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DeM Banter: Pondering the Syrian conflict over the weekend--and I am wondering if perhaps this is a "normalizing" event in US politics. Could this event break down some of the barriers in Congress? Wishful thinking? Los Angeles Times September 9, 2013 Pg. 8 On both sides of the issue, alliances are forming that cross …
Continue reading "SYRIA DEBATE SCRAMBLES U.S. POLITICS By Mark Z. Barabak"
DeM Banter: Amazed we are not hearing more about Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other places we have been involved where success has been less than expected. The British are reporting on it...Disagree there is much to Friedman's "Arm and Shame" concept but do agree the global community is very milted on options in Syria--and this …
Continue reading "SAME WAR, DIFFERENT COUNTRY By Thomas L. Friedman"
DeM Banter: The gift of the strategist is to see 3 to 4 steps further down the road than the average planner....where do we see this going? Six months...one year...three years... what will Syria and the region look like? Are we shaping it to conform to what we want it to look like? As we …
Continue reading "A WAR THE PENTAGON DOESN’T WANT By Robert H. Scales"
DeM Banter: I'm just not sure it all adds up to success. Washington Post September 4, 2013 Pg. 18 President Obama's Middle East policy remains vague and contradictory. In arguing Tuesday for military action against Syria, President Obama asserted that strikes in response to the use of chemical weapons would fit into "a broader strategy" …
The New Yorker / View Original 4 Sep 2013 EISENHOWER 1954, OBAMA 2013 In April, 1954, President Eisenhower was being pressured to take military action in Vietnam, where the French were losing a symbolically important battle at Dien Bien Phu and were about to be driven out of what was then their colony. At a press …
Continue reading "Why Obama Should Remember Eisenhower’s Vietnam Doubts BY JEFFREY FRANK"
DeM Banter: not sure I am buying Friedman's theory. Agree we need a plan and this might look good on paper...but let's ponder execution. Who do you arm? Who are you empowering? Who are the rebels? Can this organization sustain the country and the rule of law? Or do we help create another vacuum to …
DeM Banter: Very true... and one of many editorials this AM on Syria, The POTUS, and Congress. The conflict in Syria has morphed several times over the past 2-3 years. Now the rebels are heavily backed by al Qaeda and in some cases...there are not rebels...only al Qaeda. So if Assad is hit are we simply opening …
Continue reading "AL QAEDA MUST BE CONFRONTED IN SYRIA By Joel Brinkley (and Ogres: DeM Banter)"
DeM Banter: One (of many) holes in this logic...why would anyone sign up? Recall the Brits are facing issues with not being able to meet their recruiting goals as they switched to a heavier reserve component. If you are working 40-60 hours a week to feed the family...would folks take on an additional reserve job--when …
Continue reading "ADVISORY BOARD TO SUGGEST MILITARY HEAVY ON RESERVES By Andrew Tilghman"
DeM Banter: ...Iraq...not necessarily covered in the mainstream press any longer, but something to pay very close attention to...how do we avoid this? And this with a full ground invasion...using a Libya airpower model in Syria...will it work? Speaking of work...what is success in Syria? And speaking of Libya...things there are not good either...the silence …
Continue reading "Street Killings Underscore Iraq’s Rising Unrest By Adam Schreck"
DeM Banter: Well thought out piece...and this is indeed a leadership test for not only the US, but the global community as well. It's tough if we believe the military is the only option..if it is....can we offer only a limited option...or does a full scale option have to be on the table as well? …
Continue reading "THE RISK OF DOING NOTHING: Washington Post"
