[The Pheonix]

Panama Canal is 7000-8000 miles away from the Chicoms

The Chicoms have no aircraft -carriers, no blue ocean navy , no airforce planes that can reach the Panama-they have no mid-air refueling

Panama does not recognize the Chicoms diplomatically, but recognize Taiwan

I say 2 American air-borne Divisions and a CVCG will easily evict the few Chicoms in the Panama

[marron]

The Chinese are busy conquering Panama the same way they managed their relations with the US during the nineties; they bought the president. They supposedly also bought the president of Venezuela, according to defectors.

Its much easier to invest a few million in a president, and save yourself the billions required for an aircraft carrier group.

Panama becomes their newest aircraft carrier; in fact, if they play their cards right, and make the right investments in the right congressmen and future members of the executive branch, the US becomes their aircraft carrier.

A few US Marines could potentially evict them from Panama, but someone would have to give the order; thus the importance of influencing who that person is, and influencing the congressmen who would have to ok the policy.

Furthermore, China is learning what Rumsfeld is trying to teach us; the new era of warfare is upon us, in which a few well-placed commandos can bring down a whole army; where similarly a few latin american troublespots can tie us down to the point that we can not afford to worry what China is up to, where we can not get too interested in anything outside our own hemisphere.

The war with China will be fought with guerrillas, with containerships smuggling dope and weapons. With well-placed bribes (remember that well-placed bribes helped to neutralize the Republican Guard). How hard would it be for the Chinese to buy every president in this hemisphere? Considering that they have already done it once, how hard would it be to buy the US president? This war will be fought in plain sight, but most people will not see it; our newspapers will tell us it isn't happening. And most people will never think a second thought about it.

[WoofDog123]

"Panama Canal is 7000-8000 miles away from the Chicoms

The Chicoms have no aircraft -carriers, no blue ocean navy , no airforce planes that can reach the Panama-they have no mid-air refueling

Panama does not recognize the Chicoms diplomatically, but recognize Taiwan

I say 2 American air-borne Divisions and a CVCG will easily evict the few Chicoms in the Panama"

While loss of the JOTB and howard afb was not helpful to the US military, the canal itself is essentially undefendable from an enemy who is willing to simply shut the canal down, rather than occupy it and keep it operational.

I have wondered what the world-wide economic effects of suez and panama being closed indefinitely simoltaneously.