[Torie]

Too bad it's not your generals we're dealing with.

What are you implying? You are a bit all over the map on this one. In any event, do you think what is animating the Turk parliament a dislike that the US won't let Turkey have its way with the Kurds, economic issues (it would seem the economy will be worse if Turkey is cut out of the game and the aid), or simply a general dislike of the US projecting its power into the region?

[OrthodoxPresbyterian]

What are you implying? You are a bit all over the map on this one. In any event, do you think what is animating the Turk parliament a dislike that the US won't let Turkey have its way with the Kurds, economic issues (it would seem the economy will be worse if Turkey is cut out of the game and the aid), or simply a general dislike of the US projecting its power into the region?

• a dislike that the US won't let Turkey have its way with the Kurds
  I rather suspect that, from the Turkish point of view, criticisms of them "having their way with the Kurds" is sorta like the Aztlan Separationist Terrorists criticizing the USA for "having its way with the American Southwest".

  IOW, one side sees it as "Turkish oppression of the Kurds"; the other side sees it as, "we'd rather not have our country torn apart".

• economic issues (it would seem the economy will be worse if Turkey is cut out of the game and the aid)
  Well, that entirely depends on Turkey's game plan.

  From a defensive point of view, Turkey might be judging the "economic issues" to be of less importance than supporting a US Invasion which could (theoretically) touch off a general Kurdish Independence war in Iraq, Iran, and... Turkey.

  From an offensive point of view, OTOH, I wouldn't rule out the possibility that Turkey has already run the numbers and decided that Turkish occupation of the Kirkuk and Mosul oil-fields is more profitable than the US offer.

  Turkey has been acting awfully squirrelly lately, and it really would not surprise me a bit to see the Turks sieze upon the event of a US invasion of Southern Iraq to funnel an entire Corps of the Turkish Second Army into northern Iraq, on grounds of "pursuing Al Qaeda terrorists" (remember, Al Qaeda elements are known to be operating amongst the Iraqi Kurds).

  Given the fact that the Turkish Army enjoys a unique de facto "Veto" over Turkish Politics ("We will not allow the Islamists to institute Shari'ah; we will remain a Democracy!! So says the Turkish Army"...), if the Turkish Army has deduced that control over the Northern Iraqi oilfields and suppression of Kurdish Insurrectionist elements is preferable to "$30 billion in Loan Guarantees" which they would have to pay back anyway, I would not be surprised if the Turkish Army decided to present the USA with a Turkish occupation of Northern Iraq as a fait accompli.

  "We are your Faithful Allies; and as your Faithful Allies, we have instituted a rigorous Military prosecution of terrorist elements within Northern Iraq. Whadd'ya think about them apples?"

• or simply a general dislike of the US projecting its power into the region?
  FWIW, I am almost certain that Turkey does not have a "general dislike of the US projecting its power into the region".

  Rather, I suspect that they Turkey is comfortable with "the US projecting its power into the region", provided that it is commensurate with their own.

  And one can hardly blame them, it being their back-yard and all.

As always, JMHO.