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With Little Notice, U.S. Planes Have Been Striking Iraq All Year
New York Times ^ | August 13, 1999 | STEVEN LEE MYERS

Posted on 11/15/2005 7:28:56 AM PST by Eagle of Liberty

ASHINGTON -- It is the year's other war. While the nation's attention has focused on Kosovo, American warplanes have quietly, methodically and with virtually no public discussion been attacking Iraq.

Over the past eight months, American and British pilots have fired more than 1,100 missiles against 359 targets.

That is more than triple the targets attacked in four furious days of strikes in December that followed Iraq's expulsion of U.N. weapons inspectors, an assault that provoked an international outrage.

--SNIP--

President Clinton has not made a decision, but within the administration, some hawkish officials have argued that broader, more punishing strikes would deter the Iraqis and do more to weaken President Saddam Hussein's government, the officials said. On the other hand, a tougher stand could also draw attention to strikes that have generated little opposition at home and abroad.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: airstrikes; clinton; democratslied; demsarestoopid; gwot; iraq; oif; saddam; war; wot
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There is SO much to slam on these DEM idiots. And it is easy to find. I hope they continue down this road.
1 posted on 11/15/2005 7:28:57 AM PST by Eagle of Liberty
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To: Kerretarded
American warplanes have quietly, methodically and with virtually no public discussion been attacking Iraq

Ah, maybe because THAT'S WAR THE WAR IS?

Just a thought.

with virtually no public discussion

ie here's another topic to scream & stomp our communistic feet over.

2 posted on 11/15/2005 7:32:32 AM PST by Puppage (You may disagree with what I have to say, but I shall defend to your death my right to say it)
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To: Kerretarded

In their own words, it doesn't get much better than that.


3 posted on 11/15/2005 7:33:01 AM PST by RightCanuck
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To: Kerretarded

American warplanes have quietly, methodically and with virtually no public discussion been attacking Iraq




I demand a town hall meeting before each air strike! WAAAHHH!!!!


4 posted on 11/15/2005 7:39:43 AM PST by Dreagon
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To: Puppage
Did you check the date on the article?

August 13, 1999

5 posted on 11/15/2005 7:40:02 AM PST by The_Victor (If all I want is a warm feeling, I should just wet my pants.)
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To: Kerretarded

Not quite sure why you posted an article that's 5 yrs old?


6 posted on 11/15/2005 7:40:30 AM PST by Brooklyn Kid (What's it to ya? ) ((....west of the Jordan, east of the Rock of Gibraltar.................))
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To: Kerretarded

Since when does the CIC of the US military require or seek approval from political factions and enemy fifth column elements to prosecute a war?


7 posted on 11/15/2005 7:41:18 AM PST by SMARTY
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To: Brooklyn Kid

To show the Rats' hypocrisy regarding Iraq.


8 posted on 11/15/2005 7:41:34 AM PST by dfwgator
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To: Brooklyn Kid

To show that even the perverted bufoon believed Saddam to be a major threat.


9 posted on 11/15/2005 7:41:58 AM PST by justshutupandtakeit (Public Enemy #1, the RATmedia.)
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To: The_Victor
Did you check the date on the article?

LOL...Apparently not.

10 posted on 11/15/2005 7:43:28 AM PST by Puppage (You may disagree with what I have to say, but I shall defend to your death my right to say it)
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To: Kerretarded
Over the past eight months, American and British pilots have fired more than 1,100 missiles against 359 targets....

The strikes, including ones as recently as Tuesday, have done nothing to deter Iraqi gunners from firing on American and British planes patrolling the "no flight" zones over northern and southern Iraq. They, like officials in Baghdad, are acting as defiant as ever. And there appears to be no end in sight to the war...

I guess, if you are a liberal, the way to end the war would be by not bombing enemy targets. Excellent strategy! Surrender has worked well for France. We should give it a try.

11 posted on 11/15/2005 7:44:13 AM PST by TruthShallSetYouFree (Abortion is to family planning what bankruptcy is to financial planning.)
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To: Puppage
"with virtually no public discussion"

And remember the lengthy public debate we had prior to going to war in Kosovo? [sarcasm]
12 posted on 11/15/2005 7:45:23 AM PST by Steve_Seattle
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To: Brooklyn Kid
"Not quite sure why you posted an article that's 5 yrs old?"

Probably to counter the latest Dem revisionism that no one ever considered Saddam a threat until "Bush lied" prior to the Iraq war. The fact is that we were in a virtual state of war with Iraq throughout the Clinton administration.
13 posted on 11/15/2005 7:47:50 AM PST by Steve_Seattle
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To: justshutupandtakeit; dfwgator
gotcha
14 posted on 11/15/2005 7:48:29 AM PST by Brooklyn Kid (What's it to ya? ) ((....west of the Jordan, east of the Rock of Gibraltar.................))
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To: Steve_Seattle

Dems: Bush lied before he lied (and apparently before he was even in office).


15 posted on 11/15/2005 7:54:53 AM PST by Kirkwood
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To: Puppage
LOL...Apparently not.

Browsing through the replies, I see you are in good company. :)

16 posted on 11/15/2005 7:59:22 AM PST by The_Victor (If all I want is a warm feeling, I should just wet my pants.)
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To: All

Here is an AMAZING archive of Iraq Activity from 1992 through the present:

http://www.ccmep.org/usbombingwatch/1999.htm


17 posted on 11/15/2005 8:02:15 AM PST by Eagle of Liberty (11, 175, 77, 93 - In Memory Always)
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To: Kerretarded
This article is a joke. The Arab nations knew full well what the U.S. was doing to Iraq during this period, and they were not happy about it. France wasn't happy about it either, but as along as Saddam's bribes kept coming they didn't think they needed to say anything about it.

The other thing this article misses completely is that maintenance of U.S. air bases in Saudi Arabia, which was necessary to contune this "containment" policy toward Iraq, was a MAJOR casus belli for Osama Bin Laden, and featured prominently in both of his fatwas against the U.S. Those bases would have been there indefinitely had Saddam not been removed, and remained a red cape waved in the face of the Islamic extremists. In fact, it is arguable that U.S. forces on Saudi soil were the most important recruiting tool for Al Qaeda. One of the major justifications for an invasion of Iraq and removal of Saddam was to enable us to close those bases, which we did almost immediately. We thereby eliminated one of al Qaeda's favorite complaints and recruiting tools.

A very good friend of mine was the commander of the air wing at Prince Sultan Air Base during this time. He does not have one good word to say about Bill Clinton. He told me that Clinton wasted years and billions of dollars on those air strikes, which did nothing to really hurt Saddam but did give Al Qaeda a huge recruiting tool. He said they were never told to bomb the known terrorist training camps in Iraq either.

18 posted on 11/15/2005 8:02:30 AM PST by Dems_R_Losers (The Kerry/Lehane/Wilson/Grunwald/Cooper plot to destroy Karl Rove has failed!)
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To: Brooklyn Kid

Yup. Need to keep things in perspective, no matter how bad the left wants to claim ignorance to avoid taking responsibility for their words and actions.


19 posted on 11/15/2005 8:06:00 AM PST by Eagle of Liberty (11, 175, 77, 93 - In Memory Always)
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To: Kerretarded
Based on all the kneejerk responses, you apparently needed to explain the date of the article and the purpose of your post a little more!

This is why we appear to lose the battle so often with the Dems. Many people are too intellectually lazy to peel back more than a single layer on any topic, thought or issue and these people are often the most vocal.

Luckily, more often than we realize, the thoughtful and intelligent often remain relatively silent, but still come out to vote.

20 posted on 11/15/2005 8:07:16 AM PST by bluefish (Holding out for worthy tagline...)
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