Letters to the Editor
Tone in DC
Published Letters: 135
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Thanks, Quickstrategy
[Read the article: Interview with Aaron Brown on NYT "military analyst" story]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]From a few pages back:
"...Okay, all that you might have already known. Now, enter the post-gulf war shrinkage of the military, which starts in fall of 1991 and continues throughout the 90s. All the forces shrink; all are given some lattitude (within the context of first a 'bottom-up review', then 'quadrennial defense reviews') about how they will do this, so long as they can claim to be able to fight one major war or two major regional conflicts at the same time, and the whole package adds up to the target number (around $250 billion in 1990s dollars). Everybody wastes time letting go of their dreams. The USAF's choice, with every budget cycle, is to trade off force structure (bodies and units) for technology (platforms, etc). The assumption is that they will 'get well' in later budgets and that their weapons systems will put them back in the lead role.
Suffice to say, it didn't happen that way. The fashion of the day does not favor conventional tactical platforms or new strategic bombers, or even (much) the 'expeditionary' mobility platforms (they did get a new tanker funded, though). They even lost the battle about who would 'own' (be proponent for) Predators and other unmanned drones. This does not make for a happy air force. Mobility is not lead agency stuff; it's 'hauling trash'. Enter identity crisis. Enter advertising to the public. And, to bring this bedtime story full circle, enter Cyber Command..."
I have done contract work for DoD (along with about half of the mteropolitan area's population) and often heard of inter-service rivalry for budget and other resources. So Tone the civilian learned something from your comments.
I hope that while those JSFs and next gen bombers are being procured, somebody takes a minute to have those old Humvees properly armored.
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Can't resist
[Read the article: Interview with Aaron Brown on NYT "military analyst" story]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Shooter/Babs would give the poor bear severe indigestion.
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Stronger than horseradish!
[Read the article: Interview with Aaron Brown on NYT "military analyst" story]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Shooter, I sometimes believe that if you and your asshole buddies who worship at the altar of the MBA could turn a profit blowing horsecocks, that you would find a way to do it and then blame liberals for whatever diseases you gave the poor horses.
I hope you end your days here, living in a used refrigerator box, under a bridge on the New Jersey turnpike, downwind of a refinery.
-- Jebbie
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To quote Chris Tucker:
DAMN!!
Why don't you tell us how you really feel about Sh**ter, Jebbie ;-)
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Of course we should trust Dubya, DeadEye and Condi...
[Read the article: Skepticism toward Bush claims about Syria and North Korea]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]They've been so straight with us over the last seven years.
It's disgusting how the sourcing of the story Glenn quotes is just like so many other stories since 2001. Nobody in this administration wants to actually put their money where their mealy mouths are. Robert Fisk pointed this out a few years ago regarding the war in Iraq.
If the administration said that the Potomac river was brown, I'd drive to the 14th Street bridge and look for myself.
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GC
[Read the article: Skepticism toward Bush claims about Syria and North Korea]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]One day I went to DC for a winter farm meeting. A eatery in DC reminds me of a dog kennel.
The politicians sit at tables and growl at each other, and you wonder if the politico knows it?
It's the truth. One day Michele walked and I walked into a dining facility. She yelled, "Let's get outta here!" I grabbed her by the arm and 'high-tailed' it to the outdoor sidewalk. Yikes! err.
I will never forget it. I thought someone was gonna frag somebody. She's a good farm Lady.
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The old school politicians have talked about the lack of civility around here. I figure the tension began to rise in earnest about, say, November of 1994?
Just sayin'.
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Larisa Alexandrovna's blog
[Read the article: Skepticism toward Bush claims about Syria and North Korea]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]..was suggested by an earlier comment. Interesting reading there. And she posted a news article regarding the Israelis destruction of the Syrian site where a few former US officials ACTUALLY GAVE THEIR NAMES when they spoke about the attack.
Unlike so many Bush administration folks. So courageous and anonymous.
Support my country... Hmmm.
I'd support Dubya more if I could think of one solitary thing that Jr. has ever done right. That'd be a help to me.
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Is that like Iz-bomb-o-cash-in-izm? ;-)
[Read the article: Skepticism toward Bush claims about Syria and North Korea]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Nooooo! They be takin' away my islamo-fashism!
"Lingo like 'Islamo-fascism' is out, too."
I presume every single neocon warmonger blogger and commenter is silent today, then.
What a shame. They seemed to enjoy the opportunity to cast suspicion on the whole Muslim religion each and every single time they mentioned terrorists - while being able to deny any claims that they are actually anti-Muslim - sooooooooooo much.
-- Sartrewasright
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In my opinion, they didn't seem to enjoy it, Sarte. They loved every minute of it.
Somewhere, Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity are crying their everlovin' eyes out over this change in the lexicon. Limbaugh won't change his talk, I figure -- he's too busy to think about it anyway. Trying to incite riots in Denver during the Democratic convention is apparently taking up a lot of his time. I found this at a Fox site, of all places:
http://www.myfoxcolorado.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=6394251&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1
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Krauthammer is the epitome of bitter
[Read the article: Charles Krauthammer on the evils of associating with terrorists]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Of all the columnists in the M$M whom I have absolutely no use for, Chuck here is near the top of the list. He's contemptible and shameless.
Remember Barack's speech in Philadelphia in March? Where Obama broke down his feelings on race? Spoke to us as if we were adults, that speech? Here's what Bitter Chuck said about it:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/20/AR2008032003017.html
Glenn, great post.
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For once, Howie does something right
[Read the article: Howard Kurtz on why media outlets ignore the "military analyst" story]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It's about damn time!
Thanks for posting this, Glenn. Due to many blogs' descriptions of Kurtz' journalistic myriad deficiencies, I had stopped paying him any attention. Along with most of the Post's Op-Ed columnists.
Last: I don't expect everyone to like Barack. As the man said, I am not naive. But, admittedly, Miz Walsh is grating on me with her amply displayed point of view (pro Clinton/anti Obama).