The largest and most powerful terrorist organizations in modern history have been created, funded and supplied, in their beginnings, by the US government. This includes ISIS. Agree or disagree?
good. we shouldn't have paid the ransom. we couldn't have started those organizations in the ME. You're giving us credit for things we couldn't have accomplished. We aided. The Saudis, Iranians, Syrians and the Russians started them and provided the lions share of the funds. We didn't found Iran, Saudi Arabia or any of the other terrorist countries in the ME.
"We aided." Ah. Why would we do that, if we knew their mission was started by the Saudis, the Syrians, the Russians... Iran? Or do you mean, we aided, after we turned them to our purpose, and then discarded them, armed, funded, and blooded? I want to watch you wash your hands of this, to make American some clean beacon of morality. When exactly did we aid them?
our actions are almost always about the current predicament and the long term is almost always about the unintended consequences of short term decision making. I'm not making us a beacon of morality or washing my hands of it. I don't think we were the primary movers in any of these organizations. You don't either. We don't have that sway in the ME. We didn't turn anyone to our purpose either. We found someone with a common enemy and used that for our purposes. That's pragmatism, but shortsighted. I'm not justifying it or exonerating the US in its international associations. I'm aware of the seedy underside of the inteliigence world. I'm also aware of our limited ability to persuade in the ME.
We don't sway their leadership. We did link their leadership together, and gave a lot of their ranks a lot of experience. And without that, they're nothing.
President Obama didn't lie to the American people about that "payment" to Iran. Yes, he did. Link: http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-held-cash-until-iran-freed-prisoners-1471469256
I don't care how he said it or who said what, but even his loony supporters knew he was lying through his teeth about it. I can't imagine history being even a little kind to the POS. Obamacare is literally the worst legislation of our lifetimes.
I disagree. There is state-sponsored terrorism from Iran. The Iranian government might be terrorists. But Iran isn't because it's a country with plenty of innocent people who aren't terrorists and don't support them.
In their failure to overthrow the terrorists in charge, they're complicit. Those mullahs have power because those "innocents" provide it.
It's not like there isn't resistance. I knew his was the obvious response but I reject it. Recognized nation states can be sponsors of terrorism but those nations shouldn't be called terrorist organizations in general in my opinion. It's too broad of a brush. Hezbollah is a terrorist organization.
My friend was beaten with a club by military in the streets back in the Arab Spring. He isn't complicit.
It's almost like you're saying that giving the current regime $1B+ will only be used to further entrench their powerfully oppressive regime, fuel even more terrorist activities, and make it more difficult for their innocent citizenry to shed the yoke of their bondage. If there is a more at-risk group of people than those that Dems try to "help", I'm not sure who it could possibly be.
You're saying that this payment wasn't a ransom for hostages? Is that the truth which evades me? You know damned well it was a ransom, and you're being intellectually dishonest to argue otherwise.
You know damn well we took Iran's money for a weapons deal then didn't deliver for decades. It wasn't a ransom unless you're willing to put partisan foolishness over the safety of Americans abroad.
And we've held that money for decades. Iran had already filed suit and was likely going to win - but even that hurts your narrative that this wasn't a ransom. The case has been stuck for decades - why settle it now? You're blaming me for partisan foolishness on this? Rich. Silly, but rich. Silly and rich. Rich and silly, even. Just type the words - "This was not a ransom payment." and stand by that. Easy. I'm not even going to address your silliness about making the "safety of Americans abroad" - because I simply refuse to believe that you fail to see that this will have the exact opposite effect, and will only put more and future American lives at risk, and not less. And especially since this is just the first of many chickens which will now come home to roost, exactly as myself and many, many others warned would occur, and with increasing frequency, following the Bergdahl debacle. Look, man, tote President Obama's water on this all day - I do it for my guys, as do we all - but don't do so at such a length as to lead you beyond the precipice of both reason and common sense, and into a chasm of stupidity. He'll be out of office soon, you'll still be here, and I'd like to continue to believe that reason can, ultimately and even through gnashing teeth, win the day with you.
You misunderstood. I'm saying hyperbolic partisan cries of "ransom" is endangering Americans. Pretending like I inched away from thinking this was exactly what the WH, Obama, and state dept said was is an iinteresting take. Not sure how you arrived at it. I am not convinced you know what reason would look like right now. Maybe some scales will fall off after November