DooDiligence Posted March 8 Posted March 8 Who's excited about getting their brand new American made tRump phone? It's estimated that somewhere around 600,000 people gave $100 deposit for one of these beauties (with an open ended final cost). Should be a few excited fanboys here on CoBF? https://www.techradar.com/phones/the-trump-phone-seems-to-be-real-after-all-and-we-just-got-our-best-look-yet-at-it
changegonnacome Posted March 8 Posted March 8 55 minutes ago, cubsfan said: until their capacity to wage war is gone. temporary win..........until they build back better (which is to say their nuclear program is even deeper underground, even more secret and even more directed and expedited to achieve lift off). As I've said before for Iran to win here all they need to do is survive - the Pentagon, General Cain seem to have spent an inordinate amount of time explaining that to Captain Chaos - just how the Islamic regime could absorb weeks of aerial bombardment with our best weapons tech and survive to come back even more determined to haunt the US and Israel. So Trump will degrade their offensive capabilities in the short run for sure - the reality is he's left one giant turd sitting on the resolute desk for the next guy or maybe the guy after the next guy to deal with (assuming he doesn't start hearing voices about sending troops in on the ground this time around, maybe he's gunning to have a country named after him - Trumpistan has a nice ring to it....we've already got Trump-Kennedy Center, Trump-class warships, F47, Trump Accounts, Trump Gold Card, TrumpRX, Trump Ballroom).
John Hjorth Posted March 8 Posted March 8 44 minutes ago, backtothebeach said: Lots of strike footage I had not seen before and I thought a good summary of many aspects of this war. Releated to this, I earlier today found this on Reuters : Reuters - Graphics [March 7th 2026] : Maps and charts of the Iran crisis I think this peace is very good. The overall view of what's going from some fundamental security view about the prospects of the risk a rough state perhaps getting nuclear war cababilities may appear pretty simple. But when one dives in to the details of it, one finds out now, about approimately 10 days into the campain and the whole operation, there is already an almost unbelieveable amount of moving parts. [Cautionary note : It's really dense, stuffed with a lot of detailed information.]
Gregmal Posted March 8 Posted March 8 1 hour ago, changegonnacome said: So Trump will degrade their offensive capabilities in the short run for sure - the reality is he's left one giant turd sitting on the resolute desk for the next guy or maybe the guy after the next guy to deal with See this is what’s a little wild. The first part of the sentence admits that there’s finally action being taken. It’s undoubtedly positive for the near-mid term safety of a lot of people and places. But you can’t just leave it there. You have to try to end cap everything in some never Trump light. The truth is that the back half of what you wrote, about leaving it to the next guy….is exactly what every single president has done. Except none of them did anything to make things safer, even in the short run, except for Trump. It’s almost as if you guys are part of the reason and problem with Washington considering it seems youre absolutely opposed to pretty much any sort of action; instead preferring the gridlock and “get nothing done” platform that got us into this mess.
Castanza Posted March 8 Posted March 8 22 minutes ago, Gregmal said: See this is what’s a little wild. The first part of the sentence admits that there’s finally action being taken. It’s undoubtedly positive for the near-mid term safety of a lot of people and places. But you can’t just leave it there. You have to try to end cap everything in some never Trump light. The truth is that the back half of what you wrote, about leaving it to the next guy….is exactly what every single president has done. Except none of them did anything to make things safer, even in the short run, except for Trump. It’s almost as if you guys are part of the reason and problem with Washington considering it seems youre absolutely opposed to pretty much any sort of action; instead preferring the gridlock and “get nothing done” platform that got us into this mess. It’s a fair point. We often get too caught up in the idea that we need a perfect solution that accounts for all potential outcomes. The Iran issue was one that got passed on since the 70s and well someone saw an opportunity and took action. I do have my doubts on the longterm outlook of this approach and really don’t want to see American troops back on the ground in the Middle East, but there really wasn’t much of a choice. You can’t let a terrorist regime get anything close to nuclear weapons. Even people like Sam Harris are championing this while also showing concern for the off ramp. Short term this negates any nuclear threats from Iran (although I wouldn’t be surprised to see an uptick in terrorist attacks) and checks Chinas global influence. Contrary to what all of these limp dick western societies want to admit, global power and influence still matters. You are either the big fish in the pond, or your next weeks meal. That’s life…learn to live with it. No amount of waving the Palestinian flag on US campuses is going to bring everyone together singing campfire songs. Trump might not be the right guy for the job and might make a big mess of this (I tend to lean that way), but he’s good at one thing…lighting a fire under the ass of others and forcing them to make decisions. Good or bad he’s changing the never ending global stalemate of politics.
cubsfan Posted March 8 Posted March 8 11 minutes ago, Castanza said: It’s a fair point. We often get too caught up in the idea that we need a perfect solution that accounts for all potential outcomes. The Iran issue was one that got passed on since the 70s and well someone saw an opportunity and took action. I do have my doubts on the longterm outlook of this approach and really don’t want to see American troops back on the ground in the Middle East, but there really wasn’t much of a choice. You can’t let a terrorist regime get anything close to nuclear weapons. Even people like Sam Harris are championing this while also showing concern for the off ramp. Short term this negates any nuclear threats from Iran (although I wouldn’t be surprised to see an uptick in terrorist attacks) and checks Chinas global influence. Contrary to what all of these limp dick western societies want to admit, global power and influence still matters. You are either the big fish in the pond, or your next weeks meal. That’s life…learn to live with it. No amount of waving the Palestinian flag on US campuses is going to bring everyone together singing campfire songs. Trump might not be the right guy for the job and might make a big mess of this (I tend to lean that way), but he’s good at one thing…lighting a fire under the ass of others and forcing them to make decisions. Good or bad he’s changing the never ending global stalemate of politics. Trump is just showing leaders of the world how to lead again, especially the losers of Europe. Deterrence is such a simple concept that every national leader should understand - yet, even our bums, Obama and Biden thought they could ignore it. Such fools. If you want to avoid war, prepare for it.
73 Reds Posted March 8 Posted March 8 (edited) 26 minutes ago, cubsfan said: Trump is just showing leaders of the world how to lead again, especially the losers of Europe. Deterrence is such a simple concept that every national leader should understand - yet, even our bums, Obama and Biden thought they could ignore it. Such fools. If you want to avoid war, prepare for it. Yeah but if you listen to all the Trump-haters - every one of them, they have had no viable alternative plan to deal with Iran. Their "strategy" is to negotiate despite 47 years of failed negotiations and to "trust and verify", neither of which anyone can, or should do. They know how to do one thing very well - complain - every day, all day. Their narrative that the present solution is not permanent defies simple logic that nothing is permanent. Used to call these kinds of people "peaceniks". Today they are simply ignorant. Edited March 8 by 73 Reds spelling
dwy000 Posted March 8 Posted March 8 (edited) 17 minutes ago, 73 Reds said: Yeah but if you listen to all the Trump-haters - every one of them, they have had no viable alternative plan to deal with Iran. Their "strategy" is to negotiate despite 47 years of failed negotiations and to "trust and verify", neither of which anyone can, or should do. They know how to do one thing very well - complain - every day, all day. Their narrative that the present solution is not permanent defies simple logic that nothing is permanent. Used to call these kinds of people "peaceniks". Today they are simply ignorant. And what is the solution that is being offered up today? The nuclear threat which they lied and claimed was obliterated 8 months ago is still active. The leadership is intact and whatever support there was for a government overthrow has gone out the window. Yes, a horrible 86 year old religious leader was killed. Likely to be replaced by someone worse. So now what? Were spending $1bn per day, costing lives, costing support from allies to do what? What's the end game? We are poorer, more hated and have dead soldiers to be in exactly the same place we were last month or worse. Edited March 8 by dwy000
Whensthepaintdry? Posted March 8 Posted March 8 (edited) I am not a very political person, but didn’t Buffett say something in regards to nuclear war that it was like flipping a coin every day and a small probability short term is almost certain in the long term? So if there is a small chance that we can stop one country whether they are “lunatics” or not from having a nuclear weapon isn’t it worth it? Edited March 8 by Whensthepaintdry?
dwy000 Posted March 8 Posted March 8 4 minutes ago, Whensthepaintdry? said: I am not a very political person, but didn’t Buffett say something in regards to nuclear war that it was like flipping a coin every day and a small probability short term is almost certain in the long term? So if there is a small chance that we can stop one country whether they are “lunatics” or not from having a nuclear weapon isn’t it worth it? Absolutely! But how is the current war doing that? The only way it happens is with regime change. And that's neither the stated goal nor possible without full invasion. We just obliterated their nuclear capabilities 8 months ago. Are we doing this every 8 months now?
Spekulatius Posted March 8 Posted March 8 (edited) I guess the key question is if Iran can continue to threaten the straight of Hormus or not. If the straight of Hormuz is re-opening, Iran does not have a lot of leverage. There is no winning if the straight of Hormuz remains closed. Edited March 8 by Spekulatius
RichardGibbons Posted March 8 Posted March 8 (edited) I think the other thing people are missing was that Trump was going to war regardless. He just wanted to blow stuff up, and until recently, it looked more likely that he'd go after an ally. So, Trump deserves kudos for changing his mind, and going after a nation that's actually a threat. With him determined to blow things up, there aren't many choices of target that would've been better than Iran. I think it shows growth. Edited March 8 by RichardGibbons
whiskybravo Posted March 8 Posted March 8 4 hours ago, backtothebeach said: Lots of strike footage I had not seen before and I thought a good summary of many aspects of this war. Very interesting, thanks. The video states that Anthropic’s Claude along with Palantir and the Pentagon’s Maven AI have provided unprecedented military targeting and assessment. (Quantum leap in target efficiency from say Iraq war). Also damage from retaliatory Iranian strikes has been limited. UAE has been patient, concentrating on defense ( ~95% interception rate) and not being drawn in to retaliate.
Viking Posted March 8 Posted March 8 (edited) Hamas attacked Israel in October of 2023. At the time, Iran was a powerful nation. Its power was amplified through its proxies in Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis. Assad was the leader in Syria. Bottom line, the paradigm of the previous 40 years was fully in place - it was an unstable shit show. Fast forward to today… 2.5 years later. Has anything changed? Everything in the middle east has changed. Iran’s power/influence is at its lowest point since the regime came to power. Hamas is in deep trouble. Hezbollah’s power is greatly diminished. Assad is gone from Syria. Israel’s power/influence is growing. Bottom line, I am much more optimistic today about a lasting peace actually happening in the middle east than i was 2.5 years ago. Many of the countries in the region want that (they are trying to improve the lives of their people). It looks like the stars have aligned in the region. There is the potential that the risks from Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas might be permanently altered. The possibility needs to be fully exploited - it is a once in a generation opportunity. A permanently weakened/diminished Iran (the people running the country) would be a wonderful thing for all the people of the region long term. (Yes, coming at a very high cost for some today.) Edited March 8 by Viking
Castanza Posted March 8 Posted March 8 2 hours ago, cubsfan said: Trump is just showing leaders of the world how to lead again, especially the losers of Europe. Deterrence is such a simple concept that every national leader should understand - yet, even our bums, Obama and Biden thought they could ignore it. Such fools. If you want to avoid war, prepare for it. Ehhh Real leaders build bridges and lead by example. Trump is pushing constitutional boundaries and burning bridges. Trump embodies the Roman approach “Make it a desert and call it peace.”
cubsfan Posted March 8 Posted March 8 25 minutes ago, Castanza said: Ehhh Real leaders build bridges and lead by example. Trump is pushing constitutional boundaries and burning bridges. Trump embodies the Roman approach “Make it a desert and call it peace.” Cowards take a pass on fatal problems and apply bandaids, lest they risk their Presidential libraries and legacies. Real leaders deal with dangerous and difficult problems for the good of their country. You are seeing the greatest US President since Lincoln.
Xerxes Posted March 8 Posted March 8 I would recommend this episode specifically on the war. It is boring analysis work, doesn’t have the chest thumping with video / explosion stuff that most people like here to get high on. But I am posting anyways, because I think the guest presents the regime calculus correctly. On another news looks like Mojteda is the new leader. The guest in this podcast sort of explains, (recorded days before) Mojtada was never a serious contender. Severely lacking religious credentials, and the fact that he was the son were all pushbacks. But given that his family was blow up … in a weird way has increased his stock. And there we are … Mojtada’ is the IRGC man on the throne. The power relationship is now reversed. He may be the titular leader, but it is IRGC in control. One more betrayal : We were suppose to be done with hereditary monarchies in 1979 …
Castanza Posted March 9 Posted March 9 2 hours ago, cubsfan said: Cowards take a pass on fatal problems and apply bandaids, lest they risk their Presidential libraries and legacies. Real leaders deal with dangerous and difficult problems for the good of their country. You are seeing the greatest US President since Lincoln. Bruh… c’mon lol
Parsad Posted March 9 Posted March 9 3 hours ago, cubsfan said: Cowards take a pass on fatal problems and apply bandaids, lest they risk their Presidential libraries and legacies. Real leaders deal with dangerous and difficult problems for the good of their country. You are seeing the greatest US President since Lincoln. 42 minutes ago, Castanza said: Bruh… c’mon lol This is not going to age well for Cubs! Kind of like how the NY Jets thought Mark Sanchez would save the franchise until he ran into his own center's rear end! Cheers!
dealraker Posted March 9 Posted March 9 I think we are now finally making the turn from the Biden economy to the Trump economy.
cubsfan Posted March 9 Posted March 9 54 minutes ago, Parsad said: This is not going to age well for Cubs! Kind of like how the NY Jets thought Mark Sanchez would save the franchise until he ran into his own center's rear end! Cheers! You guys are bound to get something right one of these days.
DooDiligence Posted March 9 Posted March 9 1 hour ago, Parsad said: This is not going to age well for Cubs!
UK Posted March 9 Posted March 9 https://archive.is/K13jT “What we want to do is to get such massive oil reserves in Iran out of the hands of terrorists,” Mr Agen, the executive director of the National Energy Dominance Council, told Fox Business. “Ultimately, we’re not going to have to worry about these issues in the Strait of Hormuz,” he claimed, referring to the passage between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, where oil shipments have come to a near standstill following the outbreak of war. “We’re going to get all of the oil out of the hands of terrorists." Michael Rubin, a former Pentagon official and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said sending US soldiers to seize Kharg Island was a “no-brainer”.
John Hjorth Posted March 9 Posted March 9 4 hours ago, UK said: https://archive.is/K13jT “What we want to do is to get such massive oil reserves in Iran out of the hands of terrorists,” Mr Agen, the executive director of the National Energy Dominance Council, told Fox Business. “Ultimately, we’re not going to have to worry about these issues in the Strait of Hormuz,” he claimed, referring to the passage between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, where oil shipments have come to a near standstill following the outbreak of war. “We’re going to get all of the oil out of the hands of terrorists." Michael Rubin, a former Pentagon official and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said sending US soldiers to seize Kharg Island was a “no-brainer”. I don't know if this is true, but how [on Earth] do one obtain that without boots on the ground or destroying the Kharg oil installations? [I see Brent at 107.78, WTI at 102.91 right now.]
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