The World Turned Upside Down, Or, In Which I Agree with the New York Times
I had to read the item three times before I could bring myself to believe my eyes, but today's edition of the New York Times includes an editorial with which I completely agree. To wit:
The hunt for Muammar el-Qaddafi goes on, but his tyrannical 42-year rule over Libya is finished....
But it would be a mistake to deny the serious problems revealed by the six-month campaign. This was NATO’s first attempt at sustained combat operations with the United States playing a support role. Europe’s military capabilities fell far short of what was needed, even for such a limited fight....
Even Britain and France have skimped on munitions and targeters, making it hard for them to carry out multiple missions (both are also fighting in Afghanistan). Now, Britain and France are planning force and equipment cuts that threaten their capacity to take part in future extended foreign operations....
In June, Defense Secretary Robert Gates pointedly told European NATO allies that they risked becoming militarily irrelevant unless they stepped up investment in their forces and equipment. His successor, Leon Panetta, needs to drive that message home.
European leaders need to ask themselves a fundamental question: If it was this hard taking on a ragtag army like Qaddafi’s, what would it be like to have to fight a real enemy?
To all the members of the Ricochetoise who keep harping on me to cancel my Times subscription--yes, Aaron, I'm talking to you--I can only say, Take that.
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Dec '10
Re: The World Turned Upside Down, Or, In Which I Agree with the New York Times
Yes, but Peter, if you already knew all that and agreed with all that, why did you need to read it in the New York Times?
Aug '10
Re: The World Turned Upside Down, Or, In Which I Agree with the New York Times
A broken clock is still correct twice a day.
Apr '11
Re: The World Turned Upside Down, Or, In Which I Agree with the New York Times
Does the NYT say anywhere in its pages whether DefSec Gates ever "pointedly told" his boss that perhaps it wasn't in the United States' national interest for the US to even be supporting this "kinetic military action" in the first place?
Edited on Aug 30, 2011 at 1:57pmDec '10
Re: The World Turned Upside Down, Or, In Which I Agree with the New York Times
OK, let's do the math. Over the course of one year the broken would be correct 365 x 2 = 730 times and the NYT might be correct maybe once (benefit of the doubt). By comparison to the NYT, the broken clock is an Oracle of Wisdom.
Edited on Aug 30, 2011 at 2:06pmAug '10
Re: The World Turned Upside Down, Or, In Which I Agree with the New York Times
Somebody must have turned the lights on in order to read the bill when it came in and they awoke the amen corner over at DOD.
Dec '10
Re: The World Turned Upside Down, Or, In Which I Agree with the New York Times
jetstream
OK, let's do the math. Over the course of one year the broken would be correct 365 x 2 = 730 times and the NYT might be correct maybe once (benefit of the doubt). By comparison to the NYT, the broken clock is an Oracle of Wisdom. · Aug 30 at 2:05pm
Edited on Aug 30 at 02:06 pm
Even a blind chicken pecks a kernel of corn once in a while. Do the math on that one!
Sep '10
Re: The World Turned Upside Down, Or, In Which I Agree with the New York Times
What is also interesting is what is not said: the reason(s) why Europe is so emasculated militarily. We know it to be so because they invested everything in butter and nothing in guns over the past 50 years and let us pay the tab. Will the NYT be able to connect the dots and see the downside of what the liberals are trying to do to in this country with their social programs? I'm all for a smart military and am pretty sure cuts can be made in parts of it. But if what the liberals have planned for us come to fruition, we won't be able to afford a military that is capable of defending us let alone Europe.
Maybe the unintended consequence (silver lining?) of the Libyan folly was to expose clearly even to liberals what happens when you don't take care of the military when bad guys are still out there plotting against us.
Jul '10
Re: The World Turned Upside Down, Or, In Which I Agree with the New York Times
I think the insight that Europe is an underperforming military power could easily have been had elsewhere, with less chaff.
Aug '10
Re: The World Turned Upside Down, Or, In Which I Agree with the New York Times
jetstream
OK, let's do the math. Over the course of one year the broken would be correct 365 x 2 = 730 times and the NYT might be correct maybe once (benefit of the doubt). By comparison to the NYT, the broken clock is an Oracle of Wisdom. · Aug 30 at 2:05pm
Edited on Aug 30 at 02:06
haha - great point.
Mar '11
Re: The World Turned Upside Down, Or, In Which I Agree with the New York Times
Conservative Episcopalian:
Maybe the unintended consequence (silver lining?) of the Libyan folly was to expose clearly even to liberals what happens when you don't take care of the military when bad guys are still out there plotting against us. · Aug 30 at 2:30pm
Now we just have to convince them that "bad guys", other than the U.S., really do exist.
Oct '10
Re: The World Turned Upside Down, Or, In Which I Agree with the New York Times
Simply put, Europe has allowed the U.S to present a umbrella of defense so that internal expenditures promoted the Socialist State agendas.
It now appears the EU members cannot even muster for their own defense, let alone any other internal police actions.
Re: The World Turned Upside Down, Or, In Which I Agree with the New York Times
Peter, all that this proves is that there is one person on the editorial board at Pravda on the Hudson who is not a lunatic.
Take us to an article that taught you something. In fact, to justify your subscription, you should be required to do this four times a week for a year.
I dare you to try.
Jul '10
Re: The World Turned Upside Down, Or, In Which I Agree with the New York Times
I still have to side with Aaron, Peter. Read it? Maybe.
Link to it? Only to shame them.
Hack the pay wall? Everyone else does.
Pay for it? That is enabling behavior.
Mar '11
Re: The World Turned Upside Down, Or, In Which I Agree with the New York Times
Peter, don't think of it as your agreeing with the New York Times. Think of it as the New York Times agreeing with you.
Perfection is impossible -- even perfect cluelessness.
Re: The World Turned Upside Down, Or, In Which I Agree with the New York Times
Jeepers. As the professional comedians say--or at least as Rob Long tells me they say--this is a tough room.
Aug '10
Re: The World Turned Upside Down, Or, In Which I Agree with the New York Times
Peter, I was just itching to jump in here with both puns, but - after seeing the aftermath - consider me deterred.
Heh.
By the way, while targeteering is an acquired skill, the Europeans (particularly the Brits) wouldn't have to keep a school open, merely send folks to us for the training. That they haven't chosen to keep that vital skill alive is truly telling.
Aug '10
Re: The World Turned Upside Down, Or, In Which I Agree with the New York Times
<cleared double post>
Edited on Aug 30, 2011 at 7:54pmJun '10
Re: The World Turned Upside Down, Or, In Which I Agree with the New York Times
Peter, it's just window dressing. The house is still a pigsty.
May '11
Re: The World Turned Upside Down, Or, In Which I Agree with the New York Times
Peter, it's like playing golf. You play lousy hole after lousy hole. You are ready to quit in disgust.
Then...ONE great golf shot and you're telling yourself you're Tiger Woods, golf isn't such a bad game and you're thinking about those new clubs you saw at Edwin Watts.
It never really gets any better though.