Has our military gone rogue? Or is it providing plausible deniability to Trump under orders?

[Baitball Blogger]

Officials: No need for Trump's approval to use massive bomb

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. commander in Afghanistan who ordered use of the "mother of all bombs" to attack an Islamic State stronghold didn't need President Donald Trump's approval, Pentagon officials said Friday.

The officials said Gen. John Nicholson has standing authority to use the bomb, which is officially called the Massive Ordnance Air Burst bomb, or MOAB, the largest non-nuclear bomb ever dropped in combat. The bomb had been in Afghanistan since January.

The officials weren't authorized to speak publicly on the matter and requested anonymity.

The bomb's use has attracted enormous attention, but its aim in Thursday's attack was relatively mundane by military standards: destroy a tunnel and cave complex used by Islamic State fighters in a remote mountainous area of eastern Afghanistan.

Nicholson had a secondary goal in mind, however, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss internal matters. The official said Nicholson wanted to demonstrate to leaders of the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan the seriousness of his determination to eliminate the group as a military threat.

http://enews.earthlink.net/article/top?guid=20170414/73584c98-e730-49c4-ad6e-3c5d792bdf26

[Chasstev365]

1. Why the fuck isn't Congress raising hell about this?

[atreides1]

4. Because

Congress won't be the ones coming home in body bags!

[dixiegrrrrl]

11. Congress is on Easter Break. Only Eliz. Warren has spoken out so far. n/t

[ProudLib72]

2. OMG! He had it a whole 3 months

and didn't get to use it until now.

This Nicholson must be a stupid as tRump. He used a bomb meant to cause above ground destruction in order to take out a tunnel complex. Of course, a bunker buster would not have thrown up a huge cloud for everyone to see.

[hack89]

6. A mountain cave complex would be an appropriate target

the overpressure from such an explosion would penetrate deep into the complex.

[ProudLib72]

7. and so would a regular old bunker buster

But it wasn't the latest toy. Sorry, but you will never convince me that the major reason why the MOAB was used was because it created a spectacle, both in its detonation and in the fact that it was the biggest-that-had-never-been-used. Nicholson admitted as much. Using the largest conventional bomb was meant to show everyone how determined we are.

[hack89]

9. Not sure about that

If the tunnels are carved horizontally into the mountains than we are possibly talking about hundreds of feet of solid rock - no bunker buster will be able to penetrate that. You would need a weapon that would create horizontal damage so the force of the explosion would enter the caves/tunnel entrances.

But I also agree with you about the desire to put on a spectacle. One should never underestimate the psychological aspects of war.

[MiniMe]

3. Absolute power corrupts absolutely

[hack89]

5. The military makes a lot of big decisions by themselves all the time

and I don't see how using a big bomb in a remote area of Afghanistan is something that requires the president's permission.

[brooklynite]

8. Not clear why people are troubled by the size of the bomb...

If they hadn't announced the size (likely for foreign propaganda purposes), it wouldn't have been an issue.

[global1]

10. If The Military Does Good .....

he'll take the credit. If they screw up - he has them to blame. Win-win for Trump.