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Thread: US airstrikes in Syria

  1. #1

    US airstrikes in Syria

    Targetting infrastructure, aircraft, and runways.

  2. #2
    Hold on to your butts.


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  3. #3
    Someone on Facebook posted a video of the Syrian children dying from the chemical attacks. You know how Facebook just auto plays videos as you scroll past?

    It wasn't something I wanted to see but remains the worst thing I've ever seen in my life. The abject cruelty of a chemical attack can not be understated. And to innocent children...

    I believe in peace but we can't sit idly by on this one, nor can the world. I'm glad Trump did something to respond.


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  4. #4
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    US airstrikes in Syria

    Not gonna lie, this makes me feel better about the strike:

    Trump’s alt-right base is fighting mad – they see Vladimir Putin as an ally and hawkish conservatives as the enemy. Mike Cernovich, whom members of the administration were praising just a few days ago, went on the warpath on Twitter; so did Infowars’ Paul Joseph Watson, who declared himself “OFF the Trump train.” Ann Coulter railed against Trump’s strike.
    http://www.dailywire.com/news/15207/...as-ben-shapiro


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    Last edited by LA Ute; 04-07-2017 at 08:28 AM.

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  5. #5
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    PolitiFact Retracts ‘Mostly True’ Ruling That U.S. Removed ‘100 Percent’ of Syria’s Chemical Weapons

    http://freebeacon.com/national-secur...mical-weapons/

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  6. #6
    I don't want the US embroiled in another meaningless (to the US) conflict in the middle-east, but I support this strike in retaliation for the use of chemical weapons. Trump's decision was quick and his reasoning clear.

  7. #7
    Administrator U-Ute's Avatar
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    It sounds like this was nothing more than a very expensive PR show by Trump.

    None of the actual runways were hit. No planes destroyed as Syria was given a heads up (presumably from Russia). Russia's air defense was switched off.

  8. #8
    I dont know whether to give Trump some credit here for doing something, or if I should roll my eyes because its potentially just another attempt to distract from his scandal with Russia. And I hate that I have to wonder.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by UtahsMrSports View Post
    I dont know whether to give Trump some credit here for doing something, or if I should roll my eyes because its potentially just another attempt to distract from his scandal with Russia. And I hate that I have to wonder.

    there are a lot of Trump tweets from 2012 and 2013 telling Obama not to strike Syria, but this one is pretty good:


    Donald J. Trump
    @realDonaldTrump


    Now that Obama’s poll numbers are in tailspin – watch for him to launch a strike in Libya or Iran. He is desperate.
    3:39 PM - 9 Oct 2012

  10. #10
    Administrator U-Ute's Avatar
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    Trump the pre-candidate vs Trump the President:


  11. #11
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    Let's compare:

    Bill Clinton destroys an aspirin factory in the middle of being impeached, thus inspiring the movie "Wag the Dog."

    Donald the Trump whacks the Syrian base where a Sarin gas attack originated (the Sarin attack being a blatant violation of a treaty to which the USA is a signatory); in the middle of trying to fend off a bunch of very serious allegations about his new administration.

    There are definitely some similarities, but a huge difference: Trump is actually responding to a horrible war crime. I guess he could have simply declared a really, really red line, or maybe a dark red line, or something equally scary to the bad guys over there.

    Here are a couple of analyses:

    From the right-leaning Walter Russell Mead:

    What the Syria Strikes Mean

    https://www.the-american-interest.co...-strikes-mean/

    From Anthony Blinken, a left-leaning former deputy secretary of state in the Obama administration:

    After the Missiles, We Need Smart Diplomacy on Syria


    https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/07/o...smtyp=cur&_r=0

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  12. #12
    I'm willing to give a president some slack for this sort of stuff pre-presidency. Obama in his campaign promised to shut down gitmo and then got in and probably learned that wasn't feasible.

    As for whether it was PR or a distraction I'm of the opinion that it needed to happen. Actually what really needs to happen is to put a cruise missile right where the sun doesn't shine on Assad.

    Chemical weapons on children is Hitler level evil.


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    Last edited by Rocker Ute; 04-07-2017 at 02:39 PM.

  13. #13
    Senior Member Scorcho's Avatar
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    JUST IN: Syrian warplanes take off from air base hit by U.S., carry out strikes in Homs countryside - Syrian observatory for human rights

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Rocker Ute View Post
    I'm willing to give a president some slack for this sort of stuff pre-presidency. Obama in his campaign promised to shut down gitmo and then got in and probably learned that wasn't feasible.

    As for weather it was PR or a distraction I'm of the opinion that it needed to happen. Actually what really needs to happen is to put a cruise missile right where the sun doesn't shine on Assat.

    Chemical weapons on children is Hitler level evil.


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    I agree with you.

    The strike was the right decision and had to happen. I just enjoy the irony of Trump's postering, which most of the time is incoherent, impulsive, and designed for immeidate impact, regardless of the inconsistency down the road.

    the real question is what happens next, as everybody points out. Reports suggest the airfield is operating again, that most of the jets were moved before the strike, and that Assad won't be deterred strategically. Do we follow up or is that it? And how do we follow up if we do?

  15. #15
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by concerned View Post
    The strike was the right decision and had to happen. I just enjoy the irony of Trump's postering, which most of the time is incoherent, impulsive, and designed for immeidate impact, regardless of the inconsistency down the road.
    Trump is impulsiveness personified. It's maddening.

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by concerned View Post
    I agree with you.

    The strike was the right decision and had to happen. I just enjoy the irony of Trump's postering, which most of the time is incoherent, impulsive, and designed for immeidate impact, regardless of the inconsistency down the road.

    the real question is what happens next, as everybody points out. Reports suggest the airfield is operating again, that most of the jets were moved before the strike, and that Assad won't be deterred strategically. Do we follow up or is that it? And how do we follow up if we do?
    That is the concerning thing for me as well. I don't know that long term strategy is something Trump is known for and I bet he was hoping that this move would deter them and that would be it.

  17. #17
    Also, wasn't Russia supposed to have taken and destroyed all of Syria's chemical weapons? Shouldn't the be upset about this happening too instead of defending it?

  18. #18
    Five-O Diehard Ute's Avatar
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    US airstrikes in Syria

    Quote Originally Posted by Rocker Ute View Post
    That is the concerning thing for me as well. I don't know that long term strategy is something Trump is known for and I bet he was hoping that this move would deter them and that would be it.
    And if we're going to 'follow up' we should probably get congress on board.

    I mean it was Trump himself who said any military action in Syria without congressional approval was a big mistake.


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  19. #19
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    Looks like we did a lot of damage. Not surprising-- 59 Cruise missiles are going to leave a mark.

    https://www.google.com/amp/www.foxne...ields.amp.html


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    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  20. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by Diehard Ute View Post
    And if we're going to 'follow up' we should probably get congress on board.

    I mean it was Trump himself who said any military action in Syria without congressional approval was a big mistake.


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    Agreed. In fact the ironic thing about Obama and Trump's propensity to execute law through executive order is it is also easily done. The trend of the White House to bypass congress is very problematic on a lot of levels.


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  21. #21
    Administrator U-Ute's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by LA Ute View Post
    Looks like we did a lot of damage. Not surprising-- 59 Cruise missiles are going to leave a mark.

    https://www.google.com/amp/www.foxne...ields.amp.html


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    The runways themselves are intact. That's the key thing. Mechanical items are easy to replace; runways are hard to build.

  22. #22
    Five-O Diehard Ute's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by U-Ute View Post
    The runways themselves are intact. That's the key thing. Mechanical items are easy to replace; runways are hard to build.
    And the US likely knew in advance the runway wouldn't be damaged. The Tomahawk is not the weapon of choice to go after a hard target like a runway


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  24. #24
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Diehard Ute View Post
    And the US likely knew in advance the runway wouldn't be damaged. The Tomahawk is not the weapon of choice to go after a hard target like a runway
    It's possible this was more of a severe warning shot than an effort to do real damage. Who knows? The Donald likes to be unpredictable. There's a lot to be said for that, I think. (Nixon's motto was "Don't tell them what

    Quote Originally Posted by U-Ute View Post
    The runways themselves are intact. That's the key thing. Mechanical items are easy to replace; runways are hard to build.
    I don't know but I wonder if warplanes are easy to replace?

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  25. #25
    Five-O Diehard Ute's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by LA Ute View Post
    It's possible this was more of a severe warning shot than an effort to do real damage. Who knows? The Donald likes to be unpredictable. There's a lot to be said for that, I think. (Nixon's motto was "Don't tell them what



    I don't know but I wonder if warplanes are easy to replace?
    Well it sounds like the planes were moved.

    And that's one expensive warning shot.


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  26. #26
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    It looks like the way people here are seeing this attack pretty much breaks down along partisan lines. The Godless Communist Fellow-Travelers are skeptical and critical, while the Truly Enlightened and Patriotic are supportive.

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  27. #27
    Quote Originally Posted by LA Ute View Post
    Let's compare:

    Bill Clinton destroys an aspirin factory in the middle of being impeached, thus inspiring the movie "Wag the Dog."

    ...
    Just to add some meat on that slander.

    In August 1998 al-Qaida (remember them?) bombed two US embassies in Africa killing 224 people. The CIA was able to pin blame on bin Laden. President Clinton ordered an attack on two sites - one in Afghanistan where they hoped bin Laden was and one in Sudan at an al Qaida / bin Laden owned pharma plant.

    The intel on the Sudan site wasn't accurate, they thought VX nerve gas was being produced there, and the DOD target recommendation to the president was, as a result, bad.

    The CIA had intel that bin Laden and a bunch of his followers were meeting there on Aug 20. They apparently just missed killing bin Laden. Clownish republicans looking for political gain, like Orrin Hatch, accused Clinton of wagging the dog.

    Operation Infinite Reach

    "It isn't what we don't know that gives us trouble, it's what we know that ain't so"
    - Will Rogers

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  28. #28
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by pangloss View Post
    Just to add some meat on that slander.

    In August 1998 al-Qaida (remember them?) bombed two US embassies in Africa killing 224 people. The CIA was able to pin blame on bin Laden. President Clinton ordered an attack on two sites - one in Afghanistan where they hoped bin Laden was and one in Sudan at an al Qaida / bin Laden owned pharma plant.

    The intel on the Sudan site wasn't accurate, they thought VX nerve gas was being produced there, and the DOD target recommendation to the president was, as a result, bad.

    The CIA had intel that bin Laden and a bunch of his followers were meeting there on Aug 20. They apparently just missed killing bin Laden. Clownish republicans looking for political gain, like Orrin Hatch, accused Clinton of wagging the dog.

    Operation Infinite Reach
    Actually, it was the sainted Arlen Spector who simply noted the timing of that attack. Besides, it is nearly impossible to slander a sitting POTUS.

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  29. #29
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    US airstrikes in Syria

    Well... the delusional dipshit pussies are out of power... but they are are still as wrong as ever. Queue Chuck Schumer (as he is functionally all that is left)... That fawkin moron is as big a f***tard as exists in the country... Please follow that idiot you crazy libs... please. Well, I guess you can hook up with Nancy Pelosi instead...You hate Trump... really? Trump is your target? You believe your own opinion so intelligent... Keep telling yourselves that Obama delayed Iranian nuclear bombs... It is the same delusion. Your beloved... achieved dick internationally. Worst and weakest president ever. Damn I hope Trump can unfawk the mess Obama made. Chemical weapons 100 percent out of Syria Kerry?... well except for Sarin... I guess.



    Last edited by LA Ute; 04-08-2017 at 08:08 AM.

  30. #30
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    US airstrikes in Syria

    Jeffrey Goldberg:

    The Obama Doctrine, R.I.P.

    This is not an anti-Obama piece:

    https://t.co/eI1A5a8FaE
    Last edited by LA Ute; 04-08-2017 at 09:31 AM.

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

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