Dumb
The flea reports:
Sea trials for the INS Shivalik, India’s new stealth warship*, have been delayed by up to three months as the Obama administration sorts out who its friends are. General Electric has been ordered to halt work on the gas turbines Shivalik needs for a quick turn of speed. ghost of a flea
No doubt this is a pause to allow dialogue with pirates and other effected parties. India is one of the few allies the US has in that part of the world. So, of course, it makes perfect sense to cut off technical aid to one of the few navies in the world which, when it sees pirates…tries to sink’em.
March 6th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
This fits in well with Secretary of State Clinton not visiting to India on her recent Asian tour. Given this and Obama’s mistreatment of the British Prime Minister’s visit to Washington, it seems like the Obama administration is deliberately snubbing key US allies while reaching out to its enemies. Not a winning diplomatic strategy.
March 6th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Simple. They have to cut off support to India and give more to the Pals. Oops! I mean Hamass. Reaching out you see. It was a promise. Promises must be kept.
March 6th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
So far, The ONE has not been too impressive. I’ve noticed in my longish life here in the attic, that American presidents seem to come in only two flavours. Those that understand international issues and those that understand domestic issues. The ONE seems a bit short on both points.
I think India allegiance with the West is absolutely critical in the years ahead. Mumbai should surely have taught us that we have much in common with the Indians and they with us.
March 6th, 2009 at 8:27 pm
Remember when he said during one of the debates that he would talk to friends and enemies. No one asked him who was which.
Derek
March 6th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
Ok class, draw a line down the center of the page.
Now, on the left side, make a list of people trying to kill you.
On the other side, make a list of people not trying to kill you.
Now, draw a circle in the middle.
In that circle, try to think of people in the first group who are also trying to kill people in the second ground.
Good goddess, has EVERYONE forgotten Mumbai ALREADY….?!??
March 6th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
Mumbai…rhymes, sort of, with Kumbaya…but was’t that, mainly, except for the Jews and the strays, brown on brown? You don’t expect Hilly and the O to notice….And they don’t apparently.
March 7th, 2009 at 9:05 am
It’s the 40,000 feet view. What is some stray gunmen in a town I don’t know the name of, and why should that concern me, the President of the USA?
Derek
March 8th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
On the economic side, following the links to/at ‘Ghost of a Flea’, India seems to have a very serious navy AND a flourishing shipbuilding industry.
Longterm, ‘O’ has royally screwed GE and other US manufacturers. India will likely, in the short term. buy elsewhere (Rolls Royce? or Russian) BUT in the future one can expect them to develop their own engine manufacturing. Just what GE needs, more competition and fewer sales.