US-Approved Air Strike Kills Iranian Military Commander Soleimani

[Marik2]

What a good way to start the new year. He's doing this to keep attention away from the elections.

 

[tstorm823]

So you'll be volunteering to be on the front lines then, right?

Hopefully not, but that's not quite the point I was going for. Rather, I mean to say if I'm in office at some point, I'm not going to put regular people in harm's way to keep heat off of me. People keep asking if this response was proportional, but what would be proportional to Irans actions lately? Blow up their oil fields and besiege their officials overseas, and never touch the leadership who decide to do those things?

 

[Agema]

I might be being very optimistic here, but I have a hard time believing the USA can substantially attack Iran without a clear and direct justification or provocation.

*cough* IRAQ WAR *cough*

I think it's precisely the Iraq war that makes such a similar engagement difficult. That ended up a real shitshow and is still a sore point. Need to wait a good generation or so before enough forgetting occurs and gets a bit excited about a new, ill-considered, foreign excursion.

 

[Trunkage]

So you'll be volunteering to be on the front lines then, right?

Hopefully not, but that's not quite the point I was going for. Rather, I mean to say if I'm in office at some point, I'm not going to put regular people in harm's way to keep heat off of me. People keep asking if this response was proportional, but what would be proportional to Irans actions lately? Blow up their oil fields and besiege their officials overseas, and never touch the leadership who decide to do those things?

When didn't the US take out political leaders?

That means you think Hussien, Bin laden and al-Baghdadi are stilling running around, right? Becuase of this policy of not taking out political leaders? (Can I also suggest you look up the word Contra)

Or could perhaps the problem is that once you get rid of a leader, a new one will appear? Can I also suggest that these pundits are literally making stuff up to make their point

Lastly, this wouldn't be so stupid if Trump wasnt concurrently negotiating with the Talbian. But then that might point out who's really driving this engagement

 

[Nedoras]

So you'll be volunteering to be on the front lines then, right?

Hopefully not, but that's not quite the point I was going for. Rather, I mean to say if I'm in office at some point, I'm not going to put regular people in harm's way to keep heat off of me. People keep asking if this response was proportional, but what would be proportional to Irans actions lately? Blow up their oil fields and besiege their officials overseas, and never touch the leadership who decide to do those things?

The response shouldn't have been the assassination of a key figure. Keep in mind that we're not even at war with Iran, and yet we killed the head of the Revolutionary Guard. The Guard is a part of the Iranian military. We didn't kill a random fucking terrorist militia leader. I know that they labeled the Guard as a terrorist organization but that's a load of shit. The administration knows this is going to escalate things, but that's their game plan. They dropped out of the nuclear deal, and then put even more sanctions on Iran. They've been poking and prodding them for awhile now, just fucking salivating at the thought of them doing something so we can respond. So they could do something like this. They want an open war, and they don't give a shit what they need to say or do, or how many people die as a result.

 

[Gergar12_v1legacy]

I am going to a protest tomorrow. Sadly it will be an area that has nothing to do with foreign policy; instead of at the local Republican committee or the Republican senator's office.

I openly despise the fact that all the ruthless people went to the centrists and right-wing.

 

[Agema]

I'm not entirely convinced that's a bad thing. I heard a politician on the radio say this, that we don't kill their political leaders so they won't target ours, and it struck me as the most cowardly thing I've ever heard.

We do kill foreign politicians, we just tend to do it indirectly through proxies. We train, fund, provide intelligence to and help direct whatever resistance or insurgency groups, and the blame can conveiniently be transferred to them.

"Well, it's important that we leave the people creating the violence alone and just slaughter their subordinates because we don't want them to come after our decision makers. Perpetual war is a fine consequence for keeping our politicians quarantined from any repercussions."

Having politicians be at risk would be a nice idea in a way, but it's not how it works.

Politicians requisition whatever sums they need from our tax money to protect themselves, making themselves extremely difficult targets. So when we kill the politicians of other countries with less advanced security, for revenge they will target what they can more reasonably hit instead - civilians, military, infrastructure and economy. For example, Trump orders the death of this guy knowing there's next to no risk to him personally, and then packs 3000 men of the 82nd Airborne into Iraq, putting them at mortal risk to help contain the inevitable blowback. Iran is going to take revenge, make no mistake.

Trump's stated policy (or was that just another lie?) was to try to remove the USA from entnglements in the Middle East. This sort of shit does exactly the opposite. My suspicion is that Trump can't resist that sort of pathetic machismo: he is a grade A chickenhawk.

 

[Seanchaidh]

People keep asking if this response was proportional, but what would be proportional to Irans actions lately?

Nothing. The United States has been the aggressor when it comes to Iran.

 

[Pseudonym]

To quote Orwell:

"Perhaps when the next Great War comes we may see that sight unprecedented in all history, a jingo with a bullet-hole in him."

Ah, who am I kidding Trump, Bolton, the CEO's of Raytheon and their competitors and the lunatics on fox won't be suffering any of the consequences if this gets out of hand.

 

[Trunkage]

I'm not entirely convinced that's a bad thing. I heard a politician on the radio say this, that we don't kill their political leaders so they won't target ours, and it struck me as the most cowardly thing I've ever heard.

We do kill foreign politicians, we just tend to do it indirectly through proxies. We train, fund, provide intelligence to and help direct whatever resistance or insurgency groups, and the blame can conveiniently be transferred to them.

"Well, it's important that we leave the people creating the violence alone and just slaughter their subordinates because we don't want them to come after our decision makers. Perpetual war is a fine consequence for keeping our politicians quarantined from any repercussions."

Having politicians be at risk would be a nice idea in a way, but it's not how it works.

Politicians requisition whatever sums they need from our tax money to protect themselves, making themselves extremely difficult targets. So when we kill the politicians of other countries with less advanced security, for revenge they will target what they can more reasonably hit instead - civilians, military, infrastructure and economy. For example, Trump orders the death of this guy knowing there's next to no risk to him personally, and then packs 3000 men of the 82nd Airborne into Iraq, putting them at mortal risk to help contain the inevitable blowback. Iran is going to take revenge, make no mistake.

Trump's stated policy (or was that just another lie?) was to try to remove the USA from entnglements in the Middle East. This sort of shit does exactly the opposite. My suspicion is that Trump can't resist that sort of pathetic machismo: he is a grade A chickenhawk.

So... a solution is dissolving the secret service. Then the president has to be more wary of his actions (and I'm not talking just about Trump here.) Having the secret service is actually a negative feedback loop that leads to worse decisions. They have no Skin in the Game

 

[Trunkage]

People keep asking if this response was proportional, but what would be proportional to Irans actions lately?

Nothing. The United States has been the aggressor when it comes to Iran.

They were dicking around in Yemen before all these shenanigans. Not that I think the anyone in the US or Trump cares two whits about the Yemeni or are using them as a justification for war

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

People keep asking if this response was proportional, but what would be proportional to Irans actions lately?

Nothing. The United States has been the aggressor when it comes to Iran.

They were dicking around in Yemen before all these shenanigans. Not that I think the anyone in the US or Trump cares two whits about the Yemeni or are using them as a justification for war

And the Saudis are ALSO dicking around in Yemen, with weapons and funding from the US.

And by dicking around, I mean the Saudis are basically doing a genocide.

Yemen's in a famine right now and Saudi is blockading all food from going in, while also damaging the infrastructure needed to make/deliver food in the country.

Not to mention they're blockading medicine, while the country is in the middle of a massive cholera epidemic that's killing a hell of a lot of people.

Not to mention blowing up markets, hospitals, schools, schoolbusses full of grade school kids, etc with long-range missiles.

AND not to mention the saudis are reportedly working with literal al-queda while doing all of this.

I may not support whatever shenanigans Iran may be doing in Yemen, but what the Saudis are doing with US help is considerably worse.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

What a good way to start the new year. He's doing this to keep attention away from the elections.

To be fair he's doing it to provoke a retaliation strike that gets US soldiers killed, so he can order an invasion of Iran and spend the rest of the year barking about how you have to re-elect a wartime president.

 

[Trunkage]

People keep asking if this response was proportional, but what would be proportional to Irans actions lately?

Nothing. The United States has been the aggressor when it comes to Iran.

They were dicking around in Yemen before all these shenanigans. Not that I think the anyone in the US or Trump cares two whits about the Yemeni or are using them as a justification for war

And the Saudis are ALSO dicking around in Yemen, with weapons and funding from the US.

And by dicking around, I mean the Saudis are basically doing a genocide.

Yemen's in a famine right now and Saudi is blockading all food from going in, while also damaging the infrastructure needed to make/deliver food in the country.

Not to mention they're blockading medicine, while the country is in the middle of a massive cholera epidemic that's killing a hell of a lot of people.

Not to mention blowing up markets, hospitals, schools, schoolbusses full of grade school kids, etc with long-range missiles.

AND not to mention the saudis are reportedly working with literal al-queda while doing all of this.

I may not support whatever shenanigans Iran may be doing in Yemen, but what the Saudis are doing with US help is considerably worse.

Which leads to what I said before. The US has become the proxy government that is following other countries leads.

 

[Seanchaidh]

People keep asking if this response was proportional, but what would be proportional to Irans actions lately?

Nothing. The United States has been the aggressor when it comes to Iran.

They were dicking around in Yemen before all these shenanigans. Not that I think the anyone in the US or Trump cares two whits about the Yemeni or are using them as a justification for war

The United States is the aggressor when it comes to Yemen, too.

 

[Trunkage]

People keep asking if this response was proportional, but what would be proportional to Irans actions lately?

Nothing. The United States has been the aggressor when it comes to Iran.

They were dicking around in Yemen before all these shenanigans. Not that I think the anyone in the US or Trump cares two whits about the Yemeni or are using them as a justification for war

The United States is the aggressor when it comes to Yemen, too.

They were at least being a bit more tricksy about it back then

Also, does this make more sense now? https://www.google.com/amp/s/thehill.com/policy/defense/475205-fifth-pentagon-official-announces-resignation-in-seven-days%3famp

 

[tstorm823]

Nothing. The United States has been the aggressor when it comes to Iran.

You think the US is the aggressor in literally every nation on earth. I'm not sure you've ever found a problem you wouldn't blame on America. Pretty sure you're just salty about communism failing everywhere.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

Western warhawks have been after Iran for fuck knows how long now. Something to do with long-term pincer control? Of middle East? Saudi aided? Oil too? And Frumpy toad curdles needs to have his validating macho war boner like any right-wing politician wanting to fuel fear and patriotism to the fickle masses.

Nothing. The United States has been the aggressor when it comes to Iran.

You think the US is the aggressor in literally every nation on earth. I'm not sure you've ever found a problem you wouldn't blame on America. Pretty sure you're just salty about communism failing everywhere.

They are though. None of your hilarious flaccid patriotic fantasies make it not so.

 

[Satinavian]

While the rumours that Trump has now a 80 million bounty are likely wrong, Iraq has just decided to expell all US troops and forbid any US military aviation over its territory.

 

[Agema]

You think the US is the aggressor in literally every nation on earth. I'm not sure you've ever found a problem you wouldn't blame on America. Pretty sure you're just salty about communism failing everywhere.

But he's right though, at least with regards to Iran.

The USA toppled its democratic government in the 1950s, propped up a ruthless and despised autocrat for another 25, and when he was overthrown by the clerics, encouraged and assisted Iraq invading it resulting the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iranians. I don't think Iran asked for any of that, and if Iranians hate the USA, I'd say they're about as justified as it gets.