Bush Considering Air Strikes Against Kurdish Rebels In Iraq
Via Chicago Tribune:
The Bush administration is considering air strikes against the Kurdish rebel group PKK in northern Iraq in an attempt to stave off a Turkish invasion of Iraq to fight the rebels, administration officials said.
President Bush spoke with Turkish President Abdullah Gul by phone Monday in an effort to ease the crisis. According to an official familiar with the conversation, Bush assured the Turkish president that the U.S. was looking seriously into options beyond diplomacy to stop the attacks coming from Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq.
"It's not 'Kumbaya' time anymore -- just talking about trilateral talks is not going to be enough," the official said. "Something has to be done." Read more...
In Bushworld, bombs = diplomacy. How many new insurgents will this create? Juan Cole has more on Bush's collapsed foreign policy and the consequences at Salon.
UPDATE: (Nicole) It should be noted that the Special Envoy to Turkey, Gen. Joe Ralston resigned in protest just weeks ago essentially because he was frustrated by the lack of interest in diplomacy by the Bush Administration in his year-long tenure.
yeah but Kerry would have been worse
/wingnut
The Sunnis don't like us the Shiities don't like us drop those bombs and the kurds won't like us.
oh, so now we are going to bomb the only region in iraq with a remotely favorable opinion of us? GOOD IDEA.
Didn't Saddam bomb the Kurds?
And did't we invade in part to help the Kurds against Saddam?
SNAFU, now even more so...
WWIII is nearly here.
r€nato @ 1:
Yeah, for all the people who didn't feel 'comfortable' voting for John Kerry...this is on you too!
actually is on all of us, if we were a nation of values, like we pretend to be, then we would have demanded these criminals be thrown out of office a long time ago...but America has been an Idol Nation for far too long (even before American Idol, can you believe that?!?)
So how fucking much will that add to the $2,400,000,000,000-oh and let's not forget the burgeoning death toll...
This country's actions suck.
:(
Bush Sr. Fucked them so now I guess it's Jr.'s turn.
Matt @ 4:
Hey now...that was reason #3328448585, we are now up to reason #3485228446...please try and keep up with the administrations reason for taking us to this legitimate war
Matt @ 4:
and wasnt that nerve gas we sold sadam used on the kurds
You want Orwellian? How's this logic, we are going to Bomb the Kurds to save the Kurds from being Bombed by Turkey. Just beware the Ministry of Love...it's not what you think it is!
The Kurds have been fucked over by the U.S. so many time I'm sure this won't come as a big surprise to them if it happens...
I thought the Kurds were our friends?
I guess we don't need friends any more.
"President Bush spoke with Turkish President Abdullah Gul by phone Monday in an effort to ease the crisis. "
Well that's going to help. Sure. I'm surprised Bush wasn't hung up on. Maybe he was. Who would admit it. You certainly could not tell by the look on Bush's dumbass face.
Dahgrostab'ph-r-i @ 11:
Damn straight!
We gotta kill em so that we can save em.
Kind of like how we gotta curb the Bill of Rights so that we can be free.
When ever I hear one of my co workers start talking about how Democrats are going to destroy the country I just start laughing and walk away. It confuses them.
We have to bomb the Kurds to save the Kurds. Get with the program!
Symes @ 13:
Not to be dismissive of your point but I'd say we don't have ANY friends anymore.
And what the hell are the Kurds thinking? What a fucked up world we live in.
"It's not 'Kumbaya' time anymore"
Figures this Bush official would chose a statement like that. Peace is for sissies who don't have hair on their chests. It's kill or be killed and thats the future. Take it or leave it!
r€nato says "Kerry would have been worse." I honestly can't imagine worse president than George W. Bush. We may see worse, of course, but only if he succeeds in establishing a presidential dictatorship and continuing the legacy of Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton. Hillary is next and then Jeb. Heaven help us.
This makes perfect sense to me. The Kurds are America's LAST ALLIES in the middle east. Why not drop bombs on then, and make the 'let's hate America' election UNANIMOUS?
And the plot thickens...yeah, didn't Saddam bomb the Kurds, too?
Where the hell did this twist come from?
Fuck , its like a M. Night Shyamalan movie plot....except with no end, of course.
Slowly but surely uniting the muslim world against America.
Way to go gwbush. You freak!
“It’s not ‘Kumbaya’ time anymore"
At "Camp Strangelove."
You get the feeling this thing is starting to spiral(predictably)completely out of control?
First there is a difference between the Kurds of Iraq and the Turkish speaking PKK. Two different, though related factions. That's an important distinction.
But yeah, this is bad PR. While were at it, can we please get back the all the guns they stole from us? (Read, that our CIA funneled to them I bet. Time honored tradition, apparently.)
My people call it "tough love." Hah!
We're stupid and we're going to die, but not before Bush takes out a bunch of brown-skinned people first. God I hate this guy who claims to love God.
I seem to remember a time when the Kurdish north was touted as the big SUCCESS story of the Iraq libervasion.
Oh, wait, East Asia? Hold on, Eurasia calling...
It's all up for grabs over there in hell on earth.
is it legal for an occupation force to use aerial bombing in the country they occupy?
Fuck , its like a M. Night Shyamalan movie plot….except with no end, of course.
So, it's JUST like an M. Night Shyamalan movie, then.
We should hit Albania while were at it. And any other country the Turks have found offensive in the last several centuries.
I'm sure our smart bombs are better than the dumb bombs we sold Turkey, and therefor will kill more bad Kurds to good Kurds than the Turkey bombs will.
Really I mean the Kurds are going to get smacked by someone. Do we really think our smack will be better?
Just declare them unlawful combatants or a terrorist organization, then you can do anything you want.
Wait a God damn minute!....Weren't we supposed be liberatin the damn place...and the Kurds were the ones takin it in the shorts in the first place...................talk about bi-polar.
39 minutes ago
CIZRE, Turkey - Turkish warplanes and helicopter gunships reportedly pounded Kurdish rebel positions along the Turkey-Iraq border Wednesday, broadening military operations against insurgents amid persistent fears Turkey will launch a major offensive inside Iraq.
Pentagon officials declined to confirm reports of airstrikes.
"I don't know of any Turkish airstrikes in that area today," Maj. Gen. Richard Sherlock, Joint Chiefs of Staff operational planning director, told a Defense Department press conference.
Sheesh
"And lo George converteth the Kurds into so much cottage cheese, and the Turkey's rejoiced!"
I wonder how many of the 24%rs are going to ask....WTF!
Lets guess Bush will ask for another $50 billion for this Friday.
L.A. Confidential @ 34:
Wow. No shit, Sherlock?
Their going to exterminate an indigenous people......rite now.How the hell can they justify this action when they support Israel....?
mudshark @ 36:
None, most will say that will boost our financial portfolio and profits.
That Juan Cole article is very good.
At some point, the puppets in Baghdad are going to realize their neighbors in the region will help them to hold their country together better than the boobs in the White House.
Nice update about the resignation of our Ambassador due to lack of interest by us in negotiations.
This should be a watershed moment. not sure how the media will find a way to ignore this, but I'm sure they're working on it now.
TomR @ 38:
Dr Watson....is that you?
For what it's worth, my dad and brother set a wager shortly after Bush decided to invade Iraq. The bet was to determine which country would follow. Dad guessed Iran, brother guessed Syria.
George Bush is too crazy and stupid to make a reasoned estimate come true.
TomR @ 38:
No kidding. Can you believe that? I'm surprised he didn't say "this is all wrong in fact a new McDonalds and Jiffy Lube and Wide Screen Theater Chain was opened up in that area today run by the Turks and Kurds Franchise Group limited with the assistance of American Executives."
L.A. Confidential @ 40:
Just when I thought I'd seen it all.......and now this.....I'm completely befuddled.
I guess this is payback for them not rising up and finishing Sadam off for us in '91. This'll teach 'em.
Um...aren't those the same people we blamed Saddam for gassing cruelly (with our gas)?
mudshark @ 46:
Is Fox News going to run those ads again with the oh-so-grateful Kurds thanking Americans for their 'freedom'?
Hell. No probs. The conservobots will take it all in their stride. Eurasia one week, East Asia the next...who gives a f#$k.
"Just show me war porn and send a cruise missile up some bastard's arse...oooh...aaah...who needs Viagra...I haven't felt this hard since '03..."
Oh My Gawd this will make the CHICKEN HAWKS blast off in there Depends.
ooppss...sorry ....I hit the wrong button..........DOH!!!
I don't get it. If Turkey deploys troops to Iraq, why doesn't it make them part of the coalition of the willing?
StirFry @ 22:
Wow! A Shyamalan-a-ding-dong movie without end...talk about Terror!!! The best thing about Shyamalan is that his movies do end, ususally in about an hour and a half...so you can go and do something entertaining to get you mind off his movie.
don't know why I'm taking a shot a Shyamalan, I actually liked Sixth Sense and Signs.
More Sherlock
Friday Sep 7, 2007
WASHINGTON — The number of U.S. troops in Iraq has climbed to a record high of 168,000, and is moving toward a peak of 172,000 in the coming weeks — a level that could extend into December, a senior military official said Thursday.
Maj. Gen. Richard Sherlock, director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the increase is the result of troops rotations, as several brigades overlap while they move in and out of the war zone. Previously officials had predicted the number could go up to about 171,000.
Prior to the recent increases, the peak level was about 160,000 during January 2005. For most of 2006, the number of troops hovered around a baseline of 135,000. President Bush ordered a buildup of about 30,000 troops early this year in an effort to quell the violence in and around Baghdad and provide enough security to stabilize the government.
After the rotations are complete, Sherlock said, the number of troops should drop back down to about 162,000 or a bit less. The temporary buildup comes just as the military, the Bush administration and Congress are deciding the future war strategy.
tr @ 29:
I'm not sure the protagonists care much for the whole "law" thing.
it must be said that the Kurds are in the Whey
shubertr @ 57:
Auuuugggggggg!!!! that was just bad! but thanks for sharing :)
If he says he's considering it, he's probably already doing it.
Dahgrostab'ph-r-i @ 58:
yeah that was bad alright.......but pretty damn funny..............cudos to shubertr
ohhhhh I don't know. This just doesn't seem like a very good plan to me. But it does seem like a Bush plan to me. Does anyone else see any tiny little thing that could possibly go wrong with this plan
Let me see if I understand this correctly. We don't want the Turks going into Iraq, so we're going to attack the Kurds - people who have been our allies and have been the ones actually responsible for capturing Saddam. Is that correct?? Do I understand that correctly?? So if we go through with this, our troops will not only be caught between the Sunni and Shiite Civil War, they'll now have pissed off Kurds to deal with. OH, and we're still planning to attack Iran. Hmmm. OOOkay. JESUS FUCKING CHRIST! CAN ANYBODY STOP THESE FREAKS! HOW MUCH MORE PROOF IS NEEDED THAT NOBODY IN WASHINGTON HAS A FUCKING CLUE AS TO WHAT THEY'RE DOING!! GODDAMNIT!
Let the splintering of Iraq begin! Wow, when America screws up, we do it big. Aren't the Kurds allies, too?
ZappaFrank @ 63:
No no no Frank this is part of the reconciliation process.
TomR @ 44:
According to Wes Clark, I seem to recall Syria was officially next, but the neocon ravings got held up (by, you know, reality).
"Declined to confirm"? Since Juan didn't see it himself, he simply has two conflicting stories, right? "Was unaware of any airstrikes" is more like it. Hrm.
I can't tell if this is all just hyperbole or if people really don't know the difference between PKK and the Kurds in Iraq. Hell the Iraqi Kurds themselves have already condemned the PKK on several occasions. PKK are definitely terrorists -- I don't have any sympathy for their methods. And the Iraqi Kurds want them out of Iraq.
Now, if they were trying to work THROUGH the Turkish government for more autonomy (or whatever the fuck they are supposedly about) then maybe I'd think we should protect them. But not as it stands. Turkey takes them out, we take them out. Whatever.
Here's a hint DON'T FUCKING KILL INNOCENT CIVILIANS. That goes for everyone, of course. You you guys really sure you want to get all misty eyed for the PKK? Seems bad choice to me.
The word of the American government must mean absolutely zero in the rest of the world. How would you trust any government who would do something like this to the one group who has been its most consistent ally?
Top 5 Reasons Why BushCo. wont use diplomacy here:
5. Rove advices no. *Oops! You didn't read this, he's retired!*
4. They're itching to unleash the Nukular option, even if they can't spell it
3. Bush and diplomacy is like Bush and pretzels, he'll choke!
2. They heard Bin Laden is there as well as Carrot Top.
1. Diplomacy requires work
Isn't this the exact thing that Saddam did - 'take care' of the problem, which always seemed to be the Kurds. Wonder if he'll hang? Nah, no one will even notice.
curtilingus @ 64:
Right. What was I thinking? ;)
Remember the 'good old days' when a thread like this would have been alive with trolls, telling us how sensible all of Bush's plans were and how great it was that 'the grownups' were 'in charge'?
Seems that the Bushies have become so criminally insane that even the certifiably insane can't stomach them.
We're already going to hell in a hand-basket. Is there any other form of transportation to hell? Because I think after this, we're going to need something bigger than a hand-basket.
The Great Unified Football Field
OH ..OK...I get it ..The Turks are our allies..and the Kurds...we were supposed to help..ya know by liberatin them....so why am I confused?
ZappaFrank @ 71:
a shopping cart.....a very,very BIG shopping cart.
This is absurd.......no really....even the most staunch neocon repug...must see this as absurd.
mudshark @ 74:
If we were wingnuts we'd be going in a gas-guzzling SUV!
ZappaFrank @ 71:
Mass extincton is gona take place within the next hundred years due to global warming, so don't worry about going to hell, if you're still around it will be all around us. Cheers!
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hqIUcNDagFOnZ93rmKjKrrIElmqA
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/10/071024-extinctions.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-7019735,00.html
Like they really need Bushes help right?
The Turkish Armed Forces is the second largest standing armed force in NATO, after the U.S. Armed Forces, The Turkish Army is one of the largest standing armies in the world and the second largest army of NATO with a combined strength of 1,043,550 uniformed personnel serving in its five branches.[9][10] The Turkish Army can deploy an Army Corps of 50,000 men to conduct joint operations at short notice.[11] The Army can conduct air assault operations with a lift capability of up to 6 battalions at a time, day and night.
The Turkish Air Force is one of the oldest air forces in the world and operates one of the largest combat aircraft fleets of NATO. In its long history, many famous air aces and aviation pioneers have served in the Turkish Air Force, including Sabiha Gökçen, the world's first female combat pilot. Supported by the TuAF's in-flight refueling capability, the F-16 fighter jets of the Turkish Air Force can participate in international operations and exercises on every major continent and return back to their home bases.
The Turkish Navy has historically been one of the largest sea powers of the Mediterranean. Supported by its replenishment ships, the Turkish Navy can participate in international operations and exercises on every major sea and ocean of the world. Submarines can individually navigate up to 15,000 nautical miles and return back to their home bases.
dirk funk @ 3:
My reaction too. The Kurds are our only Allies in the Muslim world so now Bush decides to bomb them. Hey dummie! - they've got oil. Yo Bushie - oil, money....
Bush is the dumbest fuck who ever sat in the Oval Office. The only question now, Can we survive the 14 months remaining before he goes on permanent vacation.
ZappaFrank @ 69:
Here's what I don't understand, the Shiites and Kurds spent DECADES bitching and moaning about splitting up the country, that it was all Englands fault for drawning the lines wrong, etc, etc.
OK, so then when the could split? "Oh no," they say, "we are one people, didn't you know that? We should stay exactly the same, with the same borders. Well, we'll have to kill all of the [insert other two ethnic minorities here] first of course!"
I know. Everything wants everything both ways these days, from Bush to Pakistani goat-herders. Certainly Democrats too. I just get sick of it ever now and again.
tyree @ 10:
And didn't bush and cheney say they know Iraq had WMDs (nerve gas) Of course they knew,,, like tyree said above, we sold it to them.
yellow dog @ 79:
You know whats going to happen is this country will be flat broke as Bush Co leaves D.C. and waves and says thanks suckers!
Great. Let's bomb the ONLY group in Iraq NOT shooting at us. I think there are drinking games going on at the White House, and those games go like this "You think that's bad? No, no, no...watch THIS!". I mean, really, he's hit bottom and started digging.
David @ 81:
And aren't we still friends, or does it matter anymore?
You hit the nail on the head. The Brits hightailed it out of there after they saw that the ethnic groups would never see eye to eye.
One movie (an Oscar winner) captures it well, Lawrence of Arabia. The difference is that you have a man (lawrence) who had a deep appreciation for the cultures he became a part of, and then tried to bring together (unsuccessfully).
Furthermore, when you have the oppressed minority gain power after Saddam "kept them in check" for all those years, they'll do whatever they can to hold onto the power that's been denied them for so long. To quote Kurt Vonnegut, "And so it goes..."
In a related story......
Bush Considering Airstrikes Against Kokomo Indiana
The UAW local 685 voted against the contract proposals with Chrysler which drew a sharp response from the White House. It’s not ‘Kumbaya’ time anymore — just talking about trilateral talks is not going to be enough,” the official said. “Something has to be done.” .......
Hmm.
Kurds = good (well. sort of).
PKK = bad (they really are terrorists).
Turkey = good (again. sort of. but they are our good and faithful ally).
Not all Kurds are the same. Just like not all Iranians are the same (the ones blowing shit up in Iraq? bad. the normal 19 year old bloggers? definately NOT all bad.) Just like not all Americans = Abu Ghraib.
Painting everything either BLACK or WHITE is Bush's game. Aren't those against this occupation smarter than that?
swarmofkillermonkeys @ 87:
Ok I hear your point, but if the Kurds are a thriving, healthy country, should they be policing the PKK rebels? Who would the Kurds rather be bombed by?
A. Turkey
B. United States
C. PKK
None of the above is not available on this question.
We should ask Ahmehemenedemenebemenelemonyabdaparbajadalaradalababyuobabaganoushnadjad from Iran what he would do.
Now why is the PKK attacking Turkey? Do the Kurds have enough land or what? How do the Kurdish people feel about this?
Could this whole war with Iran drumbeat just be a smoke screen to distract the world from the current problems in Iraq? What do you all think?
the kurds have always been our enemies
we have always been at war with the kurds
welcome to 1984
this is madness. Kurdistan is the wide-scale stable region in the entire country, and we're going to bomb them?
Motherfuckin' Pandora W. Bush just had to open that box marked "Iraq"...
Fuck it. I give up. I'm buying Halliburton stock tomorrow. And a lot of it.
curtilingus @ 42:
I think it was just on MSNBC- about how wonderful the Taser is...
Is it possible to buy Blackrock or Blackgold or Blackcock stock or whatever their stupid name is. The jokers who are killing all the Iraqi civilians. They will do well with a war with the Turks and Iranians even though it looks like their plans for their boot camp in San Diego County seems to have gone up in flames.
Kurds have the oil. Bombing them makes sense. LOL.
George_Metesky @ 96:
They should award the taser the peace prize, or make it Time's Man of the Year (they've given the award to an in-animate object before: The Computer)
Truth Hurts @ 90:
I read about it but was too tired... can't remember the link. And probably have this wrong, but:
PKK are a small percent of MANY Turkish Kurds that fled a while ago into Turkey (to escape Sadam, of course, but before that too). Kurds also fled in large numbers to Syria and Iran, but mostly Turkey (11 million or something?).
PKK in general are of course "related" to the Kurds of northern Iraq, but they don't even speak the same language. Nor do they share the same goals. The Iraqi Kurds just want their government (which is already pseudo-independent) to work, and to get on with building society. The PKK want to say, "Um, dude. Since you're my cousin and all... I'm kinda, like, in trouble with the police so can I crash on your couch for a while?" Iraqi Kurds don't say "yes" exactly, but neither do they exactly turn PKK away from hiding in the mountains just on the Iraq side. Every so often these few thousand PKK will go ambush somebody.
The PKK have decided that if they blow up enough European tourists, God will magically rip off a large chunk of Turkey that they can have for their very own. No, the apparently DON'T want to just move to northern Iraq and make a go of a country there. Who the hell knows why. And to be honest, the Iraqi Kurds would rather not share that juicy oil revenue with anybody, even troublemaking relatives. In any case, the PKK has definitely been up to no good, and not even helping their own goals really.
This pisses of Syria and Iran (to the point that Syria was completely egging on Turkey to "smite the bastards" when they hate Turkey, and are supposedly allied with Iraq!) because Syria and Iran REALLY don't want their own PKK infestations forming amongst their own Kurdish minorities. Again, who knows if these other minorities are sympathetic to the PKK or hate their guts. No one has asked. But hey, nobody likes terrorists.
But in any case ALL Kurds may not vocally support the PKK, but they all think, "Well, yeah, but when the Jews said they didn't have a country, you guys just shoved one in some place! It's totally not fair that we don't get the same thing!"
So whatever. Sure maybe the Kurds should get their own country. But the fact is they'd have to steal it from Iran, Iraq or Turkey (Antarctica maybe?). And since partitioning Iraq is off the table... Well that is where we are.
The more they do this, though, the more they push Turkey to be radical "islamofascists" or whatever you call it. NOT good. As pointed above, Turkey has one kick ass army that we helped them build. They HAVE been our good allies. They're tough SOBs. But just like Bush's "after 9/11 everything is different!" every single PKK attack pushes Turkey to give their version of Cheney/Bush/Rumsfeld/Guliani/Robertson the ammunition and power to move the country farther to the right. This mess in Iraq could NEVER have happened without the help of bin laden, which I'm sure Bush thanks for this opportunity to do what he always wanted but could never justify to his people. We don't want Turkey to do the exact same thing. We really, really don't, trust me.
That's my take. Did I miss something?
burnt @ 93:
The idea of an independent Kurdish state has always been...troubled.
First, it's kinda tough to establish the state out of Iraq, because that state will always make claims to parts of Syria, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Iran. That's a lot of suspicious neighbors. Here's a map:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Kurds_-_Persian_Republics.PNG
Second, if a Kurdish state were carved out of Iraq and respected all of the boundaries, that state would be land-locked. It would be tough to ship anything- like, say, oil- out without payin' an exorbitant price, or to get anything- like food, medicine and any weapons needed for defense- in. Yeah, you could airlift, but C-130's hold nothin' compared to trains and fleets of trucks.
Doesn't surprise me either that it's Turkey that's kickin' off all of the fun. The Marxist-Leninist PKK has been a thorn in the Turks' side fer about 30 years. I'm surprised that the PUK or KDP would shelter the PKK, quite frankly, because both of those parties could have seen the PKK triggerin' this Turkish invasion from a great distance.
Wasn't the massacre of the Kurds after the U.S. left them in the lurch in the first Gulf War a reason Saddam was a bad dude?
We're doing it again? The Kurds are getting a double-dose of good 'ole American Democracy, Freedom & Liberty (tm)?
I bet they regret having American oil under their soil.
=my2c
BC @ 102:
Actually, the massacre usually used as a reference was the gassin' of the Kurds durin' the Iran-Iraq War. When Sadaam counted the US amongst his allies.
How can anyone ever trust the US if we keep switching sides?
The question is, will the Dems sit back and allow the bombing of the Kurds to happen.
ANKARA - Turkish warplanes reportedly bombed Kurdish rebel targets along the Iraqi border on Wednesday as government and military leaders met to consider whether to launch operations across the frontier.
Fighter jets bombed and destroyed several Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) mountain positions in Sirnak, Hakkari, Siirt and Van provinces which are on the borders with Iraq and Iran, the semi-official Anatolia news agency said.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/theworld/2007/...
swarmofkillermonkeys @ 100:
Thats very nice. I especially liked " "Um, dude. Since you're my cousin and all... I'm kinda, like, in trouble with the police so can I crash on your couch for a while?" "
swarmofkillermonkeys@100
I think you covered it pretty well. What you left out, though, is that our invasion of Iraq created precisely the right set of circumstances for the PKK and Turkey to eventually end up in full-fledged conflict. Anyone could have seen this coming from a mile away, back in March 2003. I'm just surprised it took this long.
Naturally bush is going to help our ally, Turkey, we need that strategic location for aircraft launches, right? Or something like that. Their airspace, I guess. Also, never underestimate bush's penchant for dropping bombs at the slightest provocation.
Of course, the GOP is going to blame the Democrats for the "genocide vote," and the rightwingnuts will claim that's what pushed Turkey over the edge. Apples and oranges, maybe, but false comparisons are one of the GOP's best tools.
So now we're going to start bombing the people we're supposed be liberating? Looney tunes.
Cole's piece was really good. The junta love bombing anyone so they can feel young again. Watching dead Arabs helps Cheney get through the night
Alecia @ 105:
Short answer: yes.
JasonS @ 30:
I guess I'm not the only one who watched Lady in the Water, eh?
curtilingus @ 53:
Because the Kurds are OUR friends, but Turkey's "terrorists"...errr freedom fighters?
Anyway, I guess it depends on who's side the "terrorists" are. If they're on OUR side, they're "good" terrorists and therefore, "freedom fighters".
Bush is going to start messing with the pkk? LOL. Oh boy. You think we had problems with a sunni insurgence? Wait till he starts messing with the Kurds. You do know why the Kurds had a relatively peaceful section of Iraq in the past 4 years dont you? Partly because of the no fly zone but after the invasion that didn't really apply. No the Kurds are a group that not the sunni's or the shiites wanted to mess with. For a good reason. The Kurds dont back down. EVER.
WHY would we do this?
WHo do we want to 'win' in Iraq?
I thought the Kurds were our friends.
This is insane.
Wow, this guy is willing to piss off the last remaining ally we have in that country. What the hell DID he learn in college? It is obvious logic played no role in his life.
Do you think it has anything to do with OIL? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7027249.stm
FTA: Thursday, 4 October 2007, 04:28 GMT 05:28 UK
The Kurdish regional government in northern Iraq has announced four new oil exploration deals with international energy companies.
The news is likely to upset the central government in Baghdad and the US.
Both have been pressing the Kurds to hold off negotiations until national oil and gas laws for opening up Iraq's energy wealth are in place.
Development of Iraq's oil reserves has been held up by disagreements between Sunni, Shia and Kurdish communities.
These laws will set the framework for investment by foreign energy firms and for dividing oil revenues between the communities.
But increasingly the semi-autonomous Kurdish area has signalled that it will go it alone without waiting for a national consensus.
In the latest move, the Kurdish authorities have announced four exploration contracts and two refinery deals, worth around $800m (£400m), giving rights to look for oil under Kurdish territory.
French and Canadian companies are involved along with other foreign investors that have not yet been named.
There has been no official reaction from either Baghdad or Washington but neither will be pleased.
A few weeks ago the Kurdish government signed agreed its first ever exploration deal with a foreign oil firm, Hunt Oil from Texas.
The Iraqi national oil minister in Baghdad described this deal as illegal.
Meanwhile, the Bush administration sees a national accord on energy policy as central to healing Iraq's wounds and creating the conditions for prosperity.
The Kurdish authorities insist their energy deals comply with the expected terms for national laws.
http://www.thedossier.ukonline.co.uk/
That would be insane! The Kurds are our best supporters over there. Bomb our best allies in order to placate a tyranical Turkish government? The Turks are determined that the Kurds will never have anything. I guess that speaks to Bush's inner despot.
Just when you think shit can't get any worse.
'Captain Kangaroo @ # 95'
" I'm buying Haliburton stock tomorrow"
Have you done any research on Haliburton? I'm not 100% convinced. Haliburtion seems to have its ups and downs.
This is funny. We have gotten ourselves right in the middle of a hornet's nest. What great leadership. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that we can do to form an equitable solution. Meet the enemy, and they are us. We could remove ourselves as quickly as possible, maybe by this afternoon, and maybe the situation would be resolved as much as it ever could, but it won't happen. I now believe that things will get exponentially worse and maybe they will not get better for generations if ever. Why the cynicism? Show me how to be optimistic.
jim @ 113:
Not only do we not have any friends in the Muddled East I don't think that we really ever did. It all boils down to either financial or political expediency. There is such a cultural, religious, and political gap between these cultures that anything beyond casual trading is not possible. Americans cannot now, and have never, been able to understand that the diversity of cultures is a basic building block of the world. I don't want to be them and they sure as hell don't want to be us.
Bush is a fucking madman!
This action makes no sense WHATSOEVER!!!
I think since impeachment for BushCo is "off the table" stronger measures may be in order...
Bush -- fucking up the world one bombing at a time.
To Bu$hCo...
Food for children=BOMBS
2+2=BOMBS
the color of money=BOMBS
at the end of the rainbow...BOMBS
how do you spell relief? BOMBS
how to improve your golf game--BOMBS
what's for dinner? BOMBS
what Jesus wants--BOMBS
where's the beef? BOMBS
where can you find love? BOMBS
deep in my heart, I do believe in...BOMBS
Give me your tire and poor, I'll give you...BOMBS
What a Fool believes in=BOMBS
LOL We're going to bomb the Kurds. Most hilarious ironic thing ever...
boosh is considering air-strikes against Iran?
He ordered the ranch style beans with extra jalapenos?
Where there's a will there's a way
Kurds and way.
Wait a minute. Wasn't one of the atrocities attributed to Saddam that he oppressed and murdered Kurds? Yeah, I know he did it with U.S. chemical weapons and approval, but still, let's just say, U.S.-style democracy doesn't seem all that different from Saddam-style democracy.
What's this? Another 'we wer fer em till we wer agin em.. moment? JD
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