You might think at first glance, given the current 'shlock-horror' in 'woke' circles, that my title is taken from radio exchanges between American rocket operators as they guided their missiles into the back seat of the car driving the late, unlamented (except by fellow murderous nutters) Qassim Soleimani. You would be wrong but understandably so because those words were actually uttered back in 1943 as some very naughty and politically incorrect American P38 pilots swooped in and ambushed Admiral Yamamoto, sending him to his death in the sea which was, I suppose given his naval career, entirely appropriate! The fact that he had also carefully plotted, planned and executed the surprise attack on Pearl Harbour which resulted in 2,335 deaths is justification enough, one feels. One can only surmise as to the number of deaths Soleimani would have executed had he lived longer but his sudden termination can be nothing but good news especially if his successors remember that there is a man in the White House just as ruthless as they are!
My thanks to Mr. Rich Lowry at The National Review for nudging me!
There sure are some manoeuvrings going on just now, ain't there?! A Brigade here, a Battalion there, bobbing and weaving, in out, shake it all about.
Makes Manstein's Panzer divisions in 1940 look like they'd put down roots!
With all this repositioning the Don must have had some serious flippin' intel in his in-tray. So much so he's not averse to sharing some to keep the snowflakes and safe-spacers happy, according to some reports.
Get the feeling it's gonna really kick-off in due course, I mean, the full Monty.
SoD
Posted by: Loz | Monday, 06 January 2020 at 22:51
Allies, bless 'em:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/us-allies-distance-themselves-from-trump-decision-to-assassinate-suleimani/ar-BBYG2FF?li=BBnb7Kz
Posted by: Whitewall | Monday, 06 January 2020 at 22:54
It was a good and justified hit. It did remind me of Wellington saying that commanders had more to do with their time than shooting at each other. I am sure Loz will supply the real historical words.
Major Generals in Iran will know they are targets now. Well done the Donald.
Posted by: Glesga | Tuesday, 07 January 2020 at 00:14
Well Sod you remember back on that post we were discussing when 'we' withdrew from northern Syria and you put forth the idea/possibility that we'd maybe see "an independent Kurdistan"?
You notice this recent 'Iraq referendum' the Iraqi government voting a non-binding demand "all foreign troops exit"?
You know why it was non-binding?
Because it was voted on by a simple quorum - the Sunni and Kurdish legislators having absented themselves being the reason.
Sure 'we' are doing a bunch of maneuvering - I bet there's alot of that going around. The game's afoot.
Posted by: JK | Tuesday, 07 January 2020 at 00:57
Nah, I don't think so. It's not complicated if you know your man. So, all it takes is some jumped up Iranian to twitter back at the fool in residence, along the lines of you can't do anything. The fool feels compelled to prove that he can, so he does. There we have it. A half-witted, charmless, out of control President who got goaded into a mistake. Then everyone (on the republican side) jumps to in his defence. The guy, Trump, is a fruitcake and everybody knows that. If they don't, they're about to find out, I guess. Time will tell.
Posted by: Mary | Tuesday, 07 January 2020 at 06:23
Tearing a chunk out of Iraq and joining it to Rojova to make a bigger Northern end on that bone shaped territory that comprises Israel, the corridor from Golan to the Euphrates, and greater Rojava, oh yes, JK, that would do very nicely.. I was getting there, alright, I was getting there! You're moving right spritely just now!
Leave the rest of Iraq to the Mad Mullahs and let it become the next Syria: the place where all the proxies either side of the Shia / Sunni divide do their thing. Let Iran pick up the tab for that war-ridden southern rump of Iraq, like Assad and Vlad in Syria.
Speaking of which, now we see the Don's beauty of the withdrawal from the northern end of Rojava: it sucked Assad, the Rooskies, and dirty Erdy into a side show, including Idlib, to distract them and keep them away from the main attraction: the formation of the Israeli, US and Saudi client state of Greater Rojava.
I wonder if this is the Don's work himself, or if there's a great general in the upper echelons of the US military pulling the brain strings? Or even better, is it the upper echelon of the US military itself as a whole: a higher functioning military, like the Jerry general staff of old?
Either way, BoJo and Cummings need to wake up, smell the coffee, and get 100% on the right side of history, PDFQ.
SoD
Posted by: Loz | Tuesday, 07 January 2020 at 08:19
Mary, I think you may be making the same kind of error as some of my friends who, at lunch the other day, began a chorus of Trumpian criticism along similar lines to yours above. However, when I asked them to state precisely and exactly the errors he had made - answer came there none! Yes, as a human being Trump is a caricature of the worst sort of American characteristics you would want to avoid - bumptious, loud, braggardly, a real 'honker 'n' hooter'. But, as I kept asking my friends, what has he actually done that is definitely politically wrong? His latest decision to assassinate an Iranian terrorist who also happens to be the deputy leader of a terrorist state MAY prove to have unforeseen outcomes - but doing nothing, as has happened so far, is equally dangerous!
Posted by: David Duff | Tuesday, 07 January 2020 at 09:32
And we didn't even have to go to war with them...which we won't.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/stampede-at-iran-generals-funeral-leaves-over-30-dead/ar-BBYGHoA?li=BBnb7Kz
Posted by: Whitewall | Tuesday, 07 January 2020 at 11:15
David,
Just Security is an outlet for New York University. You'll probably dismiss it as partisan for that reason. However, it answers in detail your question as far as impeachment related matters are concerned:
https://www.justsecurity.org/67738/federal-criminal-offenses-and-the-impeachment-of-donald-j-trump/
Of course he's innocent of criminal charges until proven guilty, but that can't happen while he occupies the White House.
Among other things, Trump lost a fraud lawsuit against Trump University and paid out $25 million in 2017. Other legal matters are currently working their way through various courts.
Posted by: Bob | Tuesday, 07 January 2020 at 16:18
Nae worries David over Just Security listing all that stuff.
Word is President Hawley is gonna issue a full pardon come January 2025.
Posted by: JK | Tuesday, 07 January 2020 at 18:31
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/01/iraq-kurds-opportunity-risk-soleimani-killing-iraq-tensions.html
Posted by: JK | Wednesday, 08 January 2020 at 07:47
Interesting looking article, JK, I'll read that in a coffee break later.
Just wanted to observe how brilliant the Don's choice of action was. It's clear from the Mad Mullah's limp-wristed response that "They don't like it up 'em, Captain Mainwaring!" Especially when the target is the senior management!
If the Don had picked some bunch of hapless revolutionary guard foot soldiers in an office or barracks and eviscerated them, the Mad Mullahs might have felt emboldened to respond with something a bit tastier knowing their personal arses were safe. But the Don's got form on NOT taking pointless lives, which I credited him for a way back when the US drone was shot down and the shipping was being targeted by Iran. He was given the estimate of the death toll of the proposed response - 150 foot soldiers, I vaguely recall - and said no. 150 human beings for a drone? Nah.
Good man. How distinctly unusual in a pol. They normally spend ordinary folks lives like water.
But more than that, the Don leaves the ordinary folks alone and picks on the pols only!
Sorry Gaffer I'm going to swear now, so avert your eyes if easily offended: What a breath of fucking fresh air is that!!!
Imagine a new world where instead of millions of ordinary folks facing each other across no man's land in Flanders pausing only to play a game of football in between slaughtering each other in millions, a handful of pols get squished instead and the rest of us are left alone?!
The Don could go down in the hall of greats along with Ronnie and Maggie. What they did to win the Cold War in their own way appropriate to that linear conflict might be equalled by the Don's new strategy and tactics in the non-linear war on militant Islam, both Sunni and Shia factions thereof.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel.
By George and all the Saints, today is a good day.
SoD
Posted by: Loz | Wednesday, 08 January 2020 at 11:37
I see about 50 Iranians died in a stampede during the funeral of General what's his name. A couple of funerals a week like that and Iran will take more than enough casualties to suit.
Posted by: Whitewall | Wednesday, 08 January 2020 at 12:08
SoD, you will hand in a hundred lines by 16.00hrs!
Posted by: David Duff | Wednesday, 08 January 2020 at 14:27
Whiters, 'I hae ma doots' about that airline 'crash' in Iran. A case of mistaken identity, perhaps?
Posted by: David Duff | Wednesday, 08 January 2020 at 14:29
UK / Ukraine?
What's Persian for "Shurely shome mishtake?"
SoD
Posted by: Loz | Wednesday, 08 January 2020 at 14:39
Oh very witty, Wilde, er, I mean 'SoD'!
Posted by: David Duff | Wednesday, 08 January 2020 at 16:24
I wonder about that Ukraine Air crash?
Posted by: Whitewall | Wednesday, 08 January 2020 at 18:14
Well Whitewall I'd advise not holding your breath wondering:
https://www.jpost.com//Middle-East/Ukranian-plane-crashes-in-Iranian-after-technical-issue-613494
I suppose should our fellows release the info on whether a particular S-400 system was locked and loaded that'd get to the heart of the matter - however if what Dip's got up is close to correct (and personally I believe he's onto something) it may be best not confirmed.
Posted by: JK | Wednesday, 08 January 2020 at 21:12
Useful link JK ref the Kurds, thanks.
SoD
Posted by: Loz | Wednesday, 08 January 2020 at 21:32
Does provide some insight SoD, you're welcome.
Posted by: JK | Wednesday, 08 January 2020 at 22:21
Well, even the BBC is admitting that Iran has climbed down as a result of the Don's bull's eye action, Iran's admission of shooting down the Ukie plane being the clincher ...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/world-middle-east-51073621
By God, that man does war honour.
SoD
Posted by: Loz | Saturday, 11 January 2020 at 08:24
I just tried to read the passenger list of that Ukranian airliner and though many were 'Canadian', I didn't see a Smith or Johnson listed.
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/international/ukraine-plane-crash-complete-list-of-passengers
Posted by: Whitewall | Saturday, 11 January 2020 at 13:12
Well-spotted 'Whiters'!
Posted by: David Duff | Saturday, 11 January 2020 at 13:31
You'll probably be pleased David to find (maybe) an indication of my memory (maybe) slipping because I can't provide a link but I saw something somewhere indicating 67 of the passengers were a particular sort of engineers.
"Cruel fate" that I suppose.
Posted by: JK | Saturday, 11 January 2020 at 14:41
https://apnews.com/ef423e4deec0ec35442d39c21474d7f7
"Yet even the army statement itself raises questions, as it said the flight moved “very close to a sensitive military spot” belonging to the Guard."
Now what sort of government would place a "sensitive spot" so near an international airport?
Posted by: JK | Saturday, 11 January 2020 at 15:02