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Cheney unhurt in blast outside Afghan base

  • Thread starter Thread starter reaganburch
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reaganburch

Going after the Vice President of the United States... pretty ballsy...

Wonder what our response would have been if they had succeeded?

Cheney unhurt in blast outside Afghan base - CNN.com

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- A suicide bomber killed at least 14 people and wounded about a dozen more outside the main U.S. military base in Afghanistan on Tuesday during a visit by Vice President Dick Cheney, officials said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility and said Cheney was the target
 
I don't think they really believed they get the VP but yes.....that was a ballsy thing to do. I think they wanted to show the world they could do this if they wanted to. In that respect they can calim "mission accomplished". The effect in Afghanistan is going to be interesting to follow. Cheney is not liked by many outside the US even the right because of his unorthodox behavior and there are a lot of people probably thinking "Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy". Let's see what the conspiracy bugs come up with.
 
It may be ballsy, but it's also futile. Like a suicide bomber could ever get the President or the VP. It would take planning and care beyond the capabilities of the terrorists to do, the best they could hope for is dumb luck.
 
It may be ballsy, but it's also futile. Like a suicide bomber could ever get the President or the VP. It would take planning and care beyond the capabilities of the terrorists to do, the best they could hope for is dumb luck.


I don't think their intention was to really get him. They just want to show that they can get close. It's a pretty good tactic but like the suicide bomber they sent it only works once.
 
Going after the Vice President of the United States... pretty ballsy...
Wonder what our response would have been if they had succeeded?
From the liberals?
Unbridled joy.
:roll:
 
Not from this liberal. Even though I didn't vote for the man, I don't wish him any harm.
Yes, but you have proven yourself to be a logical thinker, without the partisan hate and jealousy we see from most liberals in the forum.
 
I wouldn't call this planned attack balsy. Infact contrarily it shows just how much control we've lost in Afghanistan and how much the taliban has regained.
The stop over in Bagram was unscheduled, yet the Taliban "knew" he was there.
 
I wouldn't call this planned attack balsy. Infact contrarily it shows just how much control we've lost in Afghanistan and how much the taliban has regained.
The stop over in Bagram was unscheduled, yet the Taliban "knew" he was there.

Why? Because the enemy is too stupid to have its own intelligence network watchiing airports and base entries? Unlike our enemy, we are pretty predictable. Because a bomb went off? Bombs go off all the time. When the next attack on American soil occurs (and it will) will it mean that despite all of our efforts and terrorist graves we have dug that we should just pack it in because we lost?

The Taliban never left. And their claim was meant to excite an imagined strength.
 
Why? Because the enemy is too stupid to have its own intelligence network watchiing airports and base entries? Unlike our enemy, we are pretty predictable. Because a bomb went off? Bombs go off all the time. When the next attack on American soil occurs (and it will) will it mean that despite all of our efforts and terrorist graves we have dug that we should just pack it in because we lost?
How many years now have we been in Afghanistan? WHo were we supposed to have toppled and made obsolete? Yet this group now is staging attacks on us still? Show me anywhere I've said we need to "pack it". Show me anywhere I've said the enemy is too stupid. Bombs go off all the time is not a point that validates nor invalidates all the time. It'd be like my saying lightning goes off all the time.
Don't make claims I clearly did not say into my mouth to suit your argument. Stick with what your opponent stated and debate those points.

GySgt said:
The Taliban never left. And their claim was meant to excite an imagined strength.
A bomb, directed at the VP, that goes off next to an American airbase on an spur of the moment stop over by the VP is hardly an imagined strength. It shows that the Taliban has good enough intel capacity which in turn shows how much control the taliban now has everywhere outside of Kabul. The taliban never left? Why not? Why are they still around?
 
How many years now have we been in Afghanistan? WHo were we supposed to have toppled and made obsolete? Yet this group now is staging attacks on us still? Show me anywhere I've said we need to "pack it". Show me anywhere I've said the enemy is too stupid. Bombs go off all the time is not a point that validates nor invalidates all the time. It'd be like my saying lightning goes off all the time.
Don't make claims I clearly did not say into my mouth to suit your argument. Stick with what your opponent stated and debate those points.

You reflected on a supposition that we have lost ground and that the Tali-Ban has gained ground, because of a bomb detonation. However, the truth is that the Tali-Ban has never left and it will never leave. Muslims governments will always have to face off with their zealots in any form, because that is the byproduct of their culture. This means that Al-Queda, Tali-Ban, PLO, Baath Party, Fatah, Hamas, etc. will always linger and will always serve as a reminder that vicious men exist within the shadows of civilization.

"Obsolete" is a word we haven't even been able to use towards our own Radical base. Of course, we both understand the extreme degree of difference, but I only mean to illustrate determination. We do not face the German army or the Iraqi army in Kuwait. Toppled? Easy enough. slaughtering them when they poke their heads out from under their rocks? Easy enough. Making them obsolete? No time soon. Once these organizations (Baathist Pary, Tali-Ban) are removed from power they do not simply lay down their weapons and go home to pick up where they left off. They are now reduced to what their fellow Muslims are - unemployed and bored. This civilization will always provide the victims to their organizations. If men and women of the 19 century committed the sin of romanticizing war, then we 21st century Americans are in danger of embracing a new sin, that of rejecting war's complex realities in favor of a reality-TV approach to combat and its aftermath.

This is on going. Only time and their will to face forward will win this war.


A bomb, directed at the VP, that goes off next to an American airbase on an spur of the moment stop over by the VP is hardly an imagined strength. It shows that the Taliban has good enough intel capacity which in turn shows how much control the taliban now has everywhere outside of Kabul. The taliban never left? Why not? Why are they still around?

I explained why they are around. They are civilians. They are the unemployed. They are the mercenaries. They are the zealots. They are the futureless youth who find purpose in a "holy" war. This civilization has quite a recruitment pool.

And it doesn't take much talent to sit next to an airport and our bases and make note of who is coming and going.
 
You reflected on a supposition that we have lost ground and that the Tali-Ban has gained ground, because of a bomb detonation. However, the truth is that the Tali-Ban has never left and it will never leave. Muslims governments will always have to face off with their zealots in any form, because that is the byproduct of their culture. This means that Al-Queda, Tali-Ban, PLO, Baath Party, Fatah, Hamas, etc. will always linger and will always serve as a reminder that vicious men exist within the shadows of civilization.
Where's the Baath party today? Gone. Gaining ground? Not even close. AQ was never a governmental entity. PLO we're not at war with, neither Fatah nor Hamas - thus no argument.

Taliban had been displaced into a near non-existence before, but now they are back. It's not a supposition by any means, it's the fact of the matters. After 02 the Taliban had practically no power or control over afghanistan, today the story is very different.

GySgt said:
"Obsolete" is a word we haven't even been able to use towards our own Radical base. Of course, we both understand the extreme degree of difference, but I only mean to illustrate determination. We do not face the German army or the Iraqi army in Kuwait. Toppled? Easy enough. slaughtering them when they poke their heads out from under their rocks? Easy enough. Making them obsolete? No time soon.
You're arguing semantics here.
We toppled the taliban and now they've risen back to power everywhere outside of kabul. So much that they have regained control that they launched a coordinated bombing on our AFB with intel of the VP there; these are the undeniable facts. These are the only arguments I'm making.

GySgt said:
Once these organizations (Baathist Pary, Tali-Ban) are removed from power they do not simply lay down their weapons and go home to pick up where they left off. They are now reduced to what their fellow Muslims are - unemployed and bored. This civilization will always provide the victims to their organizations. If men and women of the 19 century committed the sin of romanticizing war, then we 21st century Americans are in danger of embracing a new sin, that of rejecting war's complex realities in favor of a reality-TV approach to combat and its aftermath.

This is on going. Only time and their will to face forward will win this war.
Yes but the presentation here is not over the long term aspects of this culture and it's ppl. It's the simple fact that the once toppled taliban has now regained much political control over Afghanistan.


GySgt said:
I explained why they are around. They are civilians. They are the unemployed. They are the mercenaries. They are the zealots. They are the futureless youth who find purpose in a "holy" war. This civilization has quite a recruitment pool.

And it doesn't take much talent to sit next to an airport and our bases and make note of who is coming and going.
It's not that easy to sit next to an airport and tell who is there or not and then have the means to do so.
The Taliban, a political entity has nothing to do with holy war. It's entirely about political control, a power grab. They are not fighting a jihad, that is merely an excuse they use to justify their authority and rule to the foot soldier and the radical aspect that we see in the media. They are fighting as every other rise to power did for thousands of years, for rule, power and control. The tactics may appear different, the time today, but the human aspect is indifferent. Japanese emperors instilled upon themselves supernatural powers and a dity, the Japanese fighting us were almost religious especially with the flying kamikaze which in itself literally translates to god's wind. The crusades, all through out history it's indifferent, a##holes abusing religion for their own rise to power to justify their rule and instill a just cause for their "army".
 
From the liberals?
Unbridled joy.
:roll:
I am willing to bet most liberals would find little - if any - joy in the death of a fellow human. The left doesn't enjoy the killing of someone with differing political/religious ideologies, despite their past actions. I won't say the right does, but the deaths of innocent Iraqis doesn't seem to bother many of them.

The best you could hope for is maybe relief.

That said, this just seems to be another notch on the wall of defeat. How were the taliban able to get within a half mile of the VP with a suicide bomber? I'm tired of this war.
 
Originally posted by reaganburch:

Going after the Vice President of the United States... pretty ballsy...

Wonder what our response would have been if they had succeeded?
I'm pretty angry that someone would try and take out the Vice President. If they had suceeded, we would have to have a military response. An attack on our leaders is an attack on all Americans. This cannot be allowed under any circumstances.

I have my issues with the VP, but the worst thing I would like to see for him is un-employment!
 
I'm pretty angry that someone would try and take out the Vice President. If they had suceeded, we would have to have a military response. An attack on our leaders is an attack on all Americans. This cannot be allowed under any circumstances.

I have my issues with the VP, but the worst thing I would like to see for him is un-employment!

I completely agree with this assessment.
 
Where's the Baath party today? Gone. Gaining ground? Not even close. AQ was never a governmental entity. PLO we're not at war with, neither Fatah nor Hamas - thus no argument.

It is very much a part of the argument, because they are in the same category. The Baath Party is alive and well and walking throughout the insurgency in Iraq. The only difference between the Tali Ban and Al Queda was that one was a government. However, the Taliban has now been reduced to the terror and militant levels of Al Queda. They are all the same. All movements made up of the same type of people, except the Taliban has a large mercenary base.

You can argue that the Tali Ban is different from other Islamic organizations because they are more power inspired and less religious inspired, but what exactly do you think these religious zealots are really after? It's all about power over others and the Tali Ban is no different-which is why the Tali Ban and Al-Queda found such comfort with each other.

Taliban had been displaced into a near non-existence before, but now they are back.

The Taliban, like the Baathist Party and the Sunni Iraqi military, were merely removed from power and they dissolved into the population to fight another day.

They were never any where near "non-existent" and there are literally hundreds of millions of futureless, unemplyed, bored Islamists in the Middle East to recruit from. And this is why I have always insisted that unless the Middle East remains unchanged and set in it's self destructive ways, chasing down terrorist as they appear is like punching thin air.


So much that they have regained control that they launched a coordinated bombing on our AFB with intel of the VP there; these are the undeniable facts.

These are not "undeniable facts." An undeniable fact is that bombs go off in front of our bases all the time. Another undeniable fact is that there was nothing impressive about this "coordinated" attack. We have a suicide bomber who was reported to have been targetting Cheney. However, this idiot blew himself up outside of the base and got no where near him.

However, Muslims from all over the region are now inspired by the Tali Ban's rediculous claims at how close Islamic militants came to killing the Vice President of the United States.

It's not that easy to sit next to an airport and tell who is there or not and then have the means to do so.

Yes it is. If Somali warlords had the ability to count vehicles comeing to a from our bases in every country's sector to enable them to know when and where to strike at a UN delivery, then certainly Islamic militants have the ability to sit at airports and determine their own desired intel.

Because bombs go off all the time, the equipment is readily available. Because regular security details within convoys are relatively the same, it would be easy enough to tell that this particular cargo contained something other than the garden variety visitor. And since our enemy's faces are memorized by our own military guards at gates, it is a pretty safe bet that our enemy's intelligence officers and agents have the ability to recognize the face of the Vice President of the United States.
 
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Why are people amazed that the Taliban, or whomever set off the bomb knew that Cheney was going to be there?? It wasn't a highly regarded secret, our news outlets were saying he was going there. So, its not as if the Taliban had awesome intel capabilities. Our media does the work for them.
 
Actually I agree with this assessment somewhat. Its no big deal for the TBs to set off a bomb near the airbase. None of what they did is particularly difficult so advise any Liberals out there who think this is a sign of the TBs on the rise to keep their heads. Lets not be as prone to rash judgement as the cons.

However, theyre are many signs of a resurgent TB as you will soon see with the spring offensives, but this isnt one of them.
 
How far was Cheney from this bomb went it went off? If more than a mile--I cannot see how this was a "near attempt" on his life, maybe planned for the VP; but let's talk about the loss of life that did happen from this bomb and not concentrate on "poor ole" Dick "almost" getting it.
A South Korean and an American Soldier and civilians have been reported dead--let's talk about them.
 
It may be ballsy, but it's also futile. Like a suicide bomber could ever get the President or the VP. It would take planning and care beyond the capabilities of the terrorists to do, the best they could hope for is dumb luck.

They almost got GWB in the Ukraine, by the grace of god the grenade was a dud.
 
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