Is The Cold War Heating Up Again?

Aggressive Rhetoric From Russia Contains Echoes Of The Past

(CBS)  Russians have no shortage of wars to commemorate. Today is Defense of the Fatherland Day. They honored their military heroes at the Kremlin, CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer reports, and in Russian schools, there were mock drills.

But there's now a very real and aggressive rhetoric coming from Russia these days.

Earlier this month, President Putin accused America of using overwhelming military force and threatening to plunge the whole world into conflict.

In an exclusive interview with CBS News, Russia's last Cold Warrior, Mikhail Gorbachev, agrees.

"The last straw was when Defense Secretary Gates said America needs large armed forces to defend itself against the unpredictability of Russia and China," Gorbachev says. "It seems that America sees us an enemy again."

Russia's generals were furious with U.S. plans to put radar bases into the Czech Republic and a new missile defense system into Poland. They were so angry that Russia has threatened to build new missiles and point them at Europe.

U.S. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley is in Moscow to cool the rhetoric, but defense analyst Pavel Felgenhauer says it won't be easy.

"After 9/11, Putin believed in exchange for supporting the U.S. and personally, George Bush, in the fight against terrorism, the West would grant us our sphere of influence," Felgenhauer says.

Putin believed the U.S. wouldn't interfere in what Russia thinks of as its own backyard. Instead, NATO, the European-American military alliance, has crept right up to Russia's borders.

"That makes Putin and his cohorts in the Kremlin very, very angry," Felgenhauer explains.

No one believes Russia is actually angry enough to go to war, but this confrontation has already spilled over into business. Russia's national airline, Aeroflot, has announced it has suspended negotiations to buy 22 new passenger jets from Boeing, worth $2.5 billion.

[lars008-2009]

Katie-Couric
righttttttttttttttttttttttttttt
i guess that explains why clinton and the dems wanted to resume hostilities with iraq in 1998

the war is legal

the resumption of hostilities was only a matter of time since iraq broke the ceasefire agreement.....

the usa would be in iraq regardless of 911 per above.... so blame saddam...

bush did not lie.... if you wait for perfect intel you get pearl harbor and 911....
"Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process." - Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998

"One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line." - President Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998

"If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program." - President Bill Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998

[lars008-2009]

Appeal for Redress

Sign this Appeal.

This site is an Appeal For Redress in support of our mission in Iraq.

An Appeal For Redress is an authorized means for active duty military to submit a grievance to Congress. It can be signed by Active Duty, Reserve, or National Guard military personnel.


It is authorized by DoD Directive 1325.6 and DoD Directive 7050.6.

The wording of the Appeal for Redress is:
As an American currently serving my nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to fully support our mission in Iraq and halt any calls for retreat. I also respectfully urge my political leaders to actively oppose media efforts which embolden my enemy while demoralizing American support at home. The War in Iraq is a necessary and just effort to bring freedom to the Middle East and protect America from further attack.
If you are active duty, reservist or national guard, please Sign this Appeal.

Most service members fully support the war in Iraq and feel calls to retreat by Congress and attacks by our media on our conduct and mission act to motivate our enemy while demoralizing our support at home, directly increasing the threat we face and resulting in greater American casualties. This Appeal for Redress provides a way in which individual service members can appeal to Congress to fully support us and actively oppose media attacks on our mission and our morale.
http://www.appealforcourage.org/

[katie-couric]

response to: Post by lars008 at 02:29 PM : Feb 25, 2007

Your analogy:
"Equating the naiveti of the Democratic Party with the WWII Japanese propaganda tactics of Tokyo Rose"
seems well-founded and correct.

However there is a major difference.
All 3 WWII points:
#1. President is lying. (Perhaps Roosevelt foreknowledge of Pearl Harbor only.)
#2. This war is unjust. (Japan attacked USA.)
#3. You can't win this war. (We won WWII.)

Don't really apply as well to Iraq war.
#1. President is lying. (NO "weapons of mass destruction" were found.)
#2. This war is unjust. (Terrorists in AFGHANISTAN... not Iraq... attacked USA.)
#3. You can't win this war. (Nobody can win a "HOLY" war. Which is what this really is.)

...and we've been in Iraq - LONGER - than WWII.

[lars008-2009]

During WW II, the Japanese were searching for a way to demoralize the American forces that they faced. Their psychological warfare experts came up with a message that they thought would work well.

They gave the script to their famous broadcaster, "Tokyo Rose," and every day she would broadcast this same message packaged in various ways, hoping to have an impact on American GI morale. What was the message?
It had three main points:
1. Your president is lying to you.
2. This war is illegal.
3. You cannot win the war.

Sound familiar? the Democratic Party has picked up the same message and is broadcasting it to civilians domestic and abroad, and to our troops and our enemies. The only difference is that they claim to support our troops before they demoralize them.

Come to think of it, Tokyo Rose used to tell the troops that she was on their side.

I am often struck by how similar the rhetoric from the left is to the rhetoric from our enemies. Consider this transcript of a taped al qaeda message

[tbweb]

President Bush was standing in front of a new technology car recently, 100 percent electric! The picture of President Bush with that 100 percent electric car was very symbolic. It showed that President Bush, an oil man, now fully understood the source of America's enemies power, OIL, there was no mistake about it! President Bush still has enough time to save his legacy, the U.S. President needs to embrace this new fully electric car with all his power! Americans need to fully embrace the 100 percent electric car and not worry about features or styles or pick up because the 100 percent electric car is the key to defeating America's enemies by moving away from foreign OIL as quickly as possible! America needs to rapidly stop buying foreign oil which is funding its destruction and funding terrorist from the likes of Venezuela, Iran, Russia and the Arab world! The thousands of gas filling stations across the U.S. can start to install rapid recharing pumps and create a new economy! America can do this, America must do this, America's survival depends on it!

[randalds]

Bush would love a new cold war. The last one was hugely profitable for his buddies in the defense industry. They made billions of dollars selling the government (that would be us, the taxpayers) weapon system after weapon system. Granted these companies are already bloated with all of OUR money that Bush has transferred to them with his war of profit in Iraq, but I'm sure they'd be willing to make another trillion or two off from our grandchildren for more systems. These days wars are not about country or patriotism or freedom, they're about profit. They're about transferring huge sums of cash from the taxpayers into the bank accounts of the rich elite. These wars are class wars and most Americans are losing. The ruling class has made it's move to own us with this war. The question is do we have the balls to fight them back?

[grazinggoat]

Walking-Liar has not delivered his many promises. He preferred keep it all for the Haliburton v-president's wax-face-DinckCheney. He skrewed the Iraqis and devided their country into three pieces one to the Sunnis, one to the Shia and one to the Kurds and Israelis to be in northern-Iraq (Kirkuk).
In this case it IS mission accomplished.

Putin is still salivating but started to feel starving... In this case Iran showed more generous to Russians than America. Putin wil unload Walking-Liar and dump him in the opposite camp. Watch the silly game between the two. Russia lost a lot of power and influence while disintegrating. Putin succeeded to stop the bleeding though. The Russian giant has been wounded, but is now recovering.

[grumpas]

I can well imagine the cold war is heating up again! The fascist cowboy who is running our country is threatening the peace and stability of the entire world with his lunacy! It stands to reason everyone is going to feel threatened! He has proven time and time again his actions are not guided by reality but rather by insanity! Bush seems to be obsessed with starting new wars that everyone knows he can't win! His "mad dog" approached to foreign policy is destroying us!

[dallison7]

I understand the greed displayed by the Bush/Cheney group. I can even understand the lust for power, and possibly comprehend the neverending push to incite wars. These are evil and greedy men with a 'big corporation' agenda. Reactionaries who long for the days of 'lords and serfs'. What I cannot understand is the total distruction of goodwill. Even Hitler knew he needed allies. Will these madmen continue to squander the goodwill of other nations until even the english-speaking nations are our enemies?

[coffeehead-2009]

The "cold war"
will happen because THAT is the plan.
iraq, samolia, nicaragua, afghanistan, pakistan, N.korea, iran, israel - just where are AMERICA's troops being dispersed?

It's so in your face but we refuse to become unsubliminally responsible for where we are being taken - apparently here and now to this generation is more important that where we've come from and where we are sending our grandkids and future. We truly ARE becoming a "farenheit 451" society - the sad part is we sit and watch and wait. --- Unlike our ancestors, our actions will NOT be heroic and sacraficial - they will be selfish and lived for me, my and I - NOW.

NWO

[mdmx66]

But like I just mentioned: with upgraded
technology, 727-717's could have been competitive
passenger/miles-wise. All your new private jets
are based on the design.Posted by Katie-Couric at 09:14 PM : Feb 23, 2007

Got it. You're right it was a good plane. One of the best.

[ndjam]

me4prezz, You have it all wrong. First of all I believe that we should pull all of our troops out of the disgusting Middle East.(ALL of them). Next we should provide our REAL allies (Czech Republic, Poland, Japan)with nuclear arms so that they can defend themselves from thugs like Russia's Putin and N.Korea. You get it? We, The U.S.A will not have to go anywhere. Nukes will be a deterrant for murderous regimes like Russia, China and North Korea. How will Russia or China or North Korea then be able to use their fear mongering tactics on nations that have the same weapons of mass destruction as they do? Their threat will be a useless joke. These rogue nations are the Real threat to us and to our REAL ALLIES. Arm our allies and you will not have to write that letter.

[macusweil]

Bush has emboldened all our world-wide enemies and not so nice friends by showing the world just how weak the US can be with a knuckle-headed frat boy as commander in thief.

[katie-couric]

Post by Katie-Couric at 09:14 PM : Feb 23, 2007
response to:
Post by mdmx66 at 09:55 PM : Feb 23, 2007

Boeing 737 has the safest record of any plane.
And the latest versions are more fuel efficient.
But I was talking intrinsic "design" superiority.
The older technology 727-717's could
carry more payload/passengers, had shorter
runway requirements for takeoff/landing,
etc. If upgraded with latest technology
they would be competitive fuel/distance wise.

But you hit it on the head: FUEL "efficiency".
This is what bankrupts EVERY airline.
The jet fuel costs are prohibitive.
The AIRLINES' vulnerability to obscene oil profits
is what really drove the cancellation of those
2 planes. And "FORCED" the Boeing Executives to
make that decision. I subconsciously knew that.
But it took your insight to make me admit it.
But like I just mentioned: with upgraded
technology, 727-717's could have been competitive
passenger/miles-wise. All your new private jets
are based on the design.

Conspiracy? Obviously you got carried away
(like I did calling everyone IDIOTS).
As for Katie? I just think she's cute.
And sharp.

[mdmx66]

Katie-Couric (?), weren't both of those planes cancelled to make way for the 737-300 that could fly further on less fuel? I don't think there's any conspiracy theory here.

[mdmx66]

"They were so angry that Russia has threatened to build new missiles and point them at Europe."

Sound like the same old Russia from the old Soviet Union. Putin is KGB what do you expect.

[me4prezz]

Great idea NDJAM. During a time of war, when the American forces are stretched too thin already and are overworked in Iraq and everywhere else over there, where we are exhausting or have exhausted our military, financial resources and allies, lets add nuclear bombs to the mix in unstable territories and times and get WWIII started and we will all just kill each other. Great idea. Why don't you go the recruiting office and sign up and be the one to deliver that news and I will tell my 3 kids that it was an idiotic, greedy SOB President and the stupidity of others who believe in instigating wars we can't possibly win at the moment, that killed their chances for growing up in a country and as well as a world for a chance at peace and or even just killed us. Thanks. I'll go write that letter up for them right now.

[emhawks]

SO-----should we send Cheney to talk with Putin ( he's been talking to everyone else)???

[katie-couric]

Yes. That $2.5 Billion Aeroflot deal would have been for the new Boeing 787's.
But the best jets ever designed:
the Boeing 727 (707 upgrade) -- 1800 delivered.
The last to FedEx in 1984.
And, the Boeing 717 (McDonnell-Douglas MD80)...

Both production lines were VOLUNTARILY CANCELLED
by Boeing.
By some IMBECILE at Boeing.
Their design: fuselage mounted engines + overhead rear horizontal stabilizer (the tail)...
were superior to anything that ever came off the production lines... before or since.
CANCELLED by a company IDIOT.
Now. Instead of business partners with Russia.
We got a problem. A dead ex-KJB agent with $25Million of radioactive Polonium 210 in him. And a foreign policy heading us in the wrong direction economically and strategically.

Energy. The oil is the key.
The $500Million golden parachutes the oil execs loot from their shareholders/consumers and pay to themselves wouldn't happen in a socialist economy.
And you got that now.
In Venezuela. And it's working. They just signed a deal with Great Britain at a fuel cost savings to the people of $75Million.
Nothing for the oil barons.

Maybe. Just maybe. Capitalism requires an adversary in order to be efficient. Restrain the greed.
Maybe another cold war would prevent this kind of obscene profiteering (in oil) and blatant stupidity in aerospace manufacture.

[ndjam]

Russia has played alot of head games with Eastern European countries. Their fear mongering tactics combined with their murderous elements makes it very easy for countries close by to want to protect themselves. Czech Republic and Poland are sick and tired of Putins garbage and are finally doing something about it. We, the U.S.A should arm both Poland and Czech republic with Nukes. Then the fear mongering and hate filled Russians will be finished.