January 12, 2024

"We’re not interested in a war with Yemen. We’re not interested in a conflict of any kind."

"In fact everything the president has been doing has been trying to prevent any escalation of conflict, including the strikes last night."

70 comments:

MadisonMan said...

The question is: What does Yemen think, and how will attacking Yemen affect those thoughts?
Bring back Trump and the antipathy he had for aggressive posturing like this (which I will argue would not have happened if Biden had not won in 2020).

Wince said...

"In fact everything the president has been doing has been trying to prevent any escalation of conflict, including the strikes last night," said John F. Kirby, a White House spokesman.

Having already covered "Freedom is Slavery" and "Ignorance is Strength," the Biden White House spokesman 'circling-back' to "War is Peace" was probably overdue.

RideSpaceMountain said...

"We’re not interested in a conflict of any kind."

Bull. Fucking. Shit.

Leland said...

I wonder what took so long for the US to act on these overt acts of aggression? Could it be due to an absence?

I’m not interested in another ME war or any war, but the economics of shooting down inexpensive missile and drones with expensive missiles and fighter jets is simple and not in our national interest. It is cheaper to take out the launchers.

Narr said...

Why the judiciary tag? What am I missing?

Rocco said...

Ok, so we are not at war with Yemen. But are we at war with the Houthis?

Sebastian said...

"We’re not interested in a war with Yemen. We’re not interested in a conflict of any kind."

Why the weakling posture? Why not promise to crush anyone who endangers ocean traffic?

mikeski said...

The Houthis are not "Yemen"/the Yemeni government, and firing missiles at terrorists to preserve shipping lanes is not a "war."

Fucking NYT. No matter how much you think you hate the media, it's not enough.

Original Mike said...

"With the U.S.-led attacks in Yemen, there is no longer a question of whether the Israel-Hamas war will escalate into a wider conflict."

What do the Houthis pirates have to do with the Israel-Hamas war?

rcocean said...

How biased is the Press? Here's a quote from ABC, about congressional reaction to Biden's attack on Yeman:

Others, including progressive Democrats and hard-line Republicans, are slamming Biden for acting alone without approval from Congress.

Get that? If you oppose authoritarian actions by Biden, you're "Progressive" if a Democrat. But "Hardline" if you're a republican. LOL!

And in case you don't understand - the Yeman "Militants" and "Rebels" are in control of 90 percent of the country and have been for years. We are bombing Yeman, not the "Militants".

And we're deescalating the conflict by bombing people? LOL. Oman, get outta here with that Malarkey.

rcocean said...

How biased is the Press? Here's a quote from ABC, about congressional reaction to Biden's attack on Yeman:

Others, including progressive Democrats and hard-line Republicans, are slamming Biden for acting alone without approval from Congress.

Get that? If you oppose authoritarian actions by Biden, you're "Progressive" if a Democrat. But "Hardline" if you're a republican. LOL!

And in case you don't understand - the Yeman "Militants" and "Rebels" are in control of 90 percent of the country and have been for years. We are bombing Yeman, not the "Militants".

And we're deescalating the conflict by bombing people? LOL. Oman, get outta here with that Malarkey.

rhhardin said...

Pointless attacks militarily. Anything in Yemen can be easily repaired, except some contents will need to be reimported.

So it's meant as a stop-that slap.

Quaestor said...

The mullahs know Biden is weak and stupid. They know he'll give them 100 billion taxpayer dollars in small bills to curtail the Houthi attacks and piracy so he can do the Cornpop strut one more time.

Skeptical Voter said...

Ask Kirby if he and Slow Joe are interested in bombing and strafing Republicans and Joe's political opponents. He's very interested in that.

On the other hand I think that the War Powers Act is still in effect, and so if Team Joe can say "this is not a war" maybe they won't have to go to Congress for authorization. That's true if you are a Democrat. But it's absolutely verboten for a Republican to do that.

Tom T. said...

As with October 7, the press is framing this to deflect responsibility away from the actual instigators (and Iran). We didn't widen the war; the Houthis and their Iranian backers did.

tim in vermont said...

“No one wanted it.”

You can’t spell neocon without “no one.”

jaydub said...

I say Biden was right to go after Hootie, but foolish to stop short of eliminating all of the Blowfish as well. Hootie is just another two-bit country-western act without the Blowfish. Alone, he's not worth expending a huge number of missiles on but eliminating both Hootie and the Blowfish is a target worth risking WWIII over. This decision must have been made while Austin was in the ICU.

BillieBob Thorton said...

As far as I can tell the Biden/Obama policy in the ME is to appease and pay off the terrorists and Iran. Expect another crate of cash in small denominations to arrive in Iran in the next few days.

Larry J said...

“Blogger Leland said...
I wonder what took so long for the US to act on these overt acts of aggression? Could it be due to an absence?

I’m not interested in another ME war or any war, but the economics of shooting down inexpensive missile and drones with expensive missiles and fighter jets is simple and not in our national interest. It is cheaper to take out the launchers.”

The calculus of defense isn’t as simple as comparing the cost of the defensive system to the cost of the attacking system. An inexpensive drone or cruise missile can cause massive destruction. It’s the cost of what you’re protecting that counts.

It is better to “shoot the archer than the arrows”. Taking out the launching systems is one thing. Destroying the weapons storage is another. I watched some videos of the attacks this morning. I’m pretty sure I heard a lot of secondary explosions, meaning there were many more things exploding than just our bombs and missiles. If you really want to get their attention, take out the command and control systems and those giving the orders.

Leland said...

Oman, get outta here with that Malarkey.

Oman isn't involved in this conflict. They are just a neighbor. ;)

tim in vermont said...

Well, Iran took back that ship that we seized from them a year ago. It does make one wonder why this particular red cloth was waved in front of the bull just now.

The Yemenese, like the Viet Cong, like the Taliban, etc, will show us that they can suffer more than we can dish out. That’s my prediction. It’s said that one of the reasons that the Saudis have drifted from the US orbit is that our weapons proved futile against the Houthis, who now govern Yemen. The only thing that is keeping people from saying that they have won their war is that, unlike the regime in Kiev, immediately following a violent coup, the US refused to recognize them as the government.

This is a trap. If we manage to drag Iran into it, let’s see what $12 diesel fuel does to the economy.

Michael said...

Happy to have a war with Yemen. Level it as example to neighbors.

takirks said...

Both Yemen and Hamas are Iranian stooges. Iran. The country that Biden freed up 160 billion dollars for.

Good buy, huh?

All of this traces directly back to Iran. The administration is doing nothing about that, at all. If they were, then they'd be sinking Iranian shipping that moves the military materials to Yemen, and acting against Iranian naval provocations in the Arabian Gulf.

They aren't. That should tell you something. I'd love to know who it was that is getting the money in the administration, because other than being bribed by the Iranians, there's no rational explanation for any of this.

tim in vermont said...

The reason that we all hate Trump is because he lies to us. Not like the Biden Administration.

JAORE said...

Biden Administration: Please don't be mad at me. My poll numbers MADE me shoot in your general direction.

Yemen: I'm gonna tell Poppa Iran.

Biden Administration: Oh please, please don't tell Poppa Iran. He may get cranky. Would you like an increase in your allowance, through Iran of course?

Yemen: Yes. More money for missiles. Then begone impotent dog. You scare no one anymore. [To underling: Reload!]

Ambrose said...

But war in Yemen is interested in us.

MacMacConnell said...

Iran finances the Houthi, Iran arms Hamas and Hezbollah. Gee I wonder where the got the cash? Could it be Biden's ending the Trump embargo on iranian oil sales.
Biden keeps getting his dick handed to him by our enemies. Then poor Kirby has to come to the press and lie.

Kevin said...

Jules: "Yemen" ain't no country I've ever heard of. They speak English in Yemen?

Kate said...

It's totally Yemen's fault for walking into that doorknob.

tim in vermont said...

Is it in the interest of the American people to have a war with Iran? Prolly not. That's why they always have to trick us into supporting their wars.

Paul said...

"We’re not interested in a war with Yemen. We’re not interested in a conflict of any kind...
In fact everything the president has been doing has been trying to prevent any escalation of conflict, including the strikes last night."

What does doing the strikes at night have anything to do with not being interested in war... the strikes ARE escalations... duh.. wither night or day.

Does this Administration's right hand know what it's left is doing???

You see Biden f*cked up Afghanistan withdraw... f*cked up the Southern Border... made the Ukraine an endless give away... and now the Secretary of Defense takes leave without telling anyone.... I see bad juju on the horizon.

Just as Trump said would happen.... reap what you sow.

Rabel said...

This has been coming for a few weeks. Biden had plenty of time to get support from Congress - and would have with ease - but he didn't.

Unknown said...

What a bunch of clowns...

And to misquote Trotsky, "You may not be interested in a war in Yemen, but Yemen is interested in war against you."

rcocean said...

They are just a neighbor. ;)

Yeman, I hear you.

"All of this traces directly back to Iran. The administration is doing nothing about that, at all."

I always love this random hate for a small country...checks atlas..6300 airmiles away. I got no beef with Iran. No Iranian ever called me a white supremist. I don't like their Government, but their country, their rules.

Do you realize we actually provided Sadaam Hussain (the last hitler) with weapons to attack Iran? Zillions of people were killed. Of course, that led Sadaam to think he could attack Kuwait, the rest is history. Given that, and our invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, along with our constant support for Israeli air attacks and assissinations, no wonder they don't love us.

But of course, if they retaliate or fight back, that proves "THEY WANT TO CONQUER THE WORLD!!"

rcocean said...

They are just a neighbor. ;)

Yeman, I hear you.

"All of this traces directly back to Iran. The administration is doing nothing about that, at all."

I always love this random hate for a small country...checks atlas..6300 airmiles away. I got no beef with Iran. No Iranian ever called me a white supremist. I don't like their Government, but their country, their rules.

Do you realize we actually provided Sadaam Hussain (the last hitler) with weapons to attack Iran? Zillions of people were killed. Of course, that led Sadaam to think he could attack Kuwait, the rest is history. Given that, and our invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, along with our constant support for Israeli air attacks and assissinations, no wonder they don't love us.

But of course, if they retaliate or fight back, that proves "THEY WANT TO CONQUER THE WORLD!!"

rcocean said...

They are just a neighbor. ;)

Yeman, I hear you.

"All of this traces directly back to Iran. The administration is doing nothing about that, at all."

I always love this random hate for a small country...checks atlas..6300 airmiles away. I got no beef with Iran. No Iranian ever called me a white supremist. I don't like their Government, but their country, their rules.

Do you realize we actually provided Sadaam Hussain (the last hitler) with weapons to attack Iran? Zillions of people were killed. Of course, that led Sadaam to think he could attack Kuwait, the rest is history. Given that, and our invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, along with our constant support for Israeli air attacks and assissinations, no wonder they don't love us.

But of course, if they retaliate or fight back, that proves "THEY WANT TO CONQUER THE WORLD!!"

gilbar said...

serious question..
I can't keep up. Are we Still at war with Russia too? Or did we lose that one already?

tim in vermont said...

"Does this Administration's right hand know what it's left is doing???"

The "left" was in the hospital due to elective cancer surgery.

narciso said...

How many yemenis have snuck into the ciuntry

Leland said...

Thanks Larry for rephrasing my point.

Rich said...

Attacks against civilian shipping should be met with overwhelming force. Doubly so in a critical shipping chokepoint like the Red Sea.

Joe Smith said...

Nikki Haley is getting very horny (and richer by the second)...

n.n said...

Obama's world ethnic Spring series remains a viable Choice with his heir apparent, Biden. Iran funding Hamas for murder, rape, torture, and abduction of the quintessential parakeet. Who protests for the Taliban? All's fair in lust, abortion, and redistributive change.

Michael K said...

Concern trolling by the NY Times. What else is new ? Biden's handlers take the Houthis off the terrorist list and now we are bombing them. Nice move exlax.

gilbar said...

What do the Houthis pirates have to do with the Israel-Hamas war?

oh! i can answer that!
Hamas is Fully funded through Iran (well, Iran and the UN).. So It's Really an Israel-Iran war.
Houthis are Fully funded through Iran too (well, probably the UN also).. So Really a US-Iran war.

Of course, Just For FUN; the Biden (that is, the O'Bama) admin, is Fully Funding Iran..
So, it's REALLY an Israel-US was, and a US-US war.. Maybe a US/UN-US war?

gilbar said...

as a WISE MAN once said.. Never Underestimate Joe's ability to FUCK THINGS UP

Ampersand said...

Yemen hasn't the resources or tech to attack shipping in the way these attacks have been done. Iran is doing this, using their Shiite pals the Houthis. We can't attack Iran in Iran. But we can attack Iran in Yemen.

Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...

Still waiting for the first positive result from the Biden/Obama love affair with Iran

Rich said...

"Biden had plenty of time to get support from Congress - and would have with ease - but he didn't."

Biden acted well within his authority and for the right reasons. What did these critics say when we shot up the pirates? The Houthis aren't a government and they did fire upon US Navy ships in international waters.

narciso said...

no we stopped selling to saudi because khashoggi, malley's penpal,

Yemeni are quite numerous, and they are outstripping the meager water and food,

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Houthi are staged in Yemen - funded by Iran.
Iran is funded by biden's cabal.

retail lawyer said...

Has this administration heard of game theory?

Josephbleau said...

It’s my thought that October 7 was not just a juvenile temper tantrum, it was planned as a crescendo of strikes from hamas in Gaza, then the West Bank, then hezboalla, hopefully going viral to Jordan and the whole ME; along with the sixth columnists in America, Europe, and South Africa. The response to the rapy hamas attack nocked the schedule off and the subsequent actions were stalled by doubts and “ no, you go firsts.” The West Bank and Lebanon did not go off. Many bosses died.

Comes Yemen, who volunteers to go next. This is a day late and $100 mm short. It could have scared the west, but now the news in the ME is at a lull and no one cares. Except that Beiden needs to be reelected! So the democrats must tone down the shipping disaster that will stoke inflation, the inflation that Beiden has completely “ eliminated”.

So Beiden needs to get Iran’s dogs back in the pen. I suspect a combination of rockets and pallets of money. If I led the house I would demand a rule like the $10k cash bank rule, that if the government is going to give any entity more than $200mm in cash or fungible notes per year it must be detailed and published in the congressional record.

Humperdink said...

If, as alleged, Obama is de facto leader of this administration, he needs to wave that Peace Prize around the globe for awhile. Or loan it to the demented one.

Clyde said...

I don't believe anything that googly-eyed bloviator says, any more than I believe anything that Cringe Jean-Pierre says.

Dr Weevil said...

Original Mike (2:05pm):
"What do the Houthis pirates have to do with the Israel-Hamas war?"

Maybe you should ask the Houthis. Their flag will give you a hint: plain white with a green border and five lines of Arabic text, printed in green (lines 1 and 5) and red (line 2-4):

"God is the Greatest
Death to America
Death to Israel
A Curse Upon the Jews
Victory to Islam".

The Houthisy have been firing missiles at Israel for a couple of months now, though I believe they've only managed to hit Jordan and either Egypt or Saudi Arabia (I forget which - maybe both) so far.

By the way, am I the only one her offended by the New York Times saying that we 'attacked' Yemen yesterday? They've been firing missiles and drones at American ships for weeks, which means our response is a counter-attack, not an attack. Words matter, and the NYT just can't stop lying with them.

n.n said...

Iran is funded by biden's cabal.

And Obama before him, funding Iran, Hamas, et al, through release of disputed funds, and cash injections. A premature withdrawal from Iraq, a second Iraq war and segue to the world ethnic Spring series.

Rusty said...

Leland said...
"I wonder what took so long for the US to act on these overt acts of aggression? Could it be due to an absence?

I’m not interested in another ME war or any war, but the economics of shooting down inexpensive missile and drones with expensive missiles and fighter jets is simple and not in our national interest. It is cheaper to take out the launchers."
But the grift is in the missiles.

Goldenpause said...

When you act like you don’t know what you are doing you invite exactly the dangerous kind of situation we find ourselves in. These clowns act like they don’t know what they are doing for a good reason: they don’t. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

JAORE said...

Biden's Dane geld isn't working out as planned.

chuck said...

Kirby is one of those guys who is so careful that he falls off the rail.

Narayanan said...

Still waiting for the first positive result from the Biden/Obama love affair with Iran
=======
FJB waiting for sniff-worthy virgins : he forgot being told need to die first

iowan2 said...

We are just supposed to pretend that all of DC did not proclaim the Joe Biden has gotten every foreign policy debate wrong for 50 years? The man is walking dope stick.

Its not like we did not see this coming.

I'm still waiting for the facts aorund his SEC DEF disappearance. Austin was talking to somebody, and that somebody is running the nation during Joe's naps.

tim in vermont said...

The Yemenis have been living there since the Bronze Age, at least. But I guess that it’s better to bomb them back to the Stone Age than to undertake any diplomacy, which is by definition, humiliating to the United States.

Does it bother anyone here who is not a Democrat that the same people ginning up this war are the ones attempting to criminalize opposition in our own country? It’s the same the no prisoners, compromise on nothing, approach. Enjoy the hell you are inviting.

BTW, the fact that Mishogi was working at the Washington Post is all of the corroboration I need of whatever the Saudis had on him that he was a spy.

DINKY DAU 45 said...

So if "they" harm our interests we whine and complain nothing is being done, if we take action we whine and complain its imbecilic aggression, which one is it or is this another "side" issue?

Rusty said...

Dinky
The sole purpose of the indecision is to make money. The people you voted into office are making their fortunes on wars we need not enter.
On a larger note,(you can sit back down Dinky), The time to solve this was before Obama decided to fund Irans adventures. Giving Iran money only serves to make the situation worse. Maybe Trump will have the courage to do what needs to be done. A precision drone strike on the ayatollahs.

Old and slow said...

Protecting international shipping lanes is far and away the most important thing our military is tasked with doing. I've got no use for the Biden admin, but I'd like it even less if they failed to respond to the Yemenis. It is stupid to oppose everything that your political enemies do, just because they are on the other side. And yes, I chose to describe the Biden admin as political enemies, because they have made it very clear that that is what they are. Democratic voters, by and large, are not my enemies.

Paul said...

Old and slow said...

"Protecting international shipping lanes is far and away the most important thing our military is tasked with doing. I've got no use for the Biden admin, but I'd like it even less if they failed to respond to the Yemenis. It is stupid to oppose everything that your political enemies do, just because they are on the other side. And yes, I chose to describe the Biden admin as political enemies, because they have made it very clear that that is what they are. Democratic voters, by and large, are not my enemies."

How about protecting our Southern Border? I guess that don't count.

Dude1394 said...

Weak reactions only beget more action from the other side. Of course he is trying to "thread" the needle, because he is weak with very little opinions othere than "gaining more political power".

Worst president in my lifetime.

DINKY DAU 45 said...

rusty
so you have the proof of this "indecision to make $$$" like "trump won"

Dinky
The sole purpose of the indecision is to make money. The people you voted into office are making their fortunes on wars we need not enter.
On a larger note,(you can sit back down Dinky), The time to solve this was before Obama decided to fund Irans adventures. Giving Iran money only serves to make the situation worse. Maybe Trump will have the courage to do what needs to be done. A precision drone strike on the ayatollahs. Show us we the indecision is to make money and not just opinionated rhetoric like "trump won" please take your seat just another opinion based on no proof c'mon man