(September 29, 2016 at 1:43 am)InquiringMind Wrote: It would seem that any monetary awards would be unenforceable. Who is going to make the Saudis pay?
I also can't figure out what the political motivation for the bill was. I can only think of two things:
1) Lobbying from defense contractors (like Lockheed Martin) who want to start a war to increase their profitability
2) Congress trying to appear compassionate and benevolent just before an election
Wars are very profitable for defense contractors, and I think that defense industry lobbyists were behind the "47 senators" fiasco that happened a little while back. But would they try to start a war this way?
As to-
1: Potential fiscal/legal liability dis-incentivizes war. If Lockheed Martin wanted people to engage in wars left right and center (to boost their profits) then this would be a terrible way to go about it. They'd want to do precisely the opposite, make war as liability free as possible - incentivize it.
2: I think it's more likely incompetence or fear of being seen opposing the bill, in the case of congress.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
