Have you been to Gulf counties in the Middle East? I lived there for many years, and I noticed something profound very early on— Westerners, for the most part, live in fully self-sustaining compounds, protected by PMC’s and local security forces. This baffled me. My training espoused the need for “partners” to fully…

Want examples? OK— from the Canadian government. Notice not only the plots, but the documented Canadian’s traveling overseas to engage in Jihad.

That’s the beautiful part— if China moved against Taiwan, they’d ultimately lose. Sure, they’d probably be able to take the island eventually, but not until they've suffered major military loses, and a complete loss of credibility internationally for well over a generation. Neighbors would now scoff at Chinese…

That’s expecting that whoever China gets into a scrap with, won’t possess the ability to sink, or highly damage, their sole aircraft carrier. If they lose it, they do not have the infrastructure to replace it anytime soon— unless they can find another one to buy, which would still require a year + to retrofit,…

Not only have there been the recent terror issues, but Canada has long been a financing hub for al Qa’ida. AQ ordered their operatives not to strike Canada, because doing so would undoubtedly cause laws to be created that would crackdown on their money laundering/moving operations using the Toronto-area real estate…

I didn’t say people who disagreed with me were “profoundly stupid.”

I know the debate is very much open. And, it’s also highly dependent on crew competency.

It was a joke. That’s the (ok, “a”) problem with the Internet— tone cannot be accounted for.

Oh god, who let Germany build a superior tank again?

I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again— it’s not the tool, it’s the craftsmen that’s important.

It's the craftsmen, not the tool...

Personally, I think we’re more likely to have a nuclear exchange now, than during the Cold War.

What did you expect? Nuclear weapons aren’t 500lbs JDAMs. They’re not designed to take out a concrete position, or a mud/straw hut filled with men who desperately wish to usher in “the good ole days” of the 8th Century. I mean— they have a blast radius of 25 miles. What other target would you expect them to be…

My thoughts exactly.

What the? Holy crusade? Is that a joke? Do you even know what the “holy crusades” were? Because they have abosutely nothing to do with what we’re debating.

-“1) Much worse off? We were still mired in both Iraq and Afghanistan and the U.S. reputation was in the gutter”-

Huh? “Righties” are saying that we shouldn’t depose dictators in volatile regions, without a plan and a commitment to secure the country afterwards?

One. Last. Time. For the reading comprehension impaired:

“but you’ve glossed over some major logical and factual issues in a personally slanted attempt to push an agenda which has no logical or practical solution (aside from blowing up the planet).”

Do we really need to compare/contrast the differences between Assad I’s leveling of Homs to quash a protest, and Assad II’s predicament today?