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“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.” “Open the F***in’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell. JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.” We’re better than this. These posts by a commander-in-chief, even during wartime, have reached a level of absurdity I never thought I’d see…even by Trump standards. Policy aside, how are these in our country’s best interests?

An insightful rebuttal as always, brabus. Should I write the exact same thing to you every time you rant about the lunacy of the left? Or does the “misery and rage” label only apply to those who don’t love your Dear Leader? Here’s the thing. I’m not miserable and I’m not full of rage. I am angered, dismayed, and saddened to watch Trump and his cabinet of sell-outs and yes-men systematically dismantle our country’s reputation and honor. To watch them build and sustain this bizarre cult of personality, in which literally nothing is too crazy, too shameful, or too inexcusable, ….and in which you appear to have bought into, hook line and sinker. Your response above is a prime example. These tweets are only the latest in a 10+ year history that includes calls to terminate the constitution, images of American cities in flames/ruins, lies about rigged elections, and labeling half the country as “the enemy within.” Now he says he’s going to wipe out an entire civilization and he ushers in Easter with threats of Hell and praise to Allah. …..and your response is to tell me I’m a miserable person and to “relax and have a beer.” So it’s this. The tribalism, the cult following. The abandonment of core principles. The spinelessness. The sane-washing and the constant effort to defend the indefensible. The sad and predictable minimizing, downplaying, and redirection that you do. This is new. This mindset and this behavior is alarming, especially to see it so widespread. You guys think it’s all about Trump and “TDS.” It’s not. It’s not him, it’s the effect on people and society that’s he’s caused. Trump will eventually be gone, but the rest of us will have to live in the country and culture and world that he’s irreparably damaged.

It must be exhausting to be such a miserable person so full of rage. Go have a few beers and relax a bit.

"What the Captain means..."

Not to say that they thought of everything... but they kinda thought of everything. Helps to have a Hog Driver running the design and implementation. There was "NO" way they were going to block the gunsight.

So now we're going with the "lalallaa I can't hear you" level of debate. Got it. Yes I hate Trump as a person. But I've argued the policy not the man. Weird how different conflicts can have different stances. It's almost as if you're comparing apples to oranges! Ukraine: Defensive. 0 American lives. Extremely costly for 1 of our 2 global adversaries. Important for stability in Europe. Protecting a fledgling democracy Brought new critical positioned nations into NATO. Iran: Offensive. Absurdly more expensive per day than Ukraine in 2 months (iran: $48B + $1B/day vs ukraine: $120B of $180B congressionally allocated spent in 1507 days). Costing American lives and showcasing our weaknesses to China. Disrupted global economic stability, drove inflation up again, and empowered a tier 2 adversary while alienating allies.

Pooter wrote Not one person in here can explain how we’re in a better strategic position wrt Iran today than we were a month and a half ago. Or a year ago. Or when we had the JCPOA. Iran has more influence, leverage, and credibility right now than at any point I can remember. What are you smoking?

It's....transitioning?

Yeah telling the death cult that they are going to die probably isn't going to have the desired effect. Just kill them.

Yes. It's terrible. Everything is spread out. Too much wasted space. There should be one discussion forum, no sub-forums. Get rid of all the pinned topics.

LOL at the libs on this site lamenting the increase in gas prices as if it means literally anything. What's your position? That we can't go to war because the price of a commodity might increase? Mmmmkaaay. And furthermore that somehow the degree of success in the conflict will be measured by the price of said commodity not rising above an arbitrary threshold that is determined by numerous other factors? LOL. Bottom line: we're crushing it in the foreign policy department. Venezuela? Done. Russia? Completely hemmed in. Cuba? Teetering. Iran? Nearly completely decimated - from the air alone. Numerous other terrorist proxies? On their back feet, at best. Is the world fixed? Nope. But it has been made a lot better than it was - by a TV show host - let that sink in and consider what it says about the rest of our political class. You all are upset about words. You need to look at the state of the world.

For a previous O-6, you still don’t understand DIME. Destroying a power militarily that was never a military power does not achieve strategic goals. They are an emboldened economic power and that’s it.

Absolutely! Based on the previous two Democratic administrations, she would have either a) buried her head even deeper into the sand and/or b) sent pallets of money to them in hopes to buy their cooperation. If you think she would have been smarter, please enlighten us all!

@Pooter @No One It’s very easy to understand guys, stop being such disingenuous douches.

See you might think this is a damning sequence of incoherence and impulsiveness from our president that sums up the complete lack of strategy and maturity they’re approaching this with, but actually you just have TDS and don’t understand the 15-D chess going on in the background.

The whole thing reads like a cliffhanger going into a commercial break on a reality TV show. Not surprising, since we foolishly elected a reality TV star to the highest office in the land. When people are overwhelmed or uncomfortable, they retreat to what they know and like. That’s the basis of Trump’s obsession with his stupid ballroom. He spent his life building gaudy hotels, towers, and casinos. He knows that world and likes it. So it’s no surprise that while our servicemembers are out risking their lives, and while everyday Americans are struggling because he couldn’t deliver on his bullshit campaign promises, you find him aboard AF1 awkwardly holding up poster boards of the ballroom and bragging about how ornate the columns will be. This is no different. He knows and likes reality TV. He knows the hallmark is manufacturing suspense. “WHO KNOWS?” he writes. ….GMAFB. Spoiler alert, he (and all key cabinet members) know. ….But that’s boring. Reality TV is about keeping people guessing. Create drama and keep them coming back for more. That’s how Trump treats Americans….as an audience. For his ego and amusement. Tonight he’ll say they struck a deal. “A beautiful tremendous deal.” “At levels no one’s seen before.” He’ll pretend that the Iranian’s came groveling at his feet and begging him. ….“Isn’t he so strong and tough?!” the MAGApotamian’s will exclaim. And for 3 more years, we’re going to have to listen to another one of his bullshit “Sir” stories (….. that’s where he goes into an alternate voice, either wispy or rough, pretending to be someone else, and says “…. They asked me, they said ‘sir,….sir, we want…..’” blah blah blah….. it’s obviously fabricated nonsense virtually every time.) The next 24 hours will be no different. Just more embarrassment, shame, and discredit for our country.

fire4effect, So many here have Historical disconnect(s). And I have come to accept that. Glad you were able to know him and his experiences. Springer (talking for you now…) and I can remember that period and the sadness of the loss of several friends due to that conflict (war). Please always remember our friends in arms and Toast to those that gave all. Bests, SHFP

Family member flew the EB-66 out of Takhli Thailand in the 60s. His tail is sitting in the museum at Wright Patt. The stories he had were intense. He reminisced about those he knew that were not as lucky. He passed in 2022. I remember helping find a picture of the EB-66 that the funeral home made into artwork that went on his gravestone. 2 AMs and a DFC.

Always with photoshops of this fat 80 yr old yoked out like Stallone.

Nope. Very simple. Been doing it for a long time.

Didn't know grandpa Facebook memes were leaking here as well.

I mean, y'all are just throwing soundbites past each other, but the Trump administration's efforts to pull back from Climate Change hysteria has definitely been a positive.

The court has rightly punched Hegseth in the nose again. Court voids latest Pentagon press restrictions “The curtailment of First Amendment rights is dangerous at any time, and even more so in time of war,” U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman wrote Thursday. “The Constitution demands better. The American public demands better, too.”

You should check out Doomberg. They are paywalled, but there's a recent interview on Thoughtful Money. One of the most detailed energy researchers in the market right now. They are forecasting an oil collapse once the war ends, unless there's a massive attack on middle east infrastructure. The fact that oil hasn't even gotten remotely close to all-time highs, when the worst case scenario of war in the Middle East with the straits being closed, is rather telling.

My position is that the price of gas is just one of the many crappy side effects from this stupid and counterproductive adventure. It’s also funny that a metric every right winger was obsessed with “I did that” under Biden has now suddenly lost its importance. But to your broader point: If Iran is utterly decimated why is their regime still in place and now charging tolls in bitcoin and or Chinese Yuan to pass through the straight? If they’re decimated why is our own president saying THEIR 10 point plan is a good basis for negotiations? You guys keep saying funny macho shit like BOOM! ROASTED! TOTALLY DECIMATED! GAME, BLOUSES! But at some point we’re gonna have to confront the reality that Iran is in a stronger geopolitical position now than at any point in at least 10 years

lol one of us is raging and calling people toddlers and it isn’t me. I’ve already listed things trump has done that I like. This war isn’t one of them. I’m perfectly willing to call a spade a spade and say when something is good policy or bad policy no matter who did it. This war is turning out to be very bad policy and it doesn’t matter if it was started by Trump, Biden, Kamala, Mickey Mouse, or Pickle Rick. I’m sure Trump’s ‘we’re gonna exterminate all of you’ rhetoric was uniquely unproductive, but in general I’d be saying the same thing no matter who was in charge. Not one person in here can explain how we’re in a better strategic position wrt Iran today than we were a month and a half ago. Or a year ago. Or when we had the JCPOA. Iran has more influence, leverage, and credibility right now than at any point I can remember.

Opening apertures has been the A-10's thing for a while...

Another example of why Trump is worth the insanity: https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/epa-lee-zeldin-tells-climate-skeptics-to-celebrate-vindication/

Been talk that USMC loves the A-10 and it would be a good fit with their KC130's.

Do I think the woman who had years and years of political experience and a foreign policy team that didn't consist of her immediate relatives, some real estate tycoons, and a fox news/Nat guard maj, would have done better? You can't seriously tell me that the answer to the question is anything other than yes. We wouldn't be in the conflict because diplomacy would've prevailed. If we were drawn into it anyways, we'd have more experience and stability at the helm to lead it. A person that actually could read their daily intelligence briefings, understand the levers Iran has, and work with rather than allienate allies and experts (Ukraine) to nullify their advantages. Remind me, how much was gas when Biden left office? How much is it now?

Do you seriously think it would have been worse? Serious question.

interesting take from the side that simply claims "TDS" for every critique of their orange god they can't/won't respond to, but go off queen 💅

Whoa whoa buddy. Verifiably false information, must be hard having so much pent up rage. Drink a beer bro, you’re being a Loonie, chill out. #TDS Trump Devotion Syndrome. Sorry, is this how we’re supposed to argue on this forum? Tryin to channel my inner CH/Brabdawg

The left will NEVER see a positive thing associated with Trump. Sometime in the early 2030's our Baseops loonies will begin their annual trip to Miami to have a TDS circle jerk in the parking lot of Trump's Presidential library. More Americans died in the liberal mecca of Chicago last weekend than the entire U.S. military since the fight with Iran started...

From The Atlantic back in September of 2016: "It’s a familiar split. When he makes claims like this, the press takes him literally, but not seriously; his supporters take him seriously, but not literally." Almost 10 years later and you guys haven't figured it out. Would I prefer a president who says what they mean and speaks with poise and strength, instead of lobbing rhetorical bombs in every direction to keep the news cycle in a constant state of catastrophe and, more importantly, to keep him front and center of every single camera? Sure. But I react to the world I'm in, not the world I desire. His supporters ignore his insane rambling and unhinged posting because he delivers where others have not. Please don't waste our time with the many examples of Trump failing to deliver. That's every president ever, and humans don't care about every issue. Only one president treated illegal immigration as illegal. Only one president has scraped the trans insanity out of the government ranks. Only one president has given the 2A community a supreme court that actually believes in the 2A. Only one president has told our "allies" to put up or fuck off. On and on. You don't like those things. That's fine. If you don't like what he's doing, you'll definitely latch on to what he's saying as more evidence of his whatevertheaccusationoftheday is. But to the Americans who are finally getting their policy priorities met, his obvious lies and bluffs are just the cost of politics. That doesn't mean Iran is going to end well, but I'm not going to suddenly start caring about his rhetoric now. I want a non-nuclear Iran. I want the regime that routinely kills Americans and Israelis to die, or live in perpetual fear of dying. I want the Chinese to have as few allies as possible for when we end up in a war with them. I want Europe scared of their self-imposed weakness and South America stable and productive. I would *love* to get those things from a president that spoke like Obama and appreciated our history like Bush Sr. But I can't. I'm not going to pretend that his favorable policy results make him a good man. I think Trump is a piece of shit. But I'm also not going to pretend like he's the first piece of shit in Washington. Or the first liar. Or the first politician to take classified information home. Or cheat on his wife. Or enrich his family. I hate those things. But I also hate mosquitoes, yet neither one is going away anytime soon. And personally I kind of like having politicians look as ugly on the outside as they act behind closed doors.

What we’re doing with Iran is reckless and without plan? 0% truth in that line you’re pedaling. That’s my point.

We invented that in the 80s. Pretty crowded with two little birds in there. Brought the canary slides on line too. It's a sight to see. From parking brake set to little bird in the air. Picture in the article above is rolling out of a TalonII

I wonder if that includes the millions of military aged Muslims that Merkel allowed into the country.

FYI....Great SAR Missions, for those not old enough to have been to SEA (Vietnam) or have read AF SAR History.... "Bat 21", LTC Gene Hambleton, April 1972. 11 Days, 1000+ Sorties, 8 Aircraft destroyed, 11 Airmen Killed and 2 POWS. "Oyster 01", Captain Roger Locher, June 1972, 23 days, 150+ Aircraft, rescued only 40 miles from Hanoi, no Airmen Killed.

Core mission all of AFSOC sued to train to in nearly every exercise (Bilat/Multi-lat), prior to OEF/OIF. As we drew down in both the command re-energized this type of training and I am here to tell you this is normal bizness for AFSOC and the SOAR. I will defer to the experts but here is my guess...a combination of factors: The CV-22 is in a state of contraction after years of maintenance issues that culminated in the fatal crash last in 2024. As a result AFSOC made the decision to temporarily mothball 20+ birds and focus efforts on the remaining. The maintenance issues are focused on: 1. The blades (wearing out MUCH fast in Middle East sand) - I believe the time between major maintenance was down to 100 hours instead of the planned 500 hours. 2. Turbine performance decline (again related to Middle East sand) - the find sand was "coaking" on the turbine inlet blades and causing reduced power. Ultimately they changed the FDAC to allow higher operating temps in an attempt to burn the coaking off. (very simplified answer). 3. IR center Body problems (cracks) - perhaps the most vexing problem as the airframe manufacturer pointed at the engine OEM Rolls Royce and the Engine OEM pointed back at Bell. 4. Hard clutch engagements like the one that caused the crash in Japan. In short the clutch engages hard which causes a rapid rise of torque to the opposite engine and can cause REAL issues, ultimately, gearbox failure. As a result of these issues there is a distrust of the platform by some of the Tier 1 teams. Also, while the speed and range profile seem to make sense I wonder if the survivor being up high had an impact. The CV-22 is big and maybe they couldn't land on the high uneven terrain. Hovering a CV-22 that high over the survivor was probably not optimal. The downwash is 10 X a helicopter. We had issues the first few times we did fast rope and ended up having to put large weights at the end of the rope to keep them on the ground. The survivor was wounded and hiding in a crevice in very high terrain, so I am guessing that had an impact. Two things that are not being talked about much: When the MC-130's became stuck they called in "other assets" to help. There is a video from Iran showing one of the other assets. ssstwitter.com_1775434822410.mp4 And, as per American SOF standard, we trolled the Iranians in the LZ...left them a Fuck you present!

The fact that not one good guy perished... This is going to make a great mini-series one day!