"Old enough to should have known better"

Known was that Saddam clearly did not have WMDs long before we spent $3 trillion there.  And then paid more in interest to the Chinese who financed most of that debt.

And then spent more $trillions in Afghanistan since our president and his staff subverted basic military concepts.  Then eventually left the necessary American surrender to a next president.

Well, Clinton, lowered debt payments every year.  In his last year. America was even paying down the debt by 2% of GDP.  Then George Jr immediately ran debt up to 6%.of  GDP.  Or what it also was during WWII.

To make things worse, he and Trump both gave massive tax cuts the richest.

And now American has spent most over 50% of our military munitions on Iran.  To even lose that war.  We have not yet seen the massive debts necessary due to depleted major munitions stockpiles.  US is now short on everything from 155 howitzer shells to Patriot and Tomahawk weapons.  And, of course, most of the attack planes will need new engines.  The 'Pearl Harboring' of Iran means even serious maintenance problems exist in the Seventh Fleet (Pacific Ocean).

We have not yet seen those inevitable debts.  Most debt increases were incurred by George Jr and Trump.  Who even gave tax cuts to the rich.

Whereas the average American pays maybe 22% in taxes.  The top 1% are paying something like 10%.  Welfare to the rich is only part of the problem.
 

Last edited by tw (8/21/2026 6:14 pm)

Leadership means one comes from where the work gets done.  So that he understands, appreciates, and demands facts with numbers.  That come from the people who are doing the work.

We know Xi told the Chinese military to plan for the invasion of Taiwan on or after 2027.  Where 90% of all American advanced semiconductors are made.  Including all Nvidia's.  And all of Intel's most advanced processors.   We have no choice but to defend Taiwan.

In WWII, the least educated admirals believed battleships were key.  Reality.  That WWI weapon was obsoleted by aircraft carriers.  As the British proved in Italy.  And the Japanese in Pearl Harbor.

During the Iraq wars, aircraft carriers proved to be inferior weapons.  Did almost nothing for the liberation of Kuwait.  And again in a Mission Accomplished war.  Even planes from aircraft carriers could not perform smart strikes.

Should China attack Taiwan, then both Guam and Hawaii are on the front lines.  Missiles now make aircraft carriers impotent.  Of course, numbers say why.  Effective strike range of a carrier is 400 miles.  A war with China means the entire western Pacific (5,000 miles) is a battleground.  Even Guam is doing emergency construction to harden key facilities.   For the same reason why US missile defense systems in Jordan were taken out by the tiny Iranian military.

Admirals and Generals were screaming how few munitions remain.  Trump is a kid in a candy store.  He launched something like 2200 of our 3000 Tomahawk missiles against Iran.  Because he and Hegseth are plain dumb.  Generals and Admirals, screaming about insufficient munitions, are fired by right wing and therefore anti-American extremists.  For simply telling the truth.

In a war with China, America will need 19,000 Patriot missiles.  20 times more than what currently exists in the entire American stockpile all over the world.  Seventh Fleet has been depleted of munitions so that the kid can 'bomb them into the stone age'.  He being just as dumb and anti-American as Nixon.  Who used same expressions

Trump wants $1.5 trillion in emergency funds to restore missing military munitions.   $40 trillion debt and another $1.5 trillion to appease penis logic must make sense?  The stock will remain depleted until at least 2029 or 2030.  Even the Chinese know what is obvious.

But then he wants more money to build nuclear powered battleships.  Its combat radius of hundreds miles will do what for a war across 5,000 miles of Pacific?  His battleship as obsolete as it was in WWii.  But its all about making "Trump Great Again".  Like Nixon (as he told Kissinger on Watergate tapes), only Trump's reputation (greatness) matters.

Reality requires many paragraphs.  That means an increasing numbers of easily brainwashed Americans (with only a 30 second attention span) will say, "Don't worry.  Be happy."

We know Putin will expand his war against Ukraine and Latvia.  Europe cannot buy Patriot missiles to give to Ukraine.  Trump is using them all up on converting Iran to the stone age.  So Russians are now attacking undefended Ukrainian cites especially with Islander-M and .Kinzhal missiles.  Ukraine has nothing to protect from them.  Even Patriot missile batteries are now easy targets.

But then how many here knew any of this?  American Generals and Admirals (while trying to not get fired) are screaming we are in big trouble.  We even must use $million Patriot missiles to defend against $20,000 drones.  Since those who were screaming reality (ie a Marine unit n the Pentagon) have no voice in an administration that is all about enriching a business school graduate - Trump and his family.

BTW, in a recent done war game between American and Ukrainians militaries, the US was roundly defeated.  Will Hegseth admit reality.  Or is his Trump style ego too large?

Anyone who tells a truth is now called out by Hegseth as "disloyal".  The mentality of an extremist.  Fire anyone who is comes from reality.  "Don't worry.  Be happy."
 

Oh dear! Then we wouldn’t have anything left with which to protect our allies in Europe. I guess they’ll just have to cough up the means to protect themselves. I sure hope it doesn’t cramp their lifestyle.

(Certainly, no one would have planned it that way.)