August 14, 2009
Michael O'Hanlon, a senior moron at Brookings, actually gets his drool published in the Washington post because.... because... well, because The Washington Post just doesn't have enough of its own morons on salary to keep up with it's need to spew bullshit into the world:Michael O'Hanlon - U.S. Needs a Force to Serve in Congo - washingtonpost.comFor crises like those in Congo and Darfur, the United States should consider a radical innovation in recruiting policy. We should create a peace operations division in the Army with individuals enlisting specifically for this purpose. There would be risks in such a venture, to be sure. But they are manageable and tolerable risks, especially since most such deployments would be legitimated by the United Nations, carried out with partners such as key allies, and backstopped by the U.S. armed forces in worst-case scenarios.
Posted by Vanderleun at August 14, 2009 1:12 PM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.
Your Say
He's saying let's give (potential) fighting men ideological "choice". While we're at it, why not extend this to give the people, by referendum, the choice in who they want to bomb to smithereens? The DOD could put up graphics on the 'net of various in-stock weapons and after you select a country or region you just click on the ones you want to see put to good use. Fucking brilliant that is.
Posted by: Hannon at August 14, 2009 3:48 PM
'I remember vividly the day in 1982 when my incoming "class" of Peace Corps volunteers made the same trip.' I believe that.
But really, "legitimated?" Wot means?
Posted by: Rob De Witt at August 14, 2009 4:05 PM
Come on...this "O'Hanlon" is a Dennis Kucinich sock puppet. Has to be.
Posted by: Ken at August 14, 2009 5:45 PM
A Peace Operations Division within the Army?
It is called the 82nd Airborne Division. It makes Bad people be real peaceful real fast.
Posted by: Mikey NTH at August 14, 2009 6:05 PM
What he proposes is a likely politically correct (note the 'booted-out' remark), very likely politically reliable, and definitely second-string military unit. In essence, a unit quite similar to the military of many African countries. Or the TSA - take your pick.
Will this unit count against the total number of troops authorized by Congress? What will be the recruiting standards? What about funding? Will they call on regular military assets, like air transport? Will they use materiel already used by or destined for the regular military? Who trains them? Are they subject to, or exempt from, the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ)? Will only parts of the UCMJ apply?
What branch of service or government body will they get attached to? To what authority will they report to? What about their interaction with regular troops - especially if the 'Peace Force' receives different treatment? What happens if they do something that brings discredit? What happens when they run into trouble they can't handle? And what happens when the 4,000 becomes 40,000 - or higher?
Posted by: Pappy at August 14, 2009 7:19 PM
He and Obama must have studied foreign policy together.
Posted by: Harry at August 14, 2009 7:20 PM
It has been noted by intelligent people who know Africa well, that the only solution may be to seal off the continent, wait for the natives to remove themselves and each other from the world, then start over with an absolute ban on all previous African culture.
The more you study the place, the more you agree with this idea.
Posted by: askmom at August 14, 2009 8:31 PM
Liberals such as O'Hanlon typically despise the US Military, preferring to join the Peace Corps as did O'Hanlon himself. So now he basically wants to militarize the Peace Corps and send it all over the world to his favorite bad neighborhoods? What an idiot.
Posted by: Boots at August 15, 2009 10:13 AM
The army has a peace operations division. It is called the 82nd Airborne Division, and it makes bad guys real peaceful real fast.
Posted by: Mikey NTH at August 15, 2009 11:43 AM
Hi -
Actually, it's a good idea. Recruit all the NGO'ers, bleeding heart liberals and graduate students in the humanities, give them blue helmets and no guns. That way we can improve the gene pool in this country...'cause they wouldn't be coming back, except maybe in a box. Would be amusing to watch: irreducible ignorance meets armed reality...
Posted by: John F. Opie at August 16, 2009 2:31 AM
""""Actually, it's a good idea. Recruit all the NGO'ers, bleeding heart liberals and graduate students in the humanities,"""""
Hey! I'm in the humanities, which is why I know real history, and is therefore why I know O'Hanlon is a confounded idiot. Send all the others by all means. The best result would be if they didn't even come home in a box, but were eaten instead.
Posted by: Roderick Reilly at August 17, 2009 9:58 AM