posted on March 10, 2003 07:06:06 PM new
I think it makes a lot of sense to get the U.S. troops "out of the middle" in Korea. We could still take care of NK by other means if they invade SK. I hope it happens.
posted on March 11, 2003 04:23:17 AM new
The whole idea of having the troops on the border was that they are a trip wire - the North would know they could not come across without bringing the Americans into the fight.
Yes the economy is 30 times bigger in the south. That means the have twelve microwave ovens for every artillery tube the North has - LOL.
If they have no gratitude for having their asses saved by all means let them solve the problem themselves. They sound like they'd solve it by surrendering.
The noise you hear on the news is the S. Korean gov. trying to sound like they are totally independent. The gov and the people want US support. Military training is compulsory and the S Koreans are no French or Vietnamese. In 1950 they didn't run, they were massacred. Rumsfeld is proposing moving (not withdrawing) American troops to protect ports and staging areas needed for re-supply and reinforcement if the N Koreans push the S. Koreans back. The plan looks very good because it still provides an American presence while allaying S Korean fears that US troops might spark the N Koreans to cause a problem for which they must pay the price.
posted on March 11, 2003 09:13:49 AM new
I agree, gravid with If they have no gratitude for having their asses saved by all means let them solve the problem themselves.
Will be interesting to see the final decision. Pull out, go further south or just have a presence.
I'd go for pulling out completely and just having a presence at sea [ports] because I've read both the people and their government have wanted the American's out for quite some time.
Some SKs even think our presence has been a hindrance to them enjoying a better relationship with the North. Right...we'll see what happens IF our troops are removed. A couple of interviews I saw with SKs gave me a chuckle...one said "The North is like family to us...we are one Korea." I remember thinking they most likely weren't alive during the Korean conflict or they never read what went on there.
The South Korean military, which has relied on American forces to deter an attack from communist North Korea since the end of the Korean War in 1953, is capable of defending the border itself, Rumsfeld said. So...let's pull out.
I once made a statement to our son [maybe a year or less ago] that I'd like all our troops, all over the world brought home as the countries are always complaining about our presence there. His answer, in part, was that so many bases have been closed, and now the different armed forces share mixed quarters so that if we were to do that we'd have no room for them all.
Anyway....I would still like to see our armed forces removed from a lot of countries. Do as I read Rumsfeld is 'thinking about' doing....a complete re-evaluation of where we want our forces to remain and where we should remove them..not just SK.
