Ramadi

[Thumpalumpacus]

Not to mention that some of our Syrian rebel trainees recently turned over sixteen truckloads of weapons to al-Qaeda.

The real kicker? The Pentagon says that despite that, the program will continue.

WTF?

[Anomalocaris]

We still have not seen the light and recognized the error of trying to topple Assad.

We still think by merely muddling through the process of pursuing things that would be sort of nice to have, we will automatically get what we really need, perhaps just because we are Muricans and thus immune to our own ignorance, naivete, down right idiotic idealism, and brain dead sense of priority.

[Minimalist]

Not to mention that some of our Syrian rebel trainees recently turned over sixteen truckloads of weapons to al-Qaeda.

The real kicker? The Pentagon says that despite that, the program will continue.

WTF?

There are only 6 of them.  That's over two truckloads per "volunteer."

[Thumpalumpacus]

Not to mention that some of our Syrian rebel trainees recently turned over sixteen truckloads of weapons to al-Qaeda.

The real kicker? The Pentagon says that despite that, the program will continue.

WTF?

There are only 6 of them.  That's over two truckloads per "volunteer."

I don't know that it was the same, ahem, "brigade".

I do know that we've been throwing a shitload of ordinance into the fire, and it's folly to expect that none of the rounds will blow up in our face. Fucking stupid, the Internet definition of insanity. We learnt nothing from Iran, we learnt nothing from Afghanistan, and we're applying all those misconceptions again.

At least the Japanese commit seppuku when shit turns out this bad. The brass in the Pentagon, not one has the balls to resign his commission based on predictable blowback.

[Minimalist]

"Brigades" ain't what they used to be.

[Minimalist]

Brigades ain't what they used to be.

[Thumpalumpacus]

Well, once upon a time, they were, well, fighting troops.

Seems like now they're weapons suppliers.

Hmph.

[Wyrd of Gawd]

Not to mention that some of our Syrian rebel trainees recently turned over sixteen truckloads of weapons to al-Qaeda.

The real kicker? The Pentagon says that despite that, the program will continue.

WTF?

Could our whole military defeat a band of cave men?

[Minimalist]

Oh sure. We use a half million dollar missile to blow up a used truck. Then we pretend how fucking great we are.

[Anomalocaris]

Not to mention that some of our Syrian rebel trainees recently turned over sixteen truckloads of weapons to al-Qaeda.

The real kicker? The Pentagon says that despite that, the program will continue.

WTF?

Could our whole military defeat a band of cave men?

No, but I bet just part of Russia's military could. I bet Putin has seen an opportunity to show case the fact that despite having an declining economy the size of that of Belgium, Russia is more effective and more to be feared when the going gets tough, at least in the arc between Syria and Afghanistan, than the US, much less China.

In Ukraine we managed to convince the Russians there is no future for them in playing the game we prefer, and to keep what they haven't lost yet, they need to play their own game. Now in Syria we give the Russians the opportunity to showcase the fact there is more in it for much of the middleeast to play Russia's game than to play ours.