Category: Iran

Brkk: Bush Misses His Poodle

No Comments

The Bush Administration is unhappy because Gordon Brown does not ask, “How High”, when told to jump. The comments among people who don’t get it are amusing:

The concerns were revealed as Mr Sarkozy made his high-profile trip to Washington, sparking anxiety that France is usurping influence once enjoyed by Britain. This weekend President George W Bush is host to Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, at his ranch in Texas, during which Iran will be a key talking point.

Nile Gardner, a former adviser to Margaret Thatcher and an expert on transatlantic relations at the Heritage Foundation think tank, said: “Britain is clearly losing influence in Washington after Tony Blair. Brown is the invisible man in terms of his profile here.

“It should be of concern in London that France is muscling in on traditional British territory.”

Britain has not had any influence on the US since Bush has started squatting at 1600. They have simply gotten photo-ops for its leaders saying what they were told.

Why is Juan Cole So Dismissive the Kurds?

No Comments

Let me be clear, the issue of the Kurds is a thorny one. As what is arguably the largest ethnic group in the world without a nation, there is clearly a moral case to be made for statehood for some of the areas in which they live.

However, there is also a compelling counter argument to be made that any such arrangement, or process toward such an arrangement would be severely destabilizing to the region*.

Let me make this clear, this post is NOT about a solution to the “Kurdish Problem”†, though I do favor a homeland for the Kurds.

Rather it is a commentary on on the Bush administration’s foreign policy failures, and while I agree with its basic thesis, that the Bush Administration has ruined everything that it touched, I am concerned about the disdain that is shown regarding the Kurd and Kurdish nationalism.

I would note this paragraph comes to mind:

The Iraqi leadership, already presiding over a failed state, agonized at being caught in the crossfire. The Iraqi president, the avuncular Kurd Jalal Talabani, hypocritically condemned al-Assad for urging a foreign military invasion of an Arab country, even though he himself had supported the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Massoud Barzani, the pudgy turbaned leader of the Kurdistan Regional Authority, warned that his government would defend its citizens and not sit idly by if Turkish troops rolled through Kurdish cities in Iraq. On Sunday, the Iraqi Parliament, having been unable to agree on virtually any internal issue or enact any benchmark legislation, promptly passed a resolution condemning the Turkish Parliament.

(Emphasis mine)
Let me be clear, the basic facts of the situation are accurate. What struck me was that fact that these were the only people who had their motivations described (hypocritically condemned) or were described physically at all (the “avuncular Kurd Jalal Talabani” and “Massoud Barzani, the pudgy turbaned leader).”

This appears to be a conscious decision to diminish these figures. And I would note that whenever I read Juan Cole‡, it is the rule, rather than the exception to feel the same sense of disdain dripping from his keys as regards the Kurds.

*Truth be told, before Bush and His Evil Minions™ got their hands on US Middle East policy, I would have thought that it was impossible to make the region less stable, but they have exceeded my wildest expectations.
†Yes, I am aware of the historical reference being made.
‡Truth be told, I do not do so as often as I should, he knows his stuff.

Senator Hagel Begs Bush for Negociations With Iran

No Comments

Steve Clemons had Hagel’s letter leaked to him. He denies that the source was Hagel. He also notes that Admiral William J. Fallon, Commander, U.S. Central Command (Centcom), the guy who thinks that Petraeus is a worthless Eddie Haskell suckup, has, “allegedly communicated with the Senator that serious articulations of American interests and consideration of the options Hagel recommends are much needed in this current political and policy environment.”

Translation: Someone call off the insane folks in DC.

Not that I think that batsh$# insane Cheney, and the petulant brat will listen, though it is significant that this is getting leaked, and passed around the military.

MoDo Calls Cheney Crazy

No Comments

I think that she intends it as allegory, but I believe that Dick Cheney is actually nuts….Delusional…Batsh%$ insane. He is so confinced of his power, or more accurately the power of the US military-industrial complex, to do anything, including sewing a button on a fart.

Worked great in Iraq.

Insanity is doing something over, and over again, exactly the same way, and and expecting a different outcome.

Her essay is a good, if catty* read, and this time, for once, there is a point at the end:

As Pat Buchanan noted on “Hardball,” “Cheney and Bush are laying down markers for themselves which they’re going to have to meet. I don’t see how … Bush and Cheney can avoid attacking Iran and retaining their credibility going out of office.”

In other words, once our cowboys have talked their crazy talk, they have to walk their crazy walk.

*Like everything she writes.

Snark of the Day, Budget Edition

No Comments

It should be noted that some budget budget wonks have uncovered a line item for a weapon to attack Iran.(h/t Attytood)

It’s for a modification to the B2 Stealth bomber so that it can carry the 30,000 penetrating pound bomb

Tucked inside the White House’s $196 billion emergency funding request for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is an item that has some people wondering whether the administration is preparing for military action against Iran.

The item: $88 million to modify B-2 stealth bombers so they can carry a newly developed 30,000-pound bomb called the massive ordnance penetrator, or, in military-speak, the MOP.

The MOP is the the military’s largest conventional bomb, a super “bunker-buster” capable of destroying hardened targets deep underground. The one-line explanation for the request said it is in response to “an urgent operational need from theater commanders.”

Hey, well, I’m sure the federal government has lots of uses for super “bunker-buster” bombs, such as, um, uh, na….

“You’d use it on Natanz,” said John Pike of GlobalSecurity.org. “And you’d use it on a stealth bomber because you want it to be a surprise. And you put in an emergency funding request because you want to bomb quickly.”

There is no reason to put this in an emergency request unless you have a target, and you want to hit it soon.

BTW, two snaps up to Will Bunch for this comment, “I’ve long been in the camp that the Cheney-Bush administration isn’t really as incompetent as it looks, that most of the worst stuff they do is 100 percent intentional. Putting your air-attack plans in a budget bill, however, is actually pretty incompetent. Hopefully they’ll get rid of this before Hillary can enthusiastically vote for it.“

Now I have to clean off my screen.

The Problem With Hillary

No Comments

For once, Maureen Dowd gets it right. Her thesis is that Hillary Clinton is too focused about her being a woman, and so she will vote for anything bellicose to show that she has the balls to be presieent.

…….

When Hillary voted to let W. use force in Iraq, she didn’t even read the intelligence estimate. She wasn’t trying to do the right thing. She was trying to do the opportunistic thing. She felt she could not run for president, as a woman, if she played the peacenik.

By throwing in with Joe Lieberman and the conservative hawks on the Iranian Revolutionary Guard issue, she once more overcompensated in a cynical way. She’d like to paint Obama as the weak reed who wants to cozy up to dictators, while she’s the one who will play tough. It was odd, given her success in the debates conveying the sense that she is the manliest candidate among the Democrats, that she felt the need to man-up on Iran.

But maybe she knows that Rudy will hurl thunderbolts at her, as he did in the debate yesterday, suggesting that she doesn’t have the guts to use a military option to stop Iran from going nuclear.

Voters seem more concerned with Hillary’s political expediency — which the vote underscored — than with her ability to be manly.

Her camp seems to think her vote was a safe one because W. and Cheney do not have the time or support to bomb Iran, and that Bob Gates can stop it. But she may be underestimating W. and Cheney. She should be at least as paranoid about that pair as she was about an Iowa Democrat.

She nailed it.

Israeli FM Minimizes Threat of Iranian Nukes

No Comments

It turns out that a few months agoForeign Minister Tzipi Livni said that Iranian nuclear weapons do not pose an existential threat to Israel. The article also reports that former Mossad chief Ephraim Halevy has similar views.

This is no surprise. Given that any Iranian action would inevitably result in a devastating Israeli counterstrike, some of which would be submarine bases, and hence secure from a first strike, we would be at mutually assured destruction, which worked between the US and the USSR for years.

Additionally, considering the Iranians as Persian, rather than Arab, it would be unusual to expect them to take actions that would result in the destruction of their culture in order to benefit an what is largely an Arab agenda.

There is also an insight into Israeli politics, specifically how Kadima would look to hold onto power with Ariel Sharon:

Livni also criticized the exaggerated use that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is making of the issue of the Iranian bomb, claiming that he is attempting to rally the public around him by playing on its most basic fears.

I would be very surprised if Kadima were above 3rd place in votes next elections, and I would not be surprised if the losses were stunning. It really is Ariel Sharon’s vanity party, and he is now gone.

More Confirmation of Preparation for Nuclear Strike on Iran

No Comments

This is a followup to my earlier post on this matter.

B-52 Nukes Headed for Iran: Air Force refused to fly weapons to Middle East theater
By Wayne Madsen
Sept. 24, 2007
Author’s website

WMR has learned from U.S. and foreign intelligence sources that the B-52 transporting six stealth AGM-129 Advanced Cruise Missiles, each armed with a W-80-1 nuclear warhead, on August 30, were destined for the Middle East via Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana.

However, elements of the Air Force, supported by U.S. intelligence agency personnel, successfully revealed the ultimate destination of the nuclear weapons and the mission was aborted due to internal opposition within the Air Force and U.S. Intelligence Community.

…

A quick google of Wayne Madsen seems to indicate that he’s a bit out there, so if anyone can provide me information as to his reliability, it would be appreciated.

“I hate all Iranians”, Says the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Coalition Affairs to Defense Secretary Robert Gates

No Comments

This is scary.

I hate all Iranians, US aide tells MPs
By SIMON WALTERS

Britsh MPs visiting the Pentagon to discuss America’s stance on Iran and Iraq were shocked to be told by one of President Bush’s senior women officials: “I hate all Iranians.”

And she also accused Britain of “dismantling” the Anglo-US-led coalition in Iraq by pulling troops out of Basra too soon.

The all-party group of MPs say Debra Cagan, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Coalition Affairs to Defence Secretary Robert Gates, made the comments this month.

…..

The MPs say that at one point she said: “In any case, I hate all Iranians.”

Although it was an aside, it was not out of keeping with her general demeanour.

“She seemed more keen on saying she didn’t like Iranians than that the US had no plans to attack Iran,” said one MP. “She did say there were no plans for an attack but the tone did not fit the words.”

Another MP said: “I formed the impression that some in America are looking for an excuse to attack Iran. It was very alarming.”

…

The Pentagon denied Ms Cagan said she “hated” Iranians.

“She doesn’t speak that way,” said an official.

But when The Mail on Sunday spoke to four of the six MPs, three confirmed privately that she made the remark and one declined to comment. The other two could not be contacted.

She’s scary too:

Yikes!!!!

And no, this is not a photoshop job.

This is Where Our Sabre Rattling With Regard to Iran Leads Us

No Comments

Iran’s parliament votes to label CIA, U.S. Army ‘terrorist’ groups.

Considering the fact that the US Senate has done the same with units of the Iranian military, this is unsurprising.

Of course, this means that Iran does not feel bound by the requirements of POW status, and they could set up their own little Gitmo for our troops, which is, of course, the implicit threat here.

The worst kept secret in the Middle East is that US special forces, and possibly CIA operatives are operating in Iran, and by our actions, we have given the Iranians license to abuse them.

The Fruits of Bush Foreign Policy, Iran in Our Back Yard

No Comments

Iran strengthens South America ties: “On the heels of a U.N. General Assembly appearance in which he said Iran will ignore demands by ‘arrogant powers’ to curb its nuclear program, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was headed to Bolivia on Thursday to establish first-time diplomatic relations with the Andean nation.”

Yes, our world is so much safer because the Avignon President is on the job.

Sy Hersh Details Bush/Cheney’s Plans for Attack on Iraq

No Comments

It appears that the Bush administration is changing their justification for an attack on Iran. No one is believing their nuclear weapons claims (gee, I wonder why?), so now they are claiming that Iran is actively arming and supporting unsavory and violent elements in Iraq (like the Malaki government, I guess).

The explosively formed projectile claims are bogus. The IRA was making these in Irish basements 30 years ago, and they have found workshops where they are being made.

Explosives are from the unsecured ammunition dumps in Iraq.

And then, there is the issue that any US attack will secure the position of the Iranian government for the next 20 years, as Saddam’s attack did 25 years ago.

I don’t see Congress doing anything to stop him, and absent that, the only possibility of stopping this is a mutiny of the general officer corps, which is potentially far worse than an attack on Iran.

As I have stated before, I believe that the US intends to use nuclear weapons in this attack, and the long term consequences of this are catastrophic (the short term consequences are $200/bbl oil).

United States Hands Ahmadinejad a Win

No Comments

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came to the US a weak man. His promises on the economy are unfulfilled, his ability to govern a joke. He left a hero to the Iranian people and probably a hero to much of the Arab world too.

Bollinger clearly had an American audience in mind when he denounced the Iranian leader to his face as a “cruel” and “petty dictator” and described his Holocaust denial as designed to “fool the illiterate and the ignorant.” Bollinger’s remarks may have taken him off the hook with his domestic critics, but when it came to the international media audience that really counted, Ahmadinejad already had carried the day. The invitation to speak at Columbia already had given him something totalitarian demagogues — who are as image-conscious as Hollywood stars — always crave: legitimacy. Bollinger’s denunciation was icing on the cake, because the constituency the Iranian leader cares about is scattered across an Islamic world that values hospitality and its courtesies as core social virtues. To that audience, Bollinger looked stunningly ill-mannered; Ahmadinejad dignified and restrained.

Back in Tehran, Mohsen Mirdamadi, a leading Iranian reformer and Ahmadinejad opponent, said Bollinger’s blistering remarks “only strengthened” the president back home and “made his radical supporters more determined,” According to an Associated Press report, “Many Iranians found the comments insulting, particularly because in Iranian traditions of hospitality, a host should be polite to a guest, no matter what he thinks of him.

It’s more than that the Presidency of Iran is a very weak office. One need only look at his the failure of predecessor, Mohammad Khatami, an erstwhile reformer, to engage in even the most mild of anti-corruption activities.

The Senate’s Sense About Iran

No Comments

It got approved with 76-22-2, with John McCain and (once again) Barack Obama not voting, but it was modified significantly.

Original Language:

“It is the sense of the Senate . . . (3) that it should be the policy of the United States to combat, contain, and roll back the violent activities and destabilizing influence inside Iraq of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, its foreign facilitators such as Lebanese Hezbollah, and its indigenous Iraqi proxies; [and] (4) to support the prudent and calibrated use of all instruments of United States national power in Iraq, including diplomatic, economic, intelligence, and military instruments, in support of the policy described in paragraph (3) with respect to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies” (my emphases).

According to Andrew Kent (linked above), this was dropped, though I am not clear if the bolded sections, which are in the original, or the whole paragraphs were dropped.

As it stands, it calls the Iranians bad people, though it does call the Republican Guard a terrorist organization.

US Once Again Pisses off Kurds

No Comments

The Kurds are as close as we come to having an ally in the region, and we seem to be determined to piss them off.

We just arrested an Iranian from a trade delegation.

But the Kurdistan Regional Government in a statement called the arrest “illegitimate,” said the man was a member of a trade delegation that had been invited to Sulaimaniyah by the local government and demanded that he be released.

This sort of stuff keeps going on. There is no learning curve.

Military Penile Inferiority Complexes.

No Comments

Well, it appears that Retired Lt. General Thomas McInerney, in a bid to talk about large US munitions, has revealed that he has feeling of inadequacy about his small penis.

Specifically, when talking about the recent Russian demonstration of their massive fuel air/thermobaric bomb recently:

…

McInerney said the U.S. has “a new massive ordnance penetrator that’s 30,000 pounds, that really penetrates … Ahmadinejad has nothing in Iran that we can’t penetrate.”

He also said the new Russian bomb was not a “Penetrator.”

To quote Shreck, “Do you think maybe he’s compensating for something?” In the future, we should call our weapons “Anal Intruders” to remove any doubt

Then again, this guy is so batsh&% insane, that he makes Curtis LeMay look like the Dali Lama:

He said that bombing would be launched by 65-70 stealth bombers and 400 bombers of other types.

“Forty-eight hours duration, hitting 2500 aimed points to take out their [Iranian] nuclear facilities, their air defense facilities, their air force, their navy, their Shahab-3 retaliatory missiles, and finally their command and control. And then let the Iranian people take their country back,” the general said describing the campaign, adding it would be “easy.”

So, in addition to being crazy, he is just plain stupid.

Any US attack will cement the rule of the Mullas for at least another 20 years, just as Saddam’s attack on Iran secured their rule for the past 20 some odd years.

Moron.

Bush Knew that There Were No WMDs Before Invasion

No Comments

Sidney Blumenthal saysthat Bush was explicitly briefed on this fact.

On Sept. 18, 2002, CIA director George Tenet briefed President Bush in the Oval Office on top-secret intelligence that Saddam Hussein did not have weapons of mass destruction, according to two former senior CIA officers. Bush dismissed as worthless this information from the Iraqi foreign minister, a member of Saddam’s inner circle, although it turned out to be accurate in every detail. Tenet never brought it up again.

He wanted his war out of some Oedipal conflict with his dad, and now, to further compensate for his feeling of masculine inadequacy, he is planning to use nuclear weapons on Iran.

He must be stopped, and to paraphrase Olbermann, Democrats in Congress and those few Republicans who actually give a damn about America need to do it today, and set about removing Bush and Cheney from office and turning them over to the Hague for prosecution.

Bush Intends to Use Nuclear Weapons Against Iran

No Comments

Read Larry Johnson’s analysis:

  • B-52s deploying to Barksdale is not unusual.
  • The only time a plane has nukes on it is when it’s on alert, or it’s tasked to move it to a specific site.
  • Barksdale AFB is a staging base for the Middle East.
  • Someone on the inside obviously leaked the information, as mishaps with nukes are kept WELL under cover until well after they are resolved.
    • Why would someone leak this if it were an honest accident?

Mr. Johnson is far more circumspect that I am. The Bush admin not only has plans for a nuclear strike on Iran, it is their preferred tactic.