NRO: Ukraine? Send in the US Troops! What Could Go Wrong?

They never learn
Wingnuts • Views: 24,644

You might think that by this time, conservatives would experience qualms about recommending wrong-headed military incursions into foreign countries. You might think that, but then you’d read this ludicrous article at the National Review by Andrew Langer and you’d realize that qualms just aren’t in the cards for this crew: The Case for Ground Forces in Ukraine.

Placing a strong U.S. presence in Ukraine now would be a show of force that Vladimir Putin could understand.

Possibly the worst idea I’ve read today, but of course the day is still young.

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98 comments
1 Kragar  May 15, 2014 12:35:43pm

Because tossing in US forces always makes everything better.

2 Sergey Romanov  May 15, 2014 12:37:25pm

It’s like they’re living in a parallel universe.

3 b.d.  May 15, 2014 12:38:17pm

This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but with a bagger.

4 jaunte  May 15, 2014 12:38:24pm

Bizzaro-Monroe Doctrine.

5 wrenchwench  May 15, 2014 12:38:40pm

The ridicule he’s getting on Twitter is appropriate.

6 b.d.  May 15, 2014 12:39:12pm

[putin] THOSE F*CKERS ARE CRAZY, I BETTER LEAVE THEM ALONE!! [/putin]

7 EPR-radar  May 15, 2014 12:40:07pm

Put US troops in all possible global hot spots as WWIII trip wires!!!

What could possibly go wrong?

8 Backwoods_Sleuth  May 15, 2014 12:40:27pm
9 EmmaAnne  May 15, 2014 12:40:56pm

Benghazi!

And yet there on the cover we have another reference to the ongoing hysteria about four people dying in a dangerous foreign country. I’d almost call them … incoherent.

10 Lidane  May 15, 2014 12:41:08pm

This is worse than John McCain’s suggestion of unilaterally invading Nigeria to find the missing schoolgirls.

Honest question: Is it just a default position on the right that MOAR GUNZ is the answer to everything? It doesn’t seem to matter what the problem is, the right’s answer always seems to involve more firepower and shows of force.

11 Snarknado!  May 15, 2014 12:41:11pm

I do NOT want some of whatever he’s smoking.

12 Fairly Sure I'm Still Obdicut  May 15, 2014 12:42:07pm

There’s a lot of people, usually who haven’t been in the military, who see the US military as a kind of magic wand. To them, US forces in an area are an indomitable force; the most they need to do is specify that these would be ‘special forces’ and then everything is good.

This is why you get idiots saying that the Nigerian schoolchildren kidnapping could be solved with a couple of dozen of SEALs. No person with actual knowledge of military operations would even begin to give an estimate of what would be needed without knowing what the forces would actually come up against, but for a certain breed of hawk, US forces are just a solution to any problem. They arrive, and things become better.

13 Sergey Romanov  May 15, 2014 12:42:27pm

Starting the WWIII is a solution, yeah.

Here’s the thing: what the West does may not be quite enough, but it does show results. Putin is even hesitating to annex the two oblasts, which the terrorists have proclaimed to be “people’s republics” after the sham “referendums”. And his initial plans probably included annexing the whole South-East.

14 Backwoods_Sleuth  May 15, 2014 12:43:39pm
15 Rightwingconspirator  May 15, 2014 12:43:55pm

It seems we are expected to keep promises that were never made. Typical. And nary a thought to likely pushback. How about a major Russian missile frigate task force kept in Cuba? Or just telling NASA they can plan on getting a ride from someone else. Back from the station. Whatever.

It takes a little more maturity to understand sometimes the other guy has his day. And that it pays to stay calm on those days more than any other.

16 gwangung  May 15, 2014 12:44:16pm

re: #12 Fairly Sure I’m Still Obdicut

There’s a lot of people, usually who haven’t been in the military, who see the US military as a kind of magic wand. To them, US forces in an area are an indomitable force; the most they need to do is specify that these would be ‘special forces’ and then everything is good.

This is why you get idiots saying that the Nigerian schoolchildren kidnapping could be solved with a couple of dozen of SEALs. No person with actual knowledge of military operations would even begin to give an estimate of what would be needed without knowing what the forces would actually come up against, but for a certain breed of hawk, US forces are just a solution to any problem. They arrive, and things become better.

That’s ESPECIALLY apparent for Benghazi. They have no idea what it takes to do a military action SUCCESSFULLY. All they do is scream “Send in the troops” and expect that to magically solve all problems.

Kinda like owning guns in general….

17 NJDhockeyfan  May 15, 2014 12:44:25pm
18 Targetpractice  May 15, 2014 12:44:32pm

How many times have we heard this shit over the decades? “A show of force will get them to back down!” And yet it never works. If anything, it just emboldens the hardliners on the other side, who scream that a build-up of US forces is the prelude to an invasion. These are the sort of morons who thought the Bay of Pigs invasion was a good idea, who actually argued that the only reason it failed is because we didn’t send the entire armed forces in to take Cuba by force. And think that what ended the Cuban Missile Crisis was not quietly conducted diplomacy through backroom channels, but instead showing Khrushchev that we wouldn’t be bullied.

19 Feline Fearless Leader  May 15, 2014 12:45:12pm

re: #12 Fairly Sure I’m Still Obdicut

There’s a lot of people, usually who haven’t been in the military, who see the US military as a kind of magic wand. To them, US forces in an area are an indomitable force; the most they need to do is specify that these would be ‘special forces’ and then everything is good.

This is why you get idiots saying that the Nigerian schoolchildren kidnapping could be solved with a couple of dozen of SEALs. No person with actual knowledge of military operations would even begin to give an estimate of what would be needed without knowing what the forces would actually come up against, but for a certain breed of hawk, US forces are just a solution to any problem. They arrive, and things become better.

I also suspect that they figure if we get interventionist and send in the military it will also sell increased military budgets for more toys and bases.

But, unfortunately, will not include increased funding for the VA and other support for the broken bodies and minds that will return from these adventures.

20 Stanley Sea  May 15, 2014 12:45:20pm

re: #14 Backwoods_Sleuth

[Embedded content]

Just went outside. The wind has picked up A LOT.

21 EPR-radar  May 15, 2014 12:45:59pm

re: #12 Fairly Sure I’m Still Obdicut

There’s a lot of people, usually who haven’t been in the military, who see the US military as a kind of magic wand. To them, US forces in an area are an indomitable force; the most they need to do is specify that these would be ‘special forces’ and then everything is good.

This is why you get idiots saying that the Nigerian schoolchildren kidnapping could be solved with a couple of dozen of SEALs. No person with actual knowledge of military operations would even begin to give an estimate of what would be needed without knowing what the forces would actually come up against, but for a certain breed of hawk, US forces are just a solution to any problem. They arrive, and things become better.

It’s as if RWNJs think members and leaders of Boko Haram obligingly walk around broadcasting their affiliations to all and sundry such that they can simply be taken out by a few (white) people that can shoot straight.

Militants who can blend in with the general population aren’t a simple problem to deal with, especially for outsiders.

22 Rightwingconspirator  May 15, 2014 12:46:23pm

re: #13 Sergey Romanov

re: #12 Fairly Sure I’m Still Obdicut

Impatience and poor impulse control seem very very common among these people.

23 Sergey Romanov  May 15, 2014 12:46:46pm

I wonder what that guy would say if Russia sent in troops to Canada if something like that happened there.

25 Fairly Sure I'm Still Obdicut  May 15, 2014 12:48:14pm

re: #13 Sergey Romanov

I’m consistently amazed with how many people have firm ideas on what shouldn’t happen in foreign policy. I have no fucking clue how to, say, solve the Israel-Palestine problem, curb Russian expansion, get Australia to stop being dicks to refugees, get Myanmar to stop killing Muslims, etc. Yet there’s tons of people who, on every move by the State Department, are ready with the criticism of what they’ve done as if the roadmap of what would be actually effective is visible and clear.

26 NJDhockeyfan  May 15, 2014 12:50:03pm
27 EPR-radar  May 15, 2014 12:50:23pm

re: #25 Fairly Sure I’m Still Obdicut

I’m consistently amazed with how many people have firm ideas on what shouldn’t happen in foreign policy. I have no fucking clue how to, say, solve the Israel-Palestine problem, curb Russian expansion, get Australia to stop being dicks to refugees, get Myanmar to stop killing Muslims, etc. Yet there’s tons of people who, on every move by the State Department, are ready with the criticism of what they’ve done as if the roadmap of what would be actually effective is visible and clear.

Mindless partisanship accounts for much of this —- for the GOP, everything that the state department does is 100% wrong simply because there is a Democrat in the White House.

28 Fairly Sure I'm Still Obdicut  May 15, 2014 12:51:07pm

re: #22 Rightwingconspirator

Impatience and poor impulse control seem very very common among these people.

It’s such a fantasy to them that I can’t even accuse them of being cavalier with human lives. They’d be shocked at the suggestion that US troops might die; they have such an idea of the penumbra of invulnerability belonging to US forces. I don’t know why, you’d think that would have been kicked out of us after Vietnam, after Somalia, after Iraq.

But if you confront people like that with “So you’re willing to sacrifice American lives for this?” they often get all affronted, as if they weren’t possibly suggesting such a thing.

29 Killgore Trout  May 15, 2014 12:51:24pm

re: #17 NJDhockeyfan

[Embedded content]

Meh. By the time the paperwork and formalities are finished Putin will have taken what he wants anyways. He’s going to take a chunk of Moldova soon too, not much we can do about it.

30 jaunte  May 15, 2014 12:53:25pm

Putin seems to be creating more new problems for himself than he was solving.

31 Targetpractice  May 15, 2014 12:53:30pm

re: #12 Fairly Sure I’m Still Obdicut

There’s a lot of people, usually who haven’t been in the military, who see the US military as a kind of magic wand. To them, US forces in an area are an indomitable force; the most they need to do is specify that these would be ‘special forces’ and then everything is good.

This is why you get idiots saying that the Nigerian schoolchildren kidnapping could be solved with a couple of dozen of SEALs. No person with actual knowledge of military operations would even begin to give an estimate of what would be needed without knowing what the forces would actually come up against, but for a certain breed of hawk, US forces are just a solution to any problem. They arrive, and things become better.

Went sent a lot of special forces into Mogadishu for what was supposed to be a quick snatch and run, grabbing two lieutenants of the local warlord. A day later, we were mourning the deaths of 18 men, dealing with 80 others wounded, and watching as an American pilot was dragged off to be held prisoner. I know that may not be a totally fair review of what happened there, but the reality is that “special forces” does not grant metahuman qualities to the average soldier. It just means that they’re expected to undertake missions that the average soldier is either not trained for or felt to be qualified for. And it also means that they’re still very much mortal.

32 Feline Fearless Leader  May 15, 2014 12:53:36pm

re: #23 Sergey Romanov

I wonder what that guy would say if Russia sent in troops to Canada if something like that happened there.

That it was Obama’s fault for not approving the Keystone Pipeline right away. Of course.
//

Plus Benghazi emboldening Putin to do it.
//

33 wrenchwench  May 15, 2014 12:54:13pm

re: #9 EmmaAnne

Benghazi!

And yet there on the cover we have another reference to the ongoing hysteria about four people dying in a dangerous foreign country. I’d almost call them … incoherent.

It’s by Andrew C. McCarthy. You can leave out the ‘almost’.

34 andres  May 15, 2014 12:54:29pm

The Ukraine situation is one that requires nuance, diplomacy and chess thinking to arrive to a solution. All the players are very dangerous and are waiting for someone to make a mistake to capitalize it.

And these guys have the nuance of a sledgehammer, the diplomacy of a honey badger and the chess thinking of a dove.

I am more than thankful that Obama is the President, and not someone else, in these times.

re: #2 Sergey Romanov

It’s like they’re living in a parallel universe.

More like tangential.

35 sizzzzlerz  May 15, 2014 12:54:30pm

Let’s have the NR staff do some recon first. Be the first to put those wingtips on the ground, as it were. IfWhen you make home, we’ll talk.

36 Kragar  May 15, 2014 12:56:31pm

re: #28 Fairly Sure I’m Still Obdicut

It’s such a fantasy to them that I can’t even accuse them of being cavalier with human lives. They’d be shocked at the suggestion that US troops might die; they have such an idea of the penumbra of invulnerability belonging to US forces. I don’t know why, you’d think that would have been kicked out of us after Vietnam, after Somalia, after Iraq.

But if you confront people like that with “So you’re willing to sacrifice American lives for this?” they often get all affronted, as if they weren’t possibly suggesting such a thing.

They also have zero idea of logistics or actual deployment capabilities.

“OBAMA SHOULD HAVE SENT TROOPS INTO BENGHAZI TO SAVE THOSE MEN!”

“And how were they supposed to get there in time? Teleportation? Magical flying unicorns? Or do you think a fireteam armed with handguns was supposed to grab a jeep and drive to Benghazi and handled things?”

“OBAMABOT!”

37 Backwoods_Sleuth  May 15, 2014 12:57:33pm
38 Amory Blaine  May 15, 2014 12:58:12pm

Good thing Romney isn’t Prez.

39 NJDhockeyfan  May 15, 2014 12:58:50pm

re: #29 Killgore Trout

Meh. By the time the paperwork and formalities are finished Putin will have taken what he wants anyways. He’s going to take a chunk of Moldova soon too, not much we can do about it.

40 Sergey Romanov  May 15, 2014 12:58:51pm

re: #32 Feline Fearless Leader

It would certainly be at least a partial fault of whoever would be in charge that day, but I was thinking in terms of appearances. For the local populations such an incursion would appear exactly like the Russian incursion in Canada would appear to the surrounding nations.

41 Targetpractice  May 15, 2014 12:58:56pm

re: #36 Kragar

They also have zero idea of logistics or actual deployment capabilities.

“OBAMA SHOULD HAVE SENT TROOPS INTO BENGHAZI TO SAVE THOSE MEN!”

“And how were they supposed to get there in time? Teleportation? Magical flying unicorns? Or do you think a fireteam armed with handguns was supposed to grab a jeep and drive to Benghazi and handled things?”

“OBAMABOT!”

Since Lovell’s testimony to Issa’s court of inquisition, I’ve had two wingnuts insist to me that the proof that Obama had to have given a “stand down” order is Lovell’s opinion that “not enough” was done that evening. Both are convinced that the military wanted to just throw guys in their underwear and a rifle at Benghazi in the hope of making a difference, but were held back from doing so.

42 Sergey Romanov  May 15, 2014 1:00:09pm

re: #39 NJDhockeyfan

More saber-rattling, I think. I don’t think much will happen in Transnistria in the coming days.

43 Dr Lizardo  May 15, 2014 1:01:00pm

re: #39 NJDhockeyfan

[Embedded content]

That’s where Putin would run into problems. Romania is a part of NATO, and if push comes to shove, if Russia genuinely threatens the territorial integrity of a NATO-member state, then it’s on.

I have no doubt whatsoever - not one single, solitary shred of doubt - that it would mean war.

44 Eventual Carrion  May 15, 2014 1:01:02pm

Ok children, into the gymnasium against the wall, duck and cover. Very good. Now we will all be in one place when they claim our remains (if any).

45 Killgore Trout  May 15, 2014 1:01:15pm

re: #30 jaunte

Putin seems to be creating more new problems for himself than he was solving.

I’ve seen the theory that things are moving faster than Putin would like. He’d prefer to slowly annex bit by bit, taking enough time to logistically and economically absorb new territories. But the separatists are overly anxious to join Russia and are pushing things faster than Putin would like.

46 Sergey Romanov  May 15, 2014 1:01:54pm

re: #45 Killgore Trout

There’s that too.

47 Backwoods_Sleuth  May 15, 2014 1:02:46pm

Photos are impressive, but the video is freaking terrifying:

48 NJDhockeyfan  May 15, 2014 1:03:00pm
49 Killgore Trout  May 15, 2014 1:03:52pm

re: #42 Sergey Romanov

More saber-rattling, I think. I don’t think much will happen in Transnistria in the coming days.

Not in the coming days. Putin needs to take Odessa first (or get some sort of concessions from Ukraine about trade routes. It might take a year or two but it’s not a secret that Putin has plans on taking Transnistria.

50 jaunte  May 15, 2014 1:04:17pm

re: #45 Killgore Trout

…the separatists are overly anxious to join Russia and are pushing things faster than Putin would like.

That sounds likely. They don’t sound like a very easy group to control.

51 Bubblehead II  May 15, 2014 1:04:53pm

Shit! House just caught on fire.

52 goddamnedfrank  May 15, 2014 1:04:54pm

re: #42 Sergey Romanov

More saber-rattling, I think. I don’t think much will happen in Transnistria in the coming days.

What real value would Transnistria have for Russia? After alienating the shit out of Ukraine they’ll have to resupply by air. It would be a pure liability.

53 Kragar  May 15, 2014 1:06:34pm

So far, East County San Diego has been pretty clear. We had one fire in Lakeside, but it got contained pretty quickly. The problem with a lot of these fires is they start out in unincorporated scrub land and can get really big before anyone can do anything about them.

54 goddamnedfrank  May 15, 2014 1:06:58pm

re: #49 Killgore Trout

Not in the coming days. Putin needs to take Odessa first (or get some sort of concessions from Ukraine about trade routes. It might take a year or two but it’s not a secret that Putin has plans on taking Transnistria.

Again, why? It’s not like landlocked pieces of shit are in short supply.

55 Killgore Trout  May 15, 2014 1:07:41pm

Speaking of Moldova
Moldova to Sign EU Accord on June 27

In the past, Russia has taken punitive trade measures against neighboring Baltic states and Ukraine as those countries sought closer ties with the west.

Van Rompuy said the EU would help Moldova, one of Europe’s poorest countries with a population of 4 million bordering Ukraine and Moldova, counter threats from Russia such as offering it a market for its wines and deal with potential restrictions for Moldovan migrants.

On Monday, Timofti met with NATO Deputy Secretary-General Alexander Vershbow, who offered to help non-member Moldova improve its security. He said Tuesday that NATO could offer Chisinau political support in dealing with the pro-Russian separatist region of Trans-Dniester in eastern Moldova but ruled out a military intervention.

Relations between Moldova and Russia were strained again last weekend after Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin’s plane was briefly held at Chisinau airport.

I think Putin will take that as a green light.

56 Fairly Sure I'm Still Obdicut  May 15, 2014 1:07:54pm

re: #36 Kragar

They also have zero idea of logistics or actual deployment capabilities.

“OBAMA SHOULD HAVE SENT TROOPS INTO BENGHAZI TO SAVE THOSE MEN!”

“And how were they supposed to get there in time? Teleportation? Magical flying unicorns? Or do you think a fireteam armed with handguns was supposed to grab a jeep and drive to Benghazi and handled things?”

“OBAMABOT!”

Obviously, they should use those handguns to kill insurgents and then take their weapons. That’s how it happens in videogames and movies.

57 Kragar  May 15, 2014 1:08:46pm

re: #56 Fairly Sure I’m Still Obdicut

Obviously, they should use those handguns to kill insurgents and then take their weapons. That’s how it happens in videogames and movies.

“Those kids in Colorado were able to take out Russian tanks!”

58 Killgore Trout  May 15, 2014 1:08:59pm

re: #54 goddamnedfrank

Again, why? It’s not like landlocked pieces of shit are in short supply.

I have no idea. Ask Putin (or google it)

59 Backwoods_Sleuth  May 15, 2014 1:09:55pm
60 Charles Johnson  May 15, 2014 1:10:00pm

The Onion’s AV Club zeroes right in on the Mighty Greenwald: Glenn Greenwald Loves Sony, Now That They’ve Bought the Rights to His Edward Snowden Book.

“I’m very happy to be working with Amy Pascal, Doug Belgrad and the team at Sony Pictures Entertainment, who have a successful track record of making thoughtful and nuanced true-life stories that audiences want to see,” said Greenwald of the same executives he had previously accused of producing “the ultimate hagiography of the most secretive arm of America’s National Security State” when they made Zero Dark Thirty, but now heartily endorses, because they’re giving him lots of money.

“We are extremely proud that […] Glenn chose Sony to bring this riveting story to the big screen,” added Belgrad, president of Columbia Pictures, the Sony subsidiary Greenwald likened to the Nazi propaganda machine a year and a half ago, but which now owns the rights to Greenwald’s book.

No Place To Hide will be produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, whose involvement with the pro-government-secrecy James Bond franchise also doesn’t bother Greenwald in the least, because the question of whether it is “possible to separate the filmmakers’ political propaganda and dissemination of falsehoods from their technical skills in producing a well-crafted entertainment product” becomes irrelevant when you are being paid well.

The exact specifics of Greenwald’s deal remain unknown, but it is expected to be even more profitable than the time he changed his mind about the War on Terror.

61 nines09  May 15, 2014 1:10:23pm

“As in South Korea, U.S. troops don’t need to engage to protect the borders of a sovereign state.” Brilliant quote. Blindingly stupid in it’s audacity. There was no Korean War, only troops stationed to protect? Really?

62 NJDhockeyfan  May 15, 2014 1:10:26pm
63 Targetpractice  May 15, 2014 1:10:57pm

re: #57 Kragar

“Those kids in Colorado were able to take out Russian tanks!”

They all died before the end of the movie…then again, I’m pretty positive most wingnuts stopped the movie before they got to the last 15 minutes of it.

64 Sergey Romanov  May 15, 2014 1:11:25pm

re: #49 Killgore Trout

Sure, but that’s very unlikely that anything like that will happen, whether now or in a couple of years. With one condition.

Much will depend on how Ukraine develops as a state. If it is supported and subsidized by the West *and* doesn’t go down because of a civil war or internal strife, then nothing will happen, no matter how much Putin wishes it. If, on the other hand, another “pro-Russian” like Yanukovich comes to power (quite improbable, but who knows) and continues to sell the country out, ruining the army etc. - then all bets are off. Such a president may rise to power like Yanuk did the last time - as a reaction towards a govt that was perceived as failed.

65 goddamnedfrank  May 15, 2014 1:12:13pm

re: #58 Killgore Trout

I have no idea. Ask Putin (or google it)

It’s your raw assertion, back it up.

66 Kragar  May 15, 2014 1:12:50pm

re: #63 Targetpractice

They all died before the end of the movie…then again, I’m pretty positive most wingnuts stopped the movie before they got to the last 15 minutes of it.

FEMA CAMPS!

67 Sergey Romanov  May 15, 2014 1:14:10pm

re: #55 Killgore Trout

It doesn’t mean what you think it means. De facto Transnistria is a separate state right now. NATO won’t help make it a de facto part of Moldova. That’s what NATO says and it’s been clear all along that that’s what it would say.

But in case of Putin’s aggression all bets are off.

68 Charles Johnson  May 15, 2014 1:14:26pm
69 Killgore Trout  May 15, 2014 1:16:21pm

re: #64 Sergey Romanov

Sure, but that’s very unlikely that anything like that will happen, whether or or in a couple of years. With one condition.

Much will depend on how Ukraine develops as a state. If it is supported and subsidized by the West *and* doesn’t go down because of a civil war or internal strife, then nothing will happen, no matter how much Putin wishes it. If, on the other hand, another “pro-Russian” like Yanukovich comes to power (quite improbable, but who knows) and continues to sell the country out, ruining the army etc. - then all bets are off. Such a president may rise to power like Yanuk did the last time - as a reaction towards a govt that was perceived as failed.

I think the “federalized” model for Ukraine’s future is a done deal. Regions are going to be given more autonomy and some may choose closer ties with Russia. I think the new Ukrainian government is going to have to face a decision with Odessa. Russia might let Ukraine keep Odessa as long as there’s a guarantee to allow trade routes out of Trans-Dniester. If I were the Ukrainians I’d take that deal instead of loosing the city.

70 Sergey Romanov  May 15, 2014 1:19:04pm

re: #69 Killgore Trout

I don’t know where you are getting your news from, but Odessa is not anywhere near becoming a part of Russia.

71 Fairly Sure I'm Still Obdicut  May 15, 2014 1:20:10pm

re: #70 Sergey Romanov

I don’t know where you are getting your news from, but Odessa is not anywhere near becoming a part of Russia.

Killgore thought Ukraine was part of Russia a couple months ago. He’s been on a bit of a fact-free binge recently.

72 Targetpractice  May 15, 2014 1:21:22pm

re: #71 Fairly Sure I’m Still Obdicut

Killgore thought Ukraine was part of Russia a couple months ago. He’s been on a bit of a fact-free binge recently.

Wasn’t Russia supposed to have invaded by now and Ukraine just laid down in submission because fighting back was pointless?

73 Sergey Romanov  May 15, 2014 1:21:42pm

re: #71 Fairly Sure I’m Still Obdicut

Killgore thought Ukraine was part of Russia a couple months ago.

It was a part of Russia in the sense of “of USSR” (in Western parlance) and “of the Russian Empire”. Perhaps that’s what he meant?

74 Fairly Sure I'm Still Obdicut  May 15, 2014 1:23:27pm

re: #72 Targetpractice

Wasn’t Russia supposed to have invaded by now and Ukraine just laid down in submission because fighting back was pointless?

Yep.

littlegreenfootballs.com

It was true, and yet Putin did not have tanks in by morning. He didn’t get the memo.

75 Fairly Sure I'm Still Obdicut  May 15, 2014 1:25:10pm

re: #73 Sergey Romanov

It was a part of Russia in the sense of “of USSR” (in Western parlance) and “of the Russian Empire”. Perhaps that’s what he meant?

Nope. It’s been a fun time recently.

Oh, by the way, have you read “Logics of History”? Really freaking great book, highly recommended.

76 Testy Toad T  May 15, 2014 1:25:27pm
Placing a strong U.S. presence in Ukraine now would be a show of force that Vladimir Putin could understand.

They’re not wrong. Putin would quite correctly understand it to mean that the historically-clueless inmates of the 101st Chairborne had taken over the asylum in Washington.

77 Sergey Romanov  May 15, 2014 1:26:59pm

re: #75 Fairly Sure I’m Still Obdicut

Haven’t, will check out, thanks.

So you’re saying KT literally thought that now, in 2014, U was a part of R?

78 Varek Raith  May 15, 2014 1:29:17pm

‘My dick is bigger than yours’ good foreign policy does not make.

79 Backwoods_Sleuth  May 15, 2014 1:30:19pm

8 out of 9 fires thought to be “suspicious”? wow. just…wow.

80 Sergey Romanov  May 15, 2014 1:30:47pm

re: #78 Varek Raith

‘My dick is bigger than yours’ good foreign policy does not make.

coub.com

81 Targetpractice  May 15, 2014 1:31:07pm

re: #76 Testy Toad T

They’re not wrong. Putin would quite correctly understand it to mean that the historically-clueless inmates of the 101st Chairborne had taken over the asylum in Washington.

To Putin, it would be utterly predictable. In fact, it would probably make his job easier, arguing that the provisional government in Kyiv was put there by the CIA in order to make it easier to bring Ukraine into America’s sphere of influence. Nobody in Ukraine is asking for our presence, so what would it accomplish but to make the locals angry?

82 wrenchwench  May 15, 2014 1:31:22pm
Some residents of a predominantly white New Hampshire town are upset with racist remarks a police commissioner made about President Barack Obama.

Resident Jane O’Toole said she overheard Wolfeboro Police Commissioner Robert Copeland use a racial slur in describing Obama. And in an email to her, Copeland, who is white, acknowledged using the N-word in referring to the president and said he will not apologize.

“I believe I did use the N-word in reference to the current occupant of the Whitehouse,” Copeland said in an excerpt from an email he sent to his fellow police commissioners acknowledging his remark and then forwarded to O’Toole. “For this, I do not apologize — he meets and exceeds my criteria for such.”

[…]

83 Fairly Sure I'm Still Obdicut  May 15, 2014 1:32:17pm

re: #77 Sergey Romanov

Haven’t, will check out, thanks.

So you’re saying KT literally thought that now, in 2014, U was a part of R?

More correctly, the thought Ukrainians were Russians—he called Ukranian troops Russian soldiers.

So yeah, it’s not as bad as saying Ukraine is part of Russia, I’m overselling it by an iota.

Logics of History is great mainly because it provides a great balance point between individual choice and structure; the author examines, for example, how some dudes in one of the various French uprisings wound up killing each other in the streets even though they came from the same neighborhood and had the same class/religious/education background.

For me, as I’ve gone through sociology, it’s been a great perspective to have around when thinking about the more structural thinkers; it’s the kind of book that helps you select the ‘good’ stuff from big structural thinkers without necessarily buying into their overall idea.

84 Testy Toad T  May 15, 2014 1:32:46pm

re: #82 wrenchwench

His “criteria”? His “criteria” for being called a n******?

Oooh, look at us being all ackademically smartypants.

85 Justanotherhuman  May 15, 2014 1:33:30pm

re: #73 Sergey Romanov

It was a part of Russia in the sense of “of USSR” (in Western parlance) and “of the Russian Empire”. Perhaps that’s what he meant?

If he did he’s still wrong. Putin may want Russia to look imperialist, but that won’t cut it in today’s world.

Besides, let the GOPers keep beating the drums about getting the US involved in another ground war, esp w/the RF. In a war-weary US, they are putting their chances in the 2014 midterms on a collision course with failure.

86 RealityBasedSteve  May 15, 2014 1:37:41pm

Possibly the worst idea I’ve read today, but of course the day is still young. (Charles)

No Charles…. at 23:59 and 59 seconds tonight it probably will still be the worst idea you’ve heard today, unless you hang out with people who frequently start sentences with “Hey.. somebody hold ma beer and watch this”.

RBS

87 ObserverArt  May 15, 2014 1:38:03pm

Oh my god!!! Nicolaus Copernicus was wrong…the Sun IS NOT THE CENTER of our universe!!!

Below is a chart recently discovered of the newest theory that depicts the true center of everything…

On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres Corrected

Click on image for larger view

88 Backwoods_Sleuth  May 15, 2014 1:41:28pm

re: #87 ObserverArt

Oh my god!!! Nicolaus Copernicus was wrong…the Sun IS NOT THE CENTER of our universe!!!

Below is a chart recently discovered of the newest theory that depicts the true center of everything…

On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres Corrected

Click on image for larger view

You should relabel Pluto as Snowden.
Just a suggestion…

89 ObserverArt  May 15, 2014 1:43:06pm

re: #88 Backwoods_Sleuth

You should relabel Pluto as Snowden.
Just a suggestion…

I’m afraid Snowden has already been spun off and is out of the picture!

(But that is a good idea)

90 makeitstop  May 15, 2014 1:45:59pm

re: #60 Charles Johnson

The Onion’s AV Club zeroes right in on the Mighty Greenwald: Glenn Greenwald Loves Sony, Now That They’ve Bought the Rights to His Edward Snowden Book.

Even when I try reading GG’s words, my eyes glaze over and I temporarily lose my ability to read the words.

He’s that boring to me.

91 makeitstop  May 15, 2014 1:47:56pm

re: #72 Targetpractice

Wasn’t Russia supposed to have invaded by now and Ukraine just laid down in submission because fighting back was pointless?

Maybe, maybe not. It’s worth keeping an eye on, though.
/

92 Killgore Trout  May 15, 2014 1:52:15pm

re: #77 Sergey Romanov

Haven’t, will check out, thanks.

So you’re saying KT literally thought that now, in 2014, U was a part of R?

No, My mother is Ukrainian, I’m not an expert on the region but I have a general idea of what’s going on. I misspoke once. You have had experience with stalkers, they make stuff up. It’s the internet.

93 Fairly Sure I'm Still Obdicut  May 15, 2014 1:56:21pm

re: #92 Killgore Trout

No, My mother is Ukrainian, I’m not an expert on the region but I have a general idea of what’s going on. I misspoke once. You have had experience with stalkers, they make stuff up. It’s the internet.

You also had no clue where Moldavia was.

I love this idea that I ‘stalk’ you by posting on LGF, where I’ve been posting for years. That’s it, the full extent of the stalking. Sergey has experienced something rather different.

94 Sergey Romanov  May 15, 2014 1:58:00pm

re: #92 Killgore Trout

I have no problem accepting that you misspoke.

95 TedStriker  May 15, 2014 1:59:18pm

re: #84 Testy Toad T

His “criteria”? His “criteria” for being called a n******?

Oooh, look at us being all ackademically smartypants.

President Obama’s obviously an uppity black man, living above his station, therefore he’s a “ni**er”.

Racists fucking suck the sweat off a dead man’s balls…

96 Fairly Sure I'm Still Obdicut  May 15, 2014 2:00:43pm

re: #94 Sergey Romanov

I have no problem accepting that you misspoke.

I think with you back he’ll probably dial back on the shitposting in that area, but if you’re in the mood for it, a trip through his comments over the past couple of months on Ukraine would be interesting.

But oh no that’d be stalking.

97 Sergey Romanov  May 15, 2014 2:01:53pm

re: #96 Fairly Sure I’m Still Obdicut

Meh :P

98 ObserverArt  May 15, 2014 2:06:10pm

Stalkers!

Hahahahahahaaaaa. What a freakin’ joke.

Well, it sure is clear what someone really thinks…not that it wasn’t suspected.


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