i cant think: U.S. Increases Rhetoric on War With Iran

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November 20, 2004

U.S. Increases Rhetoric on War With Iran

According to the U.K. Guardian, the U.S. Pentagon has begun discussions of possible military action against Iran. Pentagon strategists have begun to "war game" possible scenarios including possible strikes on leadership, political and security targets.

While it is possible that this is merely bluster designed to increase the pressure on Iran, it is nonetheless disturbing given the previous track record of the Bush administration and its neocon policy makers.

This news comes closely on the heels of last week's announcement by Secretary Colin Powell that Iran is developing a nuclear missile. According to Secretary Powell, "I have seen some information that would suggest that they have been actively working on delivery systems. . . . I'm talking about information that says they not only have these missiles, but I am aware of information that suggests that they were working hard as to how to put the two together."

This is the same man who, in February 2003, stood before the U.N. Security Council and presented "evidence" that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction, including mobile weapons labs, nuclear weapons and delivery systems, and the now infamous aluminum tubes, none of which have been found to this day.

Powell's pronouncement is especially puzzling since the IAEA chief, Mohamed El Baradei, said last week that "all the declared nuclear material in Iran has been accounted for, and therefore such material is not diverted to prohibited activities."

As for Emperor Bush, it is clear at this point that his idea of foreign policy is "more stick, less carrot." If, as political science theory teaches us, nation-states behave in the same way as children playing in a sandbox, then Bush's idea of diplomacy must be to act as the playground bully. As we, as well as others much smarter than ourselves, have pointed out before, the U.S. is already grossly over-extended in both its military and intelligence capacity. And now our "steadfast and determined" self-styled "war President" apparently seeks to bluff his way through the Iran situation by threatening military intervention which the rest of the world knows would clearly be nearly impossible given the present state of the U.S. in Iraq and Afghanistan.

It is one thing for the President to bet his own life, it is another thing entirely for him to bet with my life and the lives of millions of others.

Posted by bcoffee at November 20, 2004 11:10 PM