ok lets break down your idiocy

"Kisinger was NOT....NOT...NOT....NOT....Commander-in-Chief and thus could NOT order any attack anywhere"

OK, thats your starting point

"You freaking morons consistently fail to comprehend that."

OK we are the morons, got it, lets see the analogy you make...

"f I tell you to shoot some asshole on a street corner, and then, like a dumbass, you do it, YOU get convicted of murder...NOT ME!"

So you are saying that even if Kissinger was ordered to kill 40 thousand neutral Cambodians by Nixon, Kissinger should be charged for war crimes, which is completely against what you are arguing (and dipshit, if you tell me to kill someone and I kill him, you CAN be tried for murder)

"Damn you people are stupid."

...

"OK....so I guess you DO all blame Obama for our current economy, right? Man up and show your colors, bitches. "

Wait... Obama... Wait...

can anyone back me up here and say that post made 0 sense

Just mute him, the sooner everyone does the better, I just feel bad for the mods who I don't think are allowed to mute people.

Granted I'm probably talking to a stone wall here, but still...

krellin, dear, dahrling, honey...

Forget that nasty, mean, wrong-wrong-wrong evil liberal documentary, OK?

Let's forget that for a teensy-weensy moment.

KISSINGER HIMSELF STILL ADMITTED TO THOSE ACTIONS.

So...are you going to say the man HIMSELF lied?

If so, then...why are you defending a liar?
If not, then...well, what's your argument if he himself DID say he did it and did it himself in cases?

"Kissinger probably saved the world in 1973 by convincing Israel not to destroy the Egyptian Third Army. Whatever other flaws he has that ought to count for something."

I'm sorry, what? Saved the world? The only reason Israel encircled the army was because they didn't abide by the ceasefire which Egypt had accepted. The inability of the US to control its own ally almost led to a nuclear crisis. How is that an example of Kissinger's competence?

In their defense...

Wasn't '73 the Yom Kippur War?

Ceasefire or no, I can understand their being pissed and wanting to beat them at all costs if they attacked on Yom Kippur...just saying...it's popular--and definitely not unfounded--to pick on Israel now, they do deserve it for their continued treatment of the Palestinians...

But in that case, I can have some sympathy.

But yeah, I have to agree with Putin in that...HOW was that Kissinger "saving the world" there?

I'm not commenting on the justice of the war. The Arab states clearly started that war. I'm simply saying that an agreement was made that the Soviets thought the US and Israel had accepted, and the only reason the encirclement occurred was because Egypt had agreed to the ceasefire and Israel did not.

It's an example of Kissinger's inability to control the situation. And really, honestly how anyone can say Kissinger was on his A-game during the Yom Kippur crisis is beyond me. He clearly failed. That crisis could have been avoided had Kissinger paid any attention to the Middle East whatsoever.

Anyway fighting in the middle of holidays seems par for the course. Kabul fell during the early weeks of Ramadan in 2001. It seems like every Christmas there is an attempted terrorist attack. Indeed in Egypt it seems like a sport for Muslim radicals to butcher Coptics on Christmas or New Years.

"I'm sorry, what? Saved the world? The only reason Israel encircled the army was because they didn't abide by the ceasefire which Egypt had accepted."

I'm sorry, I actually don't know much about the end of the cease fire, but I don;t see why Israel would abide by calls for a cease fire after a nasty sneak attack on the holiest day of the Jewish Year. Attacking on a holiday for the express reason to catch a nation unawares is nasty business .

SC, it's really splitting hairs when you say launching a sneak attack on a nation on a holy day is worse than launching a sneak attack on a nation on a different day.

Besides, it worked out best for Israel for it to be on Yom Kippur. The roads were clear so it was easy to mobilize. At least, that's what I've been told.

I don't think its splitting hairs, I think If Israel did it it would be treated as an atrocity. But I read about the cease fire and it does seem that It was in place before hand and Israel used a justification to break it.

Right, so obviously being attacked on a sensitive day is just cause to precipitate a DefCon 3 level crisis after a ceasefire was brokered. Because nobody has ever been attacked on a holiday before. And revenge always trumps risk of nuclear annihilation.

Israel was not blameless in the lead-up to the war. They openly talked about annexing the Suez. Peace proposals were offered to Israel in 1971 by Sadat in the years prior to the war. They wanted an agreement that would include a withdrawal from Egyptian territory, and wanted the US to use its leverage to get Israel to sign. They offered pretty generous peace terms as late as February 1973. No deal was made, and then lo and behold war breaks out. This shouldn't have come as a surprise to anyone.

Guess you would say the same about the 6 day war right, with the blockade on israel and the military build up and all, should have been a surprise to no one... but for some reason I think you disagree

No I don't disagree. In virtually all cases wars occur because both sides want war.

I stand corrected

On a side topic, thinking of the Yom Kippur War reminds me of the Tet Offensive, and in the latter case, the fingers were pointed more at lax security and South Vietnamese/American incompetence rather than the Viet Cong being mean for fucking up the big holiday. It's a curious contrast.

Yes and George Washington Crossed the Delaware and killed a bunch of Hessians on Christmas Morning. But in both of those cases you had those who shared a cultural/religious doing the attacking. In this case you have a bunch of Muslims counting down the days to the holiest day of the Jewish Calendar in order to start their offensive meant to push the Jews into the sea. I don't see it as curious at all they are completely different things

Well I'm glad we can summarize a complicated event with nothing but knee jerk slogans like "counting down the days to push the Jews into the sea". That's the kind of serious analysis we need.

I don't know, in some ways, wouldn't it be more offensive if you shared the cultural holiday and violated it? Especially Tet, the Viet Cong specifically announced they would do a cease fire for two days to celebrate it. Because they had the same cultural background, the South Vietnamese had no reason to question that.

I'm sorry was it a coincidence that Yom Kippur was the day chosen, what exactly was wrong about saying they were counting down the days?

"I don't know, in some ways, wouldn't it be more offensive if you shared the cultural holiday and violated it? Especially Tet, the Viet Cong specifically announced they would do a cease fire for two days to celebrate it. Because they had the same cultural background, the South Vietnamese had no reason to question that."

Is it a bigger deal in the arab world when the Syrian Army shoots up a Mosque or when the US Marines shoot up a mosque?

But is the Syrian Army promising that they will in no way shape or form shoot up the mosque in question directly before pulling the trigger?

1. As I understand it, it was the NVA that had a cease fire not the Vietcong (though i could be wrong)

2. The analogy you just used is a separate issue, I'm talking about outsiders attacks on religious traditions/customs, breaking a ceasefire is another matter to discuss.

Both the NVA and Viet Cong agreed to the ceasefire.

Personally, I think that it's more offensive to manipulate your own religious/cultural customs to attack others than to manipulate theirs, because honestly, you have to expect that outsiders aren't going to honor your customs.

@Santa
The reason Yom Kippur was chosen, as far as I know, is that traditionally Israeli readiness to war in this day is the lowest because:
a. A lot of soldiers are released to their homes to fast and battle readiness is at its lowest.
b. No Israeli channel broadcasts on Yom Kippur - TV or radio.
c. Nobody is turning on TV or radio, so the news will travel much slowly.

What the Arab nations didn't take into account is that most of people are at synagogues, and the moment one hears about the attack and the call for the reserves, the news will travel quickly.

SC, as despicable as it may have been, it's war.
If I were attacking my enemy, I'd try catch them with their pants down. If I'm sending a missile through their house I'm not going to care much about their feelings.