[chief1983]

I know people have joked about this, but _can_ you actually rescind a Peace Prize?

[Luis Dias]

I know people have joked about this, but _can_ you actually rescind a Peace Prize?

Don't know, go ask Arafat. Oh he's dead. Well then, ask Kissinger.

[Suongadon]

I know people have joked about this, but _can_ you actually rescind a Peace Prize?

No. But if he doesn't get reelected he won't get a second one.

[chief1983]

Giving Kissinger the Peace Price for the Vietnam withdrawal would be like giving Brett Favre a ring for one of his game-ending interceptions.  The VC were finished if we'd just stayed to finish the job.

[headdie]

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20110330/twl-libyan-foreign-minister-flees-to-the-41f21e0.html

the loose edges are falling from the colonels government

edit

could this be a power play? as "one of the most senior figures in Gaddafi's government" would he not be one of the best options in the case of a rebel victory, either in forcing Gaddafi out of the country or forcing him to stand down, to re-establish a functional government and in fleeing to a western country would give western governments the impression they might be able to "control" him?

[Suongadon]

Giving Kissinger the Peace Price for the Vietnam withdrawal would be like giving Brett Favre a ring for one of his game-ending interceptions.  The VC were finished if we'd just stayed to finish the job.

One hundred and sixteen years.

could this be a power play? as "one of the most senior figures in Gaddafi's government" would he not be one of the best options in the case of a rebel victory, either in forcing Gaddafi out of the country or forcing him to stand down, to re-establish a functional government and in fleeing to a western country would give western governments the impression they might be able to "control" him?

I very much doubt that the west would back one of Gaddafi's administration to replace him just because he was smart enough to get off the sinking ship, the rebels won't accept it at the very least, no matter how the west tries to spin it, and without that they just change targets.

*edit* or am I misunderstanding your post?

[NGTM-1R]

One hundred and sixteen years.

Care to explain this?

Chief's post is accurate, insofar as it goes; even people who were part of the VC will admit to it. The VC committed, and lost, everything in Tet, including any sort of goodwill they'd built up in the public. Bringing the war back into the cities served them very ill.

[Suongadon]

One hundred and sixteen years.

Care to explain this?

Chief's post is accurate, insofar as it goes; even people who were part of the VC will admit to it. The VC committed, and lost, everything in Tet, including any sort of goodwill they'd built up in the public. Bringing the war back into the cities served them very ill.

We were at war for one hundred and sixteen years against foreign occupation, that is all I meant. 'Finishing' the VC was ultimately irrelevant. That wouldn't have won.

[NGTM-1R]

'Finishing' the VC was ultimately irrelevant. That wouldn't have won.

No? Iraq, for all its current troubles, would seem to put the lie to your assessment.

[Suongadon]

I can't say I understand how Iraq is a victory for anyone.

[NGTM-1R]

I can't say I understand how Iraq is a victory for anyone.

Nobody has spoken of victory, even Chief, merely "finishing the job" and the stated goal of the Vietnam War was always the preservation of South Vietnam as an independent political entity. Iraq proves that it is possible to move in and create a government from more or less whole cloth while fighting a counterinsurgency campaign, and it was done in far less time.

[Dilmah G]

On a note closer to the thread topic, I read this morning that the Rebels had their asses handed to them in the past few days. Anyone know anything about the US paying contractors to train the Rebels up? I think NFZ pilots flying close air support for these guys might very soon become a reality.

[Bobboau]

I think it already is a reality. and yeah, they went to surt and found that their asses were waiting for them when they got there. this wasn't too surprising, we've known all along that Surt was going to be the second hardest fight.

[S-99]

So again, if the rebels are just as likely to be performing these purges, maybe we really should be taking a much more hands off approach to this.

Gaddafi's fighting dirty by having his troops drive non military vehicles and wear civillian clothing. And whatever loyalist civilians aiding as well. Gaddafi made sure the rebels wont have it easy here. It's not like the rebels can't need to take bin jawad. If the rebels don't go from house to house and building to building, then that ****s them. What can really be expected of the rebels here in a loyalist stronghold?

In turn, i'd say that for the rebels to succeed in a war against someone extremely nasty, that they themselves too need to fight nasty, but not begging of the same class of nasty as their opponent. Least to say, this article (article nemesis6 referenced) didn't have much if any info on what the rebels are doing with loyalist civilians themselves. For this article, saying with the word purge might be a little much.

[achtung]

Does anyone want to take a crack at this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_my_dVuWj7s&feature=player_embedded#at=225

A bunch of videos of Ghadaffi "supporters" cobbled together? There's always a group to support someone, or something, regardless.

[Unknown Target]

Agh you caught me Swantz. I deleted (|REDACTED| lol) that post since I ended up coming to a conclusion similar to yours.

I'm pretty sure the author of the video confused the "US" with "large numbers of people in other countries who agreed with the rebels and wanted to help them out".

[Mustang19]

Hey, this isn't a dead topic yet.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110416/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_libya

Col. Hamid Hassy said that following scattered clashes with government forces, the rebels had reached the outskirts of the key oil facility of Brega, a town that has already changed hands half a dozen times since fighting began in early March.

He added that the rebels will bring engineers to repair any damage to the refinery and oil facilities there.

Go get 'em.

Rebels are advancing again. Place your bets. Will NATO have the patience to see it through? Or will they withdraw air strikes and let Gadaffi roll into Benghazi in a week or two?

[headdie]

apparantly Ghadaffi is using cluster munitions which has a few of the human rights groups up in arms

[Kosh]

He's already machine gunned a bunch of protesters. Not much of a stretch to see this one coming.

[Nemesis6]

He's already machine gunned a bunch of protesters. Not much of a stretch to see this one coming.

I think the machine-gunning is kind of dwarfed by the whole airstrikes on protests thing. In any case: