Next Ground Zero in Middle East

In the wake of NIE report that Iran has since abundant her ambitious nuclear plans; a notion has emerged that since military strike against Iran makes no sense; so it will not happen. This may be a wishful thinking and under mining the core reality of US 'ideological driven policy objective' of regime change in Tehran . We need to call our recent past, when such like debates were seen before, in the build-up to the invasion of Iraq . While the world was debating the issue of WMD; left unmentioned was the decade's long policy of regime change in Iraq . The event of 9/11 put the regime change in fast track and today the end result is the occupation of Iraq . The WMD issue was simply a facilitator for the conflict'.

The same can be said of the situation facing the United States and Iran today. The nuclear and terror issues are simply vehicles for implementing a policy of regime change. Take away the nuclear issue and the policy remains. A new facilitator, such as terrorism, is then employed.'

The US Congress is continuous in support of the existing war powers resolutions passed in 2001 and 2002, and they have again tied their hands to Bush administration contentions by labelling the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as terror organisation. This tantamount to give Bush a full free hand; in case Bush initiate an attack against Iran .

Although N I E Report has dampen the intensity of war rhetoric for a while; but it may be the calm before the bigger storm.

This may be seen as rushing to some rash analysis, but it seems most likely (due to the compelling evidences of Bush's administration past history) that soon we be going to have another 9/11 event! This time ground zero may not be some twin tower like targets in America but it will be (most probably a self inflicted 9/11 like wound surfacing) some where in Tel-Aviv-Israel.

Keeping in view the past US conduct and treatment of, her appointed proxies; it is not difficult to ascertain that a time to say… a 'thank you' to old proxy Israel and also to say… good bye has come.( America 's old bad habit). Israel may find a change in norms in respect of her being a staunch ally but now it's this ally's turn to be taken to the Alter for the slaughter; (Another bad habit of US) to quell and silence for good, a first hand abettor of her Middle East Atrocious policy conductor. It is over due since long!

America uses its proxies like tissue paper. Israel services are since over stretched and Israel must be tired acting as a fore runner for US in Middle East.(Recent ditching of Musharraf comes to mind). Israel has indirectly enabled US to secure a good foot hold in Iraq ; a most wanted US mega base in the Middle East is now in place.

9/11 like replay around Tel-Aviv will be the most appropriate scenario to hold Iran responsible and initiate attack against Iran . In the light of old rhetoric of Iran ; of wiping off the Israel from world map; Israel may be the first to send aerial bombardment sorties to Iran nuclear and other military targets like Nataz, Bushehr, Arak , Shian and Esfahan . Followed by an all out US lead forces move to invade Iran to occupy and facilitate a regime change.

Next US mega bases in Iran may be in North of Tehran; over looking Caspian Sea; the most vantage locations to check and guard any possible Russian retaliatory moves from across Caspian Sea.

In this conflict the country to bear the brunt, the most may be Israel ; starting with a loss of lives in the initial 'ground zero action'; followed by the retaliatory action by Iran in response to Israel 's aerial bombardment as well as on ground moves. But Israel may not be able to bear the brunt. In recent Lebanon war, it was witnessed that even ill aimed, short range Hezbollah Kaytosha rockets sporadic and mild attacks were not a good experience for Israel in the North.
-----------------------------
Love for all, Hatred for none

""Not everyone understands the threat of nuclear proliferation in Iran or elsewhere **but we and our allies do understand the threat** and we have a duty to prevent it," Cheney said..."

What else would this warmonger say? Which allies is he speaking of anyway? Israel? Who else would like to see Iran bombed? Our European allies understand the risks of such an attack better than we do, certainly they don't agree?

The following is a quote from an article written by Gareth Porter, entitled "US Intelligence Review Directly Contradicts Bush's Line On Iran" and found at http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/12/05/5629/:

"The intelligence community also said for the first time in the new NIE, "[W]e do not know whether it currently intends to develop nuclear weapons.

"That judgment confirms what International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Mohammed ElBaradei and other close observers of the Iranian nuclear program have been saying since 2004: Iran is not interested in nuclear weapons but in the deterrent value inherent in the knowledge of mastering the nuclear fuel cycle."

"The deterrent value inherent in the knowledge of mastering the nuclear fuel cycle."

None of the pundits I've listened to this past week even mentioned this possibility. bush/cheney & co. will spin it any way they can to make it happen. All they talk about is the big push to attack Iran because, by golly, Iran DOES have the capability.

Let the pentagon make their contingency plans, but we still don't have the funds, materials, or manpower to accomplish the task, according to Gates, Fallon, and Mullen. Let's hope cooler heads prevail, using diplomacy as the main tool to prevent the US from a second preemptive attack in the region.

To quote Mr. Vice President Cheney (he of the perptual snarl): "Not everyone understands the threat of nuclear proliferation . . ." I would beg to differ with his eminence. Has he ever considered that maybe there are many of other folks (and nations) around the world that DO understand the threat . . . and that they are aware of where the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons are (or should I say "where that stockpile proliferates?") . . . or what nation is the only one to use said nuclear weapons in an act of aggression . . . or what leader of said nation is proposing to ignore something called a non-proliferation treaty and begin to develop an "advanced arsenal" of next generation nuclear weapons . . . or that the current administration of a nation that is a signatory to the non-proliferation treaty is even now ignoring said treaty as if it is above it . . . or what outfit is even now spreading radiation not only to adversaries, but to its own armed forces by employing weapons and equipment using DU (depleted uranium) from its pile of radioactive waste.
When is this bankrupt bunch inside the beltway going to recognize that we (the U.S.) are not the end all and be all on this globe, and begin to work cooperatively with the rest of humanity?

To quote Mr. Vice President Cheney (he of the perptual snarl): "Not everyone understands the threat of nuclear proliferation . . ." I would beg to differ with his eminence. Has he ever considered that maybe there are many of other folks (and nations) around the world that DO understand the threat . . . and that they are aware of where the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons are (or should I say "where that stockpile proliferates?") . . . or what nation is the only one to use said nuclear weapons in an act of aggression . . . or what leader of said nation is proposing to ignore something called a non-proliferation treaty and begin to develop an "advanced arsenal" of next generation nuclear weapons . . . or that the current administration of a nation that is a signatory to the non-proliferation treaty is even now ignoring said treaty as if it is above it . . . or what outfit is even now spreading radiation not only to adversaries, but to its own armed forces by employing weapons and equipment using DU (depleted uranium) from its pile of radioactive waste.
When is this bankrupt bunch inside the beltway going to recognize that we (the U.S.) are not the end all and be all on this globe, and begin to work cooperatively with the rest of humanity?

formernadervoter

Biden is very wrong. Waiting for Bush to attack Iran is stupid. Impeachment or no, one could not undo the attack. We need to impeach now and prevent an attack on Iran.

It is Bush who is still very dangerous and will continue to be - unless he is stopped.

Bu$h the inferior will not change his plans because of this report because it appears to have originated in the reality based universe. I am really spooked by the thought that Bu$h the inferior and Shotgun Dick and the gang will at some point have nothing to lose like after the election results are assured but they have some time left in office.

Considering what they have done in the springtime of their regime, the fall and winter have frightening prospects.

Good luck with the neck tossing. Cindy Sheehan got arrested for delivering some petitions.

Why not any sense?

Why not what?

Why not?

American citizens are just going to have to start grabbing people by the scruff of their necks, and throwing them out of office!

The American people have been fooled again by their Government. The truth is that, the Bush administration has done a dirty deal with the Ayatollahs. Otherwise the report just does not make any sense.

Hi COCO, I sincerely do hope you have re-located to a safer place. Except I'm not sure where safe is with OUR Starfish in control.

Yes indeed, we have MSNBC and a lot of the bloggers here watch the hour long Keith Olberman program daily. We like him very much. That was one of his specials and indeed it was special.

It does appear that our military may attack Iraq in some manner, and when we do, it will become a much more exciting world, I do beleieve. Exciting, but even more dangerous.

Duh ... we haven't had 'civilian control' of the military in this country for a long, long time. The Pentagon always just does what it wants these days. Watch closely, and you'll see that the Pentagon always does what it wants to do.

Boom Boom Cheney said: "We're dealing with a country that is still enriching uranium and remains a leading state sponsor of terrorism." But it wasn't clear if this was a reference to the US or Iran.

Following the release of the estimate, President George W. Bush said Iran remained dangerous and would be dangerous in the future if it had the knowledge to make a nuclear weapon. Iran say its nuclear program is purely for energy generation.

How many years did we fear the Soviet Union???? They were the big bad boogie man in the 50's, 60's, 70's and even 80's. Until they fell apart from the Afghan war. They were going to nuke us into oblivion. They were taking over the world. Communist's were taking over the country so McCarthy would have us believe. These people seem to have to have someone to fear. They aren't happy until they have the fear of an enemy at record levels. To listen to right wingers tell it, al Qaeda is going to sail into New York harbor on the Queen Elizabeth. It makes a nation fall into line. Except in this case we have a pathological liar telling us this. So no one is buying it. He has pulled his 'chicken little' act one to many times for most American's. They will do almost anything to make a political point. Iran might be a threat but I for one am not losing any sleep over it like the right wing fanatic's. I only listen to politician's enough to know what's going on in this world. But, leave the right wing spin machine off. So it usually comes out as being disingenuous.

They will look for some other angle now, mainly to think of new rationales to tell themselves and the media. Actual policy will not change in substance. The decisions about what to bomb and when to invade somewhere is about as intelligent as the USI administration can get. The guiding principles are much like dumb amoeba beasties looking to engulf a food morsel. The USI keeps extending those psuedopods (false feet) in the directions it can feel the chemicals (oil) coming from, until the target is thoroughly enwrapped, bombarded and pulped with digestive enzymes, and can be in-Corporated into the swollen digestive organs of the consumer mass and turned into gigantic fat vacuoles. There is no evidence of any central nervous system as such, certainly not any spine at all, in the soul of the USI government. The only effective strategy is pain. Attack the psuedopods and the cell body with an environment which it will not like, and only then it withdraw. The USI is stupid many times over. The only thing it understands is force and resistance. Hurt it enough, make it pay up big time in loss of dollars and spending power, and it will withdraw. Its not an individual, its a collective mass of unthinking stupidity, that deserves extinction. Ditto for the rest of the human race.

KEM PATRICK

hi kem, i've just watched a video on www.informationclearinghouse.info by keith olbermann entitled ' you, mr. bush, are a bald faced liar'. the information, research, data etc is very good.(as is mr. olbermann's wit and humour) i just wonder how many people watch things like this?? i think it was on a channel called nsbnc or something. do these videos reach the sheeple? anyway the thing is, recently where i 'used' to live. (i've left there now, that's why i was incommunicado for a while) there have been many emergency exercises in shopping malls etc. and a new campaign instigated at the hospitals and health clinics to train the populace in emergency situations and first aid. very interesting n'est pas?............looks like they are expecting something to happen. wonder what???

He's a starfish.

Starfish is the only creature known, that has no brain and is also very destructive.

Dubya is the "Decider"! Who said anything about reading? He gets the morning briefings: Israel good, Iran bad. Someone finally outmanuvered Cheney to get the NIE released.

Dubya probably still hasn't read it. If we are a nation of sheep, I guess he is the First Sheep.

He doesn't have a god Locust, unless some may refer to the devil as such.

I agree with you totally.

I hope Congress realizes the unstable nature of the thinking of those running our government. I agree with Biden, if this man in the WH starts a war on Iran, then he should be impeached. Of course, Rep. Kucinich is ahead of even Joe by recommending both Cheney and Bush be impeached now for the high crimes and misdemeanors they have already committed.

Kem: Choice quote.

Accurately placing blame on the Exec. for the mil's no-change stance.

I seriously doubt the mil's internal politics is unchanged as a result of the NIE. It could bode well.

This is all SO sick! The only answer is impeachment. I've written SOOOO many e-mails and SOOOO many petitions, my fingers hurt. So what to do now.....

Bush's 'god' speaks to him through the breakfast cereal: "snap-crackle-pop"! Then Georgie translates so that Laura and the world might admire his linguistic prowess.

"Heenh-heenh-heenh. god says, 'Go out and kill a couple thousand children today'."

"Guess I better get dick out of my ear and get to work".

"Not everyone understands the threat of nuclear proliferation in Iran or elsewhere but we and our allies do understand the threat and we have a duty to prevent it," Cheney said"

Somehow I don't feel part of this "allies" thing.

Kem P:"...but we aren't going to ever see an impeachment."

I've seen "an impeachment" resolution filed by McKinney and Kucinich. I've seen "an impeachment" resolution passed by the City of Detroit, and I've seen "an impeachment" resolution recently passed by the National Lawyers Guild (which means their local offices are organizing "an impeachment" activity as we write).

Keith Olberman ended his most recent rant on Bush/Cheney fear mongering with "Good Night and Good Luck". We can choose between self-righteous uranium dust sniffing suicide saying I told you so as we disintegrate, or we can choose Murrow's path of standing like an American.

Contrary to popular belief, John Conyers is all for "an impeachment"; but he's not receiving enough pressure from the Black and Hispanic communities.

If we can summon the courage to go to our neighbors and shake their hand and talk of "an impeachment", if we can summon the courage to cross racial lines and talk "an impeachment", We The People can see and have "an impeachment".

But as a good book says, "We don't fear the darkness, what we really fear is the light of the magnificence of our greatest glory".

KEM -

No, no, sorry is not necessary and I refuse to accept it.

I also refuse to have the same god as Bush.

Locust, you are absolutely correct, it is 'MY'. Sorry, I mis=quoted him.

conscience -

Rumor has it that the nukes were moved via Cheney's back-door secret national security conduit and the AF was out of the loop.

Which happened right before Israel bombed Syria.

Just a coincidence.

KEM - could I offer one change? "but I only do what MY God tells me."

Could someone ask Bush what God's voice sounds like? I imagine a deep, rolling James Earl Jones bass.

But maybe it's just Cheney standing over him as he sleeps.

"Citizens of the world, and citizens of the United States of America, I answer. __ Whatever is to be__ is to be and never ever point a finger at me, for I'm the king and forever may be, but I only do, what our God tells me".

~Your Beloved Ruler, King George~

Questions that the gutless corporate prss ought to ask the President:

1. Does the latest NIE make it less likely that the US will militarily attack Iran or not?

2. Would the US support Israel diplomatically or militarily if it attacked Iran?

3. Since General Settler at the Pentagon says that the recent NIE has not changed Pentagon planning with respect to Iran, does this mean that your adminstration rejects the conclusions of the NIE?

"Everywhere you turn, it is the policy of Iran to foment instability and chaos, no matter the strategic value or cost in the blood of innocents — Christians, Jews and Muslims alike," Pentagon chief Robert Gates said. Dec 8/07

Its a good thing that the USA is out there spreading peace love and flowers to everyone to counteract this....LOL...I guess those million dead Iraqi civilians died of a "US love overdose"

A "war against terrorism" is an impracticable conception if it means fighting terrorism with terrorism.

JOHN MORTIMER, Where There's a Will...

We do not create terrorism by fighting the terrorists. We invite terrorism by ignoring them.

GEORGE W. BUSH, speech, Dec. 18, 2005

Wanton killing of innocent civilians is terrorism, not a war against terrorism.

NOAM CHOMSKY, 9-11

It's not right to respond to terrorism by terrorizing other people. And furthermore, it's not going to help. Then you might say, "Yes, it's terrorizing people, but it's worth doing because it will end terrorism." But how much common sense does it take to know that you cannot end terrorism by indiscriminately dropping bombs?

HOWARD ZINN, Terrorism and War

Terrorism has replaced Communism as the rationale for the militarization of the country [America], for military adventures abroad, and for the suppression of civil liberties at home. It serves the same purpose, serving to create hysteria.

HOWARD ZINN, Terrorism and War

Our enemies are fully aware that they can use oil as a weapon against America. And if we don't take this threat as seriously as the bombs they build or the guns they buy, we will be fighting the War on Terror with one hand tied behind our back.

BARACK OBAMA, speech, Feb. 28, 2006

The big threat to America is the way we react to terrorism by throwing away what everybody values about our country--a commitment to human rights. America is a great nation because we are a good nation. When we stop being a good nation, we stop being great.

BOBBY KENNEDY, O Magazine, Feb. 2007

Terrorism, like viruses, is everywhere. There is a global perfusion of terrorism, which accompanies any system of domination as though it were its shadow, ready to activate itself anywhere, like a double agent.

JEAN BAUDRILLARD, The Spirit of Terrorism and Other Essays

Impeachment would be a big help, it might prevent an attack on Iran, but we aren't going to ever see an impeachment. I agree Rebel, we'd better not turn the fan on, because the shits acummon.

Great comments Iibertas and so right on target.

libertas - Great analogy and comment! Thanks.

I would add that just as it may already be too late to get this government to actually work constructively with other nations to actually do something about global warming, I believe it is too late to stop an attack on Iran. Even impeachment at this late stage may not be enough.

Hold on to your hats folks. It's going to get a whole lot worse before it can get better.

Well, just think back over the past twenty or thirty years. When the scientific community began to find definite signs of global warming and warned about it, we had to have a blue ribbon scientific panel to research this and see if it was correct. After a few years, they said, yes, the study was correct and we were getting definite signs of the predicted global warming. We then had panels appointed to review all of the information to see that was properly evaluated. When that came back as positive, the government said, "This sounds like it might be serious. We have to have a five year study to see if there is a possibility that we should take action."

When the study said, "Yes, we are in a steeply increasing state of global temperature rise, and this is what we have to do to turn it around," The government said they had to have a political commissar rewrite the report to reflect the administration's values.

When that was disputed, the government started censoring the scientific reports, blackening the reputations of hundreds of concerned scientists and having many of them fired and blacklisted.

Do you think it is going to be any different with the NIE report? Or anything else that says the government is so full of it that their eyes are brown?

If We the People don't wake up and act soon, then we the sheeple are going to follow the Judas Goat right into the abattoir.

The Bush administration has insisted that it wants to resolve its dispute with Tehran over Iran's nuclear program through diplomacy but will not rule out military action.

When the people achieve self-determination they will recognize that their former oppressors had abused such instruments of oppression as the mass media - by having it parrot the oppressor's lies as illustrated in the above quote.

K-12 civics classes will provide exercises to train the school children to recognize such institutional mass deception. The classes will read series of reports on geopolitical events, search for and detect the propaganda strategies.

Thje classes will compare real life propaganda campaigns of their own government with those of the demonized governments, e.g. the US and Iran.

This can easily be implemented today by K-12 school teachers, taking the task upon themselves to modify the establishment curriculum, to train the kids today with real stories from the mass media like this one from Reuters.

The NIE report, (which was held up by Cheney for 18 months and Bush only read it last week, the lie of the century.) in essence stated:

Iraq had halted it's nuclear program in 2003.

There was no intelligence Iraq planned to re-start their program.

It is ion any way believable, for any who have a whisp of intelligence, to believe our wizards in either the Pentagon or the White House, can not understand that assessment, and any further study after 18 months have passed is total bullshit?

If our combined 16 intelligence agencies cannot be trusted with this report, then how on Earth can they be trusted with ANY report?
We may be sheep, but even sheep are not that stupid Bush.

It's amazing how US officials so openly and freely talk about the commission of a crime given that invasion and even the threat of invasion of another country –in this case Iran-- outside the instances provided by the UN charter is a crime. Where is the FBI?

It is the same as some Mafia hit men openly talking to the media about the prospects of gunning down a few government officials.

The empire strikes back. Fallon and key intel. officials threw cold water on the plans to bomb Iran with their very public release of the NIE touted as reflecting US intel consensus. However, apparently, the wing of the military top brass described in this article, lock step with the neo-cons group led by Cheney, are not ready to accept defeat, or at least want the fig leaf of "no change in policy" for their saber rattling for the last several years.

It was also the Air Force which was ferrying around those
oddly wandering nukes ---

And --- they can always get American-run Israel to invade
Iran --- right?

Israeli peace-loving citizens --- the majority of the nation --- on the other hand seem to be trying to show
a bit of resistance again to the war-mongering Israel.

How are they going to do it if the military wont play along? Then again-the air force was said to be gung ho for it.
I wouldnt put Bush past anything. The only way to stop him is to personally attack him--focus on impeaching him, charging him with a criminal offense..anything.but that wont happen.

The Bush administration has insisted that it wants to resolve its dispute with Tehran over Iran's nuclear program through diplomacy but will not rule out military action.

More like:

The Bush administration has insisted that it wants to resolve its dispute with Reality through diplomacy but will not rule out military action.

I can certainly understand General Sattler's position. That extensive NIE report is a pretty complex assesment of Iran's nuclear issue and a 'comprehensive' study must be conducted, after all other of the varied assesments have been analized that are recieved from Cheney/Bish and their speech writers, to determine what the F%%k they want to do next.