Mothballing the Fleet (Fred Thompson on Iran)

National Review Online ^ | March 28, 2007 5:15 PM | By Fred Thompson

[Jack_Macca]

I agree with you, and the rest.

I just think the article was implying that this Iranian hostage crisis is because of cutbacks of the Royal Navy or because it has the 28th largest Army.

These are not linked. Britain could turn Iran into the biggest glass museum in the world if it wanted. Even if Britain had the US Navy it would not attack without the US.

[barb-tex]

I rest my case!
barbra ann

[Little Bill]

It ain't then it is now. You people are surrendering for electoral advantage, keep the troubles away and we have another run at Peace In Our Time.

[SauronOfMordor]

The money that should go to keeping the British Fleet going, is currently going for welfare payments to Muslim immigrants. They know there would be rioting in the streets if the welfare was reduced, so they let the fleet go

[jveritas]

I love this man. Please run for President Senator Thompson, I am sure you will win and win BIG :)

[jveritas]

What??? Where do you people dig these meaningless stuff, get real.

[kabar]

What we are seeing is the growing irrelevance of Europe as a global power. Economically, Europe is still one of the main players, but militarily it does not carry its weight. Europe is dying. Declining, aging populations don't have the wherewithal to support a meaningful defense establishment and still meet the demands of generous social welfare systems. Europe is spending less and less of its GDP on defense.

And why should they with the US providing the security umbrella for the free world. Europe has been living on US security welfare for so long, it has shaped its world view. Europe places its faith in international organizations like the UN to resolve conflicts and believes that negotiation and diplomacy can replace the ability to project military power. The US spends more on defense than the rest of NATO combined. Our technology and level of sophistication in weaponry has reduced our interoperability with most of NATO to almost zero.

The US cannot continue to bear this level of defense spending as our social entitlement systems are threatening to gobble up most of our budget. Tony Blair called the US the indispensable nation, but we won't have the resources much longer to continue to provide the rest of the world with security.

I don't consider the current UK hostage crisis with Iran as being a product of declining military expenditures, but it does reduce the UK's options and typifies the kinds of problems that may arise in the future as Europe declines as a military power and lacks the ability to project its influence globally.

[rintense]

There are some who are practicing the same strategy that liberals do: attack religion to isolate the base, and throw out utterly meaningless positions/votes when there is nothing to attack on GOP platform issues. Frankly, I'm disappointed that so many Freepers have fallen prey to uninformed, histrionic idol worship.

[MinorityRepublican]

We are living in Pax Americana.

It won't last forever so once it ends the Muslims will conquer Europe.

[MinorityRepublican]

I'll much rather our Defense Programs to take our taxes that would have otherwise gone to Welfare Programs.

[jveritas]

No he is not implying that Iran is doing this because of the British Royal Navy being downsized. You are making the wrong conclusion from Fred Thompson article. He is saying that the British government is showing a lot of weakness toward the evil terrorist islamic regime in Tehran, and on this regard he is absolutely correct.

You guys in Great Britain need to tough it up and fight, a great number of people in the US are shocked by Britain weakness in this crisis.

[Jack_Macca]

You people are surrendering for electoral advantage

Who are surrendering to whom? Be specific now! :)

[jveritas]

Do not worry, these freepers are a small minority. Fred Thompson will crush any other Republican candidate in the primaries and he will crush the democrat nominee in the general elections no matter who the democrats nominate.

[jveritas]

You are surrendering to the terrorist rulers of Iran.

[Jack_Macca]

Again you are talking about a continent of disparate nations as if it was one nation.

I have more in common with you (and you with me) than with a guy sitting in Finland, Malta or Latvia.

If you wish to talk about Britain then fine, but the rest have nothing to do with me, any more than you should feel responsible for the policies of Mexico or Canada.

[Jack_Macca]

You are surrendering to the terrorist rulers of Iran.

Another general comment. In what specific way are Britain surrendering? If someone had US military, then the USA would say sorry to get them back - even if they weren't.

[Jack_Macca]

"Between £15bn and £20bn would be spent on new submarines to carry the Trident missiles. The fleet would take 17 years to develop and build, and would then last until about 2050. "

Who said any different? You don't get technology like that at Walmart. The point is that the Commons voted for the upgrades.

[jveritas]

Get real Jack. Your government cannot even come up with strong enough language in the rich English vocabulary to send a strong verbal message to the terrorist regime in Tehran. Let alone that your government is not even thinking about the real solution, which is to bomb the evil bustards to the seventh century where they like to be.

The terrorist mullahs declared a war against your nation by kidnapping 15 of your marines and you still do not want to fight back, you have surrendered, plain and simple.

To tell you the truth, I lost faith in the British people and their government after the London terrorist attacks on 7/7/2005. You guys treated the attacks as a security accident in the "tube" rather than a declaration of war by the islamic terrorists against you. Your extremely "cold reactions" to these terrorist attack was shocking and very disappointing.

[jveritas]

You do not downsize the British fleet by half when the new fleet will not be ready until 43 years from now. Who ever planned this is a total idiot.

[Little Bill]

Iran of course. Those of us of English Heritage, generally expect "you" to act as OUR English ancestors would have acted in similar circumstance.

It has been rather disappointing lately, Maggie was throw back. There is such a thing as National Interest, I suppose, unless you have surrendered completely, old Specks and Teeth lives on.