President Obama has notified Congress that he has unilaterally decided to begin sending what will eventually be about 100 combat troops to jump into the war in … Uganda.
The objective is “the removal of Joseph Kony from the battlefield.” Kony heads up a faction called the Lord’s Resistance Army, a terrifying militia that has long waged civil war against the regime of — well, why am I explaining? I mean, you must know all this stuff. After all, the president’s letter says our national security interests are at stake. And didn’t Kony just try to rub out the Saudi ambassador or something? This’ll teach him to mess with us. Oh, he didn’t mess with us? Well, whatever — “duty to protect,” right? I’ll just add that our troops will be supporting the regime of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who seized power in 1986, has held it ever since, and is widely believed to have fixed the last, er, election. African Spring, I guess.
Here are reports from USAToday and AFP. Anyway, glad we don’t have to worry about that crazy cowboy Bush anymore.
Wasn't the first batch of advisors that Kennedy sent to Vietnam, also 100 members strong?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseExactly my thought Mark W.
As it happened, JFK sent 400 "trainers" in the first deployment. So at least BHO is only stepping 25% into the quagmire!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI think Obama just went out and saw Machine Gun Preacher, and decided he should star in the sequel.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWaiting for Code Pink and others to start protesting Obama at his next event....waiting....
And I wonder at what point will Sen. Reid announce that "the war is lost?"
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseFor the left, the more distantly our military engagement is related to our national interests, the worthier it is in their eyes. How perverse.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe incidents in this counterinsurgency campaign can be followed online (link below). It looks like the current action is in Democratic Republic of Congo. Uganda is probably a more convenient place for the US forces to arrive (and the LRA has operated in Uganda in the past).
External Link
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSo we're actually intervening in two countries at one time? With 100 troops? Wonder what kind of resupply they've got... or evac, medical care, tactical support if they get in a nasty firefight, etc.
I mean, it's not like he's sending in a SEAL team covertly. He's announced it for the whole world to hear "We're sending 100 troops into Uganda! First America-hating regime to get there with a division can dismember them and carry their heads home on pikes!"
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseNow this group might be the most nasty bunch on Earth...I have no idea....never heard of them.....and as far as I know they've not attacked the United States or our national interests....they haven't bombed any of our ships, barracks, or embassies....nor have they declared war on us.....so I'm having some trouble seeing where our national security interests are at stake in Central Africa.
I just hope that 100 doesn't turn into 1,000 or 10,000 and I very much hope that NONE of our soldiers are killed or wounded in this misadventure.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAre we out of Predator drones?? Seems like putting one over Uganda for a couple of weeks would be less risky (for the poor GI's sent on this mission). This is just insane. Uganda isn't a national threat, nor was Libya. The only common thread here I can find is Obama is on the side of a pack of Muslims (often bloodthirsty savages themselves) which one might regard as "unreliable" as friends to the US (at best.) Just plain nuts.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseKony's Cronies are the worst of the worst. I have a friend who has done mission work there. Kony's LRA makes Al Queda look like the Salvation Army (child rape, cannibalism, forcing children to murder their parents). Is there a national interest--hard to say. This is one area the French do right-the Foreign Legion would be perfect for such a mission. (Black Water anyone?--let the Code Pinks of the world go apoplectic).
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe LRA is basically the reason why the "invisible children" movement or group exists. They will be incredibly pleased. For some reason they would be incredibly angry if the US did this anywhere else....selfish...
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseRush read the manifesto of the group our guys are supposed to be fighting.
Based on just that manifesto, it really seems that Obama is entering this war on the wrong side.
(I recognize that such manifesto's are pretty much propaganda efforts and can't be relied on completely. I also recognize that the govt of Uganda is not a group I would want to be associated with, much less defending.)
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseActually the current PM of Uganda is decent man. The LRA is horrid. They refugee problem the LRA creates has a wide ranging destabilization consequences. I'd say let the UN handle this, then after they muck it up, the US goes in. Just like every other place...
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseRush may be on the wrong side of this if this story is true: External Link
Notice that Republican Senator Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma strongly supports this move.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThat's truly shocking. Please take a moment to review the record of LRA atrocities.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseLook's like I was wrong. The LRA are not nice guys either.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAn Israeli friend, Ron Cantor had a different view:
Kudos to Pres Obama for this—the Lord's Resistance Army, led by Joseph Kony, is one of the most barbaric groups in the world, kidnapping young men, drugging them and brainwashing them into becoming child soldiers and sex slaves. They rape and pillage wherever they go. They need to be stopped. Let's pray for these 100 US soldiers to be effective and victorious—quickly.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseLot's of bad news dumps today for Obama...Grenadewalker, Solyndra cronyism and non payment of taxes, another illegitimate- whoops, sorry wrong administration-necessary foreign military operation, another trillion dollar plus deficit, third year running.
The Friday bad news dumpster is overflowing. Pretty soon Obama is going to have to issue an executive order proclaiming Monday-Thursday as Friday to make more room.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"The president does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation." President Barack H. Obama
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThis is INSANE. Why won't Obummer do anything against Muslim terrorists, but he's tripping over himself to fight Christians? I don't endorse everything the LRA has done, but we could use fighters like that in the war against Islamofascism. We should be working with these guys--not against them. Another idiotic blunder by Obumbles.
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