I think he was speaking rhetorically....
Had he simply said he "suggests" we should double our deployment, then I might agree it was rhetoric but since he specified a figure, I can only deduce he is needs a whack from a clue-by-four.
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All Ogle, No Cash -- It's Not Just Annoying, It's Un-American
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evil jimi - Feb 11, 2007 6:22:01 pm PST #8439 of 9843
Lurching from one disaster to the next.
billytea - Feb 11, 2007 6:49:22 pm PST #8440 of 9843
You were a wrong baby who grew up wrong. The wrong kind of wrong. It's better you hear it from a friend.
Had he simply said he "suggests" we should double our deployment, then I might agree it was rhetoric but since he specified a figure, I can only deduce he is needs a whack from a clue-by-four.
IIRC, that 20,000 figure refers to the increase in troop numbers that Bush is pushing for, sort of a "if Howard thinks there should be another 20,000 troops in Iraq, he can send his own troops and see how it plays with his electorate". I wasn't entirely impressed with Obama's comment either, but it was pretty clearly for local consumption.
Volans - Feb 11, 2007 7:08:12 pm PST #8441 of 9843
move out and draw fire
It doesn't serve anyone to have a (potential) leader of arguably the most powerful nation in the world, who knows so little about the rest of the world, and in particular one of its fucking allies
Why change what's been working so well for the last 7 years?
evil jimi - Feb 12, 2007 12:16:20 am PST #8442 of 9843
Lurching from one disaster to the next.
IIRC, that 20,000 figure refers to the increase in troop numbers that Bush is pushing for, sort of a "if Howard thinks there should be another 20,000 troops in Iraq, he can send his own troops and see how it plays with his electorate". I wasn't entirely impressed with Obama's comment either, but it was pretty clearly for local consumption.
That's how moonlit reads Obama's comment too. It's more than likely the truth but in my irascible mind, it still smacks of a foot-in-mouth reaction.
FTR: The figure for the increase of US personnel is 21,500. Obama's quote states the US has, "...close to 140,000 troops in Iraq, and my understanding is Mr Howard has deployed 1400...". A note to Mr Obama and his staff: the US has a population of approximately 301,155,237, which is rising by 1 roughly every 12 seconds [link] . Australia has a population of approximately 20,754,774 [link] , which is rising by 1 roughly every 2 minutes. Doesn't take a mathematician to determine who has the greater commitment in Iraq.
Fiona - Feb 12, 2007 1:20:14 am PST #8443 of 9843
Does anyone know the keyboard shortcut to make the pound sign?
SA, it's ALT-0163.
billytea - Feb 12, 2007 2:26:30 am PST #8444 of 9843
You were a wrong baby who grew up wrong. The wrong kind of wrong. It's better you hear it from a friend.
FTR: The figure for the increase of US personnel is 21,500. Obama's quote states the US has, "...close to 140,000 troops in Iraq, and my understanding is Mr Howard has deployed 1400...". A note to Mr Obama and his staff: the US has a population of approximately 301,155,237, which is rising by 1 roughly every 12 seconds [link] . Australia has a population of approximately 20,754,774 [link] , which is rising by 1 roughly every 2 minutes. Doesn't take a mathematician to determine who has the greater commitment in Iraq.
This is true, and the more so since it was the decision of the American President to initiate the war and subsequent occupation. On a per capita basis, America's commitment of troops is something like six times that of Australia.
Theodosia - Feb 12, 2007 2:30:46 am PST #8445 of 9843
'we all walk this earth feeling we are frauds. The trick is to be grateful and hope the caper doesn't end any time soon"
Hey, at least Obama can find Australia on a map....
billytea - Feb 12, 2007 2:34:29 am PST #8446 of 9843
You were a wrong baby who grew up wrong. The wrong kind of wrong. It's better you hear it from a friend.
Hey, at least Obama can find Australia on a map....
Hmm. To play fair, I suppose I should practise finding Obama on a map.
esse - Feb 12, 2007 3:12:00 am PST #8447 of 9843
S to the A -- using they/them pronouns!
£ Hey, it worked that time! Thanks, Fiona.
evil jimi - Feb 12, 2007 1:31:40 pm PST #8448 of 9843
Lurching from one disaster to the next.
On a per capita basis, America's commitment of troops is something like six times that of Australia.
Maths has never been my strong point but I do believe I'm getting stupider as I get older.