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The Iranians Have Disappointed Us
Gosh, what a disappointment. You can't even trust the CIA anymore. Imagine, all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies agree that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003. Where is George Tenet when we need him - to give us a slam dunk or whatever we asked for? Or Saint Colin Powell who would vouch for the war program after some sobbing.
And the intelligence community has admitted it was wrong. That is no way to run a government operation. Rule number one: never admit a mistake. We pay them $44 billion a year to do what we order so the least they can do is give us the intelligence we need to get other nations to do what we want. Or else. As Don Rumsfeld always said, "You go with the intelligence you have, true and accurate or not. And if the other nations are not guilty of what we accuse them, they will be some day, so why wait?"
Sure, I said in October 2007, "If you're interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon." Knowledge is very dangerous. I learned that at Yale and Harvard Business School. It prevented me from making a buck in three oil businesses I ran (interesting pun) in God's country, Texas. They tell me the knowledge to make a nuke is in the libraries. We have to do something about libraries.
My staff told me not to talk about World War III, that Iran didn't compare to the original axis of evil, Germany, Japan and Italy. But it sounded so good, such a big deal, put me on par with my old man, that World War II hero. Besides, even though Iran is a small country, it might unite the 1.3 billion Muslims against Christian America. Fighting World War III would put me on Mount Rushmore with Teddy Roosevelt, and save the American eagle like President Wilson in World War I and FDR in World War II.
I don't know why the Muslims won't allow us to build military bases in their countries. We already have 737 bases in 130 countries. And everybody is happy. That's spreading democracy just like God told us too. And if anyone tells us to go home, resisting the will of God, we do God's work by cutting off their trade or their bank accounts or their heads (joke), whichever is easier.
The new intelligence report was given to me just last week, so I did not know the new findings when I threatened Iran with the U.S. fleet at anchor in the Persian Gulf, loaded with missiles, planes and nuclear weapons waiting to kick the shit out of the Iranians. Our nuclear weapons are a force for good, for democracy, and the National Football League that I watch every Sunday. How about them Patriots? Could a liberal like Ted Kennedy play that game?
Well, last August, before I declared World War III, Admiral Mike McConnell walked into my office and told me that there was new intelligence about Iran and nukes. I didn't ask him the bottom line, because the typing hadn't even been completed and the Redskins were coming on the tube. Besides, I would never interfere with intelligence collecting. I make it up as I go along
Now, I find out that the Iranians stopped their nuclear weapons program because of a cost - benefit approach. I remember those words from Harvard Business School. That proves the Iranians are unpatriotic and dangerous. My great country, the only superpower on God's earth, maybe on the entire universe, never, ever, stops building guns and ammunition of every size and capability. How else could we spread the word of God and prepare for his return?
Jerome Grossman is a leader in the movement to eliminate weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons. A self-styled elentless liberal, Grossman played key roles in many electoral campaigns and efforts to end the Vietnam War and the Iraq War. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, raised in Brookline, he lived in Newton for 30 years, then in Wellesley for 30 years where he now resides. A 1938 graduate of Harvard College, Grossman is the author of "Relentless Liberal," New York, Vantage Press, 1996 and many newspaper and magazine articles. His blog can be found at www.relentlessliberal.com.
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13 Comments so far
Show Allthis artical reads like a commondreams post
He will have his World War III no matter how many lies and false flag operations it may take to build up the case. World War II was such a lucrative investment for his grand daddy that he just can not let the oppurtunity slip out of his hand.
Watch for the next 9/11 just before his last days in office. Elections suspended and him president for life, headlines on Faux News.
nodupe posted: "Watch for the next 9/11 just before his last days in office. Elections suspended and him president for life, headlines on Faux News."
It is scary how plausible that scenario is. What would we do?
Denver they'd probably round us up into those blackwater prisons before we can do anything. I'm thinking about hightailing it out of here before 2008 elections.
Denver: In case you missed it, check out the 10 minute interview Thom Hartmann did with Paul Craig Roberts, former undersecretary of the Treasury during the Reagan administration. You gotta listen through to the end, because Roberts gives the text of the speech he predicts Bush would give right after the manufactured event, blaming the entire attack (or whatever it is) on the Democrats, the liberals, the progressives, the anti-war crowd, etc.
Use the link below and then scroll down to the calendar for July. It's the July 19 program. http://www.thomhartmann.com/archive.htm
My own idea is that that the orchestrated event will involve a nu-ca-ler plant, either here or in Europe - some sabatoge or other. The neo-cons will find a muslim fall guy who will say that he was trying to get information for Iran and BOOM (literally and figuratively), the neo-cons have their war and the us has martial law and the bush-cheney dictatorship.
The manufactured event HAS to involved something nu-ca-ler. When it does, then bush's already-prepared guilt trip speech to the sheeple (you should have TRUSTED me about Iran's nu-ca-lar ambitions! You'll trust me from now on, won't you?) will be 'right on target'. [Bad pun. Apologies.]
As to a permanent Bush dictatorship, the way the Dumbocraps are talking we're already about 90 percent there with no end in sight to guaranteeing a Bush clone in office. If he were to suspend elections, it might just give the people something the faux news couldn't contort into "good for America", and the reaction might just jolt the "ship of (fools - strike that) state" towards a saner course.
Iran has 65 million people, more than twice the number of Iraq, and lots of mountainous terrain. It's 89% Shi'a and 58% Iranian-speaking, so less disabled by ethno-religious divisions than Iraq. So this is not a small Caribbean country or Gulf emirate that we can bully with ease. In the event of a ground invasion, Iranians could wage a guerrilla war for as long as it took to get rid of us. The best way to bring down the regime? Raise women's literacy rate from 70 to 100%.
I got my figures from the CIA Factbook: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ir.html.
It's interesting that the bureaucrats are showing more independence than the Democratically controlled Congress in rejecting their role as fast food cooks, turning out Whoppers to order so Bush, Cheney, Rice and Olmert can have it their way. Maybe they're afraid they'll be held accountable later; the cockroaches have noted the kitchen light coming on and are scurrying away.
Chimpie-in-chief said,
"I believed before the NIE that Iran was dangerous and I believe after the NIE that Iran is dangerous,"
DECODED:
Iran had our oil before the NIE
and Iran has our oil after the NIE
so here come de bombs
Nuke the Libraries!
If I were Bush, I would definitely take Jerome Grossman to court. How dare Jerome Grossman publish my autobiography without my permission, and without even quoting the source?
Militant liberal said: Iranian-speaking
No its Farsi/Persian speaking.
Our own 'cost/benefit analysis' ruled out any WW-III, awhile back -- expect many-more Bush-wars (no pun or time-line intended), instead, in 'a theatre near you' .
Use of nukes is, of course, still 'on the table'...
PCRoberts...? [Now, there's an example of level-headed advice for the Public...!]
As for Bush and Ineedajob...look for both to retire soon to a fine-aquifer in Patagonia-or-Peru in the very-near future (where they can continue with their mutually-profitable friendships&associations--but with the privacy so-expensive for them both, to date)...[and 'good-riddance']