Comments on: Uh Oh

By: sanshinseon

sanshinseon — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 04:29:22 +0000

And now the Bush Admin is lecturing Turkey that this terrorist problem cannot be solved by military assault, but rather “greater political and economic initiatives” are what’s needed and would work much better. I’m sure the entire world outside the Bush Admin / Rush Limbaugh Bubble joins me in finding this LOL funny… Cheney & Gates & co just have no sense of irony at all, just keep on writing Jon Stewart’s scripts for him. They are their own satire…

By: Sonagi

Sonagi — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 05:11:50 +0000

Turkey has launched a “cross-border land offensive” — what the old folk used to call an “invasion”

The Korean War Museum in Yongsan uses an even better euphemism - 외정(外征)(foreign excursion) - but only to describe Korean participation in foreign wars.

By: Mizar5

Mizar5 — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 04:54:28 +0000

Pandora’s box reopened.

If I may opine, it’s time that US foreign policy be yanked away from the hands of Republicans, who generally fight wars for reasons of economic cronyism, benefiting govt contractors at the expense of national security and the welfare of those who serve.

The equation is quite simple: less money for Halliburton, more to support our armed forces whose mission, after all, is to protect the nation, not to sacrifice themselves for the welfare of the military industrial corporations.

Military cronyism has distorted the US economy. We need to redirect our resources to the national economy once again in this critical time of fundamental economic transition from a manufacturing to a service economy.

Glad I got that off my chest…

By: Tony

Tony — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 18:22:41 +0000

This part of the Reuters article made me laugh:

“‘The Turkish Armed Forces, which attach great importance to Iraq’s territorial integrity and stability, will return home in the shortest time possible after its goals have been achieved,’ the General Staff said in a statement posted on its Web site.”

In view of this: http://www.time.com/time/world.....92,00.html

By: setnaffa

setnaffa — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:19:10 +0000

Who can predict the outcome and fallout of land wars in Asia with any confidence?

By: WangKon936

WangKon936 — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:17:50 +0000

I wonder if it’s a good idea to sell them those XK2 tanks now…

They already have South Korean self propelled artillery…

By: Kalani

Kalani — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 15:49:09 +0000

Ominously, “Turkish troops will stay in the region as long as the conditions dictate this. It will be very difficult for the PKK to re-base itself in northern Iraq,” Turkey’s former counter-terrorism chief, retired General Edip Baser, told NTV.

It sure sounds like the Turks may stay a while to root out the PKK — and along the way just happen to take over the oil fields in the region where the ROK seem intent to develop.

Remember back to the first days of the Iraq War when Turkey invaded Iraq and were headed for the oil fields. The US had to parachute in US airborne and special forces to block their advance. I can’t believe that Turkey — without any rich oil fields — has given up its ambitions.

That the US is assisting the Turks with intelligence on the PKK sounds really strange.

By: boshintang

boshintang — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 15:25:17 +0000

But the turkey offense did go “cross-border” later on in the day.

By: boshintang

boshintang — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 15:11:33 +0000

The only offensive Turkey I’ve come across recently was the one I just ate in my subway sandwich.

By: Andy Jackson

Andy Jackson — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 11:59:15 +0000

You need to get up on the terminology, Master Marmot.

As ol’ Bruce Cummings would tell you, the local unplesantness in 1950 was simply a local cross-border land offensive that happened to progress all the way to Daegu.

BTW, the Turks have been conducting raids into Iraq for a while now.