The Lowdown on the Showdown

[GLDNGUN]

While most are aware by now that President Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar will confer Sunday in the Azores, it seems just as many do not realize the weight of this meeting. This truly is a “war council”...

[Balata]

bttt

[Sabertooth]

Thanks for the ping, Travis, and the great post, GG. It's gonna be scary and interesting to see if we can knock out Saddam before he can hit Israel... and us.

Time to buckle up.

[Sabertooth]

((((((growl)))))

[CyberAnt]

Hmmmm? Maybe the 3 are meeting to make it APPEAR as though they are seriously still dealing with the UN. They could be having satelite meetings with the other close members, Italy, Australia, Poland, etc.

The reason I say that is because I believe the Azores is a substitute landing site for the Shuttle Orbitor - there must be a lot of tech goodies there for communicating - Hmmmm??

[olinr]

How about the forces remaining in the US are being held should the need arise in Korea. Likewise, the ships loaded with supplies in the Mediterrian. And, the B-1's and B-52's in Guam.

[Sabertooth]

It takes no valor for politicians to volunteer others to attack a nation that poses little or no threat to them or their constituents.

Where have you been staring, unblinkingly? Not at what Iraq has done, or at what it intends to do.

For starters, check out colloidal silicon dioxide.

[TexanToTheCore]

I agree with your analysis. If Spain begins to lobby her former colonies to join, it is indeed the Big 3.

[Sabertooth]

I must agree, however. "Big 3" is not a good name.

Oh, but it's a great backhand across the face of the worm, Chiraq... not to mention Russia, China, and Deutschland.

[jonathonandjennifer]

BTTT

[CyberAnt]

If this is really what GWB has planned - I could not be happier. I have been so frustrated for the last few weeks - it seemed to me that we were getting mired further and further into a mess where we could not get out.

My biggest concern was our military who seem to be like sitting ducks for Iraq. Everyday there is news about some new plan Iraq has to greet our military with more and more gruesome weapons. It was getting scary. And ... it appeared to me this was playing right into the democrats hands - they kept saying it was too big a price to pay. If our military were surprised with an unexpected attack while we were stalled in the UN - I was cringing at the prospect.

Now ... you have brought us this almost unbelievable and unusual saga of how our President is going to ride to the rescue one more time. I do so pray this is exactly what is happening and exactly the words I will hear coming out of his mouth.

I guess they don't call GWB a cowboy for nothing. Only a cowboy would have the courage and the conviction to pull this off.

[CyberAnt]

I heard today that those ships were heading for the gulf - whatever that means.

[185JHP]

I believe the French beast may be dreaming of a victory banquet, at which he gets to eat some of those endangered ortolan birds. I believe he's going to be given an experience that'll be somewhat less salubrious.

[Joe Hadenuf]

Huh? I don't have clue what your talking about.....

[CyberAnt]

That day will NEVER come!!

[The Great Satan]

There's probably more to Chirac's kowtowing to Saddam than just the usual French cowardice and need to feel important. Chirac has a very long-standing relationship with Saddam Hussein, going back to the seventies. He was intimately and personally involved in brokering the supply of nuclear reactors and Jaguar fighters to Saddam, for example. Now, it's true that there's a lot of blame to go around here -- real or imagined -- but you have to remember that Chirac is a very corrupt man, and Saddam has always been, historically, very generous to very corrupt men. During Iraq's oil-financed arms-and-infrastructure bonanza before the Iran-Iraq war, kickbacks of up to $100 million were nothing unusual for setting up a big deal. Iraq used Swiss bank accounts extensively to reward foreigners who helped them out. According to UN arms inspector Richard Butler, the Russian foreign minister, Yevgeny Primakov, was one of the beneficiaries of such an arrangement. As for Chirac, what are the chances that he is not and has never been on the take from Saddam? Pretty low, is my guess.

[GLDNGUN]

Out of curiosity, has your little bird sung any Iranian tunes? Their relative silence leaves me curious as does their relationship with France. Iran has taken somewhat the opposite approach of NK after being named as a member of the Axis of Evil. While NK has been huffing and puffing, Iran has kept relatively quiet. There is certainly concern with their nuclear program. Of course, our hope is that the situation there can be handled internally.

France has enjoyed the benefits of playing off the US with the Arab countries. They've presented themselves as the alternative Western country that doesn't strongly support Israel. This has allowed them to cozy up with several countries in the ME, like Iraq and Iran. If, I should say, WHEN we liberate Iraq, they fear the very same democratic domino theory we are hoping takes hold. If Iraq, Iran, and other radical muslim regimes (see Libya, Syria) are replaced by moderate leadership friendly to the US, France figures to lose a lot in the way of influence as ours greatly increses. See why they have their panties in a wad?

[Carry_Okie]

I am curious what you think we can realistically do to the French to make them pay, for surely we cannot let their treachery go unanswered.

When Iraqi oil is traded in dollars once again, the euro will take a dive.

That will be payment enough.

[laz17]

UnBlinkingEye. What a misnomer. More like ClosedEye, refusing to see.

[I_dmc]

Yeah, but aren't we due for some moonless nights very soon...?

Hmm, what could be better than a moonless night, when one is using GPS guided weapons?
One wonders how well precision munitions work in a sandstorm.

[Sabertooth]

If, I should say, WHEN we liberate Iraq, they fear the very same democratic domino theory we are hoping takes hold. If Iraq, Iran, and other radical muslim regimes (see Libya, Syria) are replaced by moderate leadership friendly to the US...

Then religious revivalists will hearken back and ask "What would Mohammad do?"

I'm all for this war, all for disarming Iraq, and every other terror state along the way, but I remain pessimistic about the long-term compatibility of Islam with democratic pluralism.