Since when do we order airstrikes to kill ONE MAN?

[KyuzoGator]

This is not to say that Zarqawi's death isn't a good thing. I'm just wondering exactly when it became justifiable to drop a half-ton of high-explosives in a half-million-dollar (or more) mission with the objective of killing one person.

Has our notion of honorable warfare really become so fucking convoluted?

[warrens]

1. We did it four or five times for Saddam

Unfortunately, all we got was a few dozen innocent civilians.

[sui generis]

12. I think we got some this time too

weren't the surrounding homes completely destroyed too?

Gotta love these "surgical" strikes - the 500 pounds of explosives were likely designed to destroy any kind of shallow bunker.

Why aren't we asking why we didn't try to take him alive? I mean, after all we were "sure" he was there. We could have dropped sleepy gas or concussion ordnance, but no, we wanted to blow his patootie to kingdom come with no chance of survivors.

Things that make you go hmmmmmmmm.

[Karenina]

16. The stated PNAC goal is

DEPOPULATION by ANY MEANS NECESSARY.

[sui generis]

24. yeah! that's where we'll put all these durn illegal immigrants

and their little chihuahua dogs too!

eek.

:hide:

:rofl:

[SteppingRazor]

2. We tried it with Saddam right before the invasion...

We also bombed many of Hitler's compounds after D-Day in an attempt to take him out. I'm sure there's plenty of other examples.

Not saying Zarqawi's the equivalent of either man, but there is some history of this.

[maxsolomon]

3. 9 11 changed everything

clinton launched several cruise missiles at OBL - they ain't cheap.

murka does it all the time.

[havocmom]

10. And don't forget Kadafi in the 80s

[atreides1]

4. To have a notion of honor

One must first understand that honor is more then a 5 letter word.

[datadiva]

5. Only when *ush needs a diversion. n/t

[lebkuchen]

6. Since high school graduation

Rummy is trying to impress the potential flock of new recruits with his big gun.

Zarkawi's death and Bush's substantial praise of our armed forces for that "feat" are sure to impress a fare share of 18 year olds.

[KyuzoGator]

7. I guess I mean it more as a rhetorical question.

I mean, step back from this a little bit...when did we as a country start to condone this as a manner of warfare?

[peacebird]

8. how can * claim "Justice" has been served? If we knew where he was

Why not take him into custody and bring him up on charges before the court? THAT is how JUSTICE is served. This was an execution - not justice.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

9. Since at least when Clinton ordered air strike against Osama bin Laden

Clinton flattened a bunch of tents in Afghanistan in 1998 with millions of dollars of cruise missiles trying to get Osama bin Laden.

[Cha]

11. Since they killed all

those innocent Iraqis bombing the hotel where they thought sadam was eating.

[Snivi Yllom]

13. Reagan in 1986, he missed Qadaffi, Clinton in 1998, he missed too

20 years

[opihimoimoi]

14. Collateral Damage was 37485697002399282746 peeps in neighboring

homes.....?

Not one mention....HMMMMmmmmmmm?

[lumpy]

15. Plenty of tonnage was dropped to try to kill

Libya's leader, Khadafi.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

17. we do that when capture and trial might embarrass the administration

[Rocknrule]

18. It's like using a chainsaw to swat a fly

[godhatesrepublicans]

19. Since Pres. Happykill realized he can't succeed in anything more complex.

[lpbk2713]

20. The $25 Million bounty on his head may have played a part.

:shrug:

[Pavulon]

21. Beats putting Men in the line of fire

If we knew he was there and had a positive id great. No soldier is killed or injured. Bombs are better than the lives of soldiers.

Easy for me.

[cali]

22. Honorable warfare? Now there's an oxymoron for you.

Can you think of anything honorable about the bombing of Dresden or Hamburg or Hiroshima? The mustard gas and battlefields of WWI? You're deluding yourself if you think that there's some decorous code that we used to adhere to. War is an abomination. Bombing a house to kill Zarqawi scarcely registers as a blip in the vast field of wartime atrocities.

[deaniac21]

23. Operating costs for flying an F-16 are around $5000 per hour.

Cost for a MK 82 500 pound bomb is around $250.