There's a word for this, it's on the tip of my tongue.
Oh yeah, SANITY.
Haven't seen that for awhile, that's why I couldn't think of the word in connection with Washington.

Enjoy it while it lasts.

What is it about "inalienable right" that we do not understand?

The 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was signed by Iran and 188 other nations (but not Israel). The treaty explicitly states in Article IV:

"Nothing in this Treaty shall be interpreted as affecting the inalienable right of all the Parties to the Treaty to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without discrimination and in conformity with Articles I and II of this Treaty."

"Inalienable" means that it cannot under any circumstances be taken away.

If the USA, UK, France, Germany, Russia, China and other nations now want to take away Iran's "inalienable right" to "research, production, and use of nuclear energy", if they now want to do "discrimination" against Iran, then the first step would be to themselves formally withdraw from the treaty.

SeriousCitizen, the US embarks on a "Do as we say, not as we do." policy.

it's truly mind-boggling how much international death and destruction have been driven by domestic political considerations. olmert's facing criminal charges? start rattling those sabers.

and didn't shrub's daddy have a little problem with an old business partner about the time son neil and silverado savings & loan were all over the front pages?

i'm sure the astute CD crowd can cite other examples.

The line in the article that really made me laugh out loud was this one: "The country fears that an Israeli attack "would give Iran international legitimacy for its programme, which it currently lacks" and portray Israel as the aggressor."

Well. Iran's programs IS legitimate... and Israel IS the aggressor.

The US has a case of PD:
Plausible Deniability.

On the surface, they say, "Do not attack - we will not support you".
In actuality, they are working behind the scenes to ensure the not only will the attack occur, but the attackers will get all of the intelligence and targeting information they need. Then when the attack occurs and some US interest is affected, the US will be drawn in "defending our country" rather than as an agressor.
The election is coming up. It will happen soon.

What made me laugh was the US says no, wants advance notice and then will reward with more missle defense. What a contradiction in terms.

Let's see if Obama criticizes the administration for not supporting Israel. If the "lobby" exerts enough pressure, Israel will get its "hardware."

Israel should pay close attention to what is happening to another close "partner in crime" to the USA....Georgia.

The USA is all talk when it comes to fighting someone their own size.

Democrats? Republicans? What's the difference? Both parties and their heirs apparent want to expand the wars, attack Iran, Drill, mine and log anything that hasn't yet been pumped, dug, or cut in the holy name of corporate profit.

We have the educational system and health care of a third world country, our social services are going down the tubes, but corporate profits are up, as is unemployment. The nation is bankrupt. We are approaching the NeoCon ideal of a nation of sick, starving beggars who will do anything for a few pennies to stave off starvation for their families. They've been pissed off ever since Roosevelt managed to turn it around in the thirties.

We'd better find a lot of people like Cindy Sheehan, who believe in the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, power of the people, peace and diplomacy, and vote them into power.

Otherwise, I fear we shall get what we truly deserve and it will take another generation to cure the problem as it did in the forties.

canuckchuck, The Israeli government is indeed observing with great interest the crisis in Georgia, it appears they are quite deeply involved.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article9756.shtml

Israel preparing to attack Iran? If this is true then Persia has every right under UN charter to launch a pre-emptive counter attack. I do not understand all this nuclear paranoia. America has killed far more civilians with the help of Israeli weapons than it ever did with atomic bombardment. How can all this warmongering be considered as 'repairing' the world? No self respecting Savior would ever come to such a world.

Be careful about what you read. There is information (true), misinformation (false, but not deliberately so), and disinformation (false, but intentionally so). The Israelis are masters at disinformation. If I was Iran, I would be pressing Russia to get the new SAM batteries operational NOW.

If the US or Israel had really thought that bombing Iran would work they would have done so, already.

Israel is not absolutely sure that the US 'has their back'. Without that assurance they will not strike. Thus they continually test the US to gauge its reliability and to influence it.

"certain specific items of military equipment" as well as diplomatic backing.
It would be interesting to know what items were on the list.

The big test is coming up, as the US and allies again assemble a powerful fleet near Iran. It is more likely that a blockade will result then that the US will admit defeat and redraw after issuing the usual threats, unless sanity prevails.

Hopefully the ignominious blundering vis a vis Georgia is quenching the martial ardor of the insane-ocrats in Washington and Jerusalem.

The Israeli army has closed an investigation into the death of a Reuters cameraman in the Gaza Strip last April, clearing the tank crew that killed the young journalist of any wrongdoing and saying the soldiers will not face disciplinary action. (AP)

- Down the Memory Hole, eh?

This is the "chosen people"? They are a nation of Nazis, plain and simple. The honest reporting from Ha'aretz is the exception to the rule, which is to speak out of both sides of their unctuous mouths, i.e., "undeclared nuclear arsenal."

They need to be whacked into good behavior, just like Germany and Japan. There is no other solution.

Can't give the Israelis more weapons...they just turn around and give them to Shaakisvili.

.
The INSANE Zionists, both in Israel, and in the United States, are set to attack Iran in early October.

Despite all of the AIPAC lobby and the Neocons inplanted in the Bush Administration; the United States would be starting World War III, if it collaborated in any form with illegal attacks by Israel on Iran.

If Israel attacks Iran, every Muslim Nation in the world will attack the State of Israel. There will be no cease fire or peace negociations. Every Jew on the planet will be hunted down. Only the INSANE and IDIOTS would contemplate unleashing such destructive upheavel........

,

There is no reason at all to believe anything said by the criminal Bush... or the Zionst weasel, Olmert.

Ahhh...so God's favorite ethnic group wants to see to it that it is hated even more by the world. The USA is essentially your only friend Israel. Most people throughout the world can not stand you because you are greedy arrogant and ungrateful. Trust me, there are 60 years of sufficient evidence to back up this claim. Also, your beady eyes and big-noses detract from your outer beauty as well.

Good luck convincing most people worldwide that your country is doing a righteous action by invading Iran. Only foolish and ignorant Americans (most of them) would be convinced. For Israelis and Jewish people supposedly symbolize everything just and holy and revealers of "absolute truths"when in reality your culture has a complete History of falsehoods dating back to when you were slaves several Millennia ago. So...I am not impressed Israel. Not at all...

I suppose "Thou shalt not Kill" was a bunch of lip-service huh? So was the majority of what is said in the Torah supposedly writeen by an uptight anal retentive God who has tendencies of contradiction.

Whatever Israel! You want to bomb Iran? Then the rest of the world would suffer due to this choice and it will all be blamed on Israelis and Americans - not the Iranians. Just like how your propaganda is convincing the feeble-minded arrogant people inside your respective nations that Russia was in the wrong with invading Georgia when most people worldwide will not be fooled. Israelis and Americans lost all credibility.

This article should not be considered alone without taking into account the
armada that is now headed for the strait of hormuz:-

Carrier Strike Group Nine:
USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN72) nuclear powered carrier with its Carrier Air Wing Two
Destroyer Squadron Nine:
USS Mobile Bay (CG53) guided missile cruiser
USS Russell (DDG59) guided missile destroyer
USS Momsen (DDG92) guided missile destroyer
USS Shoup (DDG86) guided missile destroyer
USS Ford (FFG54) guided missile frigate
USS Ingraham (FFG61) guided missile frigate
USS Rodney M. Davis (FFG60) guided missile frigate
USS Curts (FFG38) guided missile frigate
Plus one or more nuclear hunter-killer submarines
Peleliu Expeditionary Strike Group:
USS Peleliu (LHA-5) a Tarawa-class amphibious assault carrier
USS Pearl Harbor (LSD52) assult ship
USS Dubuque (LPD8) assult ship/landing dock
USS Cape St. George (CG71) guided missile cruiser
USS Halsey (DDG97) guided missile destroyer
USS Benfold (DDG65) guided missile destroyer

Carrier Strike Group Two:
USS Theodore Roosevelt (DVN71) nuclear powered carrier with its Carrier Air Wing Eight
Destroyer Squadron 22:
USS Monterey (CG61) guided missile cruiser
USS Mason (DDG87) guided missile destroyer
USS Nitze (DDG94) guided missile destroyer
USS Sullivans (DDG68) guided missile destroyer
USS Springfield (SSN761) nuclear powered hunter-killer submarine
IWO ESG ~ Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group
USS Iwo Jima (LHD7) amphibious assault carrier with its Amphibious Squadron Four
and with its 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit
USS San Antonio (LPD17) assault ship
USS Velia Gulf (CG72) guided missile cruiser
USS Ramage (DDG61) guided missile destroyer
USS Carter Hall (LSD50) assault ship
USS Roosevelt (DDG80) guided missile destroyer
USS Hartfore (SSN768) nuclear powered hunter-killer submarine

Carrier Strike Group Seven:
USS Ronald Reagan (CVN76) nuclear powered carrier with its Carrier Air Wing 14
Destroyer Squadron 7:
USS Chancellorsville (CG62) guided missile cruiser
USS Howard (DDG83) guided missile destroyer
USS Gridley (DDG101) guided missile destroyer
USS Decatur (DDG73) guided missile destroyer
USS Thach (FFG43) guided missile frigate
USNS Rainier (T-AOE-7) fast combat support ship

This request for Israel not to attack may be real or not. Perhaps the US does not
want an incident while the strait of Hormuz is packed with warships. Then again, perhaps it does.

Nanoo + Bystander = 1+1=2. Bingo!!! The armada assemblage given above is a fact. Another fact is that it costs a LOT of $$ to assemble it, and so someone's gotta pay for it- in this case, the millions of innocent Iranians who will die. And then you have the real winners- those who will supply the planes and other technology, and those who will manage the clean-up. One can only hope that the plan to use Russia as a distraction in order to deflect the October war will boomerang, with Russia stating in an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council that ANY attack on Iran without a very thorough investigation of the claims of provocation (e.g. like the Gulf of Tonkin, or planted moles pretending to be the Iranian Guard) will be viewed by Russia as a violation of international law, regardless of how the UN views it; and that Russia will act in accordance with such law in its defense of the victim state. My guess is about the time of Yom Kipur- a real emotional time for most israelis, and Kissinger would love it.

This sounds so unlike this administration, that I'll believe it when we see someone else in the White house!

biwee August 13th, 2008 2:48 pm

Be careful about what you read. There is information (true), misinformation (false, but not deliberately so), and disinformation (false, but intentionally so). The Israelis are masters at disinformation. If I was Iran, I would be pressing Russia to get the new SAM batteries operational NOW.
-------------------------------------
I've hear some Russian S-300 SAM's are operational now, but they only bought a few dozen total. Russia was somewhat reluctant to sell and train Iranians to install the systems, due to pressure from the West, and desire to 'lay low'.

However, Iran have learned its lesson from the 60's and 70's with the USA, and no longer want all its military systems just from one country. They have many fully operational modified HQ-9 SAM's from China; Iran very interested in mountain and forest hidden SAM technology. It's possible the attack has been called off because of new Mossad information about Iran defenses. Or perhaps they have found out more about Iran's retaliation plans - hard to say what Mossad and DIA are 'thinking'.

If Israel thought the attack on Lebanon not go so well, they will going hate attack on Iran.

Braithwa842:

I am curious. Where did you get the list of vessels "headed for the strait of hormuz"?

Thanks for your post. Thank you also SeriousCitizen and others who have written thoughtfully here.

We should refrain from blaming Jews for the actions of their government(s), and hope the people of the world do the same with respect to americans.

Peace

Hey Braithwa842, Thats a reference of the ships, both US, British and one French Nuclear Hunter Sub that is steaming towards the Straights of Hormuz, some of us got an email from a focus group committee called Stop War On Iran, I got one from them this am, please go to www.StopwaronIran.Com. That would be the place to start to read their message.

@hardtruth August 13th, 2008 9:25 pm

I read Margo B World news, and I may have lost the original link.
Nut try this one:-

http://margotbworldnews.com/
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=9817

Also, the link provided by tommytoons is good.

Also
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5499

I don't get three carrier groups in the Gulf. If the US wanted to strike nuclear development tarets only, the Air Force has stealth planes, more precise weapons, and can swoop in mostly undetected.

If Iranian defenses are competent, they would observe the carriers launching all planes, and an Iranian barrage of cruise missiles would have to hit something. Why risk all those expensive ships?

Here's a twist. What if the US used those carrier planes to intercept an Israeli strike and prevent the ensuing disaster?

Without dependence on oil the pixie dust wears off and both the Israelis and the Arabs turn back into harmless third world sand monkeys.

Without dependence on the fixed game of representative democracy we can work together to break our dependence on oil.

FREE AMERICA

DIRECT DEMOCRACY

Israel's pressure groups and commun interests blurr US foreign policy so much that they don't know anymore what is really in the interest of the United States of America and it's people. However the US seems so powerful that it thinks that it can afford to open fronts:conflicts everywhere in the world without having to face the consequences. Taking into account double standards in US foreign policy, the war on terror has proved highly counterproductive. It has multiplied very significantly the ennemies of the United States of America and the credibility of the US administration is non existant.

But I am just stating the obvious.

Israel's foreign policy is putting all the eggs in the same bag (US military support). Nothing is impossible in politics and maybe one day Israel will have to really deal seriously with its neighbours.
It would be nice to see the biggest open air prison in the world (Gaza strip) transformed into a normal country.

Await Israel's recognition of a sovereign, independent
right to exist of a Palestinian State with right to
self-defence, administration (of all construction etc.).

Both Israel and Palestine should be secular, non
military nations, not authoritatarian undemocratic
theocracies.

Isdrael is not a superior white race!!

>>I've hear some Russian S-300 SAM's are operational now, but they only bought a few dozen total. Russia was somewhat reluctant to sell and train Iranians to install the systems, due to pressure from the West, and desire to 'lay low'.<<

They are not operational nor have they been delivered at this time. Most guesses have them being delivered late this year if at all. There is hesitation on the part of the Russians because the S300 is the backbone of the Russian air defense system. If the US or Israel builds counter measures for an attack on Iran, as they and/or we surely are, *and* those prove effective in conflict, it creates a very large problem for the Russian defense establishment both in their defenses at home which would be seen as vulnerable, and in reduction of sales of advanced systems to other countries.

If you were a good salesman from Moscow, you'd probably hold up delivery till after a new president is sworn in. That way the chance of them having to be used (and failing) would be reduced and if they arrived after an attack, you would look like a hero providing defense to the little guy - after the threat of them failing in combat had passed.

BTW, Iran ordered 29 launchers with associated radars and 8 missles per launcher. Of note, is that this contract was grandfathered into UN sanction resolutions against Iran so it can be delivered without any legal problem to Russia or Iran.

djprof I don't see any such statement from Russia regarding defending Iran in a conflict. Can you provide citation? Stating defense of another country is a VERY big deal. We haven't done that for Georgia for instance. (nor obviously should we given their stupidity recently)

>>Without dependence on oil the pixie dust wears off and both the Israelis and the Arabs turn back into harmless third world sand monkeys.<<

Agreed mostly. Without dependence on oil, we would have a much freer hand internationally. Working towards that is in everyone's interest regardless of political bent.

Israelis. What a bunch of trouble-making bullies. Mel Gibson was right.

Good chance that the Israelis have realized that they can't attack Iran all alone. They may strike at the processing facilities, but they can't take them all out.

It would take a major task force of the size listed above to strike Iran, which is certainly on the books. Now the actual plan might try to keep Russia from participating. I don't think the Russians or the Chinese would risk getting involved if the US and Israel began bombing. Again, this is all speculation. I do suspect Bush and Cheney will try to leave a foreign policy mess for the next President, who they believe will be a Democrat.

Some sort of political agenda is afoot, to give McCain an international event through which he can sell his foreign policy "credentials" to the American people.

"JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that Israel will not allow the return of any Palestinian refugees as part of a future statehood deal, Olmert's office said on Thursday."

Obviously both the Americans and the Jewish State have no intention of following UN Resolution 242 or the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Goose2: I was recalling what Putin said while hos arm was around Amadinejad a few months ago, in relation to Bush attacking Iran. I watched him say it: President Bush, don't do it. That's the essence of it. He may have said George Bush. But he was clearly indicating that he would support Iran in some meaningful way.