Bickering among countries isn't the problem here. Russian aggression is. And we did commit to protect Ukraine from it. If we're not going to honor that bargain, we should give Ukraine back its nukes. Maybe it can use them for good.

I know I'm late, but your laser comment made my day, that thing was awesome!

China has the largest standing army in the world. That's a fact. It's not the best man-for-man army (that's a tie between the US and Israel) or the best equipped army (US hands down), but the Zergling rush (pardons to Starcraft fans) worked pretty well in North Korea.

But it isn't China's military might that concerns me. The US would still wipe the walls with them in a head-to-head fight. What worries me is the WILL to fight at all. We don't have a CinC who is anything more than a thug and bully - he doesn't have the fortitude or backbone to engage in a war based on principle, which is why he continually equivocates when dealing with Islamic aggression and hides behind drone strikes. That's what cowards do, and this president is a coward.

The other thing that concerns me is that unlike during WW II when the US' manufacturing might reigned supreme, most of our manufacturing is gone. We don't have the industry (especially in steel) to engage in a long-term, world war. And we're already so far in debt, that the economics of a war are similarly problematic.

If I was either Russia or China, I wouldn't directly engage the US either. I'd simply wait a few more years until we collapse under our own weight. When our nation is in shambles due to economic collapse, THAT will be the time to expand.

Really? How much does it cost to run a campaign? How do you think they pay for that dog and pony distraction? Bribes. Massive bribes. They just call them contributions to make it legal. <grin>

Plus the unfriendly climate for production.

(unfriendly climate is my understatement for the day)

And the costs of securing and repairing the pipeline. It has been raided and sabotaged many times.

That makes sense. Thanks.