Politics

[Wheels]

Also typical of Bolton... he tells us what Israel should do... but offers no solution as to how it actually gets done..

Sure.. destroy Irans nuclear capability...

Exactly HOW should the Israelis do that John Bolton?

We dont need specifics... but... what weapon system or unit do you think Israel has that can do that?

I mean there are actually only a very small set of options the US could execute to get this done.. and we have a significantly larger military capacity, wider array of weapons systems, and much better equipped (and larger) SOF units..

Agree. Have a feeling Iran has safeguards in place for Stuxnet 2.0.

 

[mdwest]

mdwest, Israel has people deeply imbedded and will only expose their capability when they are in a all or nothing scenario.

I think this may be that time. I’m only guessing. But I would be surprised if they don’t “break the glass” and use that tightly concealed, in country asset now.

Israel has one of the best intelligence capabilities in the world no doubt… they also have extremely good SOF units..

That doesn’t get them 1500 feet below the surface into a concrete, steel, and lead reinforced bunker complex built under a mountain, that’s guarded by a brigade+ sized element that’s specifically tasked with access control and threat elimination…

Granted our (US) Red Cell type units have done some pretty remarkable things to expose weaknesses within our own nuke sites… it’s pretty amazing the things those guys have come up with over the years to gain access to Yucca Mtn, Y12, Pantex, etc… and I’m sure the Israelis have similar units with similar capabilities..

But again, Israel has a fraction of the budget, a fraction of the assets, and a fraction of the experience of their US peer units… and we are talking about an operation 1000+ miles away at a facility they likely have considerable knowledge of, but have never physically seen…

a manned, boots on the ground attack, whether solid assets are already in country or not would be a stretch of the capabilities of the finest and best supported units on the planet..

And as discussed earlier, Israel lacks the ordnance and the delivery platforms to hit the nuke facilities with anything other than a nuclear strike (conventional munitions in their possession aren’t going to get the job done)…

With US assistance, the probability of success goes up significantly… but I think it’s highly doubtful the current administration is going to provide the tools we have at our disposal to Israel for the purpose of a deep strike inside Irans borders…

I’m not saying an Israeli attack against Irans nuclear program can’t/wont happen…

I am saying its probability of success without US assistance is extremely low, no matter how they go about making an attempt..

They’d be far better served hitting targets that have a very high probability of success associated… a basic CARVER+SHOCK assessment based on what’s well known in the public domain would point the Israelis toward oil and gas, banking, and other economic infrastructure, and potentially toward a handful of military installations I believe…

 

[Louis Toadvine]

I could care less about what is considered more rigorous. You are kidding yourself if you think most LA courses are harder than advanced business courses.

You ignore my point about who is more well-rounded. All LA students should take some business courses, just as business students take LA.

Learning accounting, budgeting and finance has real current world applications that all need but many never study. Every college graduate should know the basics of operating a business, management, accounting and budgeting. Our government would be in much better condition

Anecdotal of course, but given my personal experiences, I don't think I'm kidding myself. I studied liberal arts in undergrad and went to business school. Apart from two courses (financial derivatives and quantitative portfolio management), business school was a walk in the park compared to undergrad. Business school and business education are not particularly difficult or challenging. Based on what I heard from my business school classmates, I'm not the only one who shares this opinion.

There's such a variety of experiences in liberal arts education that I can't agree that business school students are more well-rounded. The liberal arts student who majors in econ or government or English and takes electives in astronomy, history, classics, statistics/probability, and studio art is pretty well rounded--certainly no less so than the business major who took some humanities and social science electives. But I submit that well-roundedness is subjective I'd be curious how you defined and measured that in your research paper.

Agreed that accounting, finance and budgeting are very important subjects and have real world applications. All young people could benefit from learning them. However, one does not need to study it in college or business school. If one has aptitude, they are easily learned within the first year or two on the job. In my banking cohort, there wasn't a measurable difference in quality or productivity between those folks who studied business in undergrad or something else. Banks recruit for hustle and raw aptitude; the finance and business skills side of it can be taught pretty quickly.

 

[Red Leg]

You were saying.......?

Ukraine’s security service arrests five people accused of $40m arms fraud

Two ministry of defence officials among those arrested over contract for mortar shells that never arrived

www.theguardian.com

And this article has exactly zero to do with US supplied weapons and ammunition. I can't speak for State, but US military support is under both service and DOD scrutiny - a discussion this group had a length a couple of months ago. The participants included a number of participants who have lived through that audit process.

 

[Saul]

I think it’s pretty clear Biden is not going to do anything about the border. The people in the west wing are obviously open border whackos that want the USA to devolve to more resemble a third world country. Level the playing field, so to speak. It’s just not fair, in their view, that we have been a largely prosperous country with wealth and, until recently, a decent record of implementing the rule of law. It all about a misguided view of “equity.”

There are reports that Biden will issue an executive order cracking down on asylum within the next month. We will see soon enough.

There are certainly open borders “whackos” in the Democratic Party, but I do not think Biden is one of them. I would say that he is closer to those who want to reform immigration policy so it is much more liberal on the ease of legal entry and work authorization.

Given Biden’s comments on border reform, he clearly recognizes the border to be one of his biggest electoral vulnerabilities. What has Biden in a bind is that the system is being overwhelmed with fake asylum claims. While any type of restriction on immigration would trigger progressives, severely restricting asylum has become something of a third rail even among some liberals. With most predicting that the 2024 election will be decided on a razor thin margin, they are trying to avoid anything that will significantly suppress Democratic turnout.

In my opinion, the biggest reason for the Biden admin’s failure to take necessary action on the border is the same reason for most every other of their policy blunders, and that is extreme risk aversion. For example, just look at how often they say “deescalation” and “containment” when discussing Iran. It is this desire to keep everything on an even keel that has kept this administration from taking decisive action.

 

[Scott CWO]

Anecdotal of course, but given my personal experiences, I don't think I'm kidding myself. I studied liberal arts in undergrad and went to business school. Apart from two courses (financial derivatives and quantitative portfolio management), business school was a walk in the park compared to undergrad. Business school and business education are not particularly difficult or challenging. Based on what I heard from my business school classmates, I'm not the only one who shares this opinion.

There's such a variety of experiences in liberal arts education that I can't agree that business school students are more well-rounded. The liberal arts student who majors in econ or government or English and takes electives in astronomy, history, classics, statistics/probability, and studio art is pretty well rounded--certainly no less so than the business major who took some humanities and social science electives. But I submit that well-roundedness is subjective I'd be curious how you defined and measured that in your research paper.

Agreed that accounting, finance and budgeting are very important subjects and have real world applications. All young people could benefit from learning them. However, one does not need to study it in college or business school. If one has aptitude, they are easily learned within the first year or two on the job. In my banking cohort, there wasn't a measurable difference in quality or productivity between those folks who studied business in undergrad or something else. Banks recruit for hustle and raw aptitude; the finance and business skills side of it can be taught pretty quickly.

I don’t believe we were discussing banks. You all protect each other.

 

[freefall]

There are reports that Biden will issue an executive order cracking down on asylum within the next month. We will see soon enough.

There are certainly open borders “whackos” in the Democratic Party, but I do not think Biden is one of them. I would say that he is closer to those who want to reform immigration policy so it is much more liberal on the ease of legal entry and work authorization.

Given Biden’s comments on border reform, he clearly recognizes the border to be one of his biggest electoral vulnerabilities. What has Biden in a bind is that the system is being overwhelmed with fake asylum claims. While any type of restriction on immigration would trigger progressives, severely restricting asylum has become something of a third rail even among some liberals. With most predicting that the 2024 election will be decided on a razor thin margin, they are trying to avoid anything that will significantly suppress Democratic turnout.

In my opinion, the biggest reason for the Biden admin’s failure to take necessary action on the border is the same reason for most every other of their policy blunders, and that is extreme risk aversion. For example, just look at how often they say “deescalation” and “containment” when discussing Iran. It is this desire to keep everything on an even keel that has kept this administration from taking decisive action.

Do you truly believe that Biden is formulating policy on anything? Seriously?
I see 0 hope for our country, looking at the opinions in this thread.
Maybe I should take up hunting bare with a knife.

 

[PARA45]

 

[Corey0372]

Pretty rough report on the situation US troops in Niger are facing. Seems a case of the chain of command and State Dept believing what they want to believe (lying) and painting a pretty picture instead of the ground truth reported by the guys there. Hopefully someone makes a call for an orderly withdrawal of men and equipment so the guys don't wake up to an overwhelming force at the gate telling them to get on their planes and leave with the clothes on their back.

 

[Saul]

Do you truly believe that Biden is formulating policy on anything? Seriously?
I see 0 hope for our country, looking at the opinions in this thread.
Maybe I should take up hunting bare with a knife.

There is policy and there is strategy. Of course Biden has policies he hopes to see realized. His problem is letting strategy always take central focus.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

There is policy and there is strategy. Of course Biden has policies he hopes to see realized. His problem is letting strategy always take central focus.

I believe you're giving Biden a pass on immigration he does not deserve. I think his problem now is he hasn't any ability to put together a complex thought and strategy. He is being controlled by those in the background and just being told to play along with what he's told. This is why his handlers cringe whenever there is an unscripted moment in front of the cameras and the scripted moments are short.

 

[John Wasmuth]

It appears Israel has begun its retaliation for Iran's indiscretions …….

 

[Saul]

I believe you're giving Biden a pass on immigration he does not deserve. I think his problem now is he hasn't any ability to put together a complex thought and strategy. He is being controlled by those in the background and just being told to play along with what he's told. This is why his handlers cringe whenever there is an unscripted moment in front of the cameras and the scripted moments are short.

Certainly not a pass. I think the Biden administration’s strategy on the border thus far has been nothing short of disastrous. I am merely speculating as to the why.

Biden is noticeably diminished compared to four years ago, but I have seen nothing that leads me to believe he has the level of profound cognitive impairment that you describe.

What Biden’s career in the senate has shown is that he is more of a collaborator than a leader. I do not think there is anyone “controlling” him. He is too focused on building consensus among and deferring to his cabinet and advisors. To be clear, this is a bad way to run an administration, but it is likely not that much different than how Biden from 20 years ago would have done things either.

 

[Ed Lally]

The poor guy can’t pull together two complete sentences, how do you possibly think he can pull consensus on anything from his cabinet and advisors??

 

[Ed Lally]

On the other hand, I am completely convinced that he is very capable lof deferring. One only needs to sit there and eat ice cream to accomplish that.

 

[Tanks]

Whats un- american, is my tax dollars being spent to defend Ukraine's borders, while nothing is being done to defend the invasion at the southern border of the U.S.A.
...

The aid for Ukraine and the border is NOT a binary choice. The House did pass a border bill, (H.R. 2) last May, it went to the Senate and died. Even if it had passed the Senate, it most likely would have been vetoed.

The Democrats control two of the three legislative branches, and it is about time the House Chaos Caucus realized that. If they don't want to work with and compromise with Democrats to get things done, then all they can do is keep obstructing as they have been doing with consequences at election time at swing districts.

 

[freefall]

You can't compromise with people who think you're an idiot and want you dead.

 

[Red Leg]

The aid for Ukraine and the border is NOT a binary choice. The House did pass a border bill, (H.R. 2) last May, it went to the Senate and died. Even if it had passed the Senate, it most likely would have been vetoed.

The Democrats control two of the three legislative branches, and it is about time the House Chaos Caucus realized that. If they don't want to work with and compromise with Democrats to get things done, then all they can do is keep obstructing as they have been doing with consequences at election time at swing districts.

When one is so busy obediently shouting the nonsense the farther right collective mind expects you to believe, political realism is an unwanted splash of brutally cold water. As you would suggest we are demonstrating to those few key swing voters left that not only have we no control over our own party, but also that the party is incapable of governing.

 

[Brent in Az]

The aid for Ukraine and the border is NOT a binary choice. The House did pass a border bill, (H.R. 2) last May, it went to the Senate and died. Even if it had passed the Senate, it most likely would have been vetoed.

The Democrats control two of the three legislative branches, and it is about time the House Chaos Caucus realized that. If they don't want to work with and compromise with Democrats to get things done, then all they can do is keep obstructing as they have been doing with consequences at election time at swing districts.

Your post is a contradiction. A border bill was killed by the Democrat controlled Senate, yet the House Freedom Caucus is supposed to compromise with the Democrats?...... Yeah right!

Aside from funding of the Ukraine, name me one worthy item that they should compromise with the Dem's on?

I'll wait.....

 

[Corey0372]

When one is so busy obediently shouting the nonsense the farther right collective mind expects you to believe, political realism is an unwanted splash of brutally cold water. As you would suggest we are demonstrating to those few key swing voters left that not only have we no control over our own party, but also that the party is incapable of governing.

I'm going to catch hell for this, but pot stirring can be fruitful (if not just fun) at times.

Part of me thinks that a Biden re-election could lead to...
1.) The Republican party being so pissed at each other and at each others throats they split
2.) Biden doing such a horrible job in his second term, it also causes a split in the Democrat Party

And honestly.... I would be perfectly fine with four political parties (5 with the Libertarian party). I think this would allow for far more honesty and transparency as far as what candidates run on, and what they also actually vote on and prioritize, and more Americans would feel genuinely represented even if it's just by a little bit.