Mike the Usurper wrote:

"With two carrier strike groups in the Gulf, we're sending clear messages to friends and adversaries alike," said Cheney on a visit to the John C. Stennis aircraft carrier off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, a close U.S. ally.

Yes, we're saying, "look how incredibly stupid we are to put all of these huge boats in this little tiny bathtub for you to send zodiac suicide bomb boats and launch silkworm missiles at if we even twitch!"

Two aircraft carrier battle groups in position with a third steaming that way right now.

End game anyone?

At any rate, if we get through WW3 without dying from nuclear fallout, it will be interesting to see how all the new defense contractors' toys played with each other.

I still think Exocets will do the trick. Those fancy silkworm and sunburn missiles still have to cruise about 150 feet above sea level on the way to the target. Raytheon made a drop in replacement for the Phalanx guns that is supposedly a defense the new crop of supersonics Russia has been handing out like candy.

But those Exocets, man I wonder what would have happened to the USS Stark if both warheads had detonated. That thing flies about 10 feet above the water. You aren't even going to see it coming. Short range, only about 40 miles, but still dangerous and will fuck up anything we float out there. 40 miles is plenty of range when it comes to the Straight of Hormuz and trying to get oil out of there.

What a pickle we are in over there. Waging this war of conquest for a resource we have to trickle out through the eye of a needle so to speak. And that pesky Iran just won't play ball!

Cheney's grandstanding is the equivalent of unzipping your fly, letting your genitals hang out, beating your chest and saying, "KICK ME IN THE JIMMY!"

RE: Cheney warns Iran, assures allies on Gulf visit�|�Politics News�|�Reuters.com