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6 Signs The US May Be Headed for War in Iran
Is the United States moving toward military action with Iran?
The resignation of the top U.S. military commander for the Middle East is setting off alarms that the Bush administration is intent on using military force to stop Iran's moves toward gaining nuclear weapons. In announcing his sudden resignation today following a report on his views in Esquire, Adm. William Fallon didn't directly deny that he differs with President Bush over at least aspects of the president's policy on Iran. For his part, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said it is "ridiculous" to think that the departure of Fallon -- whose Central Command has been working on contingency plans for strikes on Iran as well as overseeing Iraq -- signals that the United States is planning to go to war with Iran.
Fallon's resignation, ending a 41-year Navy career, has reignited the buzz of speculation over what the Bush administration intends to do given that its troubled, sluggish diplomatic effort has failed to slow Iran's nuclear advances. Those activities include the advancing process of uranium enrichment, a key step to producing the material necessary to fuel a bomb, though the Iranians assert the work is to produce nuclear fuel for civilian power reactors not weapons.
Here are six developments that may have Iran as a common thread. And, if it comes to war, they may be seen as clues as to what was planned. None of them is conclusive, and each has a credible non-Iran related explanation:
1. Fallon's resignation: With the Army fully engaged in Iraq, much of the contingency planning for possible military action has fallen to the Navy, which has looked at the use of carrier-based warplanes and sea-launched missiles as the weapons to destroy Iran's air defenses and nuclear infrastructure. Centcom commands the U.S. naval forces in and near the Persian Gulf. In the aftermath of the problems with the Iraq war, there has been much discussion within the military that senior military officers should have resigned at the time when they disagreed with the White House.
2. Vice President Cheney's peace trip: Cheney, who is seen as a leading hawk on Iran, is going on what is described as a Mideast trip to try to give a boost to stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. But he has also scheduled two other stops: One, Oman, is a key military ally and logistics hub for military operations in the Persian Gulf. It also faces Iran across the narrow, vital Strait of Hormuz, the vulnerable oil transit chokepoint into and out of the Persian Gulf that Iran has threatened to blockade in the event of war. Cheney is also going to Saudi Arabia, whose support would be sought before any military action given its ability to increase oil supplies if Iran's oil is cutoff. Back in March 2002, Cheney made a high-profile Mideast trip to Saudi Arabia and other nations that officials said at the time was about diplomacy toward Iraq and not war, which began a year later.
3. Israeli airstrike on Syria: Israel's airstrike deep in Syria last October was reported to have targeted a nuclear-related facility, but details have remained sketchy and some experts have been skeptical that Syria had a covert nuclear program. An alternative scenario floating in Israel and Lebanon is that the real purpose of the strike was to force Syria to switch on the targeting electronics for newly received Russian anti-aircraft defenses. The location of the strike is seen as on a likely flight path to Iran (also crossing the friendly Kurdish-controlled Northern Iraq), and knowing the electronic signatures of the defensive systems is necessary to reduce the risks for warplanes heading to targets in Iran.
4. Warships off Lebanon: Two U.S. warships took up positions off Lebanon earlier this month, replacing the USS Cole. The deployment was said to signal U.S. concern over the political stalemate in Lebanon and the influence of Syria in that country. But the United States also would want its warships in the eastern Mediterranean in the event of military action against Iran to keep Iranian ally Syria in check and to help provide air cover to Israel against Iranian missile reprisals. One of the newly deployed ships, the USS Ross, is an Aegis guided missile destroyer, a top system to defense against air attacks.
5. Israeli comments: Israeli President Shimon Peres said earlier this month that Israel will not consider unilateral action to stop Iran from getting a nuclear bomb. In the past, though, Israeli officials have quite consistently said they were prepared to act alone -- if that becomes necessary -- to ensure that Iran does not cross a nuclear weapons threshold. Was Peres speaking for himself, or has President Bush given the Israeli an assurance that they won't have to act alone?
6.Israel's war with Hezbollah: While this seems a bit old, Israel's July 2006 war in Lebanon against Iranian-backed Hezbollah forces was seen at the time as a step that Israel would want to take if it anticipated a clash with Iran. The radical Shiite group is seen not only as a threat on it own but also as a possible Iranian surrogate force in the event of war with Iran. So it was important for Israel to push Hezbollah forces back from their positions on Lebanon's border with Israel and to do enough damage to Hezbollah's Iranian-supplied arsenals to reduce its capabilities. Since then, Hezbollah has been able to rearm, though a United Nations force polices a border area buffer zone in southern Lebanon.
Defense Secretary Gates said that Fallon, 63, asked for permission to retire. Gates said the decision, effective March 31, was entirely Fallon's and that Gates believed it was "the right thing to do." In Esquire, an article on Fallon portrayed him as opposed to President Bush's Iran policy and said he was a lone voice against taking military action to stop the Iranian nuclear program. In his statement, Fallon said he agreed with the president's "policy objectives" but was silent on whether he opposed aspects of the president's plans. "Recent press reports suggesting a disconnect between my views and the president's policy objectives have become a distraction at a critical time and hamper efforts in the Centcom region," Fallon, said in the statement issued by Centcom headquarters in Tampa, Fla. "And although I don't believe there have ever been any differences about the objectives of our policy in the Central Command area of responsibility, the simple perception that there is makes it difficult for me to effectively serve America's interests there," he said. Gates announced that Fallon's top deputy, Army Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey, will take over temporarily when Fallon leaves. A permanent successor, requiring nomination by the president and confirmation by the Senate, might not be designated in the near term.
© 2008 US News & World Report
156 Comments so far
Show All#7 The approching election. The bush adminstration has until November to halt election proceedings or arrange the election of a candidate that will block their indictment for war crimes. There are only 3 ways to accomplish this: the assassination of a political candidate, war with Iran, or another 9/11 event. War with Iran is the easiest and the one they seem to be most prepared for. A war with Iran will cause backlash so severe that they will be able to avoid criminal prosecution while the US flounders. This is purely political and has nothing to do with nuclear weapons. There will have to be some media ramp up for a war with Iran to start successfully. Watch for it.
Call me callous, folks, but if our military takes part in another crime against humanity, I cannot support them. Legalized murder is still murder, and if they say, we were only following the coward-in-chief's orders, than we owe a few countries official apologies for war-crimes trials.
And when Bush does initiate yet another war, he'll utilize the "Directive 51" that HE signed into existence. With this power, he can extend his presidency, and it totally robs Congress of the power to do ANYTHING about it, or have any alotted powers to determine when said "emergency" is over.
Whatever happened to the three-tier government outlined in the CONSTITUTION, designed to keep any branch of government from gaining an unfair portion of power/control?
Congress has the power NOW to IMPEACH BUSH. And you KNOW he plans to use this directive, why else did he create it?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Directive_51
Spread the word about this Directive- seriously, tell everybody, because most folks have no idea it even exists, thanks to our corrupt and irresponsible media, and completely ineffective politiicans. It is scary, and real.
This is the most depressing news possible and has been expected for a while now. An attack on Iran (inevitable in my opinion) can and will destroy whats remaining of the world order.
The Chinese don't care as long as they have their oil supplies and the Russians will bail on Iran as they have in the past and the sycophantic Europeans will acquiesce to US demands and bend over as usual. This leaves South Asia where Pakistan and Afghanistan will not support Iran thanks to Pakistan's self-destructive tendencies and India which traditionally supported Iran may not have a choice as their independent foreign policy of the past 50 years has become more and more compromised in recent years.
War with Iran will definitely occur and will also signal the end of the U.S. as the defender of 'freedoms' or whatever bull Americans tend to spew ever so often. Ofcourse the Iran war will make the Iraq war look like a walk in the park but as long as we have a steady supply of lower income whites, blacks, mexicans, guatemalans, etc enlisted to do our dirty work we should be good to go.
The media ofcourse is already having wet dreams over this issue and salivating at the prospect. They probably have already drawn up outrageous headlines and banners that are designed to shock and awe the average brain-dead american.
Number 7: Fallon was forced out, not because he was/is against, as he is quoted in the Esquire interview, crushing the "ants" in Iran, but because he didn't agree on WHEN the crushing of 75 million ants should begin.
"Get serious. They're ants. WHEN the time comes, we'll crush them."
Not IF.
WHEN.
Now, everyone go Goggle Image Iran, check out what 75 million ants living in a country over 4000 years old looks like, and then imagine a Bush/Cheney boot dropping from the sky and squashing and grinding them into the sand.
Not IF "we" are going to crush the Iranian ants.
WHEN.
It's pretty telling when a mainstream magazine like U.S. News and World Report sees signs that we are headed to war with Iran.
One would have thought that the USA committing one strategic blunder (the Iraq fiasco) on par with Hitler's Armies going into Stalingrad was enough. Apparently not. If this and Executive Directive 51 occur, then it is time for a second American Revolution.
Not callous, peaceman, I have not supported the troops even in this war. Joining the military is presently a voluntary affair, and despite any orders, you are responsible for taking a firearm and shooting at someone or, even worse, dropping bombs where you know there be 'collateral damage.' While one can understand the pressures that drive some to join the military, they still agree to kill.
Worse than that, though, many cannot escape their own conscience for what they do. For every soldier physically injured in Iraq, there are many more psychologically and spiritually injured. It's a very sad state of affairs indeed.
The Reuters/Ahmed Jadallah photo of those two kids above says it all. Bush and his zionist criminals need to go. The scary part is Cheney drumming support in the ME and John McCain and Lieberman visiting Israel next week. The next few months could be very ugly. My question is why are these amerikan nazis still alive?
When Bush and his Evilgelicals have their collective noses stuck in Deuteronomy 20:10-18 the entire world is at risk. For the sake of humanity it's time to close that Book.
#8: Profits. The Iraq war has been a huge success for military contractors, big energy (including "recontstruction" firms like Bechtel) and big mercenary companies like Blackwater. By not turning off the tap, indeed, by opening all the sluices for taxpayer money to pour into the coffers of the war profiteers, Congress has created an environment where they EXPECT there to be more wars. Capitalism, even when its profits are not from private sources but from public taxation, nonetheless requires continual expansion. However, there is a limit to how far the US can go into debt, how many trillions the Pentagon can "lose" ($7 trillion according to former Pentagon bureaucrat Chuck Spinney), and how far the war profiteers can go in terms of emptying the state treasury into their pockets. If the Iraq war doesn't break the bank, a major war with Iran (involving Iranian retaliation leading to the involvement of ground troops) probably would.
Here is a good chance for the opposition to show some strength and prevent this from happening...dems do have the majority this time!
chessgames,
I agree, nothing callous about peaseman's views. We have to understand the social and political-economic forces at home that cause someone to volunteer to participate in a war of aggression. But, at the same time, we must not deny the volunteer soldiers moral agency and accountability for their actions.
I support the troops as I do all fallable humans (except the ones at the top who have lost their humanity) but not what they are doing - starting when they step on that plane shipping them out to another people's land.
Demerara, based on past experience, I have no hope that the Democrats in Congress will prevent a war with Iran. If what's happened so far wasn't enough to get them to do something, I don't think there's any stopping Bush/Cheney at this point. Instead, a la Pelosi, they'll use this as an "issue" for the Presidential campaign rather than stopping it from happening, because the Democratic leadership cares more about maintaining their seats in Congress than stopping the massacres and bloodshed.
#9 (unconfirmed). Foreign bloggers report large boxes being flown into Beirut on US military planes. The boxes did not go through Lebanon's customs because they were diplomatic mail.
Or so I heard.
More weapons for the guys whom the US supports in Lebanon?
Cheney's missing nuke?
And we're still in spring training, folks. The real season of madness hasn't started yet, although Opening Day fireworks seem to be imminent.
America has become a criminal enterprise on behalf of the paranoid economic elites. They stand to lose big if the Saudi's choose to sell their oil in Euro's insetad of Dollars. It becomes necessary from the elite perspective to flex more muscle in the Middle East to keep the Saudi's in check. The greed soaked policies of American banks could not withstand the Saudi's electing to accept Euro's for oil. So naval battle groups equipped with battlefield nukes will convoy to the Middle East soon. Their presence there will raise the war temperature considerably. Russia will respond accordingly. Cheney and Bush are desperate madmen. Russia will not be deterred by their madness and will stand firm. The mad man Bush will start the war. Humanity is at great risk. I hope that someone in the intelligence or military community has a plan to stop bush and cheney before they kill us all. Christian clergy will do nothing. The devils are dancing.
NateW: Yes, Actually it has been time for a second American revolution for three or more decades, really since the Vietnam years. Revolution is long overdue here, but it can only happen if they military sides with the people instead of with the corrupt, monied oligarchy that has brought us to the present situation. Unfortunately many in the US military officer corps are well-brainwashed evangelicals who will take orders unflinchingly from der fuehrer even when he directs them to repress dissidents within the country. We are screwed royally it seems. Only a miracle could save the day when the crunch arrives as it will in the form of attack on Iran and/or major financial meltdown.
TheLorax wrote: "The bush adminstration has until November to halt election proceedings or arrange the election of a candidate that will block their indictment for war crimes."
Lorax, do you really believe either Obama or Clinton will bring the Bush admin up on war crime charges? I'd like to believe that, but I don't see that happening at all. Not even close.
As far as I'm concerned, both represent the status quo. Their words are nice, but their actions speak another language.
I can't imagine anybody, not even GW Bush, could be that stupid to start a war with Iran. There will not be one single ally besides Israel and some Pacific island or corrupt African country (in exchange of all sorts of things). Europe would condemn it, as would Russia, China, the UN etc.
It might be more about creating the right election spirit and about focusing attention on a foreign policy crisis instead of on a weak Republican candidate.
They lie to and try to deceive us so reliably that Cheney being sent on a PEACE mission is the scariest indicator.
Besides that, fill in the blank:
Cheney is to peace as anti-matter is to ______.
I personally think we will see another false flag event(s), martial law will declared, elections halted, and war with Iran. Completion of the great neocon take over and the abolishment of the Bill of Rights.
Shock and awe worked with 9/11 to get the population in line...it will work again.
I doubt a revolution in America will take place, there is too much room in the 600 detention centers to house anyone who protests and resists.
We need a miracle....the takeover is being completed.
A revolution? We couldn't do that, not now that Bush has Blackwater, the military would be crushed by Blackwater. No, if we go into Iran, we are just going to have to sit idly by.
The evangelicals are being used as a cover...a distraction. This would be happening with or without them. Imagine their shock when they lose their rights as well.
It is a tidal wave that will consume all of us.
The only answer is for our cowardly Congress to refuse funding.
Like that will happen....NOT.
kirafa, we have been sitting idly by since 9/11. Anyone pursuing the truth is labeled a nut or non-patriot. Anyone puruing the truth gets NO media coverage thanks to a complicit media.
Truth a commodity that has been banned and rewritten.
Until the citizens of this country awaken from this blind, deep sleep they fallen into, we will slip down that dangerous slope into fascism and loss of our beloved Constitution.
Yes, we have been sitting idly by, I was recently blogging on a site that was bashing people from the sixties, well at least we were out there. This week is the fifth year anniversary of the invasion of Iraq and I am going to Washington tomorrow. May not do any good, but I am going, are you?
If Bush starts a war in Iran, then Americans will riot on our streets.
kirafa:
I salute you and I thank you. That's two things I'm not willing to do to our commander in grief.
Vicki1129: "If Bush starts a war in Iran, then Americans will riot on our streets."
No they won't. Americans being the sheeple they are, will use tired cliche's like "support the troops", and "you are helping the terrorists by opposing the war". They'll support an attack on Iran, trust the American people on this one! Sorry to say that, but that's what they did when the US embarked on it's war of genocide against Iraq. Americans never learn.
The sky is falling! The sky is falling!
AWK!
The sky is falling! AWK!
Unchained exclaimed "Until the citizens of this country awaken from this blind, deep sleep they fallen into, we will slip down that dangerous slope into fascism and loss of our beloved Constitution."
This has already happened. Elliott Spitzer is the poster child of where we are now. He was (supposedly) caught up because of some unusual financial transactions. How large were those transactions? The law requires reporting transactions of $5000 or more, but in this case, the alleged payof amount was $4200 -- i.e., less than the reporting amount.
So tell me again... how exactly did he come to the attention of the "authorities"? And what role did the was played by the NSA warrantless privacy-vacuuming operations play?
Oh, wait. I forgot. That program is a vital tool in the war on terra, and details, if made public, would endanger national security. Forget I asked.
27.
Vicki1129 March 13th, 2008 4:04 pm
If Bush starts a war in Iran, then Americans will riot on our streets.
++++++++++
I wouldn't hold my breath on that one, Vicki...
"Give me liberty or give me death," said Patrick Henry.
How many are ready in this country for that decision?
peace ...
Reason #10: The economy is taking a dump (recession). Historically speaking, economic recessions have always been a good reason to go to war. The war will increase production, employment, profits, and shift our anger away from the rich to the enemy. War is a good way to get us our of a recession. Plus, war has always been used to get our minds off of class war.
Fallon was in charge of the plans for War with Iran.
That is why and how he knows the USA would lose badly and quickly.
The top military generals almost all know this not so secret information...even the media knows this and the cost of the war On Terror is destroying Capitalism and now they all know it.
Bush/Cheney are alone now holding out and they have no option to save their war criminal butts but keep war on the table because the Secrecy behind war is what keeps them from being Hung.
Fallon understands this and knows that next year the world will be lookin for the war Criminals to Pay. Fallon is smart to jump ship to evade the consequences.
Of all the 6 points above Fallon jumping ship was the only new point.
Slim chance for a real war on Iran... Capitalism wants to survive too.
Cheney goin to the ME will not help them, anywhere they go now will only cause them to be further exposed to blame.
Sure Bush could start another War.... but I don't think he could get away with it and directive 51
would be the start of a violent revolution and as a result of War with Iran or any new big war would only make the Bushes more vulnerable than they already are....
It takes millions of Nazis to cary out that order but Bush and Cheney wont get much help in that Bull shit since there aren't enough willing to do that. A nuclear holocaust would be much easier to pull off than "51" and now MAD (mutually assured destruction) is back too.
A war with Iran could be the trigger for MAD, everybody knows that but Mad is the only limit the War Machine ever faced.
I'm pretty Mad myself.
Helix:
That's just dirty politics the way its played today. Maybe always played. They framed the former democratic governor of Alabama because they couldn't beat him at the polls. At least Spitzer actually did something wrong.
And Clinton. If he could use the dirt on Spitzer, he'd have his latest Monica take a memo after the BJ and the cigar.
If modern war was good for the economy, the economy would not be an issue.
War is good if it is won with new markets to exploit.
Those days are dead and gone.
This war cannot be won and everything about it is bad for the economy.
The old Idea that War is good for the economy is just old and the proof is in the pudding.
I really want to know how much the Bible is being used as a playbook in the Oval Office.
Hey ~FRANK~ That's the third time I've seen you post that identical blog here, you posted it on other threads, about Admiral Fallon referring to the Iranians as ants. You took his comment completely out of context.
Admiral Fallon answered a question such as. "What would occur if Iran ever developed atomic weapons and attacked another country". He replied, they would be crushed like ants. Fallon is on our side on the Iran issue, so it's unfair to picture him in any way as wanting to start a war, or to bomb Iran. ___On the contrary.
Here is another "classified rumor", in addition to the U.S. Naval force on the surface of the Persion Gulf, 1 Nuclear Submarine has been on constant patrol. The Navy doesn't admit this, or that it has armed nuclear warheads on its long range missiles.
It is alarming that, (again officially denied), a second U.S. Nuclear submarime is in the Pacific under sealed orders. .These rumor denials are officially classified.
"Five Time Deferrment Dick" is out on a goodwill tour to our Middle Eastern client states. .He'll give them their orders, and make a few Oil Deals for the NeoCon Gang.
Can you really see American men lining up at the US Army recruiters to join the invasion of Iran? With 9 million households owning homes worth less than their mortgages, trillions in losses in the liquidity crunch, the US dollar at an all time low ($1.56 to the Euro today) and gold at over $1000 an ounce, who is going to pay for this and with what? Remember - Hitler launched his invasion of the East at a time when Germany was the strongest industrial power in the world and had a rising (not collapsing)industrial capacity. And he sustained much of the war and industrial effort by looting the industry, labor and agriculture of the occupied countries. Maybe some Bush cronies got prize Iraqi art treasures to display in their mansions, but there has been precious little else to boast about in a war which was supposed to 'pay for itself'. No - he will choke on a pretzel before the US invades Iran. The next war will be waged here, a domestic police state against its own citizens when the bread lines start to swell.
~GREAT GOOGLY MOOGLEY~ You might think the sky is falling if we start a war with Iran. It would very likely be the start of a depression here that would make the one of 1929 seem like a rather bad day. If we have a depression for ANY reason, you can make book that Bush will enact his Presidential Powers and declare Martial law.
Gasoline will be reach $10+ bucks a gallon and the price of food will double again. OVERNIGHT. The sky won't fall, but our nation will. So if you wish to ignore the possible dire concsequenses of a war with Iran, knock yourself out. BTW. One can lose 150 calories an hour by banging their head against a wall. And a depression is looming whether Bush starts another damn war or not.
bakunin:
Sadly, I think you have described the dominant mindset of the US military correctly. They are brainwashed from the beginning, and led by people who have been brainwashed for decades. In essence, a total gang-banger mentality. Thanks to Smedley Butler for pointing out the connection.
Bush/Cheney is planning the Iran war as his October Suprise.
bbr-001 advanced the notion "[Massive eavesdropping on US citizens in direct violation of the 4th amendment] is just dirty politics the way its played today. Maybe always played."
What has changed is the ability of the NSA to gather information. The 4th amendment states "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
There was no probable cause in the Eliot Spitzer case. The information was simply vacuumed up by the NSA and turned over to the FBI and news media. Note the breathtaking scope off the surveillence -- bank records, emails, phone conversations...
This same kind of information is available on each and every one of us, and that information is now in the hands of the US government. The determining factor in Spitzer's case was that had political enemies and they used the warrantless evesdropping program to take him down.
The lesson for all Americans here is -- don't make waves. Everyone has done things that they hope will not become public knowledge, even more so for public figures. We've now entered an era where your government has an audit trail to every single activity in your private life. If you want it to stay private, it's probably best to keep your mouth shut and go shopping like Bush told you. By the way, they know whether you've been shopping. And what you bought. And they know whether every penny of your income is accounted for, or whether there is some room in there for "suspicious transactions".
Wanna know why Nancy Pelosi took impeachment "off the table"? Ask yourself whether someone in her position is likely to have ever cut some less than exemplary deals to advance her political career. If she has -- and I'm willing to bet hard cash that she's done things that can at least be construed that way -- then it's a good bet that she's gotten the word that she's going to play ball -- or else. I even recently saw a clip of Jim Webb (Virginia) the other day -- remember the tough guy who we were hoping would take these guys on. He looked like a second-grader who'd just had his ass whipped out on the playground. My guess is -- that's exactly what happened. Was it made perfectly clear to him that those guys were in posession of a minute-by-minute account of his life for the last six years, and there are some things in there that could be made to look like red meat to the MSM attack dogs? So play ball, Jimbo. Or else.
This isn't just dirty politics. This is tyranny and oppression. This is governance by intimidation and blackmail.
Go ahead. Speak out against it. I dare you. But if you've ever smoked a joint, had an affair, didn't report that $150 you made on a side job that didn't show up on your W-2, made an unkind remark that you now regret about someone close to you, or even made a remark about Bush or the government that could be taken as treason in a time of war, you might want to think twice.
After all, the 4th amendment isn't the only part of the bill of rights that has been trashed.
I really don't know what the perverted bush/cheney cowards will do next but I do know that they want to control the oil flow out of the ME and invading Iraq was only the first step in that plan. One can only hope that some force is in place to stop them before it's too late. My best hopes are in the CIA and/or military because Congress isn't up to the task.
>I can't imagine anybody, not even GW Bush, could be that stupid to start a war with Iran.<
Intelligence has never been Bush's strong suit. Who would have thought he would have been stupid enough to invade Iraq, leading to a war that's bankrupting this country? This is a guy, remember, who apparently didn't know that gas was predicted to hit $4/gallon. He and his associates live in a parallel fantasy world, where they're ridding the world of "evildoers." The fact that he was even able to get close enough to win the presidency with a rigged election makes a mockery of the idea that democracy will weed out those unfit to govern. We'd be better off with a monarchy. At least then we might get a good one through chance and sheer dumb luck.
For the first time in my life, I have to say that I would welcome a military takeover in this country. If Cheney gives the order to attack Iran, the military should arrest him and the entire Cheney/Bush crime family and bundle them off to The Hague and international war crimes tribunals. Appoint Adm. Fallon interim president until the election is held.
KEM, have you stocked up on canned goods, water, and ammo? Got the two-way radio and generator ready to go? Better get a flak jacket while you're at it.
Also, collect some facts while you're at it. The definition of a recession is when the economy shrinks for two consecutive quarters. It hasn't done that yet. Are gas prices high? Yes. Are they driving up commodities prices? Yes. But still no actual recession. So a depression like 1929 - when people were homeless and starving because the dust bowl conditions out west wrecked most of the crops - is pretty a far flung possibility as well. They're still growing a lot of food in America, despite the changing climate. And you'll qualify for food stamps if you can't afford the good stuff.
Look, just... grab the reigns. Get a hold of yourselves, all of you. You sound like a bunch of lunatics. Show of hands... how many of you are wearing tinfoil hats?
The economy is struggling, yes. Another conflict would be another terrible stain on the economy, destabilizing the world further. They know that. Do you think Bush and Cheney and Rove all walk around thinking "I am evil incarnate"?? No one does that. They believe in what they're doing, misguided as it may seem. Now they're stuck with the course of action. There IS NO TURNING BACK from what we've done in Iraq. Our troops are going to be there for decades. Get used to it. No one complains about our troops sitting in S. Korea. It's just a fact of life.
Just hang on for another year until the inauguration and someone new will be in the White House. And don't spend so much time here ... If you're worried about the war continuing into Iran, go do something about it. Notify your lawmakers, get some people to show up for some protests. If half the people who have been showing up for Clinton or Obama events would also show up for protests, we'd be getting somewhere.
What are y'all reading? Everyone missed the underlying assumption, stated right at the beginning, that leads to this article and a direct route into the author's brain: Iran is building nuclear weapons. Is it? Only the US and its cowed, sheepish allies say so. This author also seems to think it's true. Look again at his opening salvo. THEN...note that an ARMY guy is replacing a Navy guy and there may not be a proper appointment in the near future.
Riddimboy:
I don't think that the Europeans people are "sycophantic." They marched in the streets in their millions against the War on Iraq, including the Brits who loathed the fact that Tony Bliar joined the Bushits in invading Iraq. Bush was reduced to sneaking into London and giving a speech to a roomful of people (at the Royal Services Instititute-a foreign services and intelligence organization) to an audience rounded up at the bar and herded in who had no idea whom they here going to hear who sat in silence through his "pause for laughter/applause" mopments. it was hilarious.
It's true (and as an ex-European it embarrasses me) that too many of their governments seem to be falling into the NeoCon trap over Iran. I find it unfathomable after their ability (the UK and a few minor impoverished and well-rewarded ex-Communist governments excepted) to treat the Iraq "intelligence" with the contempt it deserved and act upon that contempt.