No, because I have no familiarity whatsoever with the Rwanda stuff. I was talking about Somalia, and you are the democrat I know who attempted to spin the sitch. Move on, dude. :)
So are we really excusing the actions of a current President by pointing to actions taken by another 11 years ago?
Hey guys, something bad happened in the past that you can’t change, so shut up and give a free pass to the one guy you have even the slightest hint of opportunity to influence now!
Democrats in the past fucked up. Republicans in the past fucked up. Bush has had four YEARS of time in office and four more to go, so why not “move on” and stop using actions from previous decades to justify mistakes of the now?
Seriously, if there’s one question I’d like answered by Bush’s defenders, it’s “when does the President stop being able to redirect blame to previous administrations and start being responsible on his own?”
[size=2]Apologies for the rant and the derail.[/size]
Not a Bush supporter who started the “past administrations” line of argument.
Just in case you think the question was an abberation, check out the other pissed-off ones:
http://www.tnr.com/blog/iraqd?pid=2440
Q: Yes, sir. I was wanting to know why I cannot enlist as a single parent in the regular Army, but I can enlist in the National Guard and be deployed?
…
Q: Specialist Skarwin (Sp?) HHD 42nd Engineer Brigade. Mr. Secretary [Cheers] my question is with the current mission of the National Guard and Reserves being the same as our active duty counterparts, when are more of our benefits going to line up to the same as theirs, for example, retirement? [Cheers] [Applause]
…
Q: Good morning, sir. Staff Sergeant Latazinsky (sp) 1st COSCOM (sp), Fort Bragg, [Cheers] North Carolina. Yes, sir. My husband and myself, we both joined a volunteer Army. Currently, I’m serving under the Stop Loss Program. I would like to know how much longer do you foresee the military using this program?
Speaking of Spin Laden, when is he gonna be caught anyway?
Just to return to the topic at hand, here are some thoughts from an Army staff sgt currently in country who’s been there for some time.
E-6s don’t know the missions and requirements of other units. They just know that their unit is the hard unit, and other units have no right to complain.
Just another shining example of how your average soldier is still a regular american in a uniform and usually no more knowledgeable on the bigger picture than anyone you might run into on any street here in the US.
Specifically:
[emphasis mine]
The soldier behind the quote has direct access to the article, per that post, and yet still completely misses the fact that Spc. Thomas Wilson, the person who asked the infamous question, is a member of the 278th Regimental Combat Team, a Tennessee National Guard outfit, who’s job is “reconnaissance, surveillance, and security” within the cities.
I’m going to take a wild guess and say that Koba is full-time Army, because those soldiers always automatically assume that the National Guard and Reserves are always “in the rear with the gear” and never do anything dangerous.
Right, and nonmilitary internet posters don’t know a goddamn thing about anything related to Iraq. I had forgotten about using completely unlikely stereotypes to dismiss arguments without addressing any of their points.
This is going to be funny in a minute.
The soldier behind the quote has direct access to the article, per that post, and yet still completely misses the fact that Spc. Thomas Wilson, the person who asked the infamous question, is a member of the 278th Regimental Combat Team, a Tennessee National Guard outfit, who’s job is “reconnaissance, surveillance, and security” within the cities.
Right, and of which probably a full two thirds is composed of personnel other than grunts. Like, for instance, Spc Wilson:
Given his prior air force service as an airplane tech, and his age, etc, I think branding him a pogue is not unreasonable. Usually, infantrymen wear it on their sleeve, especially when it’s a career change from a previous MOS.
I’m going to take a wild guess and say that Koba is full-time Army, because those soldiers always automatically assume that the National Guard and Reserves are always “in the rear with the gear” and never do anything dangerous.
Koba is Army National Guard, reserve, called up just for Iraq. I guess his guesses are better than yours, at least. In any case, what of the substance of his post pointed to narrow vision, other than that you disagree with his conclusions?
Right, and nonmilitary internet posters don’t know a goddamn thing about anything related to Iraq. I had forgotten about using completely unlikely stereotypes to dismiss arguments without addressing any of their points.[/quote]
Hi, nice to meet you. Matt Gallant, West Point Class of '98, three years prior enlisted service.
P0wnz0red
That’s even sadder, then. You should know better than to say a dumbass thing like that. Even if it is true in some cases, to apply it totally unecessarily to Koba is petty at best. Address his argument, then tack on the appropriate ad hominems.
Sorry, but if you’re going to appeal to his authority then I’m going to tell you why the appeal is false. I’m not “attacking” him. E-6s know their jobs and they know how to take care of their soldiers. They don’t know the missions of other units. It’s not true in some cases, it’s true in all cases. It’s just the way the Army works. And if you don’t think that every NCO at one time or another has said another unit is on sham duty, you haven’t been around them enough.
Interesting. So, someone in country, able to observe the uses of humvees in his AO and presumably with a reasonable grasp of common sense, who provides a reasoned argument why concern over uparmored vehicles is being blown out of proportion, merits only being discredited on the basis of his billet? Mind blowing.
Maybe you’ve been in the officer bubble too long to remember that stereotypes about NCO’s are often just that.
Lizard King, dude, you just got smacked down. Gallant produced credentials and then you tell him he should know better? Obviously he DOES know better - it’s just that he disagrees with you.
Maybe you’ve been in the E-4 bubble too short to know anything about anything. Let’s find out.
When I was enlisted, I was a helicopter mechanic. What vehicles did I have to get licensed to drive and what were my missions with those vehicles? Hint: none of the missions involved driving them around in circles inside a firebase.
I have a feeling this is just going to get better and better.
How many soldiers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
YOU DON’T KNOW!!! YOU WEREN’T THERE!!!
Badum-tish!
Thank you, folks! I’ll be here all week!
There’s no place to fuck but UP!
The White House gave a new vote of confidence on Friday to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld amid growing criticism of him from members of President Bush’s own Republican Party.
“Secretary Rumsfeld is doing a great job leading our efforts at the Department of Defense to win the war on terrorism and to help bring about a free and peaceful Iraq, and the president is focused on working closely with him on those matters,” said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.
At least the arguing posters in this thread are/have actually been in the military. :lol: