White House: No SF to Nigeria…yet
The Washington Times says that the White House thinks that it’s too early to contemplate sending Special Forces to Nigeria yet;
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” said White House press secretary Jay Carney. “At this point we’re not actively considering the deployment of U.S. forces to participate in a combined rescue mission.”
[…]
“We are actively advising — including through military personnel — the Nigerian government as it seeks to find, to locate and to rescue these girls,” he said. “Finding them is the first step.”
I guess they’re going to give the #hashtag campaign a little more time to have it’s full effect on the terrorists who are checking constantly to see if they’re trending yet.
But, John McCain who is running for “The Most War Hawk Guy” I guess is pushing for boots on the ground in Nigeria, reports McClatchy;
He wants to see U.S. troops go into Nigera and rescue the girls, even if it means doing so without permission from the Nigerian government.
‘If they knew where they were, I certainly would send in U.S. troops to rescue them, in a New York minute I would, without the permission of the host country,’ McCain said Tuesday. Referring to Nigeria’s president, McCain added: ‘I wouldn’t be waiting for some kind of permission from some guy named Goodluck Jonathan.’
I’m kinda glad he’s not President at this point. I mean, I’m not glad that Obama won, but I am glad that McCain isn’t trying to prove to us how much of a maverick he is by sending troops into Nigeria with an open ended mission.
Time, however, reports that the White House has supplemented their hashtag warfare with the use of drones;
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said “unmanned, unarmed” aircraft had joined reconnaissance flights over a swath of Nigeria where Boko Haram is believed to be holding the girls hostage. Carney cautioned during a news conference that the area of greatest suspicion still covering an expanse of land “along the size of West Virginia.”
The announcement comes as some U.S. lawmakers are urging the use of force to rescue the Nigerian girls.
So, I guess if you intend to escalate a situation, you need room to escalate.
Category: Dumbass Bullshit
Given the current state of our military, hashtag warfare and drones are about all we have to offer.
Besides, if this administration will leave four of our own citizens to die in Libya what are the lives of 200 foreign children to it?
Good. Comes this morning the story out of that shithole (no, not the current WH, the other shithole, Nigeria) that “rebel” (whatever that means) troops attacked the village that the girls were taken from and that the gov’t (non-rebel?) troops fired on their own commander b/c they found his order to move out objectionable. However, being the sharpshooters they are, they missed him but put a lot of holes in his vehicle. No word on whether he remains their commander. Nice, huh?
Oh, the joys of combat in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Hey, here’s an idea–we let Nigeria handle this one entirely. Last I heard the locals were riled up enough to start taking care of business down there, and that pretty much means that whatever was ever going to happen there is going to happen pretty quickly with or without us. Where are all the “america is not the world’s police” crowd this time? With the vigilante groups running around, who would we ever know to shoot anyway?
Reaperman, the “America is not the worlds police” crowd changed their tune as soon as Michelle started her fantastic and totally effective hashtag diplomacy. And by effective I mean a totally empty gesture that does nothing towards freeing those girls but makes Michelle feel like she is doing her part.
Stupid Liberals will only back military action when it involves rescuing non Americans and puts our troops at the largest amount of risk possible for no strategic gain for us. It is a win win for everyone but the troops who would have to actually go into the steaming shithole that is Nigeria. Goddamn I hate this administration.
But as a soldier wouldn’t you rather go fight for this? Saving 200,young girls from a horrible fate? Or would you rather go to Iraq and look for more WMDs?
To me, there is no question about which I would much rather do.
You’d rather clear out the stashes of Chemical weapons found numerous times? I know I’m glad that we had guys taking Sarin and Mustard Gas out of the hands of a guy who’s willing to use them on his own people.
As a Soldier, what I’d “rather do” is entirely irrelevant.
Besides, even if these girls are saved from this horrible fate, they still live in Nigeria.
Steve, here’s the harsh reality. There is NO “saving” those girls. They are pawns to whomever they answer to, be it their family/tribe, or the Boko Haram. Their fate is early marriage and servitude. If you think our soldiers going after those girls would make things all better for those girls, you know nothing about the culture they were raised in. Snatching them and handing them back over to their families would be only the start of their real troubles.
It’s better to let that culture handle the kidnapping. At least then the girls won’t develop false hopes as to what will happen to them.
Oh Steve, one other thing. Since you have opted potentially to spill American blood in Nigeria, here’s a site for you to get started. You won’t believe the rates! When you get there, ask to speak with the gov’t official in charge of rescuing the girls. I’m sure they’ve named one by now.
http://www.cheapflightsnigeria.com/best-fares.php?gclid=CNamrYugrr4CFTBk7AodqAkAQQ
So, has the Regime come up with any idea of how the kidnapping of the citizens of Nigeria has any national security implications for this country? I mean, Iraq had no national security implications for the U.S., according to some. Neither did Afghanistan, once OBL had disappeared. So, what compels us to do one damned thing in Nigeria, other than hashtag diplomacy?
Where is Executive Outcomes when you need them? This would be a perfect job for Blackwater, I mean Xe, I mean Academi to redeem their good name.
I think Executive Outcomes is now named Sterling Services.
Steve, On an emotional level, who wouldn’t want to save the kids? On the intellectual, rational level, hell no. It’s a shame those people are diseased, hungry, without clean water, and that murder, rape, and girls sold into slavery by their own families is the stuff of every day life there. All of that truly is too bad. And that’s all it is. Our shooting people over there will not change a damn thing. So, like I said, hell no. Of course, no soldier gets to pick his assignment. He goes where he is ordered. So, your asking the question is neither here nor there. You really need to talk to Obaqma (spit!). Maybe he’ll tell you the best kept secret of his administration: US foreign policy. No one seems to know what it is.
I’m so wery,wery cornfused??? Monday Military.com had an article stating that 14 SF were sent to Nigeria. Yesterday I don’t know where but I saw an article that drones were looking for the rebel camp. But the gubmint hasn’t sent anyone yet?
And I asked earlier but got no answer. What happened to the 100 or so troops who were searching for Kony? Still there in Sudan or not?
Found the article about the SF and I was terribly mistaken. 12 SF troops were sent but NOT to search for the girls. Only to train Nigerian SF. There are also 16 persons from AFRICOM at the embassy along with 50-60 assorted military assigned as embassy staff. So hard playing all these word games.