<p>“Engage Iraq’s neighbors. This approach will fail. The basic causes of violence and sources of manpower and resources for the warring sides come from within Iraq. Iraq’s neighbors are encouraging the violence, but they cannot stop it.”</p>
<p>We expect Israel and Palestine leaders to sit down together and work out a peace agreement but we can’t do that or promote this course of action? We have no leadership with vision right now.</p>
<p>I say why the heck not? Everything is going so well with our other two why not share the fun? And I do want them to start this one so that the initial attacks coincide with my summer vacation and …oooh. Be sure to tell them to keep the whole nightime bombing thing going, it is so much cooler on TV that way. (Edit: Did you see the recently leaked friendly fire one synched up to the audio? That was way better than Playstation. )</p>
<p>Man. I sure hope some reporters are caught on the roof of the Teheran Ramada Express.</p>
<p>Note to Self : Buy plasma TV , Haliburton stock, and No-Doze. </p>
<p>Just remember kids, as your Uncle Dick Cheney always says “you can’t have ‘war profiteering’ without somebody making a profit.” ;)</p>
<p>Plus, it’s really not fair that the Navy suppliers have missed out on the “resetting” dollars going to the Army and Marines. A naval air war against Iran would spread the wealth.</p>
<p>Apparently we will need to use nuclear-tipped bunker buster bombs to get at the Iranian uranium enrichment plants buried underground. The thinking is that the US might not be willing to launch a preemptive nuclear strike, but we sell those bombs to Israel, so they could handle those missions.</p>
<p>A joint US/Israeli nuclear strike on Iran. This is starting to make a lot of sense. I’m sure it would go a long way towards bringing stability to the region.</p>
I agree. I think when people better understand the “good points” of another PMFS “Preemptory Media Friendly Strike” followed sprightly by another EGHA - FWWCE “Ever Growing Hellish Abyss From Which We Cannot Escape” they will get on board the W -Train. The War Train. </p>
<p>"People all over the world,
get on the War Train, War Train…
Tell all our brothers over in Af-ri-ca,
we got no medicine or hope for you,
and tell all the folks in North Ko-re-a,
next time we 're coming for you -
Get on the War Train, War Train." </p>
<pre><code>Everybody sing!!
</code></pre>
<p>(What can I say? It’s a lttle better if you can picture folks doing the “Bump”. ;))</p>
<p>Thanks for the link ID and Curmudgeon for the laugh.</p>
<p>I remember not to long ago when “neocon” was considered a misnomer by David Brooks of the NYTimes, now it’s a badge of honor? The cartoon is fitting - it makes war look positively fun.</p>
<p>This quote should tell you something about the authors simplistic grasp of terrorism:</p>
<p>“Yet military acts, while necessary, were not sufficient. The underlying problem was that so many young Middle Easterners were prepared to throw away their lives for the simple joy of killing Americans and to believe they were thereby doing something noble. We could capture or kill many of them, but the supply seemed inexhaustible.”</p>
<p>I’m not laughing. You guys are clever and all, but this is a little too
real for me. The AIE is calling the shots friends, and it looks like they’re lining up their ducks. </p>
<p>Our country (world) is in grave danger. Hug your kids. Enjoy the present.</p>
<p>I’m only laughing because otherwise I’d have to cry. </p>
<p>I believe that Bush, Cheney, and Rice are indeed planning to bomb Iran. It will be tricky for them. Congress isn’t going to sit on its hands, this time around. I don’t think they’ll find a lot of enthusasm among the military leaders, either. They’ll probably need an act of provocation: a mine in the Straits of Hormuz or something.</p>
<p>All things considered, I’d give it about 50%-50% odds.</p>
<p>Bush finds the idea worth a chuckle.<br>
I found this quote in the article below, interesting also for some other tidbits.
I think the odds are more than 50-50. Bush is giving a speech this weekend about Iran. I believe he will link Iran to the war in Iraq, so that he won’t have to go to Congress for any kind of approval. </p>
<p>It feels like stories keep getting planted in the media to gradually prepare us for this–capturing Iranians in Iraq, now saying the deadliest weapons are coming from Iran, etc. Truly chilling.</p>
<p>There are quite a few Senators who are very concerned about plans to attack Iran and have been asking pointed questions of the administration about consitutional authority.</p>
<p>"Another serious development is the growing role of the U.S. Strategic Command (StratCom), which oversees nuclear weapons, missile defense, and protection against weapons of mass destruction. Bush has directed StratCom to draw up plans for a massive strike against Iran, at a time when CentCom has had its hands full overseeing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. “Shifting to StratCom indicates that they are talking about a really punishing air-force and naval air attack [on Iran],” says Lang.</p>
<p>Moreover, he continues, Bush can count on the military to carry out such a mission even without congressional authorization. “If they write a plan like that and the president issues an execute order, the forces will execute it. He’s got the power to do that as commander-in-chief. We set that up during the Cold War. It may, after the fact, be considered illegal, or an impeachable offense, but if he orders them to do it, they will do it.”</p>
<p>Thanks for the Vanity Fair link. The article is pretty one-sided and probably jumps to a few conclusions. However, it’s a good outline of the neocon ideas about the Middle East.</p>
<p>I’m not convinced that the military will attack Iran without an effort to avoid it. I think that any planning for such an attack would be accompanied by a ton of leaks. The problem for Bush, is that all of Washington knows he twisted the intelligence to fire up support for invading Iraq. Bush won’t get the same benefit of the doubt this time.</p>
<p>I agree with you, patient. Bush/Cheney didn’t listen to the generals who have disagreed with his policies in the past, so I don’t see any reason to think he will this time.</p>
<p>These plans have been in their sights for years - the “axis of evil” is not a new concept. I think we are not being realistic if we think a few vocal Democrats will make any difference to the WH. And the miliary is under
Bush/Cheney command.</p>
You guys are clever and all, but this is a little too