LOL MacBeth, I suppose that if you teach at a business school, you are just as qualified to give advice as a successful businessperson? Your ego is amusing.
[sarcasm]Yeah, you're right MacBeth, Colin Powell hasn't had any military duties as important as "guarding a depot", which you so arrogantly dismiss as being insignificant. Keep the laughs coming, you accredited military hero you.
So who is in a better position to know the full story: those of us who depend on the "tilted" new or a guy who is actually in the U.S. military and has buddies and buddies who have buddies around the globe?
Oh, I'm sorry, I must have forgotten that treeman said that establishing democray in Iraq would be smoothe sailing! (I remembered it as "a walk in the park." My bad....)
Actually, I remember getting into endless rounds of arguments with Treeman about whether or not Saddam is dead or alive back in May or April. So put an asterisk by that one. I also remember that back in April or May, he was on a one man mission to prove that the since-discredited mobile weapons trailers were affirmative proof of WMD, a claim that even the Administration is now hesitant to make. I'm sure I could go back and catalog other claims of his that are based on emotion or rumor and passed off as fact. But there's no need, unless Juanheath and tradertexx want to continue with the pep rally. Even if treeman is the staff seageant of the 367th Geopolitical Neorealism brigade, I don't see why I should be forced to defer to his opinion on foreign affairs. (this is where the clowns paint me as an ungrateful traitor who hates our troops, while their version of supporting the troops is to yelp "bring it on" from their living room sofa.)
Man, you are a hoot. In this case the assumption that someone teaching business would have a greater understanding of the factors at play in a prospective merger, or a better ability to evaluate a potential business venture than, say, a clerk at a department store is accurate. If we were discussing what is required of a guard at a depot, what is the everyday life of an average non-combat soldier, etc., than certainly treeman would provide greater scope...But we are discussing broader issues with correlative aspects which have next to nothing to do with treeman's experience. Those in position to assess the situation in Iraq, to dictate policy, evaluate the enemy etc. have had, as required training, ( seen as relevant by the powers that be) years of training in the very areas you dismiss. There was a time...pre-Prussian Academy...when your position had some support in the military field. It was, for a while, thought that studying military history, tactics, strategies, cultural aspects of the area affected, etc. was irrelevent to applied military action. It was proven disastrously incorrect, the reverse was proven overwhelmingly effective, and ever since, pretty much across the globe, the idea that studying the subjects you and T_J dismiss is essential to being able to understand and analyze present military situations is accepted practice. Ego has nothing to do with that assertion, and the fact that you would confuse the situation to so suppose is par for the course, and says as much about your way of reasoning these things as it does about your understanding of the field.
If Colin Powell's military career had been restricted to such duty...and moreover had it been absent the years of study of what you deem irrelevent...than he would still be in a similar position of responsibility. See above response to jh. When did I ever claim war hero status or anything like it? Typical change of direction when losing the argument T_J response.
You know we should really turn up the heat on the personal insults in this thread. We don't insult each other enough... let's all meet at the bike racks after school and settle this the right way...bareknuckle boxing!
What in the HELL are you babbling about? Treeman's post isn't analysis. He is reporting what he has heard from the guys on the frontline. ALL American troops, no matter where they are stationed, are no doubt obsessed with Iraq. It must be the main topic of conversation, all day, everyday. They thirst for first hand reports from the front. Why? ...because someday soon they may be dodging bullets. If you think you can dismiss the opinions of the guys who are doing the dirty work for Western Civilization because you have studied the battlefield, safe behind ivy covered walls, you are too PROUD for my taste.
I was thinking 2nd floor bathroom for a dick measuring contest, but boxing will do. BTW...Tree, from what I recall, isn't just some 18 year old grunt fresh off the dirt farm...the guy's well educated in many of the same fields as MacBeth, just to a lesser degree.
C'mon giddy, US military buddy to buddy to buddy is hardly objective or anything more than rumor and as we've seen by treeman's post here he really doesn't know anything that hasn't been widely reported already. Off topic though tegarding the negative media thing, everyone should check out Bowling for Columbine (it's out on video finally) and what it says on the subject. Despite whatever partisan slants people think Moore has that movie has interesting stuff regarding the media, violence, etc. Definite thumbs up on that one.
John and tree never did respond to the mobile helium labs did they? I guess they're waiting for the next smoking gun. I think that brigade is due to have it's funding cut soon, we'll see.
Welcome back Treeman goodluck with the new kiddo, though I disagree with some of your opinions I just saluted my computer monitor for some reason... MadMax in a bareknuckle fight, now that is some serious humor...unless your talking about Vernon then i'm running a 4.2 40 dash outta there.
Juan is waiting on the "rumored announcement" that he hears all the "rumblings" about on Debkafile, Weekly World Tribune, and other super-market checkout stand websites. It's being held back while the Office of Information Awareness collects your and my posts, and so that we can be "EXPOSED" when the truth comes out and our checkered pasts can be distributed to all potential Bexar county undecideds who are considering Wesley Clark for President in '04.
I trust you'll be just as hard on posters submitting articles from counterpunch, indymedia and alternet. Right?
