Comedy gold on CSPAN

[jtk1519]

They were showing a state run Russian newscast a while ago. Let's just say that it's good to know Baghdad Bob is settling into his new job at the Kremlin...

http://dunamai.com/Humor/BagdadBob/images/bagdad_bob_large.gif

Good Lord, I haven't heard so much propaganda since the 30 seconds Air America radio was relevant. The best part was interviewing some random Russian immigrant cab driver in New York (who didn't speak English BTW) about the bias in the Western media.

[Firebird]

They were showing a state run Russian newscast a while ago. Let's just say that it's good to know Baghdad Bob is settling into his new job at the Kremlin...

http://dunamai.com/Humor/BagdadBob/images/bagdad_bob_large.gif

Good Lord, I haven't heard so much propaganda since the 30 seconds Air America radio was relevant. The best part was interviewing some random Russian immigrant cab driver in New York (who didn't speak English BTW) about the bias in the Western media.

Russian media is a freaking joke. I have watched plenty of it. The sad thing is that for a brief period, Russian investigative journalism was probably some of the finest in the world.

Putin has had it in for the media since their unfavorable coverage of the Kursk tragedy.

[jtk1519]

Russian media is a freaking joke. I have watched plenty of it. The sad thing is that for a brief period, Russian investigative journalism was probably some of the finest in the world.

Putin has had it in for the media since their unfavorable coverage of the Kursk tragedy.

The Mad Man of Moscow is up to something. I respect your knowledge on all things Russian, but the little voice upstairs is telling me that this is all setting up a much larger conflict... one that Putin has been planning for some time.

[Firebird]

The Mad Man of Moscow is up to something. I respect your knowledge on all things Russian, but the little voice upstairs is telling me that this is all setting up a much larger conflict... one that Putin has been planning for some time.

He is up to maximizing Russia's power. He hasn't really made any bones about that. A larger conflict.....not so much. Putin is a KGB guy, and the one thing you could always say about the KGB is that they were always remarkably clear eyed, especially amongst themselves. There were no true believers in the KGB, especially the later years. There were simply dedicated professionals who passionately believed that only they could keep things under control in Russia, a nation that has a long history of chaos.

Although there has been lots of noise about how badly Georgia got its butt kicked, you need to know that Georgia has about 38,000 people in its armed forces. Russia sent in its best, most battle hardened units (Chechens) to clear the path and do the actual fighting. They did not send in their 16 year old conscript army, which is mostly made up of poor, terrified, and abused village kids whose parents were not rich enough to afford to pay a doctor to write a medical excuse. There has been little talk about how poorly Russia fared against Georgia's air defenses, and air superiority would be key in any attempt at a larger nation.

I'll put it quite simply. You do not have to fear Russia taking over Ukraine or Poland because Russia would get mauled in any such attempt. Putin understand that very well. He knows how poorly his military fared for years against a rag-tag band of Chechens. He knows that military reform has proven nigh on impossible to accomplish. That's why Russia has reverted to rebuilding its nuclear arsenal. They have resigned themselves to the fact that they will be far behind the west conventionally for the forseeable future. Believe me...Putin is a realist. He knows his limits.


This was a war designed to do one thing....convince the West that states like Georgia do not belong in NATO.

[jtk1519]

This was a war designed to do one thing....convince the West that states like Georgia do not belong in NATO.

Whereas I think the one thing it was designed to do is instill fear in neighboring countries in advance of a much larger operation. I'm not saying Russia could hold off our mighty "coalition of the willing" (both of us), but they have it well within their power to bully and overwhelm their neighbors.

[Firebird]

Whereas I think the one thing it was designed to do is instill fear in neighboring countries in advance of a much larger operation. I'm not saying Russia could hold off our mighty "coalition of the willing" (both of us), but they have it well within their power to bully and overwhelm their neighbors.

They really do not, aside from turning off the gas. Even if Poland was not in NATO, for instance, the Russians would never dream of attempting an invasion.

Do not let the pictures of the tanks and Sukhois fool you. Their military is in fairly sorry shape. The Russians simply overwhelmed Georgia with numbers and sent in the most brutal crack troops they could round up from Chechnya to soften Georgia up. They could possibly do the same thing in Armenia/Azerbaijan, but they have little issues with them. They have no interest in another Central Asian adventure.

Russia's military is still a hollow shell of its former self. The rules of nuclear use still apply, the idea of them setting one of those off first is unthinkable. Take a big, deep breath.......