Mitt Romney: Russia is America's #1 geopolitical foe (1 Viewer)

[Doctor Detroit]

These political threads are still a mess, not even sure anyone even commented on the original thought. What Romney said is probably correct but there really is no reason to say it. Keep telling everyone China and various rogue nations are the enemy while doing the old "keep your friends close but your enemies closer" thing with the Russians.

That's an interesting comment. Why do you think the Russkies are the biggest boogeymen? Vlad the Mad? Support for rogue middle eastern states? Other?

Their way of thinking and our way of thinking will always be at odds. They still control vast resources, military power and influence and even though they are a distant second in the Geo-political sphere, they are still second. They have also found a happy medium between communism and capitalism and have the ability to be stronger as a nation state than they were in the Soviet Union. With heavy-handed leaders like Putin who also understand the role resources and money play in the influence game, they are destined to be strong going forward. I simply don't trust Russians having known them over the years, they have a different way of approaching things and they are very underhanded as a whole.

I get where you are coming from DD and I share your sentiments about dealing with Russians. But have you ever dealt with Iranians? In my limited experience, they make the Russians look trustworthy and reliable.

Middle Eastern governments in general are going to be a 180 in values, understanding and policy. They simply conduct business and government differently even in secular states. Once you start mixing in religion it gets even more complex but Arabs in particular deal with things by greasing hands and giving strange political favor swaps which do not exist in the West. The Russians are somewhere in the middle, the Chinese actually closer to us in this regard but the Chinese are also very ethnocentric which extends to all aspects of their dealings. Essentially they will screw everyone else over, but will hold the line with their own which the Russians don't necessarily do.

 

[Sam Quentin]

These political threads are still a mess, not even sure anyone even commented on the original thought. What Romney said is probably correct but there really is no reason to say it. Keep telling everyone China and various rogue nations are the enemy while doing the old "keep your friends close but your enemies closer" thing with the Russians.

That's an interesting comment. Why do you think the Russkies are the biggest boogeymen? Vlad the Mad? Support for rogue middle eastern states? Other?

Their way of thinking and our way of thinking will always be at odds. They still control vast resources, military power and influence and even though they are a distant second in the Geo-political sphere, they are still second. They have also found a happy medium between communism and capitalism and have the ability to be stronger as a nation state than they were in the Soviet Union. With heavy-handed leaders like Putin who also understand the role resources and money play in the influence game, they are destined to be strong going forward. I simply don't trust Russians having known them over the years, they have a different way of approaching things and they are very underhanded as a whole.

I get where you are coming from DD and I share your sentiments about dealing with Russians. But have you ever dealt with Iranians? In my limited experience, they make the Russians look trustworthy and reliable.

Middle Eastern governments in general are going to be a 180 in values, understanding and policy. They simply conduct business and government differently even in secular states. Once you start mixing in religion it gets even more complex but Arabs in particular deal with things by greasing hands and giving strange political favor swaps which do not exist in the West. The Russians are somewhere in the middle, the Chinese actually closer to us in this regard but the Chinese are also very ethnocentric which extends to all aspects of their dealings. Essentially they will screw everyone else over, but will hold the line with their own which the Russians don't necessarily do.

interesting...this sheds a whole new light on this thead topic....

 

[ericttspikes]

Why does the Republican party offer up moron after moron?

Why is it that the only intelligent nominee the Republicans have offered up,Paul, gets labeled as crazy by his own party?

Looks like they lifted the script directly from the Democrats. I'm not partisan.

Equivalency defense, right on cue.

Romney's not a moron - misguided, disingenuous, slippery, power hungry to a fault, yes, but not a moron. Obama and Clinton aren't morons either. Bush Sr. - not a moron. Reagan, not a moron, but was drifting into senility towards the end there. Not sure about Junior though, he could be a moron.

Romney's not a moron, but for a guy who has been running for president for a while now, he certainly doesn't seem to get it. Sure, he may be a whiz at turning a pile of cash into a larger pile of cash, but has shown zero presidential qualities on global issues. The dude just keeps stepping in it and doesn't even realize it.

 

[ericttspikes]

I continue to be surprised at how many people support this goober. I don't get it. What does he have over you people?

We need to cut the deficit. Obama has shown no sign that he realizes this. Neither has the House Republicans. I think Romney if elected will be able to use the Republican majority to actually engage in significant spending cuts for the first time in our history. I am not at all sure of this, but that is my hope. Second, I believe Romney as president will move us closer to real alternatives to oil, such as nuclear and natural gas. Obama has had the chance to do this and failed. Romney may succeed. Again, not sure of this, but that is my hope.Those are my main two reasons for supporting Mitt Romney for president. There is a lot I don't like about him. He seems sleazy to me. His rhetoric against China, and now against Russia, troubles me greatly. His conversion to social conservatism in order to win the election is bothersome (though I doubt it's genuine.) I don't like him in general. I like Obama. Obama seems like a really nice, really smart guy, and He's been an OK president. I would much rather know Barack Obama than Mitt Romney. But the two issues I listed are decisive for me and overwhelm everything else- IF Romney can really carry through on them.

He can't carry through on anything by himself. Why do people continue to fall for this tactic? It comes down to you liking his promises over someone else's. I still don't get it.

Romney will have a supportive congress. Obama won't.

He will? That's a fairly big leap of faith. I guess if the Tea Party prove to have no convictions, then sure, I can see that. I really have no idea "who" Romney is now. Maybe he is "severely conservative" and he was just pretending in Mass. Who knows.

 

[honky kong]

I do not think Romney is stupid a la Sarah Palin (despite my jab above), but I do no think that his mindset or thought process is correct for a president of a country. The country is not a business with the sole goal of turning a profit. And saying anything to get elected, changing your beliefs, accent, etc to just play to a crowd (and doing so poorly) does not reflect well IMO.

You just nailed Barrack HUSSEIN Obama to a tee.

I think it is so great when they use caps to try to illustrate that our president has the same name as a murderous dictator like somehow that fact is a negative - like in preschool when someone had the cooties.

Yeah, that post is like holding up a "Hi, I'm An Idiot" sign.

That's pretty much in line with what I thought when I read it. I applaud him though, as he's shown me that I never need to bother wasting the time to read what he has to say.

 

[timschochet]

I do not think Romney is stupid a la Sarah Palin (despite my jab above), but I do no think that his mindset or thought process is correct for a president of a country. The country is not a business with the sole goal of turning a profit. And saying anything to get elected, changing your beliefs, accent, etc to just play to a crowd (and doing so poorly) does not reflect well IMO.

You just nailed Barrack HUSSEIN Obama to a tee.

I think it is so great when they use caps to try to illustrate that our president has the same name as a murderous dictator like somehow that fact is a negative - like in preschool when someone had the cooties.

Yeah, that post is like holding up a "Hi, I'm An Idiot" sign.

That's pretty much in line with what I thought when I read it. I applaud him though, as he's shown me that I never need to bother wasting the time to read what he has to say.

College men from LSUWent in dumb come out dumb too

 

[Fensalk]

On the surface it seems like a bad comment from Romney, but before passing judgement let's ask how it could help him. The best place to start is always to follow the votes. So I went and looked up Romney's poll numbers with military voters and he is struggling with them for a republican candidate. Virginia is a problem state in this regard, as there is a large military vote there and Obama is outperforming among them vs Romney.

So, hawkish statements should help Romney. In particular, hawkish statements that also draw a line of distinction between him and Obama. Even if it might hurt him a little with most voters, I think general voters will forget these comments in the months ahead, but the military voters will remember and warm to Romney. I think this tactic is good several months out from the election.

OH AND MY 2 MONTH BAN HAS EXPIRED! HOORAY!

 

[SeveredHorseHeads]

OH AND MY 2 MONTH BAN HAS EXPIRED! HOORAY!

I love you, you crazy *******.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

OH AND MY 2 MONTH BAN HAS EXPIRED! HOORAY!

I love you, you crazy *******.

 

[Fensalk]

BTW, Romney's poor showing with military voters could push him towards picking someone from the military/intelligence arena as his veep, such as John Huntsman or Condeleeza Rice.

 

[17seconds]

BTW, Romney's poor showing with military voters could push him towards picking someone from the military/intelligence arena as his veep, such as John Huntsman or Condeleeza Rice.

Now that Gaddafi is dead, I don't see the benefit.

 

[Fensalk]

Another way to look at Romney is that the fiscal republicans, country club republicans, and RINOs love him. But that's about 1/3 of the party. The social conservatives and military voters don't like Romney that much. He has limited appeal in the GOP, but the wing of the GOP Romney does capture really like him way better than anyone else.

 

[17seconds]

Another way to look at Romney is that the fiscal republicans, country club republicans, and RINOs love him. But that's about 1/3 of the party. The social conservatives and military voters don't like Romney that much. He has limited appeal in the GOP, but the wing of the GOP Romney does capture really like him way better than anyone else.

So what's the conclusion there? He loses and fades into obscurity?

 

[Fensalk]

I think Romney's biggest problem is that he did not serve in the military in any capacity. If he had, the military vote would swing strongly in his favor and he'd probably have the backing of 2/3rds of the GOP, with only the social conservatives skeptical of him.

 

[Fensalk]

Another way to look at Romney is that the fiscal republicans, country club republicans, and RINOs love him. But that's about 1/3 of the party. The social conservatives and military voters don't like Romney that much. He has limited appeal in the GOP, but the wing of the GOP Romney does capture really like him way better than anyone else.

So what's the conclusion there? He loses and fades into obscurity?

Well in the democrats favor, military voters are looking at two candidates (Romney vs Obama) and neither served in the military, and the democrats are definitely benefiting from that in the polls.

 

[cubd8]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/us-election/9168533/Mitt-Romney-Russia-is-Americas-number-one-geopolitical-foe.html

I really want to support this guy. But sometimes he makes it so damn difficult. Doesn't he realize that, as the man who will be the Republican nominee, his words have impact overseas?

We don't need to have Russia as our enemy. We would be much better off in the long run with Russia as our friend, for a whole variety of reasons. If Romney is elected he has created a big mess here which he will have to clean up. I figure he thinks he's Ronald Reagan, but he isn't, just as today's Russia is not the Soviet Union.

Why don't you just announce you're voting for Obama and just get it over with? All of this hysteria you have over comments made by Republicans and you seem to overlook most everything done by Obama over the last 3 years....No offense, but I just want to get the violin out and start playing when you act as if you're really going to vote Republican when you're clearly a liberal.

 

[cstu]

On the surface it seems like a bad comment from Romney, but before passing judgement let's ask how it could help him. The best place to start is always to follow the votes. So I went and looked up Romney's poll numbers with military voters and he is struggling with them for a republican candidate. Virginia is a problem state in this regard, as there is a large military vote there and Obama is outperforming among them vs Romney.

So, hawkish statements should help Romney. In particular, hawkish statements that also draw a line of distinction between him and Obama. Even if it might hurt him a little with most voters, I think general voters will forget these comments in the months ahead, but the military voters will remember and warm to Romney. I think this tactic is good several months out from the election.

OH AND MY 2 MONTH BAN HAS EXPIRED! HOORAY!

There he is!

 

[timschochet]

Why would military voters...? Never mind.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

There are 1.4mm active duty personnel right now and according to this, less than half actually cast a ballot. While the officer corps tends to be conservative and Republican, the enlisted force is much less so. I know GW was boosted in 2000 by the military absentee votes but that vote was obviously ridiculously close where every vote really did count.

Far be it from me to discount their vote, but I'm not sure their vote is as important as you are letting on.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

On the surface it seems like a bad comment from Romney, but before passing judgement let's ask how it could help him. The best place to start is always to follow the votes. So I went and looked up Romney's poll numbers with military voters and he is struggling with them for a republican candidate. Virginia is a problem state in this regard, as there is a large military vote there and Obama is outperforming among them vs Romney.

So, hawkish statements should help Romney. In particular, hawkish statements that also draw a line of distinction between him and Obama. Even if it might hurt him a little with most voters, I think general voters will forget these comments in the months ahead, but the military voters will remember and warm to Romney. I think this tactic is good several months out from the election.

OH AND MY 2 MONTH BAN HAS EXPIRED! HOORAY!

THERE HE IS!

If you're gonna do this, do it right. FIXED

 

[timschochet]

There are 1.4mm active duty personnel right now and according to this, less than half actually cast a ballot. While the officer corps tends to be conservative and Republican, the enlisted force is much less so. I know GW was boosted in 2000 by the military absentee votes but that vote was obviously ridiculously close where every vote really did count.

Far be it from me to discount their vote, but I'm not sure their vote is as important as you are letting on.

Suppose it was. Would calling Russia a foe excite them? I mean, the Cold War is over. How many active servicemen even remember it?

 

[Fensalk]

Let's do a more thorough search at military experience and the veep spot for Romney, given this revelation that Romney is polling weak with military voters....

Santorum and Gingrich also lack any military experience, as did Michelle Bachmann. Herman Cain was a civilian ballistics expert for the US Navy, but after his scandal he's done. Ron Paul has the most as a flight surgeon with the Air Force.

Looking at other possibilities for veep, Paul Ryan, Mitch Daniels, Chris Christie, Nikki Haley, Brian Sandoval, Mike Huckabee, Susana Martinez, Bobby Jindal, Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush have zero military experience.

Romney has mentioned David Petraeus on his short list, so I should mention that. Romney has also mentioned on his short list Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, who served as a medical supply officer in the Army.

So we can boil the military experience list down to:

John Huntsman

Condeleeza Rice

Ron Paul

David Petraeus

Bob McDonnell

 

[Fensalk]

There are 1.4mm active duty personnel right now and according to this, less than half actually cast a ballot. While the officer corps tends to be conservative and Republican, the enlisted force is much less so. I know GW was boosted in 2000 by the military absentee votes but that vote was obviously ridiculously close where every vote really did count.

Far be it from me to discount their vote, but I'm not sure their vote is as important as you are letting on.

I said military vote. I didn't say they had to be active duty military. They could be spouses of current or former military. Or someone who just makes military experience a top priority.

 

[PlasmaDogPlasma]

Based on the amount of military support Ron Paul received, I don't think they're looking for hawkish.

 

[Fensalk]

Why would military voters...? Never mind.

Why what? Why would they like a hawk over Obama who appears to be leaning towards becoming so dovish that he will upset the American people once he is no longer beholden to voters per his open mic comment? You really need to ask that?

 

[Doctor Detroit]

There are 1.4mm active duty personnel right now and according to this, less than half actually cast a ballot. While the officer corps tends to be conservative and Republican, the enlisted force is much less so. I know GW was boosted in 2000 by the military absentee votes but that vote was obviously ridiculously close where every vote really did count.

Far be it from me to discount their vote, but I'm not sure their vote is as important as you are letting on.

Suppose it was. Would calling Russia a foe excite them? I mean, the Cold War is over. How many active servicemen even remember it?

Nobody I work with was excited about it. Romney isn't going to generate the same type of support GW did and that mostly has to do with GW's daddy being a war hero and a Reagan man made him someone who was beloved by that generation of the military.

One of the problems with America right now is that less than 1% of the population is serving or have someone they are related to that is serving. Less than 8% have served and that number is falling fast with all the WWII guys dieing off. America has no idea what the hell their military does half the time, some posts on this board over the years have proven that to me. People don't even want to take the time to find out, politicians are part of that group to a degree. With Obama he at least had a constituency that worked in the active duty military before he became president, all Romney has is probably guard/reserve knowledge in a very light military infrastructure state (Mass).

Santorum is probably better off with his knowledge of the military as his time as a Pennsylvania senator but like Romney, he was working in a state with no large military installations. He does have War on Terror experience though, that might play well to military voters at some point.

You know who is widely popular among military folks? Moreso than the general population IMO? Ron Paul, they love them some Ron Paul. I don't go a day without hearing about him, but I can't get behind him because I completely disagree with his stance on foreign affairs. Outside the economy, that is my #1 issue.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

There are 1.4mm active duty personnel right now and according to this, less than half actually cast a ballot. While the officer corps tends to be conservative and Republican, the enlisted force is much less so. I know GW was boosted in 2000 by the military absentee votes but that vote was obviously ridiculously close where every vote really did count.

Far be it from me to discount their vote, but I'm not sure their vote is as important as you are letting on.

I said military vote. I didn't say they had to be active duty military. They could be spouses of current or former military. Or someone who just makes military experience a top priority.

I'm pretty sure you have no idea what you are talking about.

 

[Fensalk]

Well Ron Paul is not going to be the nominee, nor is he going to be the veep choice. He's just on the list to be complete.

 

[Fensalk]

Let's sum up why Romney made this comment. Perhaps the most basic rule of a political campaign is to highlight the differences between you and your opponent. If voters feel they are choosing between two sides of the same coin, they usually don't vote the incumbent out. Obama's Russia gaffe was an opportunity to accomplish this and make a plea to the military vote at the same time. This was calculated and a good move, imo, even if it upsets the nonmilitary vote in the short term.

 

[drummer]

In Soviet Russia Mitt Romney starts threads about timscoochy.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

Why would military voters...? Never mind.

Why what? Why would they like a hawk over Obama who appears to be leaning towards becoming so dovish that he will upset the American people once he is no longer beholden to voters per his open mic comment? You really need to ask that?

Obama who oversaw bin laden's death is a dove?

 

[Doctor Detroit]

Let's sum up why Romney made this comment. Perhaps the most basic rule of a political campaign is to highlight the differences between you and your opponent. If voters feel they are choosing between two sides of the same coin, they usually don't vote the incumbent out. Obama's Russia gaffe was an opportunity to accomplish this and make a plea to the military vote at the same time. This was calculated and a good move, imo, even if it upsets the nonmilitary vote in the short term.

I think this is spot on but I really don't think it accomplishes anything with military voters. Look man, the military is really ####### tired right now with 10+ years of deployments to hot, ####ty countries where the people don't care for us, and are unlikely to change after we leave. I'm sure the fat days of the Cold War would appeal to some but that generation (I'm at the very end of it) are gone or leaving soon. The folks that make up the overwhelming majority of the today's military only know the War on Terror and Homeland Security related things. Russia is a distant memory for most of them, if they remember it was from history class. Now they know Russian pr0n and Ovechkin, it really is a reach for Romney to hate on Ovechkin.

 

[Sea Duck]

Why are we assuming that current military members are going to buy into 1980s anti-Russian rhetoric?

 

[Dr. Gobbler]

I continue to be surprised at how many people support this goober. I don't get it. What does he have over you people?

We need to cut the deficit. Obama has shown no sign that he realizes this. Neither has the House Republicans. I think Romney if elected will be able to use the Republican majority to actually engage in significant spending cuts for the first time in our history. I am not at all sure of this, but that is my hope. Second, I believe Romney as president will move us closer to real alternatives to oil, such as nuclear and natural gas. Obama has had the chance to do this and failed. Romney may succeed. Again, not sure of this, but that is my hope.Those are my main two reasons for supporting Mitt Romney for president. There is a lot I don't like about him. He seems sleazy to me. His rhetoric against China, and now against Russia, troubles me greatly. His conversion to social conservatism in order to win the election is bothersome (though I doubt it's genuine.) I don't like him in general. I like Obama. Obama seems like a really nice, really smart guy, and He's been an OK president. I would much rather know Barack Obama than Mitt Romney. But the two issues I listed are decisive for me and overwhelm everything else- IF Romney can really carry through on them.

He can't carry through on anything by himself. Why do people continue to fall for this tactic? It comes down to you liking his promises over someone else's. I still don't get it.

Romney will have a supportive congress. Obama won't.

That's if Congress stays in R. control....

 

[Dr. Gobbler]

There are 1.4mm active duty personnel right now and according to this, less than half actually cast a ballot. While the officer corps tends to be conservative and Republican, the enlisted force is much less so. I know GW was boosted in 2000 by the military absentee votes but that vote was obviously ridiculously close where every vote really did count.

Far be it from me to discount their vote, but I'm not sure their vote is as important as you are letting on.

Suppose it was. Would calling Russia a foe excite them? I mean, the Cold War is over. How many active servicemen even remember it?

Nobody I work with was excited about it. Romney isn't going to generate the same type of support GW did and that mostly has to do with GW's daddy being a war hero and a Reagan man made him someone who was beloved by that generation of the military.

One of the problems with America right now is that less than 1% of the population is serving or have someone they are related to that is serving. Less than 8% have served and that number is falling fast with all the WWII guys dieing off. America has no idea what the hell their military does half the time, some posts on this board over the years have proven that to me. People don't even want to take the time to find out, politicians are part of that group to a degree. With Obama he at least had a constituency that worked in the active duty military before he became president, all Romney has is probably guard/reserve knowledge in a very light military infrastructure state (Mass).

Santorum is probably better off with his knowledge of the military as his time as a Pennsylvania senator but like Romney, he was working in a state with no large military installations. He does have War on Terror experience though, that might play well to military voters at some point.

You know who is widely popular among military folks? Moreso than the general population IMO? Ron Paul, they love them some Ron Paul. I don't go a day without hearing about him, but I can't get behind him because I completely disagree with his stance on foreign affairs. Outside the economy, that is my #1 issue.

Yeah, with Ron Paul at the helm the United States would actually start manufacturing things again and those that outsource would get hammered in taxes. That's horrible!

 

[honky kong]

Why would military voters...? Never mind.

Why what? Why would they like a hawk over Obama who appears to be leaning towards becoming so dovish that he will upset the American people once he is no longer beholden to voters per his open mic comment? You really need to ask that?

Obama who oversaw bin laden's death is a dove?

Come on, guy. Obama only doubled our troop presence in Afghanistan. He's obviously a peacenik.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

There are 1.4mm active duty personnel right now and according to this, less than half actually cast a ballot. While the officer corps tends to be conservative and Republican, the enlisted force is much less so. I know GW was boosted in 2000 by the military absentee votes but that vote was obviously ridiculously close where every vote really did count.

Far be it from me to discount their vote, but I'm not sure their vote is as important as you are letting on.

Suppose it was. Would calling Russia a foe excite them? I mean, the Cold War is over. How many active servicemen even remember it?

Nobody I work with was excited about it. Romney isn't going to generate the same type of support GW did and that mostly has to do with GW's daddy being a war hero and a Reagan man made him someone who was beloved by that generation of the military.

One of the problems with America right now is that less than 1% of the population is serving or have someone they are related to that is serving. Less than 8% have served and that number is falling fast with all the WWII guys dieing off. America has no idea what the hell their military does half the time, some posts on this board over the years have proven that to me. People don't even want to take the time to find out, politicians are part of that group to a degree. With Obama he at least had a constituency that worked in the active duty military before he became president, all Romney has is probably guard/reserve knowledge in a very light military infrastructure state (Mass).

Santorum is probably better off with his knowledge of the military as his time as a Pennsylvania senator but like Romney, he was working in a state with no large military installations. He does have War on Terror experience though, that might play well to military voters at some point.

You know who is widely popular among military folks? Moreso than the general population IMO? Ron Paul, they love them some Ron Paul. I don't go a day without hearing about him, but I can't get behind him because I completely disagree with his stance on foreign affairs. Outside the economy, that is my #1 issue.

Yeah, with Ron Paul at the helm the United States would actually start manufacturing things again and those that outsource would get hammered in taxes. That's horrible!

Great input Pepé. Did you stand a little close to the microwave tonight?

 

[Mr. Pickles]

On the surface it seems like a bad comment from Romney, but before passing judgement let's ask how it could help him. The best place to start is always to follow the votes. So I went and looked up Romney's poll numbers with military voters and he is struggling with them for a republican candidate. Virginia is a problem state in this regard, as there is a large military vote there and Obama is outperforming among them vs Romney.

So, hawkish statements should help Romney. In particular, hawkish statements that also draw a line of distinction between him and Obama. Even if it might hurt him a little with most voters, I think general voters will forget these comments in the months ahead, but the military voters will remember and warm to Romney. I think this tactic is good several months out from the election.

OH AND MY 2 MONTH BAN HAS EXPIRED! HOORAY!

When I win Mega Millions, I'm putting you in charge. No shtick.

 

[TwinTurbo]

These political threads are still a mess, not even sure anyone even commented on the original thought. What Romney said is probably correct but there really is no reason to say it. Keep telling everyone China and various rogue nations are the enemy while doing the old "keep your friends close but your enemies closer" thing with the Russians.

That's an interesting comment. Why do you think the Russkies are the biggest boogeymen? Vlad the Mad? Support for rogue middle eastern states? Other?

Their way of thinking and our way of thinking will always be at odds. They still control vast resources, military power and influence and even though they are a distant second in the Geo-political sphere, they are still second. They have also found a happy medium between communism and capitalism and have the ability to be stronger as a nation state than they were in the Soviet Union. With heavy-handed leaders like Putin who also understand the role resources and money play in the influence game, they are destined to be strong going forward. I simply don't trust Russians having known them over the years, they have a different way of approaching things and they are very underhanded as a whole.

I get where you are coming from DD and I share your sentiments about dealing with Russians. But have you ever dealt with Iranians? In my limited experience, they make the Russians look trustworthy and reliable.

Middle Eastern governments in general are going to be a 180 in values, understanding and policy. They simply conduct business and government differently even in secular states. Once you start mixing in religion it gets even more complex but Arabs in particular deal with things by greasing hands and giving strange political favor swaps which do not exist in the West. The Russians are somewhere in the middle, the Chinese actually closer to us in this regard but the Chinese are also very ethnocentric which extends to all aspects of their dealings. Essentially they will screw everyone else over, but will hold the line with their own which the Russians don't necessarily do.

Arabs <> Iranians/Persians

 

[roadkill1292]

Beej. Buddy. I've missed your enthusiasm, your crazed trains of thought, your absolute sincerity in your belief that you've got it all figured out. The rest of the posters on your side, if there is a "your side," you lovable individual, you, are posers, reduced to platitudes and name calling. They cannot hold a candle to your wind.

It'll probably take me about a day and half before I'm tired of you again.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

In Soviet Russia Mitt Romney starts threads about timscoochy.

lol

 

[Fensalk]

Beej. Buddy. I've missed your enthusiasm, your crazed trains of thought, your absolute sincerity in your belief that you've got it all figured out. The rest of the posters on your side, if there is a "your side," you lovable individual, you, are posers, reduced to platitudes and name calling. They cannot hold a candle to your wind.

It'll probably take me about a day and half before I'm tired of you again.

Who says I have it all figured out? Here's a free tip.Its all about mind games, psychology, and pushing people's buttons to get them to take the actions you want them to. I've spent years posting on the internet. I've found that if I enter a thread and politely ask a question to try and pick people's brains, I get completely ignored by the experts. HOWEVER, if I enter the threads and boldly express any random opinion as fact, the experts will fly out of the woodwork to boldly tell me I'm wrong and tell me exactly why.

As it turns out, human nature dictates that in order to find out what people know, one of the best ways to do it is to say something stupid or arrogant to them. The pleasure they derive from telling you you're wrong also draws out any knowledge they might have.

The Mentalist is one of my favorite shows because Patrick Jane does this all the damn time to suspects. He acts like a #### to them, pushes their buttons, and effectively sniffs out the information he wants. If he was polite, it wouldn't work.

The amazing thing is, these mind games work even if you tell the target subjects exactly what you are doing. They seem unable to resist.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

Why would military voters...? Never mind.

Why what? Why would they like a hawk over Obama who appears to be leaning towards becoming so dovish that he will upset the American people once he is no longer beholden to voters per his open mic comment? You really need to ask that?

Obama who oversaw bin laden's death is a dove?

Come on, guy. Obama only doubled our troop presence in Afghanistan. He's obviously a peacenik.

Not to mention overseeing the Libya ordeal, which was EXACTLY like Iraq according to our conservative brethren only it didn't kill over 3500 Americans and was a victory.

 

[Fensalk]

I know I explained that back in 2004. I'll probably explain it again eventually, too.

I wouldn't call it being a troll, per se. A troll pushes people's buttons to just have fun stirring up trouble. I do it to effectively and (very) efficiently generate discussion in as short a time as possible.

 

[roadkill1292]

Beej. Buddy. I've missed your enthusiasm, your crazed trains of thought, your absolute sincerity in your belief that you've got it all figured out. The rest of the posters on your side, if there is a "your side," you lovable individual, you, are posers, reduced to platitudes and name calling. They cannot hold a candle to your wind.

It'll probably take me about a day and half before I'm tired of you again.

Who says I have it all figured out? Here's a free tip.Its all about mind games, psychology, and pushing people's buttons to get them to take the actions you want them to. I've spent years posting on the internet. I've found that if I enter a thread and politely ask a question to try and pick people's brains, I get completely ignored by the experts. HOWEVER, if I enter the threads and boldly express any random opinion as fact, the experts will fly out of the woodwork to boldly tell me I'm wrong and tell me exactly why.

As it turns out, human nature dictates that in order to find out what people know, one of the best ways to do it is to say something stupid or arrogant to them. The pleasure they derive from telling you you're wrong also draws out any knowledge they might have.

The Mentalist is one of my favorite shows because Patrick Jane does this all the damn time to suspects. He acts like a #### to them, pushes their buttons, and effectively sniffs out the information he wants. If he was polite, it wouldn't work.

The amazing thing is, these mind games work even if you tell the target subjects exactly what you are doing. They seem unable to resist.

A day and a half might have been optimistic.

 

[honky kong]

As it turns out, human nature dictates that in order to find out what people know, one of the best ways to do it is to say something stupid or arrogant to them.

Then you must know a lot about what other people know.

 

[honky kong]

Beej. Buddy. I've missed your enthusiasm, your crazed trains of thought, your absolute sincerity in your belief that you've got it all figured out. The rest of the posters on your side, if there is a "your side," you lovable individual, you, are posers, reduced to platitudes and name calling. They cannot hold a candle to your wind.

It'll probably take me about a day and half before I'm tired of you again.

Who says I have it all figured out? Here's a free tip.Its all about mind games, psychology, and pushing people's buttons to get them to take the actions you want them to. I've spent years posting on the internet. I've found that if I enter a thread and politely ask a question to try and pick people's brains, I get completely ignored by the experts. HOWEVER, if I enter the threads and boldly express any random opinion as fact, the experts will fly out of the woodwork to boldly tell me I'm wrong and tell me exactly why.

As it turns out, human nature dictates that in order to find out what people know, one of the best ways to do it is to say something stupid or arrogant to them. The pleasure they derive from telling you you're wrong also draws out any knowledge they might have.

The Mentalist is one of my favorite shows because Patrick Jane does this all the damn time to suspects. He acts like a #### to them, pushes their buttons, and effectively sniffs out the information he wants. If he was polite, it wouldn't work.

The amazing thing is, these mind games work even if you tell the target subjects exactly what you are doing. They seem unable to resist.

A day and a half might have been optimistic.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

These political threads are still a mess, not even sure anyone even commented on the original thought. What Romney said is probably correct but there really is no reason to say it. Keep telling everyone China and various rogue nations are the enemy while doing the old "keep your friends close but your enemies closer" thing with the Russians.

That's an interesting comment. Why do you think the Russkies are the biggest boogeymen? Vlad the Mad? Support for rogue middle eastern states? Other?

Their way of thinking and our way of thinking will always be at odds. They still control vast resources, military power and influence and even though they are a distant second in the Geo-political sphere, they are still second. They have also found a happy medium between communism and capitalism and have the ability to be stronger as a nation state than they were in the Soviet Union. With heavy-handed leaders like Putin who also understand the role resources and money play in the influence game, they are destined to be strong going forward. I simply don't trust Russians having known them over the years, they have a different way of approaching things and they are very underhanded as a whole.

I get where you are coming from DD and I share your sentiments about dealing with Russians. But have you ever dealt with Iranians? In my limited experience, they make the Russians look trustworthy and reliable.

Middle Eastern governments in general are going to be a 180 in values, understanding and policy. They simply conduct business and government differently even in secular states. Once you start mixing in religion it gets even more complex but Arabs in particular deal with things by greasing hands and giving strange political favor swaps which do not exist in the West. The Russians are somewhere in the middle, the Chinese actually closer to us in this regard but the Chinese are also very ethnocentric which extends to all aspects of their dealings. Essentially they will screw everyone else over, but will hold the line with their own which the Russians don't necessarily do.

Arabs <> Iranians/Persians

That's why I said "Arabs in particular."

 

[Joe T]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/us-election/9168533/Mitt-Romney-Russia-is-Americas-number-one-geopolitical-foe.html

I really want to support this guy. But sometimes he makes it so damn difficult. Doesn't he realize that, as the man who will be the Republican nominee, his words have impact overseas?

We don't need to have Russia as our enemy. We would be much better off in the long run with Russia as our friend, for a whole variety of reasons. If Romney is elected he has created a big mess here which he will have to clean up. I figure he thinks he's Ronald Reagan, but he isn't, just as today's Russia is not the Soviet Union.

Why don't you just announce you're voting for Obama and just get it over with? All of this hysteria you have over comments made by Republicans and you seem to overlook most everything done by Obama over the last 3 years....No offense, but I just want to get the violin out and start playing when you act as if you're really going to vote Republican when you're clearly a liberal.

He's a bigger liberal than TGunz. NTTAWWT.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

President Obama is now proposing that we send weaponry to Ukraine.

Because, you know, Russia is not a geopolitical threat.