Would someone like to remind Fritz he voted for the Iraq War Resolution?

Somebody needs to check his meds.

Until we're ready to give Greg Mortenson and his foundation the same amount of money as we give the department of defense, we'll continue to see terrorists coming out of the Pakistani/Afghani border.

UNC_Samurai: Would someone like to remind Fritz he voted for the Iraq War Resolution?

I thought this was about Afghanistan.

Anyone who voted for the Iraq War Resolution deserves to be impeached for giving legislative power to the President.

I_C_Weener: I thought this was about Afghanistan.

No, apparently it's now about Pakistan.

DarthBrooks: I_C_Weener: I thought this was about Afghanistan.

No, apparently it's now about Pakistan.

Well, Fritz is claiming our presence is encouraging terrorism in Afghanistan. The same claims have been made (and fairly rightly) about the U.S. presence in Iraq. If he complains about our presence encouraging terrorism in Afghanistan, then he should own up to creating the same problem in Iraq.

DarthBrooks: I_C_Weener: I thought this was about Afghanistan.

No, apparently it's now about Pakistan.

The problem is, there isn't a clearly defined border between the two in the mountainous region.

what_now: DarthBrooks: I_C_Weener: I thought this was about Afghanistan.

No, apparently it's now about Pakistan.

The problem is, there isn't a clearly defined border between the two in the mountainous region.

The problem is, that's where the bad guys are.

I thought the "War Crimes" thing was stupid when they threw it at Bush, we have reached a new height in stupidity.

/Conservative

I thought only Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rove and Gonzalez could be tried with war crimes.

Oh well. I guess it's time we sign on with the ICC.

/Fritz hasn't been a Senator for SC for a long long time.
//But being out of office never prevented Jimmy Carter from running his mouth

Afghanistan was a terrorist state. NATO, not just the US, moved in, with the support of the UN.

If your position is that the Afghanistan War is tantamount to war crimes, then you are entitled to such opinion, but you're a hypocrit if there ever was one if you support the Iraq War at the same time.

Did this blow-bag vote for the initial presence of United State's in the Iraq War?


Open Comment to the good Senator from South Carolina:

1) Please critique your own actions before commenting on the actions of others.

or

2) Check yourself, before you wreck yourself, fool!

Let's charge the perpetrator with those crimes before we start talking about the continuation of the crimes.

Is this that guy in the straight jacket with the green outline?

You forgot Iraq.

Obama needs to get with China and annouce a War on Porn.

If Bush didn't get charged with war crimes, Obama sure as hell isn't going to be. Are these people paying attention?

I thought I recognized this name..

Link (new window)

Basically, this would mandate a DRM chip in every DVD player, computer, or anything else that could play digital media. This is why they've been referred to as "Fritz chips".

SpyroChiro: If Bush didn't get charged with war crimes, Obama sure as hell isn't going to be. Are these people paying attention?

It's not to late, what if you want to charge Bush? Now you would have to include Obama for continuing the same policies, I think that was the point.

Change you believed in.

OldScotch:

If your position is that the Afghanistan War is tantamount to war crimes, then you are entitled to such opinion ...

From the article it's

Obama's continuation of some of former President Bush's tactical strategies in the war on terror


specifically "... war crimes for killing civilians in Pakistan with drones ...".

I say we do cut our losses and leave those primitives to their primitive ways. But under one condition. No chicks.

Funk Brothers: You forgot Iraq.

Obama needs to get with China and annouce a War on Porn.

Funny you should mention that.... (pops)

Iraq - Oil Production: 2.093 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Afghanistan - Oil Production: 0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

It isn't a war crime to do something that makes a group of people who aren't officially associated with a government angry at you. You can do something that is wrong, but legal (whatever that means at the end of the day when talking about international affairs), that ends up pissing people off into blowing shiat up, and you aren't committing a war crime.

drta.

Seriously, this is stupid. I wind up defending a man I don't even agree with. Obama for War crimes, come on. This is like saying that Bush should be in trouble for Clinton perjuring himself. Even if you believe Bush is a War criminal, you can't blame it on Obama.

globalwarmingpraiser: Even if you believe Bush is a War criminal, you can't blame it on Obama.

Unless you believe that Obama is continuing an ongoing illegal act; specifically the war in Afghanistan.

GoldSpider: Unless you believe that Obama is continuing an ongoing illegal act; specifically the war in Afghanistan.

Starting the war in Afghanistan is on the very short list of actions Bush got right. Too bad Junior didn't have the attention span to follow through.

canyoneer: Iraq - Oil Production: 2.093 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Afghanistan - Oil Production: 0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Then why did we invade a country without any oil? That was serious mistake on Bush's part.

canyoneer: Iraq - Oil Production: 2.093 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Afghanistan - Oil Production: 0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

I'm never quite sure why people link this. I'm 100% against having gone into Iraq, but even I can see that we didn't go into Iraq to plunder the oil.

Perhaps you are linking it to point out the difference between the 3rd world afghanis and the middle class Iraqi culture that is the result of one area's resources and the others, and thus making a subtle commentary on how it may not be possible to build up a nation that is shiat because it has nothing?

/dunno

Tyee
It's not to late, what if you want to charge Bush? Now you would have to include Obama for continuing the same policies, I think that was the point.

Well let's see... under Bush we tortured people. Obama is against it. Under Bush we had warrantless wiretaps. Obama is against it. Under Bush we had the debacle that is Gitmo. Obama is committed to closing it down. Under Bush we had the needless invasion of Iraq under false pretenses. Obama is committed to drawing down our forces there.

So yes, we can charge George W. Bush with war crimes without including Obama, who is not continuing the same policies.

Good luck getting a war crimes charge to stick against a Kenyan huckster who isn't even legally President...

Mordant: Good luck getting a war crimes charge to stick against a Kenyan huckster who isn't even legally President...

Or some president from Zimbabwe.

Funk Brothers: "Then why did we invade a country without any oil? That was serious mistake on Bush's part."

Agreed.

Obama = The New George Bush



just ask al=qaida :P

Idiot. Bush shouldn't be charged for war crimes for the war in Afghanistan. Bush should be charged with war crimes for authorizing torture.

Mr_Fabulous: what_now: DarthBrooks: I_C_Weener: I thought this was about Afghanistan.

No, apparently it's now about Pakistan.

The problem is, there isn't a clearly defined border between the two in the mountainous region.

The problem is, that's where the bad guys are.

Evil doers. They prefer to be called evil doers.

globalwarmingpraiser: Seriously, this is stupid. I wind up defending a man I don't even agree with. Obama for War crimes, come on. This is like saying that Bush should be in trouble for Clinton perjuring himself. Even if you believe Bush is a War criminal, you can't blame it on Obama.

Give it time, son, give it time. War protesters calling for Obama's impeachment and the end of the Draft will be clogging the streets by 2012.

/Remembers the Johnson era
//Why yes, I think the draft will return
///Just as soon as we get our asses in a grinder in Pakistan and Iran....
////There's a dynamic to these things.

I voted Obama and I think he's farking up. What's to be gained in Afghanistan? Really - someone explain it to me.

globalwarmingpraiser: Seriously, this is stupid. I wind up defending a man I don't even agree with. Obama for War crimes, come on. This is like saying that Bush should be in trouble for Clinton perjuring himself. Even if you believe Bush is a War criminal, you can't blame it on Obama.

He bought his ticket. He knew what he was in for. I say, let him crash.

Guys I think this is a satire site

Smackledorfer: "I'm never quite sure why people link this. I'm 100% against having gone into Iraq, but even I can see that we didn't go into Iraq to plunder the oil. Perhaps you are linking it to point out the difference between the 3rd world afghanis and the middle class Iraqi culture that is the result of one area's resources and the others, and thus making a subtle commentary on how it may not be possible to build up a nation that is shiat because it has nothing?"

We didn't go into Iraq to plunder Iraqi oil, we went into Iraq to free-up Iraqi oil, to expedite its timely and efficient exploitation. Hussein was damaging the formations and wastefully flaring trillions of cubic feet of sweet natural gas. It's all about global supply and the proper stewardship of the immense and globally-significant Iraqi petroleum reserves.

Did you know that since the occupation of Iraq that state-of-the-art analyses have been done on old Iraqi seismic data, and this has revealed that Iraq is sitting on perhaps 500 million barrels of oil or more - super high-quality oil...light, sweet crude with low lift costs and high API values. It's a treasure almost beyond imagination, and the world will need every drop of it over the next twenty years - not to mention the huge amounts of natural gas there.

And you are exactly right about the potential: Iraq has spectacular potential to become a wealthy nation fully integrated in the global economy. Afghanistan, on the other hand, is a poor backwater and is likely to remain so in perpetuity. There's nothing there.

bookman: globalwarmingpraiser: Seriously, this is stupid. I wind up defending a man I don't even agree with. Obama for War crimes, come on. This is like saying that Bush should be in trouble for Clinton perjuring himself. Even if you believe Bush is a War criminal, you can't blame it on Obama.

Give it time, son, give it time. War protesters calling for Obama's impeachment and the end of the Draft will be clogging the streets by 2012.

/Remembers the Johnson era
//Why yes, I think the draft will return
///Just as soon as we get our asses in a grinder in Pakistan and Iran....
////There's a dynamic to these things.

If we have to go into Pakistan there is this large country known as India that would most likely be willing to act as a proxy for say lowered prices on the F-35C. They would like to have it but the Russians are offering them a better deal. As far as Iran goes, we would be better off formenting rebellion among their secular citizens. Then recognizing them as the new leaders and send in support and equipment.

JohnBigBootay: I voted Obama and I think he's farking up. What's to be gained in Afghanistan? Really - someone explain it to me.

You do remember the entire freaking campaign he said he wanted to increase the number of troops in Afghanistan, right? This shouldn't be news to you.

Senator Fritz is on the Fritz.

canyoneer: And you are exactly right about the potential: Iraq has spectacular potential to become a wealthy nation fully integrated in the global economy. Afghanistan, on the other hand, is a poor backwater and is likely to remain so in perpetuity. There's nothing there.

Afghanistan is endowed with a wealth of natural resources, including extensive deposits of natural gas, petroleum, coal, marble, gold, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semi-precious stones. In 2006, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated that Afghanistan has as much as 36 trillion cubic feet (1.0×10^12 m3) of natural gas, 3.6 billion barrels (570×10^6 m3) of oil and condensate reserves.[11] According to a recent 2007 U.S. Geological Survey's assessment, it was again revealed that Afghanistan has significant amounts of undiscovered non-fuel mineral resources. Scientists also found indications of abundant deposits of colored stones and gemstones, including emerald, ruby, sapphire, garnet, lapis, kunzite, spinel, tourmaline and peridot.[12]

In May 2008, Afghanistan signed a contract with China for a project that deals with extracting copper. According to official sources, the project involves an investment of $2.8 billion dollars and an anual income of $400 million dollars to the Afghan government as well as 20,000 of its citizens provided with labor.[13] The country's Ainak copper mine, located in Logar province, is one of the biggest in the world. According to some reports, it is estimated to hold at least 11 million tonnes or 33 billion US dollars worth of copper.[14][15]

from wiki

We have found our Cynthia McKinney 2009....

patrick767: Under Bush we had warrantless wiretaps. Obama is against it.

Except that when push came to shove about it, he chickened out on the FISA vote this summer. I really admired his stance on that BS before he voted in favor of the bill. Very disappointing. But, he talks a good game about it.

Silovik: "from wiki"

And all of that is a pittance compared to the hydrocarbon wealth of Iraq. Iraq's oil resources alone are worth tens of trillions of dollars at least, and that's not counting the natural gas.

canyoneer: Afghanistan, on the other hand, is a poor backwater and is likely to remain so in perpetuity. There's nothing there.

Opium and cannabis

canyoneer: Silovik: "from wiki"

And all of that is a pittance compared to the hydrocarbon wealth of Iraq. Iraq's oil resources alone are worth tens of trillions of dollars at least, and that's not counting the natural gas.

not really, 'nothing there' though, and that is just what has been found and surveyed recently.

There is plenty of wealth and industry to develop, not to mention it sits between the Caspian/Middle East and India/China/Russia to develop pipelines and trade routes like the old silk road.

The point is that there is enough of basic industry to provide employment and stability for Afghanistan with enough FDI and security arrangements. Not really the perpetual poor backwater that you described.

Well, there goes my theory that Senators aren't quite as batshiat crazy as House Reps....

Silovik: "The point is that there is enough of basic industry to provide employment and stability for Afghanistan with enough FDI and security arrangements. Not really the perpetual poor backwater that you described."

And the same thing could be said for Kazahkstan and Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, one supposes, yet they remain backwaters even without Afghanistan's security problems. But that's all moot, really. The point about Iraq is that it has immense amounts of petroleum, a substance the industrial world can't live without. Strategically, Iraq's resources are almost infinitely more important.