We're going to war in Iraq. Again.

If there's one thing America knows its how to bomb Iraq.

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The Pentagon has ordered military commanders to plan for an escalation of American combat in Iraq, issuing a directive last week to prepare a campaign to destroy an Iranian-backed militia group that has threatened more attacks against American troops.

But the United States’ top commander in Iraq has warned that such a campaign could be bloody and counterproductive and risks war with Iran. In a blunt memo last week, the commander, Lt. Gen. Robert P. White, wrote that a new military campaign would also require thousands more American troops be sent to Iraq and divert resources from what has been the primary American military mission there: training Iraqi troops to combat the Islamic State.

Counterproductive? Really?

Some top officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Robert C. O’Brien, the national security adviser, have been pushing for aggressive new action against Iran and its proxy forces — and see an opportunity to try to destroy Iranian-backed militia groups in Iraq as leaders in Iran are distracted by the pandemic crisis in their country.

Military leaders, including Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper and Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have been wary of a sharp military escalation, warning it could further destabilize the Middle East at a time when President Trump has said he hopes to reduce the number of American troops in the region.

It isn't just Iran that is distracted.

Now let's remember that PM Mahdi asked Pompeo to "send delegates to put in place the tools to carry out the Parliament's decision."
But the State Department said the US would not discuss the withdrawal of US troops as their presence in Iraq was "appropriate".

10 days ago Iraq filed a formal complaint with the United Nations and the United Nations Security Council over the US’ bombings.

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Lily O Lady's picture

from Covid19 on an aircraft carrier. That’s like a cruise ship with zero amenities. How then to keep land based soldiers disease free? These people are fucking delusional! Gah!!!

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"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"

@Lily O Lady
We have 11 large aircraft carriers, of which only 6 are currently seaworthy. Three of them have COVID-19 outbreaks and are in port. That's half the fleet. OMG! We will have to put off punishing some small poor country for a while.

The military peabrains are in a tizzy, since China has two new aircraft carriers and one refurbished bought from the Ukraine. Intimidating China is going to be much more difficult since both of the two US carriers are from the Asian theater.

I predicted this weeks ago. Considering the cruise ship epidemic, naval vessels are far worse, higher density no private space. Troops are beginning to complain that the military has no program to fight COVID-19, and is not even practicing social distancing. Where will this go? How many more naval ships will be infected? Probably all of them with crews larger than 40. How will we maintain an endless state of war on the planet? Don't worry, Trump is slapping more sanctions on Iran. Heh, kick them when they are down. Serves them right for walking away from the JPCOA. Oh wait, was that us?

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20 users have voted.

Capitalism has always been the rule of the people by the oligarchs. You only have two choices, eliminate them or restrict their power.

Cassiodorus's picture

@The Wizard Oh well.

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9 users have voted.

"I'm starting to believe that they want Donald Trump to get elected." -- Compton Jay

edg's picture

It's hard for us sane people to grasp, but the fruitcakes that run the country think provoking Iran into war is a wonderful idea.

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thanatokephaloides's picture

@edg

It's hard for us sane people to grasp, but the fruitcakes that run the country think provoking Iran into war is a wonderful idea.

We sane folks would be better off if the country were run by actual fruitcakes.....

Bad

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"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

@edg
than masks and ventilators.

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WoodsDweller's picture

Gotta drive up the price of oil somehow.

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16 users have voted.

"The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function." -- Albert Bartlett
"A species that is hurtling toward extinction has no business promoting slow incremental change." -- Caitlin Johnstone

travelerxxx's picture

@WoodsDweller

Yes, anything to drive up the price of crude and natural gas. People die? No problem. After all they're brown people aren't they? Well, sorta brown...? And they're Muslims to boot, right? Well, then...

A nation whose political leadership is actually considering sacrificing their own elderly for the benefit of Wall Street wallets will have no issue with bombing a foreign nation in order to raise commodity prices. None whatsoever.

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16 users have voted.

is a synonym for "Iraqi citizens" then? In the "reporting" you always hear of the former and never the latter.

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12 users have voted.

Orwell: Where's the omelette?

a flight suit with a 50 inch waistband? Do they still have that "Mission Accomplished" banner? What about Tweety and that tingle up his leg? Nah, not buying it. They couldn't fit Trump in a fighter cockpit to save his life.

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8 users have voted.
travelerxxx's picture

@Snode

Not to worry about whether he fits into a fighter jet, or the suit for that matter.

Why?

1) He'd have to wear a helmet.
2) Helmet would mess up his fake-ass hair.

Appearances are more than everything to Trump. The only thing that matters more to him are his ratings.

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7 users have voted.
CB's picture

"In God We Trust" to "Never Let A Good Crisis Go To Waste"

It Is A Time Of Crisis And U.S. Foreign Policy Is Becoming Unhinged

The Trump administration is reacting to the pandemic stress by lashing out at perceived internal and external enemies. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is leading the external onslaught.
...
Requests from Venezuela and Iran for emergency IMF loans to buy medical supplies were blocked by U.S. interventions.

Just a month ago Pompeo announced an increase of sanctions against Iran. The sanctions block money transfers. They make it impossible for Iran to import the medical equipment it urgently needs to counter the epidemic.
...
Parts of the Trump administration are even pressing for a wider war against alleged Iranian proxy forces in Iraq:
...
The plan is lunatic. One can not "destroy" Kataib Hezbollah and other Iraqi Shia groups which Iran helped to build during the war against ISIS. These groups are part of political parties with deep roots in the Iraqi society.
...
It is not only Iraq and Iran the U.S. is aiming at. The U.S. State Department cut its contributions to health care in Yemen just in time of the highest need:
...
There will be a large cost to pay for this when the pandemic is over. The U.S. has exposed itself as unreliable ally, as war mongering moron even at the worst time and as incapable of helping its own citizens.

China on the other hand defeated the epidemic at home and now helps defeating it wherever it can. This is going to be its century.

Someone needs to tell Trump that China has accomplished his Easter deadline for workers to get back to work.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOMOUSoX-0I]

China will now be able to supply enough parts for American manufacturers to assemble as many ventilators as they require. Just need to give the Chinese 24 hrs lead time to fabricate the parts. Then Trump can send his "largest and bestest and greatest American manufactured" plane to China to pick up the parts. China's planes are too busy delivering humanitarian aid to every corner of the world.

Meanwhile, back in the USSA, confirmed coronavirus cases have now reached 123,495 with 2,217 deaths. Pompeo should have been fighting a war against COVID-19 on the home front. At this rate of increase, the US should reach 500,000 within the week and Pompeo will have to bring the sick and dying troops home to handle the imposition of martial law to protect the Washington establishment.

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Pluto's Republic's picture

.... stems from the fate of the aircraft carrier, Theodore Roosevelt, that had been steaming toward the Straits of Hormuz when pandemonium broke out onboard yesterday. The mighty warship has since been diverted to Guam at full speed, what ever that is these days.

Pandemonium In The Pacific: US Carrier Diverts To Guam As COVID-19 Cases Spike Among Crew


An absolute disaster is fast unfolding aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Western Pacific causing emergency contingency plans to be put in place.

By Wednesday eight sailors aboard the carrier tested positive for COVID-19, but clearly the outbreak aboard the ship is nowhere near being contained as on Thursday the US Navy said that number has jumped to 23 sailors confirmed for the virus.

Pentagon officials further admitted the ability to conduct widespread testing aboard the ship is limited in a situation so dangerous that the carrier has been diverted from it's original course, though Acting Navy Secretary Thomas B. Modly sought to stress “the ship is operationally capable and can do it’s mission if required” — no doubt a message ultimately meant for America's rivals and enemies in the region.

.

So, the Navy is testing all onboard for Covid-19. Just for the record, that would be some five-thousand plus US personnel living in close quarters on that boat for god knows how long.

Meanwhile, in Guam, where they are dealing without own coronavirus issues, Navy and Marine Corp service members were rousted to squeeze more beds into the already crowded bases located there. This means that some ten to twelve-thousand plus US personnel will be squeezed onto Guam's bases. They reportedly set up 140 military beds in a basketball gymnasium. Good start. 140 down and 4,860 beds to go. According to the Daily Beast: "To squeeze more troops into the gym, Navy medical professionals recommended measuring the six-foot distance per guidance from the CDC from the center of the bed rather than from the outer edges, meaning, that the beds are actually 3-feet apart."

Here's how China reports on this event in "English." Since it is happening in their bathtub, it's more an analysis. The Chinese keep a close eye on such matters since the US started terrorizing their waters.

Further COVID-19 assessments among the many crew are anticipated, and probably “dozens” of recent circumstances might emerge, CNN reported on Thursday, citing an official, whereas one other official stated the variety of extra circumstances is predicted to be giant, to an extent the US Protection Division can be unlikely to publicly specify how most of the Navy’s total circumstances are amongst members of the crew of the plane service,” as a result of issues that adversaries comparable to China or North Korea might see the ship as weak.”

Performing Navy Secretary Thomas Modly stated that the Theodore Roosevelt is in a strategy of testing all the crew, roughly 5,000 personnel, because the plane service is pulling into Guam, CNN reported.

“Nobody within the crew will probably be allowed to go away wherever into Guam, apart from on pier facet,” CNN quoted Modly as saying.

These measures point out the US has primarily put the Theodore Roosevelt in a upkeep situation and had all scheduled navy missions cancelled, because the plane service’s most important mission now has shifted to docking in Guam, quarantining all of its crew members on the navy base there and conducting thorough disinfection work on the complete ship, Tune Zhongping, a Chinese language navy knowledgeable and TV commentator, advised the International Occasions on Friday.

Tune stated he expects all crew members to go away the ship and be quarantined for 14 days, and the plane service will possible bear a full-scale disinfection process, together with on air con and sewer methods.

Even when such work is accomplished, the Theodore Roosevelt won’t be put into motion anytime quickly, as thorough assessments will comply with which has to make sure the dangers of an infection are lowered to zero, Tune predicted.

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____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato

the madmen generals and politicians would have stretched the damn war out, killing more millions in the trenches. Instead, the sick soldiers brought the flu home with them. We've been through this before, but some will never learn.

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Lily O Lady's picture

@leveymg

dictate our foreign policy. Because this country has gone completely insane!

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9 users have voted.

"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"

Lily O Lady's picture

@Lily O Lady @Lily O Lady

launched two more missiles according to the NHK.

Edit: changed “new” to “only”.

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4 users have voted.

"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"

@leveymg
and the German military mutinied.

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thanatokephaloides's picture

@gjohnsit

WW1 ended in 1918 because of the German Revolution and the German military mutinied.

Don't forget that the same thing can be said about Russia (Russia! Russia!) as well. The Soviet movement was put into reach of power by a naval mutiny which spread to the army and police.

Additionally, Austria-Hungary, one of two nations which started that miserable War (Serbia being the other one) was completely bankrupt.

The Spanish Flu's main pandemic phase was after hostilities ended; it seems the virus was ideally poised to take advantage of millions of free rides provided by people traveling home from the War. And wartime press censorship didn't help, either. It was called "the Spanish Flu" because neutral Spain's press was free to report on the flu in Spain, and did so. (In Spain, they call it "the French Flu".)

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"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

@gjohnsit also extended the war by taking millions of Russian troops off the eastern front, allowing Germany to concentrate its forces in the western lines.

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The Liberal Moonbat's picture

Make sure they get the Pentagon from all 5 sides this time....

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In the Land of the Blind, the One-Eyed Man is declared mentally ill for describing colors.

Yes Virginia, there is a Global Banking Conspiracy!