Converging U.S. Navy aircraft carrier groups in Middle East!!!!!!!!!!!

[clem_c_rock]

http://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/1877.asp

<snippit>
The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt is on the move in Atlantic Ocean and is possibly headed towards the Mediterranean Sea. The convergence of three carrier groups in the corridor of the Middle East will send very strong message to the Syrians and Iranians. There are indications that soon US is moving two more aircraft carrier battle groups to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf. This will spell a formidable strike force for Iran and Syria who are in defiance on issues of Lebanon and Nuclear weapons development.

Outbound from Singapore, the USS Carl Vinson is currently crossing the Indian Ocean headed towards Middle-East. This will be the first time since February 2004 that US will have three major carrier groups stationed on and around Middle East.
</snippit>

[Ruffhowse]

1. Imperial US set to strike again!

[r3dhawk]

2. HI-LARIOUS

[scarletlib]

8. Cue the Star Wars Imperial Empire Music

Bush Vader is on the march.

[HawkerHurricane]

3. As I said before Gulf War part 2

where the carriers go, the war will be.
Only 3? Watch for the 4th. When the 4th (or more) arrives, the balloon goes up.

[Swamp Rat]

5. I built that 1:72 scale Revell model of the Hawker Hurricane.

Back in the early to mid 70s, I worked my tail off mowing lawns just to save enough to buy that model and many others. It was one of my first masterpieces! :)

[HawkerHurricane]

9. I did too.

It was in the early 70's, and I 'ran errands' for it.

And I got tired of everyone asking if I played that flight simulator.

[Swamp Rat]

22. Flight simulator?

If running around in one's back yard, holding the plane and making airplane/machine gun noises is flight simulation, then YES, I played it. :D

[HawkerHurricane]

28. It was a reference...

to my earlier sig pic, which was taken from a flight simulater.

[Clark2008]

31. LOL!!

I'm laughing because my son is doing that very thing right at this very moment.

:D

[Swamp Rat]

39. Rrrrrrr!! ... chugga chugga chugga ... rrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

:D

I flew a prop plane in those days, but I guess kids fly only jets now. :)

edit: :D

[blogbear]

4. The 'Imperium' Seems Intent On..

'Wars And Rumors Of Wars'

[Melynn]

6. Get ready, the next one is about to start.

Here's what I think is going to happen. Israel has been making noise about bombing Iran. So I think Israel is going to bomb Iran then when Iran attacks Israel, America will come into the war to protect our ally, Israel. Or least that's what will be told/sold to the public.

God, will it ever end?

[Ian David]

7. Didn't Dr. Clake say it wouldn't start until June? I think I know why...

Syria said they're going to withdraw from Lebanon. Bush wants to make sure he attacks them for "failing to comply" with his orders on-time.

So long, mom,
I'm off to drop the bomb,
So don't wait up for me.
But though I may roam,
I'll come back to my home
Although it may be
A pile of debris.
--Tom Lehrer

Also:
Daily Kos :: So Long Mom, I'm Off To Drop the Bomb
http://carla.dailykos.com/story/2005/3/1/20446/35293

[Doctor_J]

14. Scott Ritter said June

He's been right all along. It will be June. Although Bush needs distraction from the SS train wreck, so he may have to move up the carnage.

[LunaC]

15. I think you nailed it!

I was trying to figure out what new pretext they'd use for another war and you came up with a highly plausible scenario. I can rest my brain now. Thanks!

[jpak]

21. Yup

Those carriers will backstop Israel's strike against Iran.

...and Iran will retaliate against the US for supplying the aircraft and munitions (and in-flight refueling and AWACS support) used in the attack.

Better top off your car and heating oil - the shite is about to hit the fan...

[lonestarnot]

10. Feel a draft...close the war! n/t

[clem_c_rock]

16. No way out of a draft on that one

I think everyone who voted for W should be first in line.

How nice to have the redneck population thinned out.

[leftchick]

23. yeppers

[arewenotdemo]

65. yes, wouldn't that be loverly?

:)

[natrat]

11. jerry

"Just a song of Gomorrah
I wonder what they did there
Must have been a bad thing
to get shot down for

I wonder how they blew it up
or if they tore it down
Get out, get out, Mr Lot
and don't you look around

Who gave you your orders?
Someone from the sky
I heard a voice inside my head
in the desert wind so dry....."

[Stop_the_War]

12. NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FUCK! THIS SUCKS!

[Doctor_J]

13. Atack Iran? Ridiculous!

[seemslikeadream]

17. Defense Chief Pays Visit to USS John F. Kennedy

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=900431

[clem_c_rock]

18. Great article by Ray McGovern

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0302-31.htm

[Algomas]

69. Thanks for that link, I value his insights.

[lovuian]

19. Getting in position for the Iran & Syria thing!!!

Scary times we are headed at!!!

[clem_c_rock]

20. All the pieces fitting together

http://www.onlinejournal.com/Special_Reports/031105Madsen/031105madsen.html

We have another Archduke of Ferdinand incident.

[Clark2008]

37. I've been calling it that since it happened.

eom

[Eloriel]

44. Okay, could you explain that

for the history-challenged among us (like me)?

[Festivito]

51. Lebanese Hariri perhaps killed with Bush, and Israeli help.

Archduke Ferdinand's assassination led to one country after another joining their respectve allies in war until we had WWI.

The "high level" contention of the author, and to some degree DUers including myself more and more, is that Harini was assassinated to make it look like Syria did it, so there is excuse to invade Syria. Israel will join us along with the coalition of the billing. The analogy may end here.

Just that the singular death of a single high official may create the pretext for war.

Once the arms start flying, no one will care, except historians.

NOTE: History is not my forte, but this I knew. And, for Eloriel, I tried.

ON EDIT: Took Syria out of subject line, the help was by, perhaps, a couple of Syrians, not the country of Syria.

[Walt Starr]

24. Brilliant, he can't win on SS so he's oing to start a four front war

One front in Afghanistan, another in Iraq, a third against Iran and a fourth against Syria.

Israel starts the thing and he gets a perfect excuse for reinstating the draft.

He's a bigger moran(sic) than hitler was!

[leftchick]

25. Don't Forget Iran has those Russian made Sunburn Missiles...

If this is true our US fleet becomes sitting (burnt)ducks...

http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/print.asp?ID=2439
<snip>

The Sunburn missile has never seen use in combat but has been extensively field-tested by the Russians which probably explains why its fearsome capabilities are not more widely recognized. The Russians have been known to leak, via double agents, incorrect technical data to the US Defense Intelligence Agency. Other cruise missiles <>have<> been used, of course, on several occasions, and with devastating results. During the Falklands War, French-made Exocet missiles, fired from Argentine fighters, sunk the HMS Sheffield and another ship. And, in 1987, during the Iran-Iraq war, the USS Stark was nearly cut in half by a pair of Exocets while on patrol in the Persian Gulf. On that occasion US Aegis radar picked up the incoming Iraqi fighter (a French-made Mirage), and tracked its approach to within 50 miles. The radar also “saw” the Iraqi plane turn about and return to its base. But radar never detected the pilot launch his weapons. The sea-skimming Exocets came smoking in under radar and were only sighted by human eyes moments before they ripped into the Stark, crippling the ship and killing 37 US sailors.

Not only is the Sunburn much larger and faster, it has far greater range and a superior guidance system. Those who have witnessed its performance trials invariably come away stunned. According to one report, when the Iranian Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani visited Moscow in October 2001 he requested a test firing of the Sunburn, which the Russians were only too happy to arrange. So impressed was Ali Shamkhani that he placed an initial order for six of the missiles.

The Sunburn can deliver a 200-kiloton nuclear payload, or: a 750-pound conventional warhead, within a range of 100 miles, more than twice the range of the Exocet. The Sunburn combines a Mach 2.1 speed (two times the speed of sound) with a flight pattern that hugs the deck and includes “violent end maneuvers” to elude enemy defenses. The missile was specifically designed to defeat the US Aegis radar defense system. Should a US Navy Phalanx point defense somehow manage to detect an incoming Sunburn missile, the system has only seconds to calculate a fire solution –– not enough time to take out the intruding missile. The US Phalanx defense employs a six-barreled gun that fires 3,000 depleted-uranium rounds a minute, but the gun must have precise coordinates to destroy an intruder “just in time.”

The Sunburn’s combined supersonic speed and payload size produce tremendous kinetic energy on impact, with devastating consequences for ship and crew. A single one of these missiles can sink a large warship, yet costs considerably less than a fighter jet. Although the Navy has been phasing out the older Phalanx defense system, its replacement, known as the Rolling Action Missile (RAM) has never been tested against the weapon it seems destined to one day face in combat.

The US Navy’s only plausible defense against a robust weapon like the Sunburn missile is to detect the enemy’s approach well ahead of time, whether destroyers, subs, or fighter-bombers, and defeat them before they can get in range and launch their deadly cargo. For this purpose US AWACs radar planes assigned to each naval battle group are kept aloft on a rotating schedule. The planes “see” everything within two hundred miles of the fleet, and are complemented with intelligence from orbiting satellites.

[Lone Pawn]

33. The Sunburn's a paper tiger.

There's no way in Hell we'd ever bring our fleet within 100 miles of any coastline. To launch the missile, they'd need an airplane to be able to actually take off. And with US complete air superiority, we would be enforcing a 'you fly you die' policy over the entire Gulf. There's no way we'd let anything within 200 miles of the fleet, never mind 100.

[leftchick]

36. I used to have your kind of faith in our military as well

Until rummy and the neo-con idiot fucks took over. I have heard from not just Sy Hersh but others that the Pentagon Brass are PISSED at what is going down. I take that very seriously.

[Lone Pawn]

45. Faith in military? I'm just talking about standard operating procedures.

Iran's air force is not exactly formidible. The existance of the sunburn limits fleet maneuvering capability, but does not pose an immediate threat to any individual ship. It merely means we can't get as close to land as we ordinarily could. I believe, for example, that in Iraq we were not at any point within 100 mi of land, merely as a safeguard against surface-to-surface missiles like the sunburn.

It looks quite impressive on paper, but I challenge you to figure out how to launch one against a carrier group. Seriously.

[alfredo]

54. they can shut down

the Persian gulf cutting our supply lines. The Straits of Hormuz would be a very dangerous place to sail.

[w4rma]

26. And then China invades Taiwan … (nt)

[Lone Pawn]

34. I'd like to see them try.

Taiwan has local air superiority. The best chance for the Chinese would be either a nuclear strike or a 'million-man swim.' Moreover, we've got two carriers in the region--the Nimitz and the Kitty Hawk. I seriously doubt the Chinese would be able to get a single ship across the strait.

[CoffeeCat]

27. This article says that our aircraft carrier is "possibly" headed...

toward the Mediterranean Sea. The article doesn't say that it definitely is headed toward that destination.

Don't get me wrong. I wouldn't put it past this administration to position the USS Roosevelt next to California, and start blasting away because the state went blue in 04.

However, I do think we should remain open to the possibility that something totally stupid, catastrophic and sociopathic isn't underway. I know--that would be a veer off the usual path, for this administration. However, since the word "possibly" is used in this article--we can speculate that they don't know for sure.

Where is our media on this? If we were positioning ships in the Mediterranean--that's "breaking news" and possibly the embryonic stages to WW3.

Maybe I'm just in denial.

[Karenina]

32. Sorry, Sweetiekins...

You're in denial. (K. doing her Cher imitation) SNAP OUT OF IT! :spank: :hug:

[CoffeeCat]

40. Ok....ok...

....You're right. I'm prolly in denial.

Can I just stay here for a little while longer--with my blankie and my 10 lb box of assorted chocolates?

:)

[earth mom]

29. Dh was in the Navy in the first Gulf War and said there were 3 carrier

groups in the ME just before the war started then too.

I am really REALLY f-in scared! WWIII here we come! :scared:

[DearAbby]

30. ...

SHIT!

[bush_is_wacko]

35. My sentiments exactly! n/t

[CoffeeCat]

41. What about the lie campaign. Where is that?

Remember when * stood in front of the American people and lied about Iraq's WMD and exaggerated about the threat that Iraq posed?

He had a comprehensive, lie-fest, PR strategy that lasted more than a month and involved every talking head in his administration.

Is he skipping that part this time??

[spanone]

38. After All He's the Fucking War President. What Else Can He Do???

NADA

[Name removed]

64. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[arewenotdemo]

67. Exactly! Only a fucking dildo would term himself that...

especially when he was the one who started the fucking war!

I now apologize to dildos everywhere for the comparison.

[Chicago1]

42. Not going to be war..THEY HAVE MAJOR SCANDALS COMING

This post proves that people don't think before they post.

There are ALOT OF SCANDALS THAT ARE ENORMOUS IN SIZE that are on the way. You CAN'T hold a war when you have all these scandals coming.

1. Valerie Plame
2. Gannon/ Gay Hooker Gate
3. VOTERGATE: VOTING MACHINE/STICKERS ON BALLOT GATE

Under NO CIRCUMSTANCE can you hold a war under these conditions.

Everyone keeps forgetting this and the White House knows this.

[clem_c_rock]

43. What the hell are you talking about?

The Gannon gate is so big that would helt a war!?? Funny, watching CNN all weekend and didn't hear a peep about it.

Wait, this has to ba sarcasm.

[Lone Pawn]

46. Plame? That was last news cycle. Gannongate? That's gone and forgotten.

Votergate? Never materialized. Sorry. These scandals aren't getting any bigger.

[CantGetFooledAgain]

47. Chicago1

Very funny. Good job. CAPS a nice touch.

What happened to your sig?

[Chicago1]

62. We all need to stay in reality...

The Democrats are also not stupid and wouldn't sit there and air their case in the MSM.

This administration is the worst we've seen but there has to be some reality kept about us when we discuss these issues.

We haven't heard the last of Votergate and you can't have a national scandal of this type of proportion going on and talk about attacking Iran.

Attacking anyone else is just ludicrous.

[Algomas]

70. Breaking: Anthrax found in Pentagon mailrooms..

Get out your duct tape Chicago 1.

[Quixote1818]

49. Are you kidding, if all those stories are about to break, it's wag the dog

time. When scandals break it's WAR time!

[Doctor_J]

52. Scandal? In this WH?

It's been 3.5 years since they LIHOP. 3 years since someone tried to murder Leahy & Daschle. 18 months since they lied about WMD, mushroom clouds, yellow cake, Saddam & AQ, Saddam & 9/11. A year since someone in the WH committed treason by outing Valerie Plame. Now all of a sudden Snotty McClellan's Boy Toy getting classified documents is going to bring them down?

Earth to Chicago1. The MSM work for the BFEE.

[Mich Otter]

48. for Iran and Syria who are in defiance

Why is it that if someone else says "We are a free people and you can kiss our asses" that they are considered in defiance?
Sounds like standing up for freedom to me. Oh wait, freedom is defiance.
Freedom is telling everyone else "don't tread on me". Never mind.

[Laurab]

50. Come on you guys - Bushit said

the idea of going to war with iran was ridiculous (or something like that). Don't you TRUST him?????

ok sarcasm off now:

I live in fear everyday of when, where, and who it's going to be. These people are crazy and capable of anything, no matter how little sense it makes.

[osiristz]

53. "simply ridiculous"

He said it was "simply ridiculous". Of course after saying that he added, "having said that, all options are on the table". Including, presumably, the "simply ridiculous".


Whatever would you expect from a LYING CRIMINAL. Diplomacy? Hah

[alfredo]

55. I hope this is just a show of strength to make Iran

bend to bush's wishes.

I think the total muffing of Iraq has not only weakened our military it has shown others how to beat us.

[Quixote1818]

57. The problem is once you threaten force then if they don't back down

it can't help but lead to war. Iran's leaders are nuts and I don't think they will back down just like Saddam didn't back down.

[clem_c_rock]

58. Not half as nuts as the PNAC

And let's look at their case. You have a next door neighbor w/ over 200 high tech nukes. You have your next door neighbor that just got taken over by a country whose leaders (PNAC) publicly state (PNAC website) their goals to take over major areas of the middle east.

Nukes are a deterrent. They work for Us, they work for Israel, and they sure as hell keep us from fucking w/ N Korea.

Why then, is it wrong for Iran to have them?

So far they have shown no agression towards anyone. We show aggression towards the entire world so, pleas let's not go into this ridiculous rand how Iran is a crackpot nation looking to start wars.

[alfredo]

59. For Saddam to back down he would have had to

prove a negative. That's why the inspectors were pulled out, they didn't want the UN to help him prove a negative.

I don't think Iran will back down. I think they will be better at getting Europe and Asia on their side than Iraq.

[ultraist]

56. FUCKING MURDERERS!!!!

And as a result of Bush's TRIGGER HAPPY KILLING SPREE, we may well get BLOWN OFF THE MAP.

Buckle your seatbelts people, we are in for a bumpy ride.

[jhow66]

63. ride

Flash!!!! The sun is going to rise in the North tomorrow! Un buckle your belts and RUN!

[leftchick]

60. they are counting on those poor Military folks in Iraq who have..

their hands pretty full right now...

<snip>

Each of these carrier groups carry nearly 85 aircrafts and is capable of deliver precision-guided munitions. In addition there are anti-submarine aircrafts, airborne-early-warning and rotary-wing aircrafts. Because in the air refueling capabilities these aircrafts can operate from a long distance. The carrier groups are independent and can operate indefinitely.

U.S. military air bases in Turkey, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia and the three carrier groups will create a formidable force far superior to any military in the region.

In addition more than 100,000 battle hardened force in Iraq will be another major force in case US has to use force against Iran and Syria.

It seems American are preparing to deal with Syria and Iran in the next several months. The first priority right now is diplomacy in association with the Europeans and the rest of the world. But the leadership in Teheran and Damascus are taking notice of the power build up in the region.

There are seeds of democracy in Lebanon, Iran and Syria. The whole regions is getting a quick lesson on the benefits of democracy.

[clem_c_rock]

61. This doesn't seem possible at all

Iran has a real millitary and the country it about twice the size.

Didn't we learn from Hitler's mistakes of multiple front wars?

The PNAC is obsessed by winning multiple front wars and they talk about this quite a bit in "Rebuilding America's Defenses".

[progressive_realist]

66. Winning means different things to different people

For war profiteers, egomaniacs, and armchair warriors, conflicts are better when they are bigger and bloodier. But there are none of these types in the neocon ranks, right?

Besides, a significant number of American casualties would allow * to break his promise not to reinstate the draft.

The way I see it, this expansion of the war in Iraq into a generalized Middle Eastern war is a done deal. Iran is not going to back down on the nuclear issue, but even if they were willing to compromise, they can no more prove a negative than Iraq could. They cannot prove that they are not developing nuclear weapons.

From the London Sunday Times comes this warning that military action is imminent:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1522800,00.html

<snip>

For the past few months, elite Israeli commandos have been training for an assault on Iran’s nuclear facilities. One more full rehearsal has been scheduled for next month, said senior Israeli intelligence sources last week.

The news that Israel is planning unilateral action to end what it considers an imminent Iranian nuclear threat comes as American and European diplomats are announcing new initiatives for negotiation with Tehran.

Although publicly committed to the diplomatic effort, Israeli officials say the “point of no return” will come later this year when they calculate Iran will be in a position to start processing uranium. They say Ariel Sharon’s inner cabinet has decided to act alone if the impasse has not been broken.

“If all efforts to persuade Iran to drop its plans to produce nuclear weapons should fail, the US administration will authorise Israel to attack,” said one Israeli security source.

<snip>

[VelvetMonkeyWrench]

68. The Vinson is on a scheduled "world cruise".

...or so the Navy claims.

http://www.navysite.de/cvn/cvn70deploy.htm

With only light escort group and a single sub escort it doesn't sound to me like they expect to be into anything heavy duty.

Note Vinson's home port(Bremerton) and departure date. Two months at sea so far and they've made it to the Indian ocean. Nothing remarkable about that really.

Of course the cruise could have been designed up front to get close to the mid-east if Iraq happened to fall apart after the elections. ;->

[Name removed]

71. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Snivi Yllom]

72. What's more disgusting will be the Democratic leaders that support this

And I don't mean the usual suspects. Expect some real surprises. The kind that make you go wtf?!

Nothing will stop this. I expect something between a heavy Libya style raid and the air raids from the first month of the Gulf War.

[mmonk]

73. Yeah

got that info yesterday in my energy report from AG Edwards.