[paraclete]

So now you are going to have the three year war, I suspect what he is really doing is getting approval for his term, leaving some time for the next CIC to get approval for continuence. I don't get this, the war in Syria has raged for three years and like many of these things may become generational, how does he think a limited engagement can finish it in three years

[talaniman]

He doesn't Clete, the next CIC can ask for his own strategy, or whatever. The congress can say yah, or nay, or whatever.

It's really simple, there is no real strategy until the congress and CIC can find one. Until then we stay home except for planes, bombs, and a few special ops forces.

Feel free to send your own army if you have one.

[paraclete]

Ah Yes Tal but a fickle electorate changes the composition of Congress every two years and so there must be time for debate particularly if there is an unpopular CIC, it does happen and history might repeat itself

[catonsville]

Not as many as we will lose if "DUD" keeps playing with ISSL.

[talaniman]

So let them debate, they have two years.

[tomder55]

it is bizarro world . You know what this is all about don't you ? Just this week he was dismissing the threat...... you know ;random "zealots " beheading and shooting "folks " .

But then yesterday it was confirmed that Kayla Mueller was killed while being held captive by the Islamic State .(and I don't believe for one second that she was killed by a Jordanian bomb.) I think the pressure on him to get the AUMF done hit the boiling point.

[paraclete]

Yes it always makes a difference if one of your nationals is killed, the level of attention changes instantly, what was tolerable before becomes intolerable, etc. This is about political expedience and not having a situation where criticism is carried over. It's about ownership, getting Congress to own it. So for Obama boots on the ground means special forces with the grunt work being done by others, I wonder if he has read from the Johnson manual; let's see first you have advisors, then you have more advisors, and then you have an incident, and then you have mobile capabilities, and then.. well you remember, need I say more? An "apocolypse now" scenario, operations against a hostile population and assassination of rogue force leaders

[tomder55]

The US surrenders in Yemen . No other way to read this news .
Marines Surrender Weapons Before Yemen Evacuation | Military.com

[paraclete]

Is the beginning of the end or the end of the beginning? Let the arabs fight their own wars, SA can now fight Yemen another proxy war let's see how well they do when the US isn't fighting their wars. You fought for them in Iraq, you have had the good sense not to fight Iran and now you are committing to fight against those they have been funding in Syria

[talaniman]

Read it again as the other countries who had embassies left too, so what's your point? A read it as a strategic retreat. Since it was calm and orderly and without ay conflict, surrender isn't an accurate term.

Warren said the Marines destroyed their machine guns and other crew-served weapons before leaving the Embassy for the airport. He also said that it was unclear who now had custody of the weapons and vehicles that were surrendered.

Warren also could not say why a civilian charter flight was used rather than military aircraft for the evacuation. He suggested that the handover of weapons may have resulted from international rules barring weapons on a civilian flight.

What would you expect after a coup? Wait to see what happens next? Defending the embassy to the last man? An emergency under fire evacuation?

[paraclete]

Better than hopping helicopters on the embassy roof. A orderly evacuation and a few personal weapons surrendered, Tom makes it look like a crisis rather than what it is a strategic withdrawl of embassy staff, but then no american likes to give up his sacred gun

[tomder55]

tal ,the truth is that the USS Iwo Jima task force is off the coast of Yemen with at least 2 Marine Transport craft . Why DOS had the Marines board a civilian flight is a mystery all to itself . There may have been protocol involved in the destruction of the Marine supplied weapons . But they also made them destroy their personal weapons before boarding the plane . I think they should've made a convoy to the beach and let the task force pick them up.
They did their job and got the Embassy staff out . They should not have been forced to surrender or destroy their weapons.

Better than hopping helicopters on the embassy roof. A orderly evacuation and a few personal weapons surrendered, Tom makes it look like a crisis rather than what it is a strategic withdrawl of embassy staff, but then no american likes to give up his sacred gun

Yes it is a matter of honor .

[talaniman]

That's not what the article you linked said. I understand your need for the feel good pomp and ceremony, and prying a weapon out my dead cold hands philosophy. But quiet retreat to a safer position, a cocktail and a movie was much just as good and effective.

[tomder55]

I will will provide a new link since the site updated their report . The good news is that the Houthi rebels did not get their guns. However ,they were forced to disable them before boarding the plane.
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2...vacuation.html


I don't care what you say . I'm sure there was equipment and classified information carried out that was not subject to inspection. The personal weapons could've and should've been secured in the same way for transport . If you ask any one of those Marines they will tell you that giving up their weapon sure feels like surrender . I'm sure they would tell you it's a matter of honor.

[paraclete]

Let's not get carried away on honour Tom, what is important is they evacuated the people they were protecting so no Benghazi in Saana, someone has learned something

[tomder55]

Let's not get carried away on honour

Tell that to the Marines.

[paraclete]

Cliché

[talaniman]

I am sure the sensitive stuff was taken, but even your latest article points to the orderly planned in advance leaving of embassy personnel.

"Upon arrival at the airfield, all personal weapons were rendered inoperable in accordance with advance planning," the statement said. "Specifically, each bolt was removed from its weapons body and rendered inoperable by smashing with sledgehammers. The weapons' bodies, minus the bolts, were then separately smashed with sledgehammers."

[paraclete]

Well of course it would be well planned the military were involved. A orderly evacuation upon a change of government. The rest is just someone getting their knickers in a knot. Hard luck you no longer rule Yemen

[talaniman]

For now the drones aren't supposed to stop in Yemen anytime soon. The rebels hate AQ, but they don't like us either so who knows.