"It's very important that the Turks make this operation as short as possible and then leave, and to be mindful of Iraqi sovereignty," Gates told reporters in New Delhi on Wednesday before leaving for Ankara.

LOLWUT.

Teh Ironing is teh delicious.

Jon Stewart had a field day with this on last night's show.


About 1:40 in (pops)

Hey man, if Turkey does a much better job with an army a fraction of what we have...what does that say?

Gonzo Gates?

Opiate of the Lasses: Jon Stewart had a field day with this on last night's show.

I wanted to post that on a thread last night, but it wasn't up yet. Hilarious.

"I think there was a real dialogue, we were both listening," he said.

Can anyone imagine his reaction being this mild and subdued had been Iran instead of Turkey?

glaurunge: Can anyone imagine his reaction being this mild and subdued had been Iran instead of Turkey?

The accuracy of your prediction aside, let's not start comparing Iran and Turkey. That's just crazy talk.

"Military action alone will not end this terrorist threat," he said. "Simultaneous efforts should be made with nonmilitary initiatives, economic programs and political outreach...


Yeah Turkey is known for its nonmilitary initiative and political outreach.

Those tasty with mash potatoes and gravy aholes.

The First: Hey man, if Turkey does a much better job with an army a fraction of what we have...what does that say?

It says Turkey is intervening in a less populated area and they don't have to follow the same rules as us.

Israeli defense writer David Eschel has written a pretty good analysis of the situation. Link

What we have been told in the USA is that this is a minor and temporary raid 10 miles deep. Eschel is saying that it is a division sized attack that could get out of hand enough to force the Kurdish troops fighting under the Americans in Mosel and Bagdad to quit their posts and join their tribal brothers in the north against the Turks. With the American troops already undermanned and most of them on their second and third rotations, this would set back General Petraeus' plans considerably.

Thank the good Lord we now have Defense Secretary Gates and Chairman of the joint chiefs Admiral Mullen handling the diplomacy of this potentially volatile situation instead of that posturing fool Rumsfeld and his yes man Pace.

tdpatriots12: glaurunge: Can anyone imagine his reaction being this mild and subdued had been Iran instead of Turkey?

The accuracy of your prediction aside, let's not start comparing Iran and Turkey. That's just crazy talk.

Silly me, I forgot to take my daily propaganda pill from the Bush Administration. Let's see, according to Bush Iran is a "bad guy" and Turkey is a "good guy". Thanks for clearing that up for me because without Bush's vast wisdom I wouldn't know how to think about foreign countries.

glaurunge: Let's see, according to Bush Iran is a "bad guy" and Turkey is a "good guy".

Well, Turkey is definitely not the bad guy for going after PKK terrorists in Iraq who are making cross-border attacks.

The First: Hey man, if Turkey does a much better job with an army a fraction of what we have...what does that say?

Actually I have been told (by a Turk) that Turkey has (one of) the largest standing army in the world. They might not spend as much on their miliatry as the US but they spend it far more effectively. They don't spend millions on floating airports or futristic killer sattelites or utopic missilie defense. They know exactly who they are arming against and they have the sort of equipment that they need for that. They also have less compunctions about civillian casulatities especially among the Kurds.

Since they share a border with Iraq they have shorter supply lines and they don't pay Haliburton to fark their logistics up for them. They have a far better grasp of the local culture and language. Their soldier will also very likely be far more motivated.

It would be a huge suprise if the Turks made a concerted effort in Iraq and not achieved better results than the US did.