Thursday, August 14, 2008

How festive...

Rice spoke after Bush's announcement that U.S. aircraft and ships would deliver humanitarian aid to victims of the fighting.

Bush and Rice warned Russia not to interfere with the delivery of humanitarian aid, noting that Tuesday's French-brokered cease-fire allows for the delivery of international relief, and expressed concern over reports that Russian units were continuing to advance into Georgian cities despite Tuesday's cease-fire.


So there will be U.S. military aircraft and ships in a position to come under fire from the Russkies as they deliver humanitarian aid to refugees in Georgia. Gosh, how could that go wrong?

One of the more plausible WWIII scenarios in the late 1980s was a civil war in post-Khomeini Iran. The Soviets pick a side, we pick a side. We send materiel, they send materiel. They send advisors, we send advisors. We send troops, they send troops. Next thing you know, the First Guards Tank Army is through the Fulda Gap and driving for Frankfurt.

Things get touchy any time the military units of nuclear-armed nations are in the same neighborhood.

14 comments:

Earl said...

We must be brave, I found it interesting to watch Ms. Rice speak with such logic and firmness about Georgia and Russia - wondering why McCain and Obama are the choices for President - when there are so many better adults that could be President. Is this a design flaw in American politics?

Words Twice said...

“Things get touchy any time the military units of nuclear-armed nations are in the same neighborhood.”

This is true. Remember the Pristina airport incident in 1999?

West, By God said...

I think that's the point... Russia knows that if there are any "incidents" with US troops, it will be a Very Bad Thing (tm). Putting our troops in "harms way" is akin to using them as human shields... but it is likely to be far more effective at stopping Putin and his cronies than normal diplomatic "talks" (aka oratorical masturbation). In addition, delivering humanitarian aid puts us in a better position in case the conflict escalates.

Earl: I think Rice is too smart to run for president. If she had wanted to run, both Obama and Hillary's main campaigning points would have become moot.

Anonymous said...

rice could never be pres, no matter how good she is. Most of black America loathes her thanks to the media depiction of her as a "bush house ni##er".

Less said...

A possibility of war on three fronts.

great...

Joseph said...

So we stand by and do nothing? Maybe talk them into going home?

perlhaqr said...

So we stand by and do nothing? Maybe talk them into going home?

Y'know if we're going to go out and clean up the messes of everyone else in the world, we'd better start getting paid for it.

Anonymous said...

Ahhhh! The Fulda Gap. I was there for three years. That fact alone was sufficient to deter the Soviets. That and the fact that this time, whoever rolled over France was gonna have to KEEP it...

MC

Anonymous said...

perlhaqr said...
Y'know if we're going to go out and clean up the messes of everyone else in the world, we'd better start getting paid for it.
11:09 AM, August 14, 2008


Virgins or cattle?

Johnny said...

If the First Guards Tank Army had been looking like getting seriously anywhere near the Fulda Gap the nukes would have been in the air before the lead tanks had a chance to warm their engines. On the bright side that probably means our nukes would have taken out the Germans as well. Score.

Brian J. said...

It's probably not too late to mention that this house remains available, complete with multi-level bomb shelter.

Of course, it's been on the market and on the Internet for the better part of a decade now, so its neighbors will all be trying to open the formerly secret door into it if the bombs should fall.

Also, the real estate investors have really prettied up the bomb shelter with a lot of paint. I don't know if I like the new look and am not sure whether a homey bomb shelter would make me feel better than a utilitarian looking one, but that's just me.

Anonymous said...

I think that's the point...

+1

Better late than never.

Anonymous said...

During the Yom Kippur War of '73, the US naturally supported Israel and the Sovs naturally got behind Syria and Egypt. Go look at that on a map.

What you had was opposed aerial supply lines crossing each other at right angles. They worked it out.

This Georgian thing is getting very dodgy now, what with the Polish ABM caper, but we'll see if the supply thing gets out of hand. We've seen this before.

Anonymous said...

I got an emergency phone call Tuesday and for five minutes was on the hook to go over there. Then a second call said "never mind, we got somebody closer to take it."

Still haven't decided how I feel about that.