Someone in this administration is seriously misleading South Korea

[Career Prole]

about what they can expect from us.

BLITZER: There was a story in the Financial Times that quoted a South Korean defense ministry paper on February 5th that said this: "In case of an emergency on the Korean Peninsula, the United States has a plan to send more than 40 percent of its entire navy, more than half of its air force, and more than 70 percent of its Marine Corps to defend South Korea."

Is that true?

BAN: Yes.

BLITZER: That's the U.S. plan, based on the information the U.S. government has given you?

BAN: We have been maintaining combined defense posture, together with -- between the United States and the Republic of Korea. We have been assured by or (ph) even strengthened defense capabilities by the United States. And we are maintaining very close alliance with the United States.

BLITZER: So you're not concerned that the U.S. military may be overstretched right now because of the fighting in Iraq?

BAN: We think that the United States has enough capabilities to deal with all these regional conflicts while they are concentrating their military forces in Iraq. I think the United States and Koreans in close combined defense capabilities can maintain and can deal with any threats.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0502/13/le.01.html

If that freakin' Blitzer was a responsible journalist he would have kept on this until the end of the show.

South Korea has been lied to by the * administration and no one in the media is questioning this impossible-to-keep pledge.

:wtf:

[necso]

1. Just add "readily available" as a qualifier

to "40 percent of its entire (readily available) navy", "more than half of its (readily available) air force", and "more than 70 percent of its (readily available) Marine Corps", and it makes sense. (We might even actually do something like this -- or we might have other plans.)

With Soviet-style pronouncements (and "news"), one has to use a Soviet-style of "readership".

[Career Prole]

2. Overstretched would signal very little readily available to us.

I hope South Korea is hip to the nuances of shrubspeak. It sounded, though, like poor Ban is expecting a crowd.
No wonder Leslie changed the subject.

[necso]

3. Oh well.

The logistics, at least, would appear transparent... and these do not become easier in combat situations.