[SkyPilot]

“If you are effectively taking the stick option off the table, then what are you left with?” said Andrew C. Kuchins

Sanctions?

We are in a very, very dangerous situation now, and it will affect our Dollar, our markets, and our economy.

Hagel (and Obama by fiat) announced to the world how we were going to gut our military EVEN FURTHER this week.

Morale of the DoD is in the toilet. The uniformed military is facing massive layoffs and firings, cuts to their pay, cuts to their housing allowances, cuts to the benefits, and massive hikes in their health care premiums. The civilian DoD force has been furloughed twice in 10 months and been hit with pay freezes for years, not to mention hiring freezes to replace workers that quit out of disgust. For instance, thousands of DoD doctors and nurses have quit in the last year, and they are not being replaced.

Military members and veterans watched in horror as Chuck Hagel nodded in agreement with Paul Ryan/Patty Murray's legislation to cut their pensions. It was only public outrage and courageous efforts by military families that overturned this. But those cuts signaled just the beginning. And Washington expects our military to continue to respond as it has in the past, despite being thrown to the wolves.

Sequestration cuts of $600 Billion over ten years are still in effect, which are on top of two previous cuts by Obama of $330 Billion and $487 Billion. The Tea Party applauded and supported those cuts, because they seem to want to grasp any rope to cut spending, as opposed to thinking this through.

Our geopolitcal and economic strength, and the US Dollar's status as the World's Reserve Currency, was always tied to our military might and prestige. There are few in Washington who understand this. America is going down the tubes, and fast.

[Diogenesis]

How many Americans will the Pentagon leave behind this time?

[Morpheus2009]

Don’t make a threat you can’t back up with action. But then again, Obama could learn a lesson or two from “Idiocracy”.

[PapaBear3625]

Diplomacy is worthless unless the other side is convinced that you are willing and able to open a 55-gallon drum of whup-ass on them if negotiations are not concluded to your satisfaction.

[Pollster1]

realism untainted by the ideology that guided his predecessor

I am impressed - a true statement about Obama. Barak Obama really is completely untainted by the pro-America patriotic ideology of George W. Bush.

[ilovesarah2012]

I wonder if the number of people joining the military has gone down under Obama and what the retention rate is compared to when other presidents were in office. I can’t see why anyone would want to join now.

[Wolfie]

Ya’ll heading on down to the recruiting center are ya? Or sending your kids or grand kids?

[centurion316]

The link is not working for me, comes back with an error code.
Since I like to read the article before commenting, I’ll have to leave the commentary to those who don’t bother to read the article.

[Jim Noble]

Ukraine crisis tests Obama’s foreign policy focus on diplomacy over military force

[RFEngineer]

“cuts to their pay
cuts to their housing allowances
cuts to the benefits
pay freezes
cut their pensions”

When I served I did it for love of country. I wasn’t paid that well, but it didn’t matter to me, it was an obligation.

What you outline is a disaster of a military where people serve because of the benefits and the entitlements.

The US military will have no role in Ukraine. Nor should it.

To try to cast this event as a way to parlay MORE MORE MORE for the DoD and the already over pensioned, over benefited DoD civilian class, the over-benefited, over pensioned portions of the military that do not ever risk combat is absurd.

The risk to the US “reserve” currency is primarily the fact that we spend too damn much on everything building a permanent bloated bureaucracy that benefits itself and it’s members over the private sector that must pay for everything.

It is the government bureaucracy that is the biggest threat to the American way - not Russia, not terrorists, not anything else but Americans who support and Americans who are part of big government everything - including “big welfare”, “big military”, and every other program that distributes checks to a majority of America, including probably most “conservatives” on this board.

[savedbygrace]

Ukraine crisis tests Obama’s foreign policy focus on diplomacy over military force

No, it's not TESTING it. It's PUNISHING it.

Sheesh.

[centurion316]

Rarely has a threat from a U.S. president been dismissed as quickly — and comprehensively — as Obama’s warning Friday night to Russian President Vladi­mir Putin.

For those who have read the article, this is the money quote. Obama has made it clear to the world that when confronted with a crisis, he will do nothing. This reduces his options to zero and puts the United States and the world into a situation where rogue nations, non-state organizations, and gangs of thugs can do as they please with no fear of any meaningful response from the U.S. It makes the world a much more dangerous place.

Pax Americana is no more.

[onedoug]

Why doesn’t soebarkah threaten to slap him?

[Zhang Fei]

Ultimately, the world has to spend its own money defending itself. We spend 4.4% of GDP on defense, and we are far from any direct threat to our territorial integrity (i.e. via land grabs). The EU spends 1.7%, and they have Russia next door, and hordes of irredentist Muslims to the south and east. How does this make sense? Shouldn't they be spending more (as a % of GDP) than us, given the direct threats nearby? Asia's the same way - Korea spends 2.7%, Japan spends 1% and Taiwan spends 2.3%. Maybe it's time we backed off a little on some of these conflicts so our military dependents allies understand that we're not garbage collectors - they need to take care of most of their problems by themselves, and that means they need bigger defense budgets. Maybe Ukraine needs to be overrun to send a message to Europe that if they want action against local threats, they need to spend more money on defense, because Uncle Sam is no longer going to be their doormat. (Ukraine spends 2.7% compared to our 4.4%, and we're not the ones located right next to Russia).

[444Flyer]

Mad Vlad’s been communicating his intent for years. Obama’s response has been to cut military spending.

Remember this?

August 14, 2012

“Silent Running

Russian attack submarine sailed in Gulf of Mexico undetected for weeks, U.S. officials say”

“A Russian nuclear-powered attack submarine armed with long-range cruise missiles operated undetected in the Gulf of Mexico for several weeks and its travel in strategic U.S. waters was only confirmed after it left the region,...”

(snip)”...Instead of closer ties, Russia under President Vladimir Putin, an ex-KGB intelligence officer who has said he wants to restore elements of Russia’s Soviet communist past, has adopted growing hardline policies against the United States.

Of the submarine activity, Sen. John Cornyn (R., Texas), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said, “It’s a confounding situation arising from a lack of leadership in our dealings with Moscow. While the president is touting our supposed ‘reset’ in relations with Russia, Vladimir Putin is actively working against American interests, whether it’s in Syria or here in our own backyard.”

The Navy is facing sharp cuts in forces needed to detect and counter such submarine activity...”

[VerySadAmerican]

Everyone “blamed” obama for the sequestration cuts. Now we know it’s exactly what he wanted all along.

Pre-WWII levels. When the Japs hit Pearl Harbor we were not ready. And soon we will be at that exact same level. Actually, I don’t think we’re ready for anything big right now. Our military is dog tired.

[DarkWaters]

The problem with this whole thing is that the actors here are absolutely the worst actors I have ever seen. They have no heart in it, they are deliberately giving Putin what he wants, at least in part seemed to help incite the situation in Ukraine, Obama leaving or not showing up for a briefing, talking real big and then no action to look weak and impotent, and of course I could point out Obama’s rather close love affair with Russia (kind of like the one Old Bill Clinton had with China). The few of us left who actually give a damn about God, duty, honor, country, etc are being rolled by these Marxist nut jobs. We are being played. All they need to do here is continue to look week, and you can bet that is the plan, let the economy tank on its own at some point once we have been isolated enough from the rest of the world or if its going to happen to slowly then push it off the edge. Then the real fun hear at home begins, i.e. people (patriotic Americans and potential leaders) disappearing, ending up dead for some reason, creation of political action or propaganda zones, gun confiscation (at least they will try), use of the internet kill switch, concentration camps quickly becoming death camps when they get a taste of blood, you know the works. Ever since Obama has been elected, the speed at which this country has been marinaded for the meal of leftist, has exponentially increased. This is not the days of Carter, it is something far more sinister and diabolical.

[max americana]

and where are these “anti war” and “anti occupation” libtards now?

[lovesdogs]

If Putin can so easily read our idiot in chief and for all intents and purposes....give him a swirley on the world stage, why can the GOP not win one fight? So many resources and so much foot shuffling.

[mandaladon]

Rarely has a threat from a U.S. president been dismissed as quickly — and comprehensively — as Obama’s warning Friday night to Russian President Vladi­mir Putin. ..............Putin knows Barry is a wimp.

[Grampa Dave]

Ukraine crisis tests Obama’s foreign policy focus on diplomacy over military force.

Obama and his pro gay anti American minions flunk this test like every test he has had in life that he had to really take.