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OneCrazyDiamond

(2,029 posts)
Sat Jun 14, 2014, 02:18 PM Jun 2014

Pentagon orders aircraft carrier to Gulf in case Iraq military option needed

Source: Reuters/Yahoo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered an aircraft carrier moved into the Gulf on Saturday, readying it in case Washington decides to pursue a military option after insurgents overwhelmed a string of Iraqi cities this week and threatened Baghdad.

"The order will provide the Commander-in-Chief additional flexibility should military options be required to protect American lives, citizens and interests in Iraq," the Pentagon said in a statement.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/pentagon-orders-aircraft-carrier-gulf-case-iraq-military-163630548.html



29 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Pentagon orders aircraft carrier to Gulf in case Iraq military option needed (Original Post) OneCrazyDiamond Jun 2014 OP
"The carrier USS George H.W. Bush". n/t PoliticAverse Jun 2014 #1
I thought the same.damn.thing. Earth_First Jun 2014 #8
Wrong Bush. Nt hack89 Jun 2014 #9
Whoops... Earth_First Jun 2014 #14
Is this paid for????? nt valerief Jun 2014 #2
One purpose can be to get people out of our embassies etc karynnj Jun 2014 #4
As well as U.S citizens expat in Iraq and Iraqi civil US employees.... mylye2222 Jun 2014 #5
You're joking, of course. Psephos Jun 2014 #12
I'm just echoing the Republicans, except, of course, when they tell us deficits don't matter. valerief Jun 2014 #17
you and are on the same page indeed :) n/t Psephos Jun 2014 #22
Yes, it is paid for. ManiacJoe Jun 2014 #21
Exactly ... they are out on their regular deployment ... Wernothelpless Jun 2014 #29
Hegel, at Obama's instruction, ordered this. Divernan Jun 2014 #3
+1 btrflykng9 Jun 2014 #13
Chump change ... brett_jv Jun 2014 #16
.... 840high Jun 2014 #19
Just fixin' to get ready to get started. Raphael Campos Jun 2014 #6
Sending this particular carrier madamesilverspurs Jun 2014 #7
Coincidence - deployments are scheduled years in advance. Nr hack89 Jun 2014 #10
This is the U.S.S. George H.W. Bush, not George W. Bush, IronGate Jun 2014 #23
Yep. madamesilverspurs Jun 2014 #24
That's fair enough, IronGate Jun 2014 #25
just in case n/t reddread Jun 2014 #11
A fine sense of humor? Turbineguy Jun 2014 #15
In case! My ass! They already have their sorties planned. santamargarita Jun 2014 #18
If you mean they already have orders to attack, I'm not sure Lurks Often Jun 2014 #20
Hell, who are the targets in the first place? fujiyama Jun 2014 #26
Baghdad is not going to fall. LuvLoogie Jun 2014 #27
Why don't we send a team of senior politicos, who really believe in changing Iraq? Thor_MN Jun 2014 #28

karynnj

(59,475 posts)
4. One purpose can be to get people out of our embassies etc
Sat Jun 14, 2014, 03:21 PM
Jun 2014

To do otherwise if things get worse would be unthinkable.

 

mylye2222

(2,992 posts)
5. As well as U.S citizens expat in Iraq and Iraqi civil US employees....
Sat Jun 14, 2014, 03:30 PM
Jun 2014

But I dont think Obama really wants to put on a new military " adventure " over there. Too much sad legacy from Bush years.

Psephos

(8,032 posts)
12. You're joking, of course.
Sat Jun 14, 2014, 04:32 PM
Jun 2014

The US government took in 2.5 trillion last year. Mandatory payments (SS, interest on debt, etc.) were 2.6 trillion.

EVERYTHING ELSE we think of as government - military, border patrol, FDA, Agriculture Dept., parks, IRS, all government buildings and offices, FAA, SEC, road construction and repair, dams, etc. etc. etc. was paid for with borrowed money.

Your children - even the ones not yet born - are getting stuck with the tab for this, and everything else.

Sick, isn't it? Big bad-ass aircraft carrier propelled through the mighty oceans by the future earnings of children.

valerief

(53,235 posts)
17. I'm just echoing the Republicans, except, of course, when they tell us deficits don't matter.
Sat Jun 14, 2014, 06:52 PM
Jun 2014

It's so hard to keep track of what they believe.

But I don't worry about "future earnings" the same way the GOP doesn't worry about "future climate". Money is magic. Climate is real.

ManiacJoe

(10,136 posts)
21. Yes, it is paid for.
Sat Jun 14, 2014, 08:56 PM
Jun 2014

The ship is already at sea. The crew is already getting paid regardless of where they go.

Wernothelpless

(410 posts)
29. Exactly ... they are out on their regular deployment ...
Sun Jun 15, 2014, 04:38 PM
Jun 2014

We always have a presence in the area. They are on alert, but no more than usual.

Divernan

(15,480 posts)
3. Hegel, at Obama's instruction, ordered this.
Sat Jun 14, 2014, 03:09 PM
Jun 2014

Last edited Sat Jun 14, 2014, 05:10 PM - Edit history (1)

Let's just be clear about this. The article states Hagel ordered the aircraft carrier moved. A bit disingenuous. It's Obama's call. Even if he limits actions to airstrikes, all those anti-aircraft weapons the US turned over to Iraq are still there. Hate to see more loss of any life there, but especially US servicemen. And if only drones are used, there will be collateral damage, as per usual. Let the factions there fight it out. Wonder which of them will take over the Taj Mahal, i.e., US Embassy complex, construction costs of which have now reached $850 million stuffed in the pockets of Big Military/Construction.

At 440,000 square meters, it is the largest and most expensive embassy in the world and is nearly as large as Vatican City.[1] It employs 15,000 people and cost $750 million to build. The Embassy opened in January 2009 following a series of construction delays. It replaced the previous embassy, which opened July 1, 2004 in Baghdad's Green Zone in a former Palace of Saddam Hussein.[2] (Wikipedia).
In addition to that $750 million, "The State Department is planning to spend $115 million to upgrade the the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad only three and a half years after American diplomats moved into the massive $700 million facility, reports Walter Pincus of the Washington Post."
(2012)
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/us-embassy-baghdad-money-2012-6#ixzz34eMpRj00


As of 2 days ago, evacuation was planned. http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/06/11/u-s-embassy-prepares-for-possible-evacuation-as-militants-take-control-in-iraq/

All Obama should do is expedite evacuation - get all Americans into that bloody fort called an embassy, and chopper them out. It's the bloody fall of Saigon again.

brett_jv

(1,245 posts)
16. Chump change ...
Sat Jun 14, 2014, 05:28 PM
Jun 2014

You have any idea how much all Iraq's OIL is worth?!?

Gotta look at the big picture here ...

 

Raphael Campos

(46 posts)
6. Just fixin' to get ready to get started.
Sat Jun 14, 2014, 03:35 PM
Jun 2014

With visions dancing in their minds of smoky flame-flowers blossoming up from the desert.

madamesilverspurs

(15,784 posts)
24. Yep.
Sun Jun 15, 2014, 02:04 AM
Jun 2014

Was thinking back to the first Gulf War. It was AFTER that it was publicized that Bush Sr. and James Baker had a significant business relationship with the Kuwaitis. And it was members of Bush Daddy's administration (and Reagan's) who had played paddycake with Saddam long before W was thought of as anything other than the family idiot. The Bush family doesn't exactly have a benign history in that part of the world (or in this part of the world, for that matter). The Bush family is directly responsible for way too much death and destruction over there, even "Bandar Bush" couldn't claim blindness to that reality.

 

IronGate

(2,186 posts)
25. That's fair enough,
Sun Jun 15, 2014, 02:08 AM
Jun 2014

but the Carrier was named after him for his service to his country during WWII.
My personal feeling is that a capital ship like a Carrier should only be named after a president who actually served in the military with honor.

Turbineguy

(37,212 posts)
15. A fine sense of humor?
Sat Jun 14, 2014, 05:15 PM
Jun 2014

Last edited Sat Jun 14, 2014, 07:22 PM - Edit history (1)

A Bush returns to Iraq.

That said, it's best to have hyper-accurate air strike capability.

 

Lurks Often

(5,455 posts)
20. If you mean they already have orders to attack, I'm not sure
Sat Jun 14, 2014, 08:55 PM
Jun 2014

if you are referring to contingency planning in case they ARE ordered to attack, that's just being prepared.

fujiyama

(15,185 posts)
26. Hell, who are the targets in the first place?
Sun Jun 15, 2014, 03:00 AM
Jun 2014

Who are the militants? All of a sudden I just hear "they're worse than Al Qaeda", and some ooga-booga scary talk about these mean bad ISIS guys.

Seriously though, unless you send in ground troops - which is perhaps the single stupidest thing you can do now - what good are some air strikes going to do?

My guess is that this is just posturing. We might lob a few missiles and call it a day. Then Obama can feel like he did something. But there is no real political will for any of this. The republicans will criticize away, but at this point everyone knows the likes of McCain are just fucking nuts anyways.

Iraq will disintegrate into another Syria. My guess is the Saudis are already secretly funneling money to these ISIS fighters to further their Wahhabiist ideology. Iran will back Malaki until he's about to fall and they'll attempt to prop someone else up. Unlike Syria though, the Iraqi military isn't in good shape. I suppose the Iran will provide Maliki with some hardware and troops, but my guess is they'll be stretched thin. And what happens if Maliki goes all Assad on the militants? Will the US come in and condemn Malaki's human rights violations?

There are no good solutions. Everything over there is just fucked. There's no other way to put it. And no one is interested in listening to our lecturing and self serving hypocrisy anyways. We need to stay out AND STFU.

LuvLoogie

(6,855 posts)
27. Baghdad is not going to fall.
Sun Jun 15, 2014, 03:00 AM
Jun 2014

Last edited Mon Jun 16, 2014, 07:12 PM - Edit history (1)

ISIS has to be a self-sustaining entity beyond gathering fighters, RPGs and AK 47s. They either have to protect supply lines or hope the refugees left behind enough sustenance for an extended stay.

If Iran is really sending 2 battallions of government-backed, well trained army, I can't see ISIS holding out for the long run inasmuch as ISIS would cause the downfall of IRAQ. ISIS is symptomatic of Iraq's instability not a cause of it.

The Iraqi army is now culled of its non-commited. And Iraq is enlisting volunteers to stop ISIS. It was a big push, but it's done.

 

Thor_MN

(11,843 posts)
28. Why don't we send a team of senior politicos, who really believe in changing Iraq?
Sun Jun 15, 2014, 04:32 PM
Jun 2014

Bush, Chenney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Rice, etc. Iraq can keep them for as long as they need them. We'll even toss in Graham and McCain for free.

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