U.S. Special Forces to Help Protect Olympics - I fear we may need them

Fox ^

[sonofatpatcher2]

WASHINGTON — Responding to a request from Greece, the United States has committed 400 American special forces soldiers to the job of helping protect the Olympic Games (search) next month, a U.S. counterterrorism official said Wednesday.

It is not yet decided whether the armed soldiers would be in Athens, on the nearby island of Crete or remain on alert in Europe, where they are based in Germany, the official said. The United States is in the process of discussing with the Greek government where the soldiers will be positioned, the official said.

[sonofatpatcher2]

It is just a gut feeling, but I fear there will be a major terror attack on our people at the Athens Olympics. Greek Security is an oxymoron in either Greek or English. It is just a hair below French Security.

I doubt the Greeks will allow our Special Forces to be on site and armed, so our people will be in harms way.

Of course, if my worse fears come true, I can see John eFing and the Dems giving W a boat load of hell. I'd like to think the country would stand up to the terrorists, but it is less than three years since 9-11 and half the nation wants W and the Republicans hung to the nearest trees.

Gad! I hope I am wrong, but I cannot get this gut feeling to go away...

[DB]

It would be pretty scary to go there as an American to compete.

If only Americans get hurt, most the world will cheer and say they somehow deserved it and it's all Bush's fault... If he had only listened... Like it was something Bush did when 3,000 were murdered in NY...

[tkathy]

Whenever the do-nothing Europeans get in trouble, who do they go whining to? Not France or Germany.

[Kozak]

Just how did Olympic security become a US obligation?
If the Greeks and the rest of our NATO "allies" can't handle this, then we should just pull out our athletes, and tell them they are on their own. Our troops are somewhat preoccupied right now...

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

A terror incident would threaten the future of the games. If they cannot be held safely, few would want to compete or attend. So many countries hate the U.S. and its athletes, it wouldn't break my heart if they never were held again.

Nobody wishes us any goodwill so I say, "Who cares?"

[isthisnickcool]

Just how did Olympic security become a US obligation?

They re doing this to protect Americans. The security there is a mess. At least that's what I hear from my friends that are in that "business".

[Sender]

The Olympics have been a target of choice since the 1972 games in Munich yet the games must go on.

[Kozak]

Like I said, if the locals and NATO can't get their act together, we shouldn't go.

[isthisnickcool]

It woild not bother me if we skipped out but that would be seen as a sign of weekness by the MoslemNazis.

It's a mess over there though security wise.

[Archangelsk]

Oh the other hand that's 400 less operators not searching for al-Qaeda and bin Laden. When you turn SF into bodyguards everyone loses.

[ARCADIA]

[b]If the Greeks and the rest of our NATO "allies" can't handle this, then we should just pull out our athletes, and tell them they are on their own.[/b]

Well said....I am hoping that this turns out to be some back door mechanism to reward some of our hard fighting troops with a few weeks in Greece. If the place were truely unsafe, we would be better served by a sternly worded travel advisory/prohibition.

[NHResident]

But, but, but - the Euros don't need no help to protect themselves from the Islamofacists. There is no terrorist threat, it is all a figment of Bush's imagination.

HAH!!

[sonofatpatcher2]

Re: "...we should just pull out our athletes, and tell them they are on their own."

I agree, but then John Efing would claim his Vietnam service would keep our athletes safe under his leadership...

[sonofatpatcher2]

11 days to go, hope the new info we got keep the games terror free...

[Dog Gone]

Tourism in Greece is actually down 15% from normal levels even when counting the Olympic bookings.

The world has cast its vote on the safety of the Olympics.

[sonofatpatcher2]

Hope you are right, dog...

Yet my gut feeling is still there.

[Dog Gone]

I hope I'm wrong. Tourism, which should be way up for an event like this, has declined significantly from even normal levels.

This has never happened before in the modern olympics. The only explanation is that visitors are fearful of terrorism at the Olympic venues.