    Hat tip to Harley Standlee, Placerville, CA

"Students at the Bush School of Government and Public Service surprised President George H.W. Bush during a recent visit with a Flash Mob. The Bush School is located at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas."

*Credit*
Original song “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” by Brooks & Dunn
Lyrics by Brett Ayers, Casi Buch, Andy Card, and Rachael Young
Vocals by Robert Tarzan
Mixed by Billy Decker
Choreography by Rob Schultz (Flash Mob America)
Flash mob production by Flash Mob America

That was now. This was then: Lieutenant Junior Grade George Bush, USNR  "Throughout 1944, he had flown 58 combat missions for which he received the Distinguished Flying Cross, three Air Medals, and the Presidential Unit Citation awarded San Jacinto."
Needless to say, President Bush did not "loathe" the military as have so many leaders of the Democrat Party in recent decades.
"Old footage. President George Bush rescued at sea. His airplane was shot down. original footage www.history.com search for George bush rescued at sea.world war II ...Youtube"

Pictured: the TBM Avenger such as Lt. Bush flew

 

Abortion and the media

 

 

 

 

 

What of the US's redline on Assad's use of gas?

Mideast Media Sampler – 04/29/2013 – Chemical weapons used by Syria, or not

It would be alarming if Mr. Assad crossed a line few others have crossed. Within one minute, nerve agents like sarin can trigger eye pain, nausea and vomiting, loss of bowel function, difficulty breathing and muscle weakness. But the case against Mr. Assad, so far, is thin. Experts say the best way to prove that chemical weapons have been used is to collect soil samples promptly at the site and examine suspected victims. That’s hard to do in a war zone, and, so far, Israel, Britain and France have not offered physical proof (Israeli officials cited only photographs of Syrians “foaming at the mouth.”) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel told Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday that he “was not in a position to confirm” his own government’s intelligence assessment. Given such mixed messages, Mr. Kerry and other administration officials have said, that while sharing some of the suspicions of America’s allies, they simply don’t have the facts to make a judgment, much less fashion a policy response.

 Syrian rebels: Official military document (Division 7) proves use of chemical weapons by Assad forces. Doc attached pic.twitter.com/ewoH7HH2g3

 

 

Obama’s non-response to Assad’s chemical weapons would encourage a nuclear Iran -  "This loss of credibility and face would have three immediate consequences:

1. Assad will not stop using lethal chemicals against his people. After getting away with it scot-free, he will use them against any time he feels his regime has its back to the wall.
2. Tehran and Pyongyang will take US inaction on the Syrian chemical issue as a license to go forward and develop their nuclear and other sophisticated weapons without fear of forceful interference.
3. At some stage in the Syrian conflict, Assad will transfer to Hizballah a quantity of chemical weapons and other advanced war materiel as a reward for the Lebanese Shiite radicals’ stalwart battle in support of his regime. debkafile’s military sources have learned that preparations are already in train for the transfer.






Caroline Glick writes that it is Time to confront Obama  .... "Perhaps our leaders are repeating these lies because they want to present a unified US-Israel front to the world. But the effect is just the opposite.

 

"What their statements really demonstrate is that Israel has been brought to its knees by its superpower patron that has implemented a policy that has enabled Iran to become a nuclear power.

 

"Indeed, the US has allowed Iran to cross the nuclear threshold while requiring Israel to pretend the course the US has followed is a responsible one."....

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee(D-Texas) Spends $23K on Round-the -World Trip: Why?

Voice of Lillpop   "Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee has never been one to moderate on anything. From her wild-left ideas to her voting record, the woman seems to believe that the voters owe her a life of luxury and posh living.

"Lee’s excesses apparently extend to her reckless use of taxpayer money to travel around the world. As reported at the reference:"

....The trip costs included $19,970 for transportation, $1,292 for per diem, and $2,385 for other purposes.

"$2,385 for “other purposes,” Representative?"

 

How to respond to being called 'judgmental'

American Thinker  "When we understand the motivation of the defensive person, we can mobilize strategies to respond in powerful ways. At least two approaches are possible: conciliatory or confrontational. With a conciliatory response, we empathize with the defensive person and try to establish a mutually respectful relationship. We realize that people are generally reactive when they feel vulnerable and threatened. A cornered beast bares teeth and claws.  And nothing triggers a reaction like shame and guilt.  Read more.   Hat tip to Christy Waters

 

Americans fear government more than terror

WND   "According to a pair of recent polls, for the first time since the 9/11 terrorist hijackings, Americans are more fearful their government will abuse constitutional liberties than fail to keep its citizens safe.
"Even in the wake of the April 15 Boston Marathon bombing – in which a pair of Islamic radicals are accused of planting explosives that took the lives of 3 and wounded over 280 – the polls suggest Americans are hesitant to give up any further freedoms in exchange for increased “security.”"

 

Media toons

 

 

Obama Intentionally Hurting the Nation

conservativedailynews.com ..."Obama is willfully and intentionally doing as much damage as possible."

.... "The President rejected a proposal by the Senate Republicans to give the President more flexibility to pick and choose which programs should be cut to reach the $85 billion spending reduction over seven months mandated by the so-called sequester. That would have given him the opportunity to meet the requirements of the budget deal, without affecting the people our government is supposed to be serving. Keep in mind, that these legislatively  mandated reductions are not cuts in actual spending, but only reflect a 2.5% reduction in the growth of government spending.
 (Emphasis added)

But never forget these words:

But Obama rejected congressionally authorized flexibility in applying the reductions, and he opted instead to make the sequester as painful as possible. The Washington Times reports of emails to department heads that the administration intended to make good on its warnings of the “painful” sequestration cuts. According to the Times, the emails directed agency heads, “not to do anything that would lessen the dire impacts Congress had been warned of.”

Christy Waters

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Idiot

Alan Caruba "What kind of idiot would write, “Until we fully understand what turned two brothers who allegedly perpetrated the Boston Marathon bombings into murderers, it is hard to make any policy recommendation other than this: We need to redouble our efforts to make America stronger and healthier so it remains a vibrant counterexample to whatever bigoted ideology may have gripped these young men.”

"“Whatever bigoted ideology”? This is what Thomas L. Friedman of The New York Times wrote on April 21."

 

 Well, Mr. Friedman shares the same worldview as his employer  "Let’s take a look at the Times and how they eulogize a cold-blooded murderer:"

NY Times's Ludicrously Liberal Columnists Give It Their Worst in the Sunday Review  "Friedman then went to his solution to every problem in the entire world: An energy tax.

So what to do? We need a more “radical center” -- one much more willing to suggest radically new ideas to raise revenues, not the “split-the-difference-between-the-same-old-options center.” And the best place to start is with a carbon tax.

It's how his mind works, you see.

Coming in May, 150 years ago: The Battle of Chancellorsville

Jackson sizes up Hooker's vulnerable right flank

 

In his centennial history of the Civil War, Never Call Retreat, Catton titles his chapter on Chancellorsville, "The Darkness, and Jackson, and Fear".

"Jackson's flank attack"

 

This battle was not so much a battle of the Army of Northern Virginia vs. the Army of the Potomac as it was a moral struggle between Robert E. Lee and General Joseph Hooker. Lee had total domination over Hooker (as he did most other northern generals). Union General Darius Couch, one of Hooker's senior corps commander saw this at the time and expressed his contempt for Hooker in his report, which ended with these words:

In looking for the causes of the loss of Chancellorsville, the primary ones were that Hooker expected Lee to fall back without risking battle. Finding himself mistaken he assumed the defensive, and was outgeneraled and became demoralized by the superior tactical boldness of the enemy.  

Here is a wealth of study links

The map below shows troop dispositions at the final stages of the battle when Hooker (blue) planned his retreat back across the river in defeat. Those of you interested in military tactics and strategy may see here signs of the moral dominance Lee held over Hooker. What does this map tell you?
What would Lee have done here if he commanded the blue formations instead of the red? What would you have done with the two Corps of Reynolds and Howard?

Stephen Crane's book, The Red Badge of Courage is based on this battle.

Soldiering:The Civil War Diary of Rice C. Bull

A soldier's account:  "Among the rank and file of largely uneducated Union Soldiers in the Civil War, Sergeant Rice C. Bull was an exception--a sensitive and perceptive man whose diary vividly describes the training, daily routine and combat that was the life of an infantryman. Among the memorable passages are those of the Battle of Chancellorsville and of marching with Sherman through a devastated Georgia to the sea."
Review of this book:

 Rice Bull's regiment: 123rd New York


West Point study of the Battle of Chancellorsville  Quick View of this study

From Student of the American Civil War: The Chancellorsville Campaign

Video tutorial of the battle