And damned right too!

The brave nation of Turkey has refused to submit to the calls of the cowardly cut and runners in the US administration and will not commit to timetable for its withdrawal from Iraq. After all we all know that setting a timetable for withdrawal means that the evil doers have won.

Hey, wait just one minute, the Turks are pulling out! The terrorists hiding behind the US military in non-existent Kurdistan have won!

The Turks are coming! The Turks are coming!

Thousands of Turkish soldiers have entered northern Iraq, an act that is clearly unnecessary as the heroic American invasion some years ago removed American client evil dictator Saddam Hussein who was responsible for threatening the neighbours. Haven't the Turks heard that peace is upon us?

Is Milo Minderbinder back at work for the US Defense Department?

It turns out that the United States helped to plan a Turkish military attack on a country that the United States is currently illegally occupying. Joseph Heller would be so proud.

Holy precedent Batman

Citing unimpeachable intelligence that Kurds in Iraq have large scale programmes to develop weapons of mass destruction and that these weapons could be deployed in under 45 minutes against Ankara and Istanbul, that the Kurds in Iraq are a danger to their neighbours and an overwhelming desire of the free peoples everywhere for regime change in Iraqi Kurdistan Turkey has invaded Iraq. (And the oil. Did I mention the oil?)

Progress report

Turkey is bombing Kurdish freedom fighters/insurgents/terrorists (pick one) in Iraq again. Whatever happened to the no fly zone?

It's not exactly shock and awe...

...but Turkish helicopters have struck at Kurdish freedom fighter/terrorist targets inside Iraq. Should this escalate further this is not at all good news and no amount of neo-con spin can change that.

Things must be awfully bad in Ankara

Turkey is relying on Captain Codpiece for help with intelligence. That kind of like asking Chuck Norris for acting lessons!

What's 2 times 0?

Increasingly irrelevant US Secretary of State Conocoleezza Rice has promised Turkey that the US will "redouble" its efforts against the group of Kurdish freedom fighters/terrorists known as the PKK.

"Just please don't invade Iraq!"

Another traitor in our midst!

Retired US Air Force Gen. Joseph Ralston, who was Captain Codpiece's hand picked envoy to that group of freedom fighters/terrorists the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), now has the temerity to suggest that Bush and his minions should make good on promises that they made to Turkey to confront the group and keep them under control. Because the US has failed to do this, much like everything else it has promised to do in Iraq, Gen. Ralston believes that the Turks may feel that they have no alternative other then striking against PKK voices in Iraqi Kurdistan. In response to a question as to whether he believes that the Turks will enter Iraq territory he responded: "They're going to have to, in the absence of the U.S. doing anything."

Cue the pre-recorded chorus of outrage!

In which I provide an unimpeachable argument for Conocoleezza Rice to use during her upcoming visit to Turkey

The increasingly irrelevant US Secretary of State is to visit Ankara next week to try and dissuade the Turkish government from invading Iraq. I think if Ms. Rice utters just the following simple words the Turks will be more than convinced:

"Hey. We did it and look how it's turned out!"

Time is of the essence

After applying considerable pressure to the Turkish government the United States has bought some more time for it's puppet government in Baghdad the freely chosen democratic government of Iraq to deal with the Kurdish separatists/freedom fighters/terrorists that are currently operating relatively freely in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region which borders Turkey. I hope they don't waste it.

We should be thankful to the Turks for their restraint so far. How much restraint would the US government show if northern Mexico were home to a group of separatists/freedom fighters/terrorists who were continually striking against American forces on American soil? Not very much would be my guess.

What me worry?

I don't have any idea what might happen should the Turkish military strike into Iraq but I know it won't be good.

All systems go

The Turkish Parliament has approved, by a vote of 507 - 19, to authorise military incursions into Iraq to attack Kurdish freedom fighters/terrorists/misguided adolescents. The government of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region warned the Turks that such action would be "illegal". Well that did stop the last bunch no did it?

Fasten your seat belt.

Let the incursion begin!

The Turkish military has begun shelling Iraqi territory as tensions rise between NATO "allies" the US and Turkey and the risks of a (possibly legal but inflammatory) Turkish incursion to strike against Kurdish freedom fighters/terrorists rises ever higher.

Just exactly what the hell is the thinking here?

I am having a hard time understanding what Congressional Democrats were trying to accomplish this week with the no binding resolution that defines the slaughter of Armenians by the Turks during the First World War as genocide.

Yes it was certainly ethnic cleansing; it was almost certainly genocide; by any definition it was an unacceptable atrocity. But even I, an ardent idealist who recognises that much of my thinking and many of my ideas are impractical at best, recognise the role to be played by Realpolitik in the diplomatic game. I do not understand the urgency to pass this measure, at this the worst possible time. There was no particular anniversary to mark; there is no election on the near horizon and even if there were what constituency were they trying to kiss up to? Do they think that damaging relations with Turkey just at this moment when it is most likely that Turkish forces will cross into Iraq to confront Kurdish separatists/terrorists will increase the likelihood that Captain Codpiece will suddenly decide to withdraw American forces from Iraq? Or, more sinisterly, do they believe a low level confrontation with Turkey on the border with Iraq will give any future Democratic president the cover to NOT WITHDRAW once they are in office? Perhaps they were just trying to embarrass Captain Codpiece because they haven't the cojones to cut off funding for the illegal occupation of Iraq.

Can anyone explain?

Progress report

The fact that Turkey has recalled its ambassador from Washington over the congressional vote on the Armenian genocide isn't going to make things any easier to resolve once Turkey invades Iraq.

"Hey! We invaded first so just fuck off will ya?"

The White House seems to be believe that two invasions is one too many for Iraq to handle comfortably. It that means that Turkey has to tolerate the actions of terrorists that are harbouring in Iraq so be it!

Bloody Hell - I am a genius!

The Decider(TM) has decided to decide that he is opposed to this bill condemning the Turkish genocide against Armenia. So what he should do is this. The week before Thanksgiving, instead of amnestying a turkey, he should veto the bill and amnesty the country Turkey instead! Brilliant right? I know you are going to quibble and argue that this is a non-binding resolution and therefore he can't veto it but that is the beauty of it. He vetoes it anyway because he is the Imperial President and Our Glorious Leader.

Someone should be paying me for this shit!

On dangerous ground

Most eyes, including mine, have been focused recently on the eastern border of Iraq, that one with an axle of evil, but there are events about which we should be very, very concerned taken place on the country's north western border as well, the one with Turkey. Turkey now claims it has the right, under a Hussein-era agreement, to strike into Iraqi territory to confront Kurdish terrorists freedom fighters that are currently harbouring in American occupied territory. I, for one, don't really understand what could occur should Turkish forces invade Iraq and potentially clash with American forces there. What happens when two NATO "allies" come up against each other, with weapons, in a conflict zone? What does this do to the "democracies don't make war on each other theory"?

I don't know what will happen but I worry that it could have an extremely far reaching impact; one that would most likely not be for the good.