A prediction for pirates...

[Valiente]

I rarely post in Off-topic, because...well, it's terrible here, really. But I was mulling over a good way for the incoming U.S. president to "make a splash", and I thought of this:

I predict the very first "look, I TOLD you I had balls" episode from Obama will be an attack on the Somali pirate base at Eyl.

Why?

1) Because they can. With cruise missiles. No precious Yankees in body bags.

2) There's no political cost to killing pirates, particularly poor, black ones.

3) They've nicked a Saudi tanker. Other Muslims won't care about Muslim pirates who steal oil-stuffed tankers. Bad for business.

4) Killing African Muslims neuters the idiot American media discourse that Obama would "favour" blacks and Muslims because he's half-white and Christian...good grief...the stupid comes off these people in waves.

5)A smoking crater/beach allows food aid to get back to the majority of starving Somalis who aren't currently piratical. Point to Obama.

This is such a great stunt that if Obama doesn't do it in January, the Russian or the Chinese will, just because it's good to give your special forces some live-ammo exercise now and then, and let's face it, they like to play global cop now and then, too.

Discuss.

[tdw]

Win win situation really.

Very depressing thought V but sadly I think you might be on the money be it US, China or whoever.

Lets face it, who gives a rats arse about civilian casualties, particularly as you say they are poor black and moslem.

You do realise of course that you have just extended an open invitation to the master debaters to run riot, don't you ?

[tommays]

I feel the crew lives are the ONLY thing stopping action from us or the Russians and am kind of surprised at how long they have there ship be held

[artbyjody]

Val are you nominated for the Cabinet Position of State Dept? If not you got my vote

[Faster]

Originally Posted by artbyjody

Val are you nominated for the Cabinet Position of State Dept? If not you got my vote

YESS! A sensible Canadian in the US Cabinet... what a concept!

[erps]

If I were a Somali warlord, I would buy a couple helicopter gunships and charge extortion, er I mean an escort fee to commercial shippers transiting the area.

[Valiente]

Originally Posted by tdw

You do realise of course that you have just extended an open invitation to the master debaters to run riot, don't you ?

Why, yes, I do...in related news, I like to set off air horns in old folks' homes...

[Valiente]

Originally Posted by Faster

YESS! A sensible Canadian in the US Cabinet... what a concept!

We invite you to become Provinces 11 through 62, because Puerto Rico looks nice.

Anyway, this is not necessarily my preference, but I think would be a logical outcome that would satisfy Obama's need to silence his critics by being a "tough leader" through gunboat diplomacy, and, unlike Iraq or other spots, will have minimal blowback in terms of protest because who will admit they are pro-pirate, except perhaps for vendors of parrots, rum distillers and wooden limb artisans?

[xort]

sounds like a clinton like response. send in a few cruise missiles after breakfast and get a bj for lunch. it won't have much success just as willies exploits didn't have much of an effect.
the dirty work will be done by the saudi's. wait till they get their tanker released, they'll light up half of somalia. they need to show the middle east they aren't pussies
obama will have his hands full soon enough

[sailaway21]

Personally, I think he'd be wrong to get much more involved...it's really not an interest of ours and there are nations far closer who it affects far more.

Besides, I'm still awaiting the UN to do something tangible about it. Obama can make his bones in foreign policy without doing anything other than saying he was wrong to want to pull out of Iraq so precipitously. End of story.