SargeK: re: Iraq and China –
Here is some key language from a WP report on what's going in northern Iraq. Sure sounds like the collar on the mighty USAF is now off. This is starting to remind me a little of good ole Curtis “bomb them into the Stone Age” LeMay. Fighter pilots make news. Bomber pilots make HISTORY. Is it illegal for bomber crews to trade in the oil futures market?
Since President Clinton gave pilots more flexibility to attack Iraq's air defense system at the end of January, allied planes enforcing U.S.-imposed no-fly zones in the north and south of Iraq have substantially increased the number of bombs they have dropped and have added to the target list, according to U.S. administration and Pentagon officials.
"Absolutely this is an escalation," said one government official who has been briefed on the operation.
On Jan. 26, U.S. officials announced that U.S. warplanes no longer had to limit their attacks to the missile and artillery batteries that are targeting them or to the particular Iraqi aircraft
At the same time, officials say the "rules of engagement" that give pilots the authority to launch their weapons in flight were broadened again last week. Now, the officials said, pilots are allowed to strike generic command and control centers that are not exclusively linked to Iraq's air defense network.
Pentagon officials also confirmed that the United States, Britain and Turkey have signed a first-of-its kind agreement on the technical rules of engagement for air operations in the north that will give pilots even greater flexibility to decide when to fire their weapons. The allied aircraft that patrol the northern no-fly zone are based in Incirlik, Turkey. The new arrangement means pilots will not need to call back to the base for permission to fire once they have located a target.
"The pilots have been given greater flexibility to attack those systems which place them in jeopardy," Cohen said yesterday. "They are not simply going to respond to [an anti-aircraft artillery] or to a SAM [surface-to-air missile] site. They can go after command-and-control and communications centers as well that allow Saddam Hussein to try to target them and put them in jeopardy."
Re: Mainland Chinese economic statistics; thought you might be interested in this:
scmp.com
Can Chinese Yuppies, SUVS, Valley Girls, and Soccer Moms be far behind?
scmp.com
You of all people should remember Tricky Dick's famous quote “We are all Keynsians now”, but goodness gracious Sarge, the Red Chinese too?
scmp.com
Don't ever change Sarge.
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