Escalation update.
Escalation update.
A senior military official commenting on the recent spate of helicopter downings in Iraq: “There is certainly the expectation here that insurgents are trying to inflict some losses as we’re building up forces as a means to try to discourage the Iraqis and us that this is a futile plan.”
UPDATE: NYT reporter Damien Cave says military officials are mum on helicopter attacks. “It’s not clear if it’s a change in tactics or if it’s simply a reinvigorated effort to fire at helicopters. It’s possibly the latter, as opposed to the former, but American investigators are still trying to figure out what exactly is going on and, frankly, they’re keeping this stuff very close to the vest and not really telling us too much about what they think is going on or whether or not they know exactly what might be going on.”
UPDATE II: Tapped has a round-up of coverage.
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Duh TP.
Get a clue?
February 8th, 2007 at 7:05 pmGosh, if only someone had been able to predict this…
February 8th, 2007 at 7:18 pmRemember back in the 1980’s when the CIA went into Afganistan and gave the fighers there the Stinger so that they could shoot down Soviet choppers? Well, what goes around comes around.
February 8th, 2007 at 7:23 pmApparently the threat of sending more troops EMBOLDENS THE ENEMY.
Heckuva job, Dubbie!!!!!!!
February 8th, 2007 at 7:23 pmcomment deleted
February 8th, 2007 at 7:29 pmMy guess is that “Bring ‘em on”, screamed in English, has become the insurgency battle cry…….
February 8th, 2007 at 7:30 pmHere’s a quote from the article:
“I do not know whether or not it is the law of averages that caught up with us,†said Marine Gen. Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during Senate testimony on Tuesday.
Is this ph*cking tits-up stupid or what?
February 8th, 2007 at 7:31 pmIs this ph*cking tits-up stupid or what?
Comment by dixie blood
I take it your tits really really sag?
Project much?
February 8th, 2007 at 7:38 pmComment by Driveby Georgia Crackers
Rachel, you sad clown.
Prove your claimed hacker skills, go ahead try to hack my system and then tell me what OS I am running.
Back up your threats
**yawn***
What a loser……
February 8th, 2007 at 7:38 pmAnytime you initiate a behavior modification plan, there is an initial spike in the undesireable behavior.
Just non-partisan fact.
I am certainly against this war and the “surge” or “augmentation” is not enough to change the behavior.
February 8th, 2007 at 7:39 pmThe law of averages caught up with America one morning in September 6 years ago.
February 8th, 2007 at 7:41 pmWe had a chance to wake up, and it was squandered by the reigning administration.
Speaking of the aforementioned event, the layers of the onion regarding the dancing Israeli moving men, and their friends the art students are beginning to peel away………
New story in a newsletter called CounterPunch.
#7 > Is this ph*cking tits-up stupid or what?
I fear so. Military personnel should really know what the law of averages says (it does _not_ say that choppers not downed at time T wil be downed at time T+1; that’s gambling mentality)
February 8th, 2007 at 7:42 pmWayne I’m thinkin’ about puttin’ Rachel on a diet.
February 8th, 2007 at 7:42 pm#5,
I don’t know who you are, but I know that you are the biggest moron that I’ve seen in a while.
Besides the “Terms of Use” items that you have trounced over, you have also just set yourself for being libel on the slander you are spewing, you are openly engaging in extortion, and you openly solicited a bribe. All across state lines, most likely, which then becomes an issue for the FBI. I would suspect they are tracing your IP right now.
I won’t claim to know God personally, but I’m certain that she doesn’t make them any dumber than thee.
February 8th, 2007 at 7:45 pmWayne I’m thinkin’ about puttin’ Rachel on a diet.
Comment by ForTruth
I have been ignoring it for a week now, but it seems the more it is ignored the crazier its posts and name switching becomes.
Too bad TP web admins haven’t figured out how to block it completely yet. Maybe I should write a script for them, if they can run CGIs.
I am beginning to suspect it may also be an alter-ego of troll MA, since everytime MA or valient venus gets knocked down, up pops rachel posting trash about the person who took down MA’s post. I saw this happen 3 or 4 times this last week.
Plus whoever is posting under ValiantVenusGrewFromUranus is driving her batsh*t insane LOL
February 8th, 2007 at 7:53 pmWayne,
LOL
February 8th, 2007 at 7:56 pmIf it is an alter-ego, it is undergoing near cosmic shifts.
February 8th, 2007 at 7:57 pmI’m not sure if a simple diet change will suffice………..
What an absolutely “brilliant” deduction! Duh!
February 8th, 2007 at 8:02 pmI’m not sure if a simple diet change will suffice………..
Comment by Raven
Hence the booze and smokes?
February 8th, 2007 at 8:09 pmLt. Watada’s court martial has been declared a mistrial.
First officer to refuse illegal orders to deploy in illegal invasion and perform illegal activities in violation of Geneva conventions to be retried next month.
His lawyer says that the case is dead in the water, because the judge’s declaration of mistrial is on insufficient, and now a retrial will mean double-indemnity.
This might be GREAT news.
February 8th, 2007 at 8:10 pm“There is certainly the expectation here that insurgents are trying to inflict some losses as we’re building up forces.â€
Wow, I always had the expectation that the insurgents are trying to inflict losses because we invaded and occupied their country. Huh, go figure. Why do I always get these wrong?
February 8th, 2007 at 8:11 pmwhat is maddening is knowing that the helicopter manufacturers
are smiling… you just know they are…
this just has to stop…
February 8th, 2007 at 8:11 pmSSDD in Iraq today, eh?
How many are dead over there now? Enough?
February 8th, 2007 at 8:22 pm> this just has to stop…
It’s never going to stop. Moar Moar Moar! Now on the horizon: Afrika http://powerofnarrative.blogspot.com/
February 8th, 2007 at 8:23 pmBecause they weren’t trying to inflict losses before. That wouldn’t be very polite.
February 8th, 2007 at 8:27 pmJPark,
Long time, no see.
February 8th, 2007 at 8:32 pmLibby’s lawyers may not call Cheney to testify
POSTED: 6:27 p.m. EST, February 8, 2007
• NEW: Libby’s lawyers debating whether to call Vice President Cheney to testify
• Prosecution rests; Russert’s testimony complete
• Defense tried to show that Russert knew about indictment in advance
• Russert denies disclosing the CIA operative’s identity
WASHINGTON (CNN) — I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby’s lawyers are debating whether to call Libby’s former boss, Vice President Dick Cheney, to the stand, a source with knowledge of the lawyers’ discussions told CNN on Thursday.
I do not enjoy this. I do hate it when my cynnical attitude is reinforced. I knew it.
February 8th, 2007 at 8:34 pmwhat is maddening is knowing that the helicopter manufacturers
are smiling… you just know they are…
this just has to stop…
Comment by katy — February 8, 2007 @ 8:11 pm
The stock of United Technologies (UTX), makers of the downed helicopters are up 10% in the last month or so. You’re spot-on katy.
February 8th, 2007 at 8:38 pmHi Zooey. thanks for the acknowledgement. I go through political burnout cycles…even when the Dems are in power (especially since nothing seems to change).
February 8th, 2007 at 8:52 pmGood call, Truth.
Damn, wouldn’t that be the greatest?
February 8th, 2007 at 8:54 pmI don’t blame you, JPark. Nice to have you back.
February 8th, 2007 at 8:58 pmThanks Zoo :)
February 8th, 2007 at 9:07 pmNEW: Libby’s lawyers debating whether to call Vice President Cheney to testify –ForTruth
Deadeye Dick must have invited Scooter and the lawyers to a hunting trip =D
February 8th, 2007 at 9:08 pm#33 Or will shortly.
February 8th, 2007 at 9:15 pmMaybe it’s Iran…
…being “preemptive”…
…with all the sh*t Bushiva and L’il Dick have been spewing…
…who could blame them?
February 8th, 2007 at 9:16 pmits being kept mum because its members of the Maliki government reporting US military movements to Shia militia and Sunni insurgents and the US knows it.
February 8th, 2007 at 9:23 pm.
US downed choppers are clearly a sign of the long awaited last throes, last throes!!!! insurgents and militiamen are so desparate they’ve resorted to killing Americans – their liberators.
February 8th, 2007 at 9:25 pm.
El T.; Did you download the flying chickenhawk logo? In case you missed it on another thread; Google wwww.texas chickenhawk awol division-it will bring you right to it.
February 8th, 2007 at 9:28 pmGates smiled and said “other than that, it’s just another day in the Persian Gulf.”
February 8th, 2007 at 9:29 pmSomething funny here…
February 8th, 2007 at 9:34 pmI think the Saudi Arabia has provided the Sunnis with more sophisticated RPG’s.
February 8th, 2007 at 9:40 pm#41 Excellent point. I am hearing rumbling of Iran helping the Shia. And this is going to be used as an excuse to attack Iran. However, the Sunnis have been painted as the enemy…but I am guessing the Saudis have no worries about it. Hypocrisy is so cool, ain’t it?
February 8th, 2007 at 9:51 pm#42. Ain’t it, though?
February 8th, 2007 at 9:56 pmgame over when Bush/cheney goes after Iran… we will also be fighting China, Russia and God knows who else. As the evidence piles of what treasonists this thug administration are why can’t we stop them NOW???
February 8th, 2007 at 10:06 pmChina doesn’t have to fight us. They already own us.
February 8th, 2007 at 10:17 pmcomment deleted
Comment by Admin — February 8, 2007 @ 7:29 pm
I’d like to see this a little more often.
The MA = Rachel theory is plausible. Judging from her myspace pictures, it looks like she might be doing a little too much meth these days. Maybe she turns into Rachel later in the day when she starts getting hopped up on meth.
February 8th, 2007 at 11:32 pmThe MA = Rachel theory is plausible.
Comment by VerbalKint
Don’t think so.
February 9th, 2007 at 1:57 am‘Rachel’ is most likely male.
Aren’t helicopters, especially those big two-bangers, really vulnerable to .50 caliber machine guns?
What did the Army and Marines expect: for the evil doers merely to shake their fists as the choppers flew over?
February 9th, 2007 at 8:47 amThe righties are sure steering clear of this thread. I guess it’s because it offers evidence that Dubbie and his plans are what is “emboldening the enemy”.
February 9th, 2007 at 6:19 pm