[TML] Killer instinct (was Re: Navel Silliness)

[Richard Aiken]

On Sat, Feb 23, 2008 at 3:51 PM, Jerry W Barrington
<jerry.barrington at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 2/23/08 1:12 PM, "Douglas Berry" <penguin_boy at mindspring.com> wrote:
>
> > The UCMJ is approved yearly by Congress. The DoD submits the
> > requested revisions as an omnibus bill and it is usually adopted with
> > little debate.
>
> True, but they do have to observe that formality.  And if they were to slip
> in something truly outrageous, either it would get more scrutiny before
> being passed, or the whole request would get a *lot* of scrutiny the next
> time.

Anyone else see "Charlie Wilson's War?"  Or read the book?

U.S. support of the Afghan mujahideen against Soviet Russia escalated
from a few thousand Enfield rifles a year to $500 million per annum.
Add in the matching Saudi funds and the budget by the end was a cool
billion a year . . . in 1980s dollars.  But up until the very last, it
was an under-the-political-radar manipulation of internal
Congressional procedures orchestrated by a single Representative.
Wilson (with reluctant CIA help) was conducting his own private
foreign policy, something legally the province of the executive
branch.

Makes you wonder how much folks in Congress will watch for such these
days.  I mean, his policy *worked,* but (reading the details) it was
very, very risky.  It depended on the Soviets "blinking" instead of
escalating their response even more.  So if you're Congress these days
- now that this film has pointed out to everyone how power really
works up on Capital Hill - do you attempt to suppress such initiative
due to the inherent dangers?  Or do you let it ride, hoping to
successfully deny everything if it all blows up?

-- 
Richard Aiken

"Never insult anyone by accident."  Robert A. Heinlein