Tuesday, September 03, 2013

How goes the war?

The story thus far (at least as best I can make out): Now we're going to consult Congress for cover, although we reserve the option to bomb stuff without their say-so in the future, provided it polls well in NYC newsrooms*.

What I find interesting here is how influential the actions of the other half of the symbiotic organism that is the Media-Executive branch of our government have been:

McCain and the GOP hawks have been calling for regime change in Damascus for years now, and getting ignored by the administration. Meanwhile, the media would talk a little aggressive if something particularly photogenic happened over there, but were largely quiescent until the chemical weapon incident happened, when they suddenly got all "REMEMBER THE MAINE!"

When he saw that 30 Rock had its warpaint on, only then did Barack start drawing lines and poking Assad in the chest and asking people to hold his coat and wind up for a punch...

...at which point the media started running promo pieces like "This week on Meet The Press: "What Will Be The Price Of War In Syria?" and "Is America Ready For Another War?" and all of a sudden, Pres. Urkel is all "HOLD ME BACK, BRO!"at Congress...

Barry is the guy who blusters "I'd kick your ass if my buddies weren't holding me back!" after carefully ensuring his buddies have grabbed his arms.


*The media is even more enamored of Obama than they were of Clinton because, while Clinton could be steered by opinion polls, Obama can only be steered by opinion polls of Midtown Manhattan.

20 comments:

Al T. said...

Sounds about right, with the exception of Urkel's desire to get the right position for the 2014 elections.... Might be too soon for some old fashioned wog bashing.

ProudHillbilly said...

The irony - said chemical weapons may well have had their origin in Iraq and the same folks who screamed about Bush going to war in the Middle East over WMDs will merrily support the Chicago Jesus doing same thing because...he's the Chicago Jesus.

Boat Guy said...

JD,
Hardly. Putin's the guy with his arms crossed praying that the little nerd will take a shot, thereby justifying unloading on him.

Boat Guy said...

Proud Hillbilly;
Spot on. No change. Fire for effect.

Anonymous said...

I kick your ass today if I didn't have a tee time after lunch.

Gerry

fast richard said...

What is the current state of the Russian military? Last I heard it had been much degraded since the fall of the Soviet Union. Has Putin been rebuilding?

rickn8or said...

Code Pink and Cindy Sheehan have been awfully quiet too.

Matt said...

The U.S. Military has been much degraded since the fall of sequestration. It also still recovering from the last two "interventions" that aren't quite finished yet. Putin has been busy rebuilding the Russian Military while China has been busy moderinizing and upgrading the Chinese military in particular the Navy and Air Forces.

What I like best about this current fiasco is Obama threatening cruise missile strikes while at the same time reassuring Syria that we won't hit anything really important.

Tam said...

rickn8or,

Cindy is protesting hell out of this; the media's just not paying her any attention anymore, since she is no longer useful to them.

KM said...

The U.S. Military has been much degraded since the fall of sequestration

Sequestration.
The mean monster that says we will only pay twice as much for defense as the rest of the planet.
Combined.

Able said...

Yeh, and we'd better kick those Brits out of the planning sessions in Tampa because you just can't trust them!

I know, I are one.

A Reader said...

Fast Richard -
Vladimir Putin IS the Russian military. The tanks, planes, and ships are just his backup. Bear wrestling and horseback riding are his FTX.

LCB said...

My opinion...not worth much...in a straight up shooting war with the Ruskies or the Chicom's, we kick their @ss. Maybe even both of them together.

But it'd never be a straight up shooting war. It'd be another "we support this team and they support that team"...and no matter which party is running the goobernment, they won't have the balls to finish the job. Thus...more GI's killed...and then we leave to let the country collapse...like we've done in Iraq.

And yeah...it makes me sick to my stomach...can't stand either party.

NotClauswitz said...

Can't we send the Hipster Battalion?
Classic case of "Foreign Entanglements" - and one reason NOT to get entangled is exactly because it achieves an internal political-posturing effect.

Roger said...

Have we not yet learned NOT to allow politicians start or prosecute wars?
The litany of wars started by idiot politicians for the reason of their moment continues.
Because Obama ran his mouth foolishly, now he wants to put American lives at stake to make it look like he is really a man of his word.
The US has NO economic, tactical, social or any other rational reason for intervening in Syria.
That save for the idea that we can stop muslims from killing muslims.
A process that has been going on since the 7th century and surely will continue for another 14 centuries or more.

Buzz said...

The Media-Executive branch certainly has some stink to it.
Just like the 1st amendment keeps gubmint from religious interference and supposedly vice-versa, so, too, does it apply to the press.
Our "fourth estate" is nothing more than a foreskin taster for this current administration.

Windy Wilson said...

Buzz, all the more reason to vote the straight "R" for the next two elections, although the timing of any such handoff would be suspect, given how inflation has a lag from the time of the growth in the money supply and all the deficit spending will eventually have to be paid.

Boat Guy said...

I'd be quoting this guy;
" Now let me be clear--I suffer no illusions about .... He is a brutal man. A ruthless man. A man who butchers his own people to secure his own power. He has repeatedly defied U.N. resolutions, thwarted U.N. inspection teams, developed chemical and biological weapons, and coveted nuclear capacity.

He's a bad guy. The world, and the ... people, would be better off without him.

But I also know that ... poses no imminent and direct threat to the United States, or to his neighbors, that the ... economy is in shambles, that the ... military a fraction of its former strength, and that in concert with the international community he can be contained until, in the way of all petty dictators, he falls away into the dustbin of history."

That'd be the twit who wants to strike Syria. But he said THAT stuff over a decade ago.

Ken said...

It's also nice that McQuisling wants to give this or any other amateur who can amass 270 electoral votes a blank check to ad-lib us into war, iffen he feels a sudden need to prove he does too have a pair.

Kristophr said...

Not sure if serious or Breitbart satire.

Regardless, this country needs someone competent at the helm ... mom-jeans hs to go.