Kristol's Next War: Send The US Marines After Somali Pirates

Matthew Yglesias:

In addition to being a booster of the two actual wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Bill Kristol and/or his publication has, at one time or another, also called for the United States to go to war with North Korea, Syria, Iran, and Sudan. And now he's got another war he's like to start:

And while [Bush is] at it, perhaps he could tell various admirals to stop moaning about how difficult it would be to deal with the pirates off the coast of Somalia (isn't keeping the shipping lanes open a core mission of the Navy?) and order the Navy to clobber them. If need be, the Marines would no doubt be glad to recapitulate their origins and join in by going ashore in Africa to destroy the pirates' safe havens.

Read the whole story: Matthew Yglesias

Comments

[ECB]

Let's send Kristol.

[MajorKong]

Maybe they should just report when Bill Kristol DOESN'T want us to use military force.

That would be the "Man bites dog" story of the decade.

[SlithyTove]

We'd get better results for a lot less by putting the Indian navy on commission with a per head bounty on pirates sunk...and sending the invoices to the Saudis for payment.

[fouchnickens]

Aside from the vapid saber rattling of a tiresome armchair bloviate, Kristol again points out the inability of the neo-conservative mind to understand the implications of fighting populations which have suffered under the vestiges of Cold War politics for over 40 years. Just like Afghanistan, Somalia has become a land in play for whatever strongman who can subdue the populace through brute force; the international community has no real sway in these marginal nations -- because just how many more sanctions can you place on a country burdened with pre-conditions already? Since the UN isn't going to let these nations starve, all's fair in love and war. You kill some of their "soldiers" -- children really looking for a sense of belonging or justice after familial ties have been destroyed and broken -- and so what? There is little value placed on human life because it has been made patently clear to the populaces of both countries that their statuses as nations are as important as the travel routes they provide to international petro-chemical interests, and nothing more.

Somalia does not need more military intervention; it needs an international policy bold enough to end its past mistakes in the Horn of Africa and allow true diplomacy to bring stability back to this region still fighting the ideological wars thrust upon them by self-serving outside interests.

[livesimply]

I have not read this article nor will I ever read another thing written by Kristol. I suggest anyone who is not interested in hearing his voice do the same.

[Stoppassingthebuck]

Let's send Kristol, Hannity, O'Reilly and Limbaugh. With any luck they won't come back.

[max]

SEND CHICKEN HAWK KRISTOL TO SOMALIA.

[Cunningham]

"SEND CHICKEN HAWK KRISTOL TO SOMALIA."

I second that. It's the best thing we could do for our nation.

[Trittydi]

Hey - that's a GREAT idea! Wipe that smirk off his smarmy face. He can have a gun. A mega-water canon from Toys'R us.
*

[elizaconnors]

Isn't it odd that Bill Kristol, the defender of private enterprise, would suggest government intervention in a commercial problem?

[WmC]

Send Kristol over with a bull horn, he'll bore those nasty pirates right back into port.

[bubbuh]

It's just too bad that Krystal doesn't a hemorhoid for each one of his chickenhawk pronouncements. He'd bleed to death.

[bubbuh]

Oops, mean hemorrhoid which he should lots of.

[WowJones]

Kristol would give the impression he stormed the beaches somewhere. The poster boy for an egg-head chicken hawk.

[Tommygun2146]

Someone PLEASE tell me why this man, who has been openly dishonest to the American people and consistently wrong when offering up opinions and analysis over the past 12+ years, is still treated as if he is in some way relevant or worthy of consideration? Just one verifiable reason, please?

[tgh86]

Kristol ended his column by advising Bush to give Medals of Freedom to those who committed torture.

[serindipity803]

Suit up Kristol and SEND HIM to one of his lousy WARS!!! Weirdo.

[Oonagh]

I think that Kristol and all of those soon to be out of work Republicans should band together with Blackwater and go fight this war..... Cheney leading the fight of course...