quote:

Seems to me that Dems could bumble things to war

Judging by Libya and Syria I would call this an accurate assessment.

quote:

Originally posted by Tubetone:
I know a few Iranian people and from what I anecdotally understand, there are a lot of folks there who also want peace and prosperity, not war.

I lived in Tehran for 2 years while the Shah was in power, and the Iranian people were quite friendly. There was a fairly large group of English-speaking people in Tehran and as military advisors all over the country, and there was little conflict. Their fatalistic approach to life was a little off-putting (everything that happened was Allah's will, and not anyone's fault) but we managed. For the most part, they were happy and just wanting to live their lives. I suspect that they would be that way again were their government more amenable to Western ways.

flashguy

Here is more of the article I partially posted earlier:

“Everyone was saying I’m a war-monger, and now they say I’m a dove,” Trump said Saturday as he was peppered with questions about the Iran drama.

“I think I am neither, if you want to know the truth. I’m a man with common sense, and that’s what we need in this country, is common sense.”

Trump insisted it is up to the Iranian leadership how the current crisis plays out.

“If the leadership of Iran behaves badly, then it’s going to be a very, very bad day for them,” he said.

“But hopefully they’re smart and hopefully they really care for their people and not themselves, and hopefully we can get Iran back on to an economic track that’s fantastic, where they’re a really wealthy nation, which would be a wonderful thing,” he added. LINK

- without nuclear weapons or destabilizing ambitions, that is.

Deepocean put up part of this before but it's missing now. The President, in his own words, sees our beef as with the leadership, not the people of Iran.

quote:

Originally posted by Tubetone:The President, in his own words, sees our beef as with the leadership, not the people of Iran.

Yup - Also known as Strategic thinking.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
Cute pictures fellas. Here's one for you. A man who happened to agree with my assessment and take the appropriate action.

[...]

Funny thing is, I'd be willing to bet my next month's salary that had Trump chosen to attack those sites instead, you'd have been behind that decision 150% as well. Good to see the man still walks on water.

Actually even Reagan didn't follow through with his threat to attack Iranian shore sites if anti-ship missiles should be used from them in 1987. Iran fired several Silkworm missiles, one striking reflagged tanker Sea Isle City in Kuwaiti waters, one claimed shot down by USS Gary (FFG-51) while protecting floating US operations bases.

The US demolished several former oil platforms which were used by Iran to coordinate attacks in response to the tanker hit (in which the American captain and a Philippine crew member were permanently blinded along 16 other wounded), but acted like the Gary incident hadn't happened. Reasons were the same as today: there was no loss of American lives, and Reagan feared the risks of escalation associated with attacking Iranian soil proper, with dubious political support at home for the whole tanker escort operation anyway.

I don't have the slightest doubt that if the exact same sequence of current events would have unfolded under a Democratic president, the reactions from both political camps would have been exactly reversed of course.

Where's Gustofer? He must be out, getting fitted for his visor.

not sure if this was posted...or accurate, but sure looks terrible:
Democrat Leaders Pelosi and Schumer Caught on Camera Doing Victory Dance After They Thought They Goaded Trump

schumer's explanation is they were celebrating the release of his mother from the hospital. having had sick parents, i cant relate to the reaction, but sure hope she is better.

if the suspicion is they were happy to goad the trigger happy unstable president trump into war..well they believe their own lies too much. wonder how they felt after he called it off. jackasses either way.

US hits Iran with crippling cyberattacks, says a report
The cyberattacks took down Iranian computer networks used to control missile launches, says The Washington Post.

Edward Moyer mugshot
BY
EDWARD MOYER
JUNE 22, 2019 5:34 PM PDT
3


CNET
With an OK from the US president, the Pentagon this week launched cyberstrikes that took down Iranian computer networks used to control missile launches, says a report in The Washington Post, which cites unnamed people familiar with the matter. The news comes after Iran shot down a US surveillance drone it said was violating Iranian airspace. In response to the drone attack, the president had approved then pulled back from conventional military attacks on radar facilities, missile batteries and other targets in Iran.

But the Thursday night cyberstrikes against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had been in preparation for some time, the Post reported, saying the Pentagon proposed them after Iran allegedly attacked two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman earlier in June.


"This operation imposes costs on the growing Iranian cyberthreat, but also serves to defend the United States Navy and shipping operations in the Strait of Hormuz," Thomas Bossert, a former senior White House cyberofficial in the Trump administration, told the Post.

"Our US military has long known that we could sink every IRGC vessel in the strait within 24 hours if necessary," Bossert told the Post. "And this is the modern version of what the US Navy has to do to defend itself at sea and keep international shipping lanes free."

Referring to the Iranians, an anonymous source told the paper that "this is not something they can put back together so easily."


Cyberwarfare and cyberespionage aren't new, but moves in these areas have grabbed headlines following Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election and amid worries about Russian interference in the 2020 campaign. Other red flags have included Russia's shutdown of part of Ukraine's power grid in 2015, as well as reports that a Russian government-sponsored group had been able to gain access to the control rooms of US electric utilities in 2017.

In February, a former US Air Force intelligence officer was charged with espionage for allegedly working with Iranian hackers who used Facebook to try to trick her former colleagues into downloading malware that would track their computer activity.



Last Saturday, The New York Times reported that US Cyber Command had moved from a defensive to offensive posture, apparently under a military authorization bill Congress passed in 2018 that gives the go-ahead for "clandestine military activity" in cyberspace to "deter, safeguard or defend against attacks or malicious cyberactivities against the United States."

Cyber Command also received new authority last year from the US president under a still-classified document called National Security Presidential Memoranda 13, the Times said.

Asked to comment on the Post report, Department of Defense spokeswoman Heather Babb said that "as a matter of policy and for operational security, we do not discuss cyberspace operations, intelligence or planning." The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

https://www.cnet.com/news/us-h...ttack-says-a-report/

Well lookie here, PDJT had something up his sleeves potentially way more damaging that taking out a couple of batteries and dishes. Casualties = zero. Orange Man Bad doesn't have any Iranian deaths or propaganda/fake body counts to deal with. International community, Dims, and Fake News can't bash him.

Very well played sir.

-------

As for the reports of Chucky and Pelosi celebrating thinking they've sentenced people to death to further their own careers and agendas is sickening. It's un-American, and is a violation of their oaths of office. They are scum of the worst kind. Yet more evidence for term limits.

quote:

Originally posted by alteon180e:
not sure if this was posted...or accurate, but sure looks terrible:
Democrat Leaders Pelosi and Schumer Caught on Camera Doing Victory Dance After They Thought They Goaded Trump

Geez, color me shocked.

Goes to show the President did the right thing. The Iranians now get to try to unfuck their computers instead. “Potentially way more damaging” is right on the money.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
Well lookie here, PDJT had something up his sleeves potentially way more damaging that taking out a couple of batteries and dishes. Casualties = zero. Orange Man Bad doesn't have any Iranian deaths or propaganda/fake body counts to deal with. International community, Dims, and Fake News can't bash him.

Yup, a warfare capability we don't often talk about.

Well played indeed.

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
Well lookie here, PDJT had something up his sleeves potentially way more damaging that taking out a couple of batteries and dishes. Casualties = zero. Orange Man Bad doesn't have any Iranian deaths or propaganda/fake body counts to deal with. International community, Dims, and Fake News can't bash him.

Yup, a warfare capability we don't often talk about.

Well played indeed.

Next time we should hi-jack their missile controls, firing one or two and guide them into Iranian assets for shits and giggles

quote:

Originally posted by mutedblade:
Next time we should hi-jack their missile controls, firing one or two and guide them into Iranian assets for shits and giggles

We have to be careful, as it might unleash "SkyNet"...

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:Yup, a warfare capability we don't often talk about.

Well played indeed.

Much of the public has no concept or, idea of electronic & cyber warfare. Most people think they know (computer virus or, phone hack) but, really have no understanding. EW is pretty much ingrained with any offensive taken.