dagblog - Comments for "Pakistan: the beckoning abyss "

Yes! We are the new Spanish

Beetlejuice — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 17:39:54 +0000

In reply to What I have been trying to

Yes! We are the new Spanish Armada! I never thought about it in those terms, but you've hit the nail on the head!

What I have been trying to

David Seaton — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 17:22:31 +0000

In reply to Just saying that the post was

What I have been trying to say in my clumsy fashion, is that once upon a time, say in the year 2000, with the Cold War over, the USA had many options and might have gone down in history in quite a different way then it is going to go now. Most if not all of these options have been lost because of a toxic political/media/economic system. I think that this is not a good thing, but that is the way it is.

In the year 2001, when NATO invoked Article Five and the hole in the ground in New York was still smoking, the USA and its allies had some chance of straightening out Af/Pak, but that opportunity was all lost in Iraq.That failure is going to be seen as the point of inflexion of America's decadence, just as the sinking of the "Invincible Armada" was Spain's.

These last nine years have accelerated America's decline as a power by at least 20 years. I really do believe that George W. Bush should be put on trial in The Hague, but of course that will never happen.

Just saying that the post was

Rootman — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 11:39:54 +0000

In reply to Did you know that saying she

Just saying that the post was a big turn-on to me. Comes in here with his steamy earwax hangin out and then y'all complainin about harassment?

Did you know that saying she

quinn esq — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 04:09:05 +0000

In reply to Based on Seaton's photo, he

Did you know that saying she had "steamy earwax" was one of the sexiest compliments that a Norseman could give his wife?

I think maybe Articleman needs to come in here and read you the DagBlanged Rules, young man.

And what Army? The US is

Beetlejuice — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 00:45:15 +0000

In reply to Any UN issue is a US

And what Army? The US is washed up, used and abused. Besides, the public isn't in any mood to spend billions more on futile wars.

Ooops! I should have verified

Beetlejuice — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 00:43:44 +0000

In reply to Um, Beetle, take a look at a

Ooops! I should have verified first before I stuck my foot in my mouth.

Based on Seaton's photo, he

Rootman — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 23:45:39 +0000

In reply to In general, I think you're

Based on Seaton's photo, he lives in an aluminum foil house, and thus has trouble getting a good cellular connection. That contributes to his essays being a hemorrhaging caldron of steamy earwax that one tries to escape, dragging impossibly leaden feet.

In general, I think you're

Atheist — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 23:19:59 +0000

In reply to It's that old hammer-and-nail

In general, I think you're right. In this case in particular though, I have to wonder if Seaton isn't pulling his version of a Wolfrum. (He often says inscrutable things in my opinion.) I've never thought of the military as one of the tools in his toolbox, but maybe I'm giving him too much/not enough credit (depending on your point of view).

Despite its military

acanuck — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 22:33:09 +0000

In reply to well, acanuck, all i can say

Despite its military superiority, India is the last country anyone should look to to "impose order" on Pakistan. As I imply downthread, the very concept of imposing order militarily is stupid in the extreme.

well, acanuck, all i can say

anna am — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 22:13:37 +0000

In reply to In what way, anna, would a

well, acanuck, all i can say is you make a lot of assumptions about what i might be assuming. and i think it's perhaps debatable that India has shown remarkable restraint, the pakistanis at least tell a very different story regarding goings on in kashmir.

but then again, perhaps you're right. and you're definitely right if what you actually mean by restraint is that india has so far not unleashed any nukes.

for my part, i tend to think they're already at waging a proxy war in kashmir, and that this situation has serious negative potential. while it hopefully won't come to the point you suggest (and as we've seen by us example, countries that possess nuclear arms are perfectly capable of waging very nasty wars without using them), i have no doubt where the us would come down if the struggle were to enlarge. short of encouraging a nuclear showdown, that is.

responding the david's points, the truth is that india has far more to fear from pakistan as a failed state than us does, and very well may have more interest in imposing order at some point in time than we will. and it would be a great burden off the us's back if they did.