Obama Quietly Escalates Afghanistan War, Speeds Bunker Busters to Iran

[Paradigm]

Where, oh, where are the anti-war leftists? Why aren't they marching in the streets - like they did when Bush even dared say the word "war"?

Where's the slobbering media, showing crying mothers and rows upon rows of gravestones?


http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009...s-afghanistan/

In an unannounced move, President Obama is dispatching an additional 13,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan beyond the 21,000 he announced in March, according to a published report.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009...r-buster-fast/

The Pentagon is speeding up delivery of a colossal bomb designed to destroy hidden weapons bunkers buried underground and shielded by 10,000 pounds of reinforced concrete.

Call it Plan B for dealing with Iran, which recently revealed a long-suspected nuclear site deep inside a mountain near the holy city of Qom.

The 15-ton behemoth -- called the "massive ordnance penetrator," or MOP -- will be the largest non-nuclear bomb in the U.S. arsenal and carry 5,300 pounds of explosives. The bomb is about 10 times more powerful than the weapon it is designed to replace.

The Pentagon has awarded a nearly $52 million contract to speed up placement of the bomb aboard the B-2 Stealth bomber, and officials say the bomb could be fielded as soon as next summer.

[steve762]

I think all of the members of Code Pink, ANSWER, etc have jobs in the administration.

[rovert97]

they are trying to cram a 30,000lb bomb into a B-2? good luck with that.

even the MOAB which is 20,000lbs i think, has to be dropped out of a C-130 thats modified.

[Adam-12]

Where, oh, where are the anti-war leftists? Why aren't they marching in the streets - like they did when Bush even dared say the word "war"?

You're obviously insane: Obama is a pacifist. Rush said so. They even gave him a Nobel Peace Prize.

[Paradigm]

You're obviously insane: Obama is a pacifist. Rush said so. They even gave him a Nobel Peace Prize.

Ohhhh, I get it. The 13,000 folks that are heading to the sandbox are actually advisors, right? I think JFK tried that once...

Personally, I think we should send some of those ugly Code Pink ladies to Afghanistan. The Taliban would give up once their eyes started bleeding...

[Coops]

And they called Bush a war monger.

http://features.csmonitor.com/global...will-be-there/



*Graphic from September assumes approval. The numbers are now not projections but accurate.

Don't get me wrong, I support our troops having enough firepower to do the job, But this is not what you would expect from a "man of Peace".

[Adam-12]

Ohhhh, I get it. The 13,000 folks that are heading to the sandbox are actually advisors, right? I think JFK tried that once...

You'll have to ask Rush; he's the one who blew the whistle on Obama being a pacifist. Maybe they're girl scouts selling cookies?

[velkly]

Ohhhh, I get it. The 13,000 folks that are heading to the sandbox are actually advisors, right? I think JFK tried that once...

Personally, I think we should send some of those ugly Code Pink ladies to Afghanistan. The Taliban would give up once their eyes started bleeding...

Maybe the Czars are being sent over? I hear Van Jones could use a new job.

[MostlyHarmless]

they are trying to cram a 30,000lb bomb into a B-2? good luck with that.

even the MOAB which is 20,000lbs i think, has to be dropped out of a C-130 thats modified.

The B-2A Block 30 has an empty weight of 158,000 lbs and a maximum takeoff weight of 376,000 lbs. The load of 218,000 lbs would consist of a specified maximum ordnance weight of 50,000 lbs and the rest fuel. There usually is little problem in an aircraft to have a slightly higher payload and less fuel to stay under the MTOW, at a shorter range of course.

So I would assume the requested modifications are to strengthen the structures in and around the two bomb bays so that each can hold a 30,000 lbs bomb for a total of 60,000 lbs ordnance weight while reducing the range from 6,000 nautical miles to some 5,400 or so (if my guesstimate is right).


Jan

[CarolinaGuy]

Where, oh, where are the anti-war leftists? Why aren't they marching in the streets - like they did when Bush even dared say the word "war"?

The anti-war leftists, as I recall, were only concerned with unnecessary wars as far as I remember. Such as, say...the one in Iraq.

I'm sure there were some against the Afg. war, but I can't recall a single instance of that other than Mother Sheehan and a couple of others who actually lost family in a war.

In fact, I'll wager to say that if we went into Afg like we did Iraq, and used all the wasted effort in Iraq for Afg, maybe we wouldn't be in this situation today. Maybe then terrorist-friendly regimes wouldn't be running the show in S Afghanistan. And maybe, after almost 6 years of Bush, Afghanistan wouldn't have THE worst life-expectancy on the planet. Sucks to keep losing out to Somalia years after year I would imagine.

THAT is why people [rightly] think that Bush was an idiot. And THAT is why there isn't one President John McCain in the WH running the show.

So if you ask me, sending Bunker busters is a damn good idea. And since Bush couldn't do shit with Afghanistan, I will pray that Obama can. Because that, my friend, is THE war.