BREAKING: The US is now directly posturing for a potential ground invasion of Iran, sending a third aircraft carrier strike group and up to 10,000 additional sailors and Marines toward the Middle East, while the USS Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group deploys more than 2,000 Marines trained for amphibious operations, according to US officials cited by Al Jazeera and the Wall Street Journal.
The USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group departed San Diego on September 27, while the Makin Island ARG followed with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard. The force includes USS Makin Island, USS John P. Murtha and USS Anchorage, with F-35B Lightning IIs and MV-22B Ospreys.
If the deployment proceeds as planned, three US aircraft carriers and two Amphibious Ready Groups could be positioned near Iran by the end of November, adding up to 9,000 to 10,000 personnel to a region where more than 50,000 US troops are already stationed.
Washington has also deployed two additional Patriot batteries, one to protect a Saudi oil facility and another to protect a Qatari gas installation, amid fears of Iranian retaliation against Gulf energy infrastructure if major US strikes resume.
If you don’t have the ability to check your own side of the aisle and criticize them if they step out of line, you are in a cult. I do not associate myself with tribalists who cannot look in the mirror. Thanks for your attention to this matter.
No, the U.S.-China Relationship Is Not the Best It Has Ever Been - @jimgeraghty: “the problem is our president’s approach to Xi is all red carpets, bowing and scraping, and sucking up, with no discernible policy concessions on China’s part.” https://t.co/OPafLx3KwP
@marcthiessen@EWErickson What a hack! Trump was inviting the Taliban to Camp David and demanded Afghanistan release Taliban prisoners. STFU about Biden and address Trump’s contribution to the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
@AdamKinzinger The sad thing is that Trump would hate this option because then the situation wouldn’t revolve around him. He’s desperate to always be the center of attention. Daddy issues.
Listening to Dolly this morning. Walked out to get the paper and here she is.
A front page NYT obituary is rare, saved for cultural titans like Muhammad Ali, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Steve Jobs
And now, Dolly Parton.