"Boater" wrote in message
...
Eisboch wrote:
"Boater" wrote in message
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When I was "of age" for the military, there was nothing happening that
required the homeland to be defended. There was that mess in Vietnam,
but that was a war we perpetuated by taking over from the French, who
got their butts kicked there and left.


Had nothing to do with the USSR, huh?

Eisboch




The Soviet Union was a minor player in the Vietnam War. It supplied a
significant amount of armament and materiel to the North Vietnamese, but
it had a small number of troops in that country. The PRC was a major
player, of course.

None the less, USSR backed. Those were not WW II jap zeros. They were
Russian MiGs with Russian bombs often with Russian or Chinese ground
support.

Our insistence on propping up right-wing dictators didn't serve us well in
Cuba, Vietnam, Iran, Panama, Nicaragua or Iraq. The only major fighting
war we've had in a long, long time that made sense was George H.W. Bush's
Gulf War, and only because he had most of the world behind us. And even
that war had unintended bad consequences for us.

Agreed here. Barry Goldwater was more sane than anyone thought.

Prolonged engagements in these places is stupid, expensive and ineffective.
Do more missions like Libya where you go in, hit strategic targets with
prejudice and intent to get the leaders and then leave. Fight a terrorist
like a terrorist, hit and run. Forget reclaiming their nations, they have
been at war so long they don't know who the enemy is any more. They just
know killing is power and fear.

Or in at least tell the Saudi's that if they want protection from their
fellow Muslims, here, do it yourself and give them nukes. I am sure they
would sooner or later annihilate each other with a little subtle help.