So it begins...

CNN announcing the re-call of thousands of inactive Marines...

Funny this should happen the same days Iran say "No way."

edit: spelling

Retired? I'm clueless here...

That's inactive ready reserve. It's the time left on your contract after you leave the service, stop training and are no longer getting paid. They still have a right by law to call you back up until you've been out long enough they don't still own a piece of you butt.

anxious former Marines out there. :-(

The proof of the pudding ... (and all that) :evilgrin:

call me on it. ;-)
I saw a retired general on Tweety recently referred to as a former general, and it got my ire up. But if they're not retired, what do you call them?

:rofl:

"has-been"???

:rofl: :rofl:

as the numbers they are bantering about are far too small for an invasion, and the mere fact the recall has been publicly acknowledged (it's been going on for years) points to continued serious deficiencies in our military readiness. But YMMV.

The plan is to perform "strategic airstrikes". How they think they'll achieve anything without a followup ground invasion is beyond me, because Iran isn't going to just sit back and take us hitting them like that. But BushCo aren't known for thinking beyond the base satisfaction of shock & awe.

What possible use will 1400 Marines serve in a strategic air attack? And yet, we'll see at least that many people on this board claim this is but a prelude to war. And this, despite as I initially pointed out, this action makes even strategic air strikes less likely as the public absorbs the implications of more foolhardy adventurism. And with disapproval for Iraq forging past 60%, I think any sort of adventure increasingly less likely.

But I don't put anything past Bush**. Remember the public was strongly against invading Iraq without UN approval and he contrived to do it anyway. Remember America was strongly against privatizing Social Security, and several months later he snuck his plan into an irrelevant bill. (Which was defeated, thankfully.)

BushCo don't give a hoot what the American people think, apart from around election time. If Bush** wants to do Iran, he will...and he very much wants to. I won't be surprised if it happens sometime after the midterms. Naturally it'll be wholly trumped up and an unmitigated disaster. But he's desperate to leave his mark, and he'll be even more desperate if the Dems win back even part of Congress.

As for the extra troops...Bush** has quite a nasty problem in Iraq. He needs to protect the puppet government/Green Zone. An extra thousand or so Marines will help immensely, though I truly fear that in the end it will prove to be an impossible mission.

Junior and the Fascist right operate on 'logic' that has only one objective: profit and power. When we assume any other objective, the behavior appears illogical to the point of insanity. When, however, we look at what they've actually 'accomplished,' everything appears logical.

Now, the primary rationale we rely upon to ease our misgivings about their intention to open up a full-blown war with Iran is the question of troop strength and the need for a draft in order to gain sufficient cannon fodder to wage a ground campaign in Iran. We assume (under current circumstances) that the American public (and Congress) won't stand for it. This regime does, however, have the latitude under the War Powers Act (which I regard as unconstitutional), to "respond" to an emergency by making massive air strikes on Iran. Iran would obviously target any American forces within range - and that includes 150,000 personnel in Iraq. At that point, what would Congress do? Refuse?

Once these power-mad bastards got the ball rolling, most people would think we have no choice. I don't think they give a shit about "approval" including "approval ratings" as long as they've got their snouts in the trough. And their snouts are in the trough for a long, long time to come.

Bush laid it down at yesterday's *ahem* press conference.

Congress...go 'F' yourself. Common people...go 'F' yourself. Bush declared publicly that he is stripping war powers from Congress. He declared publicly and with great emphasis that he is the Unitary Executive.

The Decider has decided and the rest of us are just chaffe...

That was one of the dirty little stories not widely reported.

Sorry; bad joke.

I wonder how many of these folks will give Uncle Sam the raspberry and say they're not going to go? And will we hear about it if they do? I'd guess that if one or two guys say "forget it," they'll be made an example of. But what if a couple of hundred say no? What if several hundred say no? Georgie gonna order the Dept. of Justice to prosecute them all?