Pat Buchanan- Why are we still in Korea?

[komitsuki]

Originally Posted by MMM

S. Korea is America's ally, so we will stand beside them. Is that not what allies do?

Generally

People over 25 in South Korea: America is our ally.

People under 25 in South Korea: America is NOT our ally.

[fluffy0000]

Unfortunately in the op's Pat Buchanan 'BFF' town hall speech - good ole Pat leaves out his participation in US administrations interventions in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.

From Buchanans post in the Nixon white house Pat Buchanan painted a rosy picture of the Nixon, strategy to 'end the Vietnam War with a peace with honor ',...

In retrospect Pat Buchanan as a member of the Nixon inner circle was witness to the prolonged extension of the war with no change to what the US would finally acheive if it had settled years earlier at the Paris Peace Talks for what it finally recieved. So much for peace or honor.

The Vietnam War with the Nixon adminstration at the helm with Pat Buchanan right there at the center cheerleading. Grinded on without a 'hic up' from Pat Buchanan.

Fast forward to Pat Buchanan serving with US Pres. Ronald Reagan. Pat Buchanan served as White House Communications Director from 1985 to 1987. To help garner opposition to Nicaragua's Sandinista government and support of the opposing rebels he coined the phrase " I'm a contra too ".
Translation the contras were a bunch of murderous thieves and drug smugglers on the payroll of US covert operations to destabilize the duly democratically elected government of Nicaragua.
see Iran Contra Affair
From What Uncle Sam Really Wants, by Noam Chomsky.

[File0]

At 5pm EST Friday 22nd October 2010 WikiLeaks released the largest classified military leak in history. The 391,832 reports ('The Iraq War Logs'), document the war and occupation in Iraq, from 1st January 2004 to 31st December 2009 (except for the months of May 2004 and March 2009) as told by soldiers in the United States Army. Each is a 'SIGACT' or Significant Action in the war. They detail events as seen and heard by the US military troops on the ground in Iraq and are the first real glimpse into the secret history of the war that the United States government has been privy to throughout.

The reports detail 109,032 deaths in Iraq, comprised of 66,081 'civilians'; 23,984 'enemy' (those labeled as insurgents); 15,196 'host nation' (Iraqi government forces) and 3,771 'friendly' (coalition forces). The majority of the deaths (66,000, over 60%) of these are civilian deaths.That is 31 civilians dying every day during the six year period. For comparison, the 'Afghan War Diaries', previously released by WikiLeaks, covering the same period, detail the deaths of some 20,000 people. Iraq during the same period, was five times as lethal with equivalent population size. Wikileaks Iraq and Afghan War Diaries

How will this affect on the trust of the US allies?
S.Korea might need to stop to rely on the US.(?)

I've always had bad feeling when, nations with superpower claim themselves peacemakers, allies and supporters in wars which are not their to fight. There are always hidden reasons/wills behind their actions, I hope they'll give them up one day.
It's an altogether sad situation.

BBC News - Wikileaks release of embassy cables reveals US concerns
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/29/wo...s.html?_r=1&hp

[fluffy0000]

way to go dude?
how will this effect my internet connection?
What has this to do with S. Korea, or Pat Buchanan ? besides bashing the US for civilian deaths in Iraq which clearly are identified besides WikiLeaks and other sources as attributed to mostly 'sectarian violence'.
translation iraqi's killing iraqi's
yes the US is responsible for loss of civilian life in Iraq but the
majority of the violence is due to 'ethnic cleansing' due to
sectarian violence. (Shi'ite, Sunni and Kurdish factions)

(Reuters)
Iraq civilian death toll almost doubles in July
By Wathiq Ibrahim
BAGHDAD | Sun Aug 1, 2010 12:09pm EDT
Overall violence has fallen sharply since the height of the sectarian war that followed the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. But bombings and assassinations still occur on a daily basis as Sunni Islamists try to reverse the rise of the Shi'ite majority to political dominance.

[steven]

Isn't the US being in Asia just a matter of balancing power?

Regardless of whether or not it's the "smart" thing to do, it is what it is and if we were to just pick up and go then there would be a huge shift in how things work around here. Who'd plan all that? How much time and money would it cost? It jus seems like a lot of time and money to do something that might not have the best results.

[Ryzorian]

I'm Glad China is reaching for Superpower status. Ths US doesn't have a rival since the USSR collapsed and is withering on the vine for lack of a challange. The US has allways built it's strength on compition, it's what drives us to greatness..without it we just kinda float along aimlessly.

The Korea's are again becomeing the focal point between competeing super powers. One on the Rise the other looking to find it's purpose again.

By the way, the Korean war was never technically over.

[siokan]

China is building the aircraft carrier of five seats.
Obama visits India. (Importance)

The defense power strengthening of South Korea fails by the economic crisis.
The thing with an extremely little number of Republic of Korean Force of possession bullets is exposed.
Problem of U.S. bases relocation in Japan.
Budget allocation to the U.S. military in the Diet in Japan discussed now.
Japan fails in the arms renewal.
China and an intimate political party are sustaining the government party to Taiwan.

& Military forces money of the US is insufficient.


Read the column and return it.
"Lower the front to the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean central part if you do not obediently follow it."

[Ronin4hire]

Before I forget.. thanks fluffy for the insight into buchanan. Regardless of who he is.. I still think he makes some interesting points and coming from someone with a bit of status (regardless of what you think of him), that suggests to me that this idea is bouncing around somewhere in the top echelons of US political thought.

Originally Posted by steven

Who'd plan all that? How much time and money would it cost?

I think the point is that the Japanese and South Koreans would. And the question here isn't how much time or money it will cost, but rather WHO's time and money it will cost.

Japan is the world's 3rd largest economy.. It's not like it can't fill in the gap the US will leave open.

South Korea is not exactly a poor country either.

Furthermore it won't be like the US is abandoning them as allies.

[fluffy0000]

I never posted what 'I thought ' about Pat Buchanan?

I posted excerpts from sources from his 1966-2000' career in politics as reported by NYT,WSJ and authors Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn etc.

Pat Buchanan has been around the US political landscape for several decades
and his actions speak louder than anybodys words or thoughts including Pat Buchanan or myself.

Pat Buchanan omitted from his town hall speech - US policy that undercut his arguement about his 'fantasy' US policy and strategy.

A) omitted material 'Americas longest War' Vietnam War
Pat Buchanan was major 'cheerleader' and part of the deception
of the Nixon Administration.
B) omitted his participation in Pres. Reagans administration
support overthrow of democratically elected gov. Nicaraga
funding support of contras ( terrorist organization ).

all above have been extensively reported by journalist and media and part of the congressional record see; Iran Contra Scandal.

C) ..,"what is bouncing around somewhere in the top echelons of US political thought"
certainly not these Pat Buchanan ideas ( quotes )


"Promiscuous homosexuals appear literally hell-bent on Satanism and suicide." - Pat Buchanan 10/17/90

"Women are simply not endowed with the same measure of single-minded ambition and the will to succeed in the fiercely competitive world of Western capitalism." - Pat Buchanan

"We are in the process of destroying the one working economy [in lower Africa -- South Africa] -- because it doesn't adopt an idiotic 'One man, one vote' regimen." -- Pat Buchanan


"[Hitler was] an individual of great courage, a soldier's soldier... [and] a political organizer of the first rank." - Pat Buchanan

[RealJames]

It's amazing to me how America stays in SK and also in Okinawa, considering how much the local people hate them.
The truth of the situation is money, as it always is.