Posted on 03/04/2011 5:27:24 PM PST by Kaslin
According to Bismarck's best-known maxim on Europe's most troublesome region, the Balkans are not worth the bones of a single Pomeranian grenadier. Americans could be forgiven for harboring similar sentiments after the murder of two U.S. airmen in Germany by a Kosovar Muslim.
Remember Kosovo? Me neither. But it was big at the time, launched by Bill Clinton in the wake of his Monica difficulties: Make war, not love, as the boomers advise. So Clinton did — and without any pesky U.N. resolutions, or even the pretense of seeking them.
Instead, he and Tony Blair and even Jacques Chirac just cried "Bombs away!" and got on with it. And the left didn't mind at all — because, for a modern western nation, war is only legitimate if you have no conceivable national interest in whatever war you're waging.
Unlike Iraq and all its supposed "blood for oil," in Kosovo no one remembers why we went in, what the hell the point of it was, or which side were the good guys. (Answer: Neither.) The principal rationale advanced by Clinton and Blair was that there was no rationale. This was what they called "liberal interventionism", which boils down to: The fact that we have no reason to get into it justifies our getting into it.
A decade on, Kosovo is a sorta sovereign state, and in Frankfurt a young airport employee is so grateful for what America did for his people that he guns down U.S. servicemen while yelling "Allahu akbar!"
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It’s a great place to re-fuel on the way to somewhere.
It’s apparently good to have a hospital closer to Afghanistan and Iraq.
I thought he said it was because of Afghanistan.
OKTOBERFEST BABY!
Why are we just now asking this question?
We should have cut Europe loose a while back. Let them pay for their own defense. I’d love to see that.
it’s half way around the world, it’s a stop over, it’s needed...
The Cold War was a different thing. Unfinished business of American intervention into the Old World which started in 1917. But the fall of the Soviet Empire provided an excellent opportunity to distance ourselves from old Eastern Hemisphere feuds and reduce our burdens. It was an opportunity that Bush I and Clinton squandered.
We make huge ships. No doubt we could make a few hospital ships more than capable than ramstien. And capable of being closer to theatre as well.
Excuse me? "The Great"?
Worship men much?
Oktoberfest?.
5.56mm
Europe saves billions by having us provide their defense. That’s one of the reasons Europe’s been able to provide all the Socialist goodies to their citizens.
We have, in effect, been subsidizing their social programs. They’re big boys, let ‘em pay their own way.
Best Steyn ever.
When I was in Germany, after my time in Vietnam, we had a retiree that was a WW2 Vet married to a German woman and who remained in Germany after the war that worked for the AFEES snack bar on our airfield.
This question was posed to him and without batting an eyelid, he said stopping any Soviet Aggression (early 70’s) was only part.
The real reason we stayed was to prevent Germany from rising up and starting another World War, after 2.
Great, as in how significant his contribution to the political discussion of world events, which is apparently lost on you.
We're in Germany because we're in Guam.
What’s not to love?Even his dog’s name is Steyn. When Mark leaves for for a walk, he yells “Come....” well, you get the picture.
Yeah.
How far does this fawning over another person actually go?
Let’s try to quantify the fawning.
What body parts would you wash for the “Great Steyn”?
List those and we’ll proceed from there.
You are correct, that was the reason at that time, but after close to 66 years it’s time to get the troops out of Germany and also get them out of Italy and Japan. Put them on on our border instead.
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