Operation Desert Badger (on CNN)

[H2O Man]

The Bush Administration had plans to invade Iraq with fighter jets and even ground troops early on. The plan, known as Operation desert Badger, was put together as a "response" to Iraq's shooting at US Air Force 'fly overs." Had an American pilot been shot down, the plan would have been put in motion within 4 to 8 hours. CNN reporters note that this information is being made public at a "bad time" for the president, as it is a clear indicator that his focus was Iraq.

[aquart]

1. Didn't Bush refer to this in a speech?

And everyone laughed at him because there was no such thing?

[Spentastic]

4. Yep he did

I can't remember which one though.

[aquart]

2. Weren't there comments at the time that we were stepping up fly overs

in a seemingly deliberately provocative way? I seem to recall speculation (Maybe it was only my own suspicious mind?) that Bush seemed to be trying to start a fight.

[H2O Man]

6. Yes, you are right.

This will come out in time.The administration lowered the nation's guard on the terrorist threats, and focused all attention on Iraq. Both moves were opposite of the Clinton policies. The administration knows that if the mainstream American public knows this, the game is over. Military & defense issues have for too long been considered a republican strong point. Now we have soldiers like Kerry and Clark nailing bush and cheney, and more and more of the mainstream media is reporting it accurately. This is a good time to be a democrat!

[mouse7]

3. Badgers.... We don't need no stinkin' badgers!

Where's the link to "BadgerBadgerBadger" please. I'm in a mood for it now that it's been brought up!

[molly]

5. They are starting to cover their asses

[Safi]

7. Operation Desert Badger??

Haha. Thats hillarious.

[keithyboy]

8. Flying over a sovereign nation that fires at you is reason for invading?

That 'no-fly' zone was bogus and illegal to begin with. 2/3 of Iraq was covered by this no-fly zone, so how was Iraq a threat to anybody? This is even more proof that the invasion was unnecessary.

[HFishbine]

9. You're right

I don't remember the exact details, but the US and Britan established the no fly zones of their own accord, above and beyond anything sanctioned by the UN and they kept expanding them. Of course, Clinton was complicit in this too, but none the less...

[eyesroll]

10. Desert Badger?

Does this mean the Bush Administration was going to harass and annoy the Iraqis? Was he going to send in the Wisconsin National Guard?

[Mari333]

11. When I read names like Operation Badger

I think of my 3 kids, all boys , sitting around in a sandbox with their stupid little armymen, making hills and attacking each other, and ramming their Tonka trucks into the sides of the sandbox.
Now that Im almost 53, all I ever see when I look at who is running the world, is a bunch of kids , the same types of boys who used to sit in school next to me in grade school in their striped shirts and jeans and flick boogers at each other, and act like brats. I whomped them good back then (boys at school), and when my sons misbehaved I gave them an actual JOB to do or a time out mulling over their behaviour.
Its long overdue that these same boys I grew up with who are now running the world in powerful positions get a time out from people with some common sense and they need to be forced to do a REAL job rather then keep playing in the sandbox like brats.
That goes for Sharon, Bush, Blair, the military , the Pentagon loaded with brats, and the rest of them.
I wasnt there when mom and dad raised them, but they failed miserably by allowing these guys to never grow up and behave like decent and honourable men (and women: see Tori Clark) and its long overdue that the mothers and fathers who demand their own kids behave start making these little brats grow up.
Gads its mind boggling.