Originally Posted by
Lonewolf_50
Was that today? I have this from Reuters: is this the same thing you saw?
I think they already set up a toll booth, Mister Secretary.
The news casters are sometime dazzling in their cluelessness.
Of course Iran is making those treats. FFS, they've been under aerial attack for 28 days. Did someone think they would take this lying down?
ROFL...
So, given the "DOG & PONY" show that passed for the last cabinet meeting in the building adjacent to the wreckage of the East Wing, a treat may just be in order there LW. Perhaps the problem is getting those that want to be the "significant human" to the pack in Iran, need to go and talk to someone like Cesar Millan, who knows a thing or two about a thing or two, about dealing with an unruly pack. "Lying down" appears to be off the current pavlovian response to whacking the top dogs of a sovereign nation like something on a B-grade mobster movie.
As hard as it is to say, Iran has shown restraint in the past, when it came to pulling down the tent pole (the straits) and knee capping the global economy. With gallons of drones at their disposal and what passes as pretty hefty treats with soft centers to aim at, the choices that are presented curtesy of Bibi & AO's choices of late are stark.
- Not conducting ground action gives Iran hegemony of the whole of the gulf. Probably not a great concept, and as Iran has a friendship with Vlad who is still enjoying the gift that continues to give of his own 3-day excursion, that should be of some concern to the amount of lubricant that the world has in all meanings of the word. That includes the US of A, as the fuel costs in the US remain set from global market prices, not just the domestic supply.
- Conducting ground action will give historians lots to write about. At least ICE can be repurposed to go and do what they do best somewhere else other than the war zones of Los Angeles, Many Apples etc. A ground invasion would necessitate there being a plan, which the pentagram may have, but seems lacking at the level of the secretary and above. Much easier to be a TV talking head I would imagine.
- Iran is not likely to act in the best interests of the US of A, that ship probably got scuppered when it got personal.
- Regime change, the history of 3rd party intervention resulting in regime change has not been great, since the times of the Bay of Pigs, or whacking the leaders of South Vietnam. It is unpredictable, and the experience of the Kurds, and the Shia back in 1991 didn't build much confidence, being a prelude to the "arise and we shall help" suggestion that just led to lots of fresh fertiliser in Iran.
- Popcorn, probably worth investing in, if the info on the next "truth" that gets sent over the airwaves is not known in advance.
Would like to see an Iran that doesn't shoot its own citizens in the back of the head, but that may only occur in one of the other universes. Israel remembering what it is like to be on the receiving end of genocide might give them some sympathy for those that are affected by their largesse in the region, or not; hard to say.
Iran retains adequate short and medium range drones to control the gulf and to mess with the rice bowls of all concerned. Not much sort of a super size flash-bang that would do much to that, and doing that is probably not going to look good on the resume. The problem with such actions is, it is only one inelegant step followed by the certain consequences.
At least popcorn is not bad for you.... at least compared to all the other options on the table.
Vlad is likely ROFL on this, as Bibi and The Don have taken the heat off Vlad's decisions starring in the history books. Right now, Xi is the one with the biggest problem, it is coming along with the consequences of famine, which is one of those things that used to be called Tuesday in China of old, but with the advent of a middle class that is urbanised, that ain't the case no more. Xi might want to put his finger into this pie too to retain his exalted status as Emperor Winnie the Poo.