Afghan Air Raid Debacle

[OneToughHerring]

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,664353,00.html

The fallout from the Afghan air raid debacle might result in Merkel losing her job or weakening her position considerably. And this now, before the difficult times ahead.

[Happy Times]

It was a good hit, the Germans have a long way to go before they grow out of this pasifist day dream mentality and wiew of the world.

[Schroeder]

I guess they were supposed to wait until the trucks had been used as bombs before doing anything.:damn:
The loss of civilian lives is a tragedy and definitively more than just collateral damage, but what should the military had done? Wait until it had been to late? Those trucks were already pretty close to the German camp when they were attacked.
Ah well, let's wait until we know the full story of who new what.

[Tribesman]

So the issue isn't that the bombs killed people, its that the politicians and military knowingly lied to the public about the incident.

[Skybird]

Valid strike, period. To threaten first with an overflight and giving enemies the chance to escape by that, is counterproductive in war. the trucks were a potentially dangerous target that had to be taken out, no matter what. do not allow the presence of civilians come between you and the acchieving of military objectives, especially if the immediate objective is the killing of enemies and the destruction of their material assets. Else any enemy hiding inside civilian infrastructure is untouchable for you while you are taking fire, and suffer defeat. war gets not won by having nice intentions, but by lkilling and destroying the enemy. Nice intentions alone - well, you can use them on the toilet seat for better purpose.

If you are scared by fighting a war - pull out.

Interestingly, local Afghans, both villagers and authorities, applauded the Germans, and still support them until today regarding this strike, they even demand more uncompromised actions like this, and say that some more actions like this and the Taleban problem in and around Kunduz would have been solved. the tribe leader of one of the surrpudning villages got quoted by saying that he think the germans and americans now have become totally crazy to start such a self-destructive show over the strike.

But then the starry eyed idealists stepped onto the stage, and then a logical action of war has turned into a big political and philosophical and metaphysical and hell knows what kind of problem.

[Skybird]

It was a good hit, the Germans have a long way to go before they grow out of this pasifist day dream mentality and wiew of the world.
Yes. You should see the innerpoltiical mess the strike has created.

On the other hand we seem to have a really cool defence ministre now. He has stolen the show from his rival, the foreign minster (arrogant, narcisstic, and not half as clever as he gives the impression), and has sunk his predecessor on the defence seat, although chancellor Merkel wanted to sit it out and keep the old guy despite his incompetence. Zu Guttenberg also spoke out very directly and frankly during his Us trip, and has very good contacts to NATO and the US as well. Due to his noble family' history (resistance to the Nazis), he seems to have a natural link to the defence ressort, and taking it very serious, and very determined.

Let's see a while if that is too much praise in advance, or just an assessement that proves to be justified. But we probably have currently no better man in the cabinet. He also was the only minister who read the Opel messup correctly from the beginning on.

[Tribesman]

Valid strike, period.
Irrelevant.

[OneToughHerring]

On a sidenote, in Finland politicians very rarely leave their political office due to some mistake or criminal thing they've done. Sometimes Finns vote convicted criminals back into the parliament. Not sure what that is all about, some kind of love of outlaws as rebels I guess.

In Japan if a politician makes a mistake, they sometimes commit harakiri. Now that's carrying responsibility for mistakes. :o

[Dowly]

On a sidenote, in Finland politicians very rarely leave their political office due to some mistake or criminal thing they've done. Sometimes Finns vote convicted criminals back into the parliament. Not sure what that is all about, some kind of love of outlaws as rebels I guess.

Oh yeah? Didnt we kick 2 guys out of the office recently for sending fricking sms messages to women? :O:

But yeh, I kinda agree. We can kick people out for extremely minor things, but then again we might keep someone who has done something that alot bigger. Silly world. :doh:

[OneToughHerring]

Oh yeah? Didnt we kick 2 guys out of the office recently for sending fricking sms messages to women? :O:

But yeh, I kinda agree. We can kick people out for extremely minor things, but then again we might keep someone who has done something that alot bigger. Silly world. :doh:

I. Kanerva and who else?

Our prime minister just keeps on going even after he recieves piles of special boards. :haha:

[Dowly]

I. Kanerva and who else?

Our prime minister just keeps on going even after he recieves piles of special boards. :haha:

I honestly cant remember, but I'm quite sure there was someone who got fired/was forced to resign because of similar thing. But I might be wrong too. :O: