Today, while touring Europe, George W. Bush rattled his withered little saber in Iran’s direction again, warning that "all options are on the table", even while paying lip service to seeking a diplomatic solution.
Funny thing: He used exactly the same phrase numerous times during the runup to the Iraq war.
And then there was the language coming out of his meeting last week with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert:
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert hinted after his meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush Wednesday that U.S. action against Iran is imminent. While he avoided saying anything clear and specific on the matter, Olmert did mention a "timetable" and said action would take place before Bush leaves the White House.
"We reached agreement on the need to take care of the Iranian threat," Olmert said after the meeting. "I left with a lot less question marks [than I had entered with] regarding the means, the timetable restrictions and America’s resoluteness to deal with the problem."
We seem, indeed, to be replicating the runup of 2002-3 to the invasion of Iraq. Recall that Bush performed a similar tour of Europe in the spring of 2002:
President Bush arrived in Berlin this evening faced with the task of convincing skeptical Europeans that he is willing to listen to — if not wholly accept — the advice of allies as he decides how to deal with Iraq, Iran and the Middle East.
… The Europeans clearly do not believe that they are at war. They are worried that Mr. Bush may drag them into a new war in Iraq, destabilize the Middle East and put enormous strain on NATO.
Mebbe those Europeans were onto something. Ya think?
And as we now know, all the Team Bush talk of "diplomacy" was just a cover, because they were planning to invade all along.
It will be much harder, of course, for Bush to convince Congress to authorize the use of military force this time around, though with Holy Joe in the choir I fully expect them to try. Still, it will be hard to imagine the U.S. taking military action quite so readily in Iran as it did in Iraq.
But considering the "unitary executive" precedents that have been set over the past seven years, it seems possible if not likely Bush will decide he doesn’t need to consult Congress after all (despite the clear language of the Constitution) and simply "take action." Maybe an internal DOJ memo can cover it for them. They probably have some new John Yoo working on it right now.
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Oh damn. It begins. He wants a war as he leaves office to ensure that McCain will win (so he hopes).
Oh, color me shocked.
Thanks David.
Bush couldn’t drive up the price of gasoline more effectively if he blew up some refineries. And of course driving up the price of crude, that just hammers the dollar lower. He just can’t resist smirking f*ck you to the world.
digg
Right.
Because we have unlimited financial and human resources, as well as a ton of international goodwill, to throw at this Iranian situation. /s
Yup, and Reid just said no impeachment “no matter what he’s done”…
Can you imagine that…the Majority Leader refuses to impeach “no matter what he’s done”.
Unfuckingbelievable.
Spit.
Must’ve heard MSNBC pimpin’ the new NBC-WSJ poll with 59% sayin’ they want to move forward…took that as a sign….
Either that or the horse’s head in his bed this morning.
Biden will call for impeachment if he bombs Iran. Don’t you think that has Bush shivering in his cowboy boots?
Impeachment is the cure.
What?
And Bush/Cheney are the cancer.
Fool me once, shame on you, George.
You aren’t going to fool any of us this time.
Impeach Reid too!
Yes, it is. But as Jonathan Turley so astutely put it on Countdown the other night the process is now all about Politics and not about Principle. Nancy and Harry might have to give up their parking places and find real work, doubtful though since they are both millionaires in their own right from income and family sources, if they were to actually stand on “principle” and get on with taking this bastard down with is whole evil empire.
Palpatine/Pelosi ‘08?
Sounds like Reid just violated his oath of office, IMHO.
Digg this post folks, this is an important one.
We are being led by the nose into yet another war. Don’t forget the 150,000 troops currently within rang of Iran’s missles…
Yup…they just interviewed Reid and that is what the fucker said.
“No matter what he’s done“…
“He’ll soon be gone”
I’m so furious.
Another sixteen words ?
Bush is power mad, gone ’round the bend and Cheney is whispering in his ear, Faster Faster Pussy cat, Kill, Kill!
If he launches an offensive against Iran without Congressional approval I think he will be gone.
Reid is the Senate Majority Leader.
He doesn’t have squat to say about impeachment. He might have something to say regarding conviction once incurious George was impeached.
I want a truth and reconciliation commission. I’d like impeachment cobbler served up 14 months ago, but as Mrs BC says, people in hell want ice water. So I’ll settle for a T&R commission.
BC
Impeach them all.
I’ve absolutely had it with all of them.
Senate Oath Of Office
Oh, my the 1600 Crew are rather counting on that. Nothing would get another or extension of that misbegotten AUMF pushed thru faster than US troops getting killed by Irani MRBMs shot from inside Iran.
This isn’t foreign policy, this is foreign policy fiction and no one could write this except that evil dwarf Cheney and his minions who are beholden to the right-wing Israelis.
I’m sure he was speaking for Pelosi too. They are two peas in a pod.
“No matter what he’s done.” I can’t get over that.
He needs to go just for having such an opinion as a member of Congress.
Who’s going to be Senate Majority Leader next time January???
Well then, I guess it’s a good thing we have “off the table” Pelosi running the congress.
*spit*
And to believe I sported a “Pelosi 2006″ bumper sticker. I hate being a played for a sucker.
next January
Calling Keith for a Special Comment on that one.
I wanna just puke my guts out over that shit.
Bushco will attack Iran. They will.
Bye Harry.
bush’s “withered little sabre”
Great metaphor!
Hillary.
He’s been talking a lot over the past week about diplomacy, which I take to mean we’ll be bombing the shit out of them in a few months. The parallels with Iraq are overwhelming. You have the sense that someone just took the Iraq script a replaced all of the “q”s with “n”s.
You know, there is a Senator from NY that has just had her future calendar cleared. The Senator’s resume’ suggests she is a tireless worker, can reach across party lines, but is willing to fight like hell when need be. How about having this Senator replace Harry?
Reid has been hiding under the table for so long that he thinks that the best we can all hope for is that Bush and Cheney will just …go away.
Sure. Another authorization for military force coming right up.
I agree, it oughta be. And screw Chuck Schumer and all those senators whose seniority is greater. We need leadership.
Granted I’m late getting here, but, -um-, our mightywarriorking seems to have lost his head, at least on my screen.
He wants Iran so badly? Fine. But since we now seem to have a unitary excavation brand of governance, I say, send junior and deadeye on over there, along with their plannerwarts and all, and bring the military home.
Boosh is so sure he can do it all? Let him prove it directly and personally. After all, he needs to look them in the eye. Right?
Oh, and mebbe McSame would enjoy flying the plane. Laura Ingraham can serve coctail weenies, and koolaid, & rush? hmmm. gimme a minute…
Oh. How ’bout locking him in teh head till touchdown.
*they’re off to see the wizards, the wunnerful wizards of odd…*
I cannot understand why anyone in the Pentagon thinks that bombing Iran is a good idea. Do they discount the fact that Iran has a standing army of 2 million? And they are right across the border from our small force in Iraq? And the civilian population of Iraq will be deeply sympathetic to an Iranian retaliatory invasion?
Guess who really will be greeted as liberators.
OT, sort of: House just voted overwhelmingly to send Kucinich’s impeachment counts to the House Judiciary Committee.
I’ve heard two possible times…August and after the election.
And that is the one thing about this whole mess that gives me hope. Bush and Cronies think they’re terribly clever, and everyone else is stupid. Fortunately, they’re wrong on both counts.
Absent an outright attack on coalition forces by the Iranians, Bush can’t possibly get an authorization to use force through this Congress. And this time every one is going to be looking very closely for any manufactured excuses.
No chess players in this bunch.
“You don’t roll out a new product in August.”
I missed that!
OK now what happens?
if there’s reason to be worried about an attack on iran, then senator clinton is probably not the best choice. how about someone who didn’t vote for kyl-lieberman or who has better judgment on issues of war?
Nothing. They sent it there to die.
LS. We hear you. We heard you. We know. We’re worried sick just like you. Please don’t take the lack of repeated reactions to your statements as lack of consent and concern. What would you have us do that we’re not already doing?
It’s not going to do much good to run in circles screaming that the sky is falling. Forgive me. I’m not being flip. I want these evil monsters out of our government as much as you do.
I don’t believe anyone in the five-sided foxhole thinks attacking Iran qualifies as a do-able idea, much less a good one.
Bush has purged everyone willing to publicly tell him he’s insane, so no one with ambitions (that means everyone wearing birds and higher there) will say anything in public. But it’s a batshit crazy idea, and they all know it.
They won’t bother. They’ll use the AUMF for Afghanistan combined with the Kyl Lieberman thing for justification.
There will be no more votes in Congress…unless..unless there is an attack by “Iran”…which would either be an accident, a provoked response, or a false flag attack on ships in the Gulf…something like that…but I doubt Congress will be consulted.
We’ll just wake up one morning to the news that they bombed their “nuclear” plants.
And Bushco will say “So”…”what you gonna do about it”.
And Reid and Pelosi will say zilch.
Maybe. Maybe Conyers decides to act on it?
Conyers is the one who will call the shots in the committee.
And how about if Bush defends our staunch allies who are facing retaliation for their own “preemptive” attack on Iran?
We need to pressure Congress.
I don’t want to wake up and know I did nothing but clutch my pearls.
do you think they are counting on our anger at bush over an attack on iran to motivate a large number of people to come out to vote D?
Besides. What is this post about? Isn’t it the subject of the post?
ITMFA!
Thus, my 24.
Fine. I’ll STFU.
Harry Reid.
Unless he decides to step down to tend his homefires, he’ll be lauded by his peers and credited with whatever gains Democrats make in the Senate this November. You see, any increase in membership is due to the extraordinary leadership being provided by the top Democrat.
We must encourage Senator Reid to serve Nevadans well, look toward his 2010 re-election, and not get Daschled. Imagine what a great partner Dick Durbin would be with President Obama!
By January it will be a done deal.
please don’t. i don’t think that was what was meant….
Do not!
Tht is good to know. At least it’s there and ready when needed. (Not that it hasn’t been needed for a long time already.)
“It will be much harder, of course, for Bush to convince Congress to authorize the use of military force this time around”
________
He’ll claim he doesn’t need it, that it’s implicit in the current, apparently infinite AUMF. Their only recourses, consequently will be denial of funding or impeachment.
Yes. I agree. So do many others here. That’s why Jane, Christy, Marcy et al have such a loyal fan club.
One comes here for good discussion, ideas, and news. Then we fan out and pester congresscritters AND any others within hailing distance.
We ARE trying our darndest to stop these thugs. You are preaching to the choir, hon. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Deep thanks to you for your activism and your zeal to make a difference. ;->
October surprise?
You could be right. Here are the members of the committee that will decide…
Chairman: Hon. Conyers (D)Michigan, 14th
Ranking Member: Hon. Lamar S. Smith,(R) Texas, 21st
Democrat
Hon. Berman
(D) California, 28th
Hon. Boucher
(D) Virginia, 9th
Hon. Nadler
(D) New York, 8th
Hon. Scott
(D) Virginia, 3rd
Hon. Watt
(D) North Carolina, 12th
Hon. Lofgren
(D) California, 16th
Hon. Jackson Lee
(D) Texas, 18th
Hon. Waters
(D) California, 35th
Hon. Delahunt
(D) Massachusetts, 10th
Hon. Wexler
(D) Florida, 19th
Hon. Sánchez
(D) California, 39th
Hon. Cohen
(D) Tennessee, 9th
Hon. Johnson
(D) Georgia, 4th
Hon. Sutton
(D) Ohio, 13th
Hon. Gutierrez
(D) Illinois, 4th
Hon. Sherman
(D) California, 27
Hon. Baldwin
(D) Wisconsin, 2nd
Hon. Weiner
(D) New York, 9th
Hon. Schiff
(D) California, 29th
Hon. Davis
(D) Alabama , 7th
Hon. Wasserman Schultz
(D) Florida, 20th
Hon. Ellison
(D) Minnesota, 5th
Republican
Hon. Sensenbrenner Jr.
(R) Wisconsin, 5th
Hon. Coble
(R) North Carolina, 6th
Hon. Gallegly
(R) California, 24th
Hon. Goodlatte
(R) Virginia, 6th
Hon. Chabot
(R) Ohio, 1st
Hon. Lungren
(R) California, 3rd
Hon. Cannon
(R) Utah, 3rd
Hon. Keller
(R) Florida, 8th
Hon. Issa
(R) California, 49th
Hon. Pence
(R) Indiana, 6th
Hon. Forbes
(R) Virginia, 4th
Hon. King
(R) Iowa, 5th
Hon. Feeney
(R) Florida, 24th
Hon. Franks
(R) Arizona, 2nd
Hon. Gohmert
(R) Texas, 1st
Hon. Jordan
(R) Ohio, 4th
Whatcha gonna do about it?
“But considering the “unitary executive” precedents that have been set over the past seven years, it seems possible if not likely Bush will decide he doesn’t need to consult Congress after all (despite the clear language of the Constitution) and simply “take action.” Maybe an internal DOJ memo can cover it for them. They probably have some new John Yoo working on it right now.”
BINGO! The evil Bush doesn’t need no stinkin Congress. And they don’t need a good reason. Why, because they are evil neo-con extremists and the only thing they are good at is ’starting’ wars. (not conducting wars) They are complete failures at everything else.
The Committee won’t decide what to do with Kucinich’s resolution, the Chairman will. And he’s been neutered by the Speaker, on this subject.
Completely
LS, don’t go. Your voice here is important.
So… is there still time for the Valkyrian chorus?
See my @61
A complete list of the Kucinich resolution, including his entire statement, can be found here.
It is a hefty pdf.
Republics will be loudly and dramatically against the unitary executive on January 21, 2009 if Obama is elected.
dear mods… i’ve been a little confused on the rules. would you be willing to tell me why LS’s comment @ 56 was deleted? will my reply also be deleted? thank you!
never mind… i see it’s been restored. thanks again!
It is the speakers call. And while his balls may be in a jar on someones desk, maybe if we all call and give him a tiny bit of our own, he may combine them to create a sack of his own.
*whew* And who says liberals are crude?
Honorable John Conyers, Jr.
2426 Rayburn Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-5126
Why does Lamar Smith, who was briefly my Rep during the redistricting hideousness, have an “Hon.” in front of his name?
greenwarrior
I didn’t mean (necessarily) that Incurious George will have started a war with Iran. I’m still hopeful that saner heads will prevail on that.
So, I don’t see any need to get Brunhilde and her sisters in the wings warmed up. Yet.
Vote for whom, the complicit?
Good, ’cause I searched and searched to find out what you were replying to!
Now it’s back and I’m not so confused!
HECK NO – if people are supposed to STFU for speaking their mind, I’m one of the first to go!
WHAT reason is given by Reid for no impeachment this time? Or does he just same no?
that’s what the kabuki is for, i think? to make it look they are in opposition?
My fear is that they will nuke Iran. justified by using small nukes.
Bwaahaaahaaa
You said it, it struck me as… …charitable as well. It was cut n pasted from the Committee website.
Heh heh. Honorable indeed.
Reid’s reasoning is that there only seven months left in our nightmare.
That doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to sleep through them, in my opinion.
probably just a mod typo. we all make them…. it’s just a bigger deal for those who have mod super powers *g*
In a lot of way the Iran rhetoric seems, to me, to about shifting the debate away from the occupation of Iraq making our presence there more acceptable.
Thanks for link. I was looking at the document this morning. It’s amazingly powerful to read. This was no casual effort. I say we get behind it and help shove it onto center stage.
Repeating. I AGREE with you LS. Please do NOT leave. This is one of the very best places in the whole world to be, for those who want to counteract congressional inertia and exec. overlordiness.
Thank you also, Teddy. I was clumsy in my wording. I sense the same panic in LS’s comments that I face every morning when I waken. We must be as calm as possible and DO something. Maybe it is time for demonstrations in the streets. I’m stunned by various MSM members who claim no one cares because they’re scrambling to make a living wage instead of demonstrating.
Stupid repug talking point. arrrrgh.
Because “small” nukes aren’t WMD’s, they are “conventional” weapons.
Silly.
Conyers did not do anything when they pulled this the last time, when Kucinich tried to start impeachment against Cheney. He’s not about to do anything now. For whatever ungodly reason, there appears to be a conspiracy to NOT impeach these MFers.
Bush is a very dangerous idiot.
He said it clouds the Congress, and that Bush will be gone soon. He said he won’t support impeachment, “no matter what he’s done”…he also says that he knows that Bush had done things…but no impeachment.
I hope somebody can get the clip. It was on MSNBC when he was interviewed right after the vote.
Horrific Obtuse Nutball?
selise. I see LSs comment on my page. Have you tried F5 refresh?
OT slightly – I just received a smear email containing the following:
Of course all this stuff is taken completely out of context – but there it is. How do we counter this? And we must!
No kidding.
as in, “at least we’re not nuking iran” ?
I have been fighting with an obstetrician at work over that email!
I was actually going to submit it to snopes or myrightwingdad for investigation today, as I do not have the books.
Where is this stuff coming from?
yeah, basically, attacking Iran would be so extremely stupid at this point and pushing that idea, in effect, legitimatizes the occupation.
“The Execrable” always seems to work for me…
It’s okay. The prospect and consequences of this out of control administration conducting an attack on Iran are so huge that any kind of complacency or twiddling our thumbs while they march forward into more war is unacceptable. Some people think they probably won’t..etc., and I’m just laying it out there based on what they’ve said. Plus, the post is about this very topic. I’m sorry if it is alarming to hear it, but it needs to be dealt with, and it is so frustrating when we have Reid refusing to help stop them.
I think bombarding Conyer’s office is the best thing to do right now.
Peace.
BTW, did anyone notice the irony of Maliki meeting with Ahmadinejad the other day.
Now, The Sheikh gets castigated for saying he’d meet with Iran’s leadership — of course, the wingnuts all take that to mean Ahmadinejad.
But, it goes largely unnoticed that Our Boy in Baghdad meets with him.
Impeachment isn’t up to Reid. It takes place in the house. If the House impeaches- the senate MUST try. Reid really doesn’t have much to say about it except to vote on guilt.
And, totally OT, but I like Frank Schaeffer’s use of the word – He’s decided that McCain is ‘a cad’. “Republicans have been winning elections by appealing to a holier-than-thou sense of American goodness. One plank is the anti-gay and anti gay marriage agenda. In McCain they have a leader who represents the antithesis of family values. In fact McCain is sort of man who got horsewhipped by irate fathers on behalf of wronged daughters in Victorian novels. He’s what used to be called a cad…By contrast McCain has not only broken the rules of decent family conduct, by tossing over his wife in her hour of need–a wife who loyally waited for him and raised his children — but he has broken his much vaunted military moral code of honor too. McCain says he belongs to the fraternity that “never leaves a man behind,” much less a wounded comrade. But that is exactly what he did to his wounded and disfigured wife.” http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpo…..5OmFQd6sgF
Adie, it’s not that no one cares because they’re struggling to survive – it’s simply that they are struggling to survive and therefore do not have the time to play watchdog over the political gamers and do not have time to take to the streets. Nixon started the dumbing down of America and then the next step was to keep us dull and happy (job,food,car,TV) and now it’s to keep us so downtrodden that we do not have the will fight back. Oops. Sorry. I’ve taken too many conspiracy pills today…
Snopes already has this email debunked!
Ya gotta love those guys!
I also received one of those.
I assure you that he and Pelosi are on the exact same page.
cad’s too good for him
He’s a pigdog
It comes from Rove’s propaganda machine…
Our man in Iraq, Al- Maliki, is very close to the Iranian leadership. They are all Shia and the Iranian regime protected him during Saddam’s time.
If you think that it has been tense and bloody in the past, wait til our soldiers have to defend themselves against both the Iranians and the Shia Iraqi militias. You know, the ones that we are arming.
Bush and Cheney are a disaster
I think that they will not directly attack Iran, but will use Israel for that instead. That helps Olmert’s low poll ratings, too.
Orwellian doublespeak
*spit*
Maybe that is why they don’t impeach him. too dangerous in power. perhaps later. I don’t really believe this.
True.
I’ve often wondered if part of congresscritters’ problems dealing with him is the stunningly monstrous level of stupidity, carelessness, wanton greed, and idiocy to which they are told to bow down like helpless serfs.
For the sake of this country and the world, Congress can NOT afford to sit on their hands and simply wait. They, and we, are facing a real threat from within. We need courageous leaders, NOW.
Dennis Kucinich is one of those people. His colleagues ignore him at their peril, and ours.
Yes, excellent idea to contact Conyers. Would suggest treating respectfully. Conyers is a good guy. Just mebbe needs an extra strong nudge right now, and/or evidence of how upset the public is over this issue. That makes it easier for him to act more strongly.
They don’t want to be “mean” to offend the people they have cocktails and weanies with. DC social life is a world unto its own.
There was a post on Kos the other day that said Conyers was looking for reasons to impeach. Reasons that shoot down his 5 positions on why he hasn’t. They were things like…we don’t have the votes…we don’t have enough time…it will affect our electability…and two other things…I don’t remember what they were. So, in addressing Conyers, it might be good to refute some of the reasons why not to impeach. I wish I’d saved that diary. Maybe I did…I’ll go look.
Actually, I’m on their page at this point as well. It would be seen as nothing but a political stunt and it has ZERO chance of going anywhere…
Thanks for the linky – I didn’t even know how to begin a search for this crap.
It’s on its way back to the entire email list.
The totally stupid thing was the person who had sent it to the one who sent it to me had posted a message on it that said to “stop forwarding this crap, etc etc etc.
Person who passed it to me obviously doesn’t read that part very well!!! LOL
I have long been operating on the assumption that Bush would attack Iran before he left office. I have made this belief clear to my sisters and my wife. What would surprise me is if we actually get through to the inauguration of Obama next year without the ME being blown even more to hell by Bush.
Based upon this assumption, I have also been taking little steps here and there to help prepare for the results of such a disastrous, and inevitable, move by Bush. Haven’t you folks?
Here it is…check it out:
Conyers 5 reasons:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyo…..22411/1486
Seems like good dosage to me. I agree with you.
If I may, without getting in even even deeper trouble here, poor LS has been trumpeting one refrain repeatedly for days. I was trying here, albeit ham-handedly, to assure LS there’s plenty company very active at this site, and who agree.
I think it can often be frustrating for a newcomer to this blog, that the threads move so rapidly and are organized in the same order as they arrive, so what is actually only a slight disconnect owing to time overlap may seem to signal a lack of interest in one’s own comments. We regulars get used to it, but it still can be disconcerting when your brain is in flames and you need some response, like NOW! We’ve all been there, eh?
Actually, it is important that they start the proceedings – if nothing else to say that this stuff is unacceptable. It also allows the committees to get their investigations going – and they don’t have to stop just because Bush is out of office. This stuff NEEDS to be on the record.
If they don’t do anything – they are saying to any and all future executives that it doesn’t matter what you do – you won’t be punished.
That is the big reason why we are here – the Iran-Contra thing got swept under the rug courtesy of Bush I and Clinton, and the American People will probably never know all the crap that went on during that mess. And the fact that nothing was done – led Bush II to believe he could get away with murder. Literally and Figuratively. And so far, he has.
So we need to keep up the pressure for them to start – even if it ‘doesn’t go anywhere’.
I don’t think that Bush will bomb Iran. He’s tryin to keep the Israelis from doin it. They are trying to pressure US to do it. Obama will inherit this situation and it may be his first “trial” in foreign policy…
The issue is really whether or not the US will allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons. Most seem to think that a nuclear Iran is not a good thing. I agree. How will Obama keep it from happening?
He has escaped impeachment primarily because he is a War President. Washington was attacked on 9/11, and they believe themselves under attack still. Were impeachment to proceed, I think the Democrats believe Bush would become the Another War President, to shut down the process.
And I think they might be right. I can see W whispering to Nancy right after Democrats won in 2006 that he’d bomb Iran if they impeached him. She took it “off the table” pretty quickly.
Good idea. It should be possible to find it. Maybe someone here who’s more familiar with that site than I am could help with the search.
P. E. A. C. E.
I don’t want to see a vote on impeachment. It will be overwhelmingly against and will only serve to exonerate Clusterfuck in the eyes of history. It’s a bad idea in my opinion for a lot of reasons.
The big key is that impeachment hearings means no “executive privilege”. Questions are asked and there can be no weaseling out of answering except, perhaps, by invoking the 5th.
just popped by and I don’t know if this was commented on but in case not;
bush already has the authorization and do NOT think he thinks otherwise
he has ALREADY been given the power to use “all necessary force”, he has NO use for congress and do not THINK for ONE MINUTE otherwise
I have been saying for how long I do not believe there will be elections?
hang on to hats, if war happens in Iran there will be martial law
I’m hardly a newcomer…*g*. I’m here pretty regularly…
I’ve been trumpeting this because it is happening. This is the first post where anyone has actually called for any action to do something about it. It is also the subject of the post in the first place. I, in no way whatsoever, was looking for a response to my comments. I am merely commenting on the obvious…so don’t feel sorry for me.
Check my 119. It’s right there. I think it is a good start.
First – how to keep Iran from becoming a nuclear power – dialogue and discussion would be a good first start.
And an acknowledgement of the fatwa pronounced by Grand Ayatollah al-Khamenie stating unequivocally that Islam and nuclear weapons are incompatible. He made this fatwa in 2003 – and by all accounts, the nuclear weapons program was shut down shortly thereafter. While Bushco keeps beating the war drums on this issue – the IAEA has said they have no evidence at the present time that the program has been re-started.
Of course, to listen to our media parrot the Bushco line – they have 200 bombs already and they are all aimed at us!!
Haven’t been reading the leaves lately? It appears that Cheney and his band have been gaining power and influence again against the (admittedly meager) resistance of the Rice/Gates cabal. There is even a suggestion that among the reasons for Gates choosing the people he did to head the USAF is that the USAF has always been the most gung-ho for dropping bombs on anything and everything, eager to kill as many as possible, at the drop of a hat. The new picks are likely to be more in Gates’ camp than the former leaders who were most assuredly in the Cheney camp.
Also, there is a solid reason why Fallon was pushed out and replaced by the warmonger, supercompliant monster Petraeus. Petraeus is for attacking Iran and has done his part, whenever given the chance, to try to provide underlying support for an attack on Iran.
One way or another, I expect some dustup will be created out of nothing to try to justify attacking Iran.
Mebbe, but I get the disturbing feeling loud & clear, that dumbya is a detached, careless, wanton & cruel quitter. Find something in his history to prove me wrong.
Has he ever done anything successfully? Mebbe someone should call his daddy to round up his friends and bail the bum out one more time before be breaks all the
cheyenuhdishes.We treasure our world and its inhabitants, Mr Sr.Boosh. Please rein in yer son. Call off the rovers ‘n deadeyes & cranks. Be a hero. Save the world. No. REally!
Dialogue and discussion would be a good start- yes- but it’s been going on for years with no effect. Maybe Obama’s a better talker than the euro group that’s been negotiating this thing.
Obama COULD, of course, just conclude that there is no risk of Iran developing a weapons program and allow them to proceed with refining uranium- but he’d better be ready to prevent Israel from attacking and to live with the tag that he allowed a nuclear Iran to develop…
Just because Clusterfuck is involved doesn’t mean that there isn’t a real threat to peace here.
Perris, I work in a building of about 200 people, I converse regularly with about 60. Of those 60 very diverse people about 10 believe as you do, that there will be no election – something will happen to bring martial law. That’s 17%. I wonder if that could then be transferred to the general population – that 17% believe there will be no election. What is your experience?
We may be shocked in February or so to find that we’ve got a new president and that his stance toward Iran is about the same as the old one.
Not so shocked. Obama’s voting record shows him as very middle-of-the-road. I’ll be shocked if he turns out to be more progressive.
I’m not much good at reading the leaves left in the cup by these bozos-
Trouble is that Clusterfuck would act the same if he was really going to bomb hell out of em or if he was just threatening to get them to come to the table and negotiate a nuclear power program that doesn’t involve them refining uranium…so how the hell could we tell which he’s tryin to do?
no, I don’t think the percentage is more then 1
in a room of highly educated liberals, democrats or realisitic republicans the percentae would probably be what you see in your office
obama no longer has to worry about corporate contributers, now he has to worry about his real constituents and they are people
do not be surprised if this is the most progressive president since fdr
Funny, I just sent Pelosi an email this morning:
June 10, 2008
Dear Madam Speaker Pelosi,
As you know, Dennis Kucinich read 35 potential Articles of Impeachment last night on the floor of the House. I want to thank you for allowing this to happen, and I want to make a request that you take his effort seriously, since he alone seems to have the courage to speak for many Americans. I do not consider his efforts extraordinary; I consider that he is doing his job well within its proper limits. Mr. Kucinich is simply trying to correct some serious abuses of power of an administration gone awry, one that has shown nothing but contempt for their governmental counterparts in the House and the Senate, and even appears to consider the Courts of this great Country to be subservient to the executive branch as the President tries to obstruct every effort to let the courts judge the legality or illegality of warrantless wiretapping.
The Congress of the United States has, as a general rule during this session, shown insufficient interest in safeguarding the checks and balances written into the Constitution. They have allowed this administration to literally get away with murder and treason with impunity. Sure, they’ve groused about their subpoenas being ignored, they’ve complained when the objects of their subpoenas are ordered by the President not to appear, they’ve even threatened to use inherent contempt. I’m tired of grousing and complaining and threatening. The time for action has come and gone and yet you and the rest of the leadership of House have stated in so many words that Impeachment, a remedy built into the Constitution for the explicit purpose of resolving some of the very abuses of power that are currently taking place, is “off the table!” This is inexplicable and inexcusable. It is not just your right, it is your duty to perform the oversight which the executive branch of government has spent a lot of time and effort rejecting. This is the height of dereliction of duty!
To allow the President to be the loudest voice in the government is to abdicate your rank as an equal branch of government. When you cede your rights, you are also ceding my rights, and I take offense at that! I’ve said before and I will reiterate: There is nothing more important than the balance of power within our own government! When you took impeachment off the table, you allowed the President to believe that he was not just the titular head of state, but represented the head of the government, which the Constitution makes clear was never the intent of the Founding Fathers. Having failed to exercise any of the other remedies that the Constitution conveys upon you to correct overreaching Presidential initiatives, you have allowed a precedent to be set that is dangerous to our standing as a democratic republic. We must not fall into the habit of conceding more and more power to the head of state to the point that we become a dictatorship. We are already very close to that thanks to the usurpations of the Bush/Cheney regime. Therefore, I beg you, this is not about time (or the lack thereof); this is about crime. Please do not undo the Boston Tea Party. Please give Dennis some credit for doing the Herculean task he has undertaken; doing his job as well as yours and the other leadership, who should have been protecting their branch of government all along. Thank you for your attention.
Sincerely,
i don’t see that bush has ever tried to seriously negotiate anything. do you have some evidence that he’s done this in the 7 years we’ve endured him so far? otoh, he and cheney have been beating the drums for war with iran just like they did for iraq way back before they actually did bomb and occupy and set up massive permanent bases in iraq.
Well, McClellan says to take their threats to Iran seriously. They’ve been threatening Iran for a long time and Iran has not yielded to their pre-conditions. It is likely that Bushco believes that a new president will not take them out, and that they will do it before he leaves office. Olmert says that Bush assured him he would. Remember also that Cheney said Iran is the “prize”.
Yes, Clusterfuck has made a mess out of anything he has touched his entire life. He was not cut out to be an executive- he has NONE of the skills required..I’d like to write a book on the subject some day. Perhaps I shall. His administration could be an object lesson in how to tank an organization.. Perfectly done!
As I recall, there was a five nation group who has been negotiating with Iran for years…with no result. I’m not sure what the condo has been doing regarding this problem. Probably not much of anything.
Sure there should be talks- but is there anything that indicates that they have a chance of working? What would be have to offer or threaten to force Iran’s hand?
I’m hardly and expert on this subject- but I’m not optimistic about a negotiated settlement. Some seem to think that the status quo benefits the Iranian govt. in terms of their internal politics.
Everything that Bushco has done has benefited Iran.
I apologize. Tried to stop short of calling you a newbie, heh. I’ve been so hit-&-miss lately (we be busy getting house ready to “sell”, ha ha /s), that I feel more of a newbie than I used to.
Seriously, I cry much more easily at the slightest thing these days myself, and I’m not a cryer. Truth: I’m scared witless by these maniacs, BECAUSE my training is in behavior (MS); to me they are round-the-bend outta control and very very dangerous. But I’m stubborn, like you. I. will. not. give. up. And I won’t back down. That old saw: the only way we know we’ll fail is if we don’t try…
Molly Ivins didn’t give up. How can we?!
Being much more of a feeder than a contributor at FDL, I come here regularly to build up my own understanding of issues, and then go out better prepared to try to explain and untangle some of the dangerous rove-isms & nasty talking points the pugs are constantly spewing. Also handy for figuring out what to say, and when, to congresscritters, as well as letters to editors, friends, family, acquaintances of all sorts. It’s very informal, but surprisingly effective.
It’s certainly a possibility…but most of what I have read suggests that bombing alone would be useless and perhaps counterproductive- and we certainly don’t have the troops for an invasion/occupation- so I tend to think that Clusterfuck is bluffing. We’ll see.
Yep
Worst president in history.
Bingo!
You win the prize for “most accurate reading of what the sellout, corrupt, scum we call ‘Democrats’ to date.”
It’s a round of, ‘Yah! selise nails it.’
And McSame is gonna run on ‘The Do-Nothing Dems…’
And given that Barkey does not appear to be all that much different than Ol’ Man McSame I do believe, at this point, I’m going to vote and work on House races….Mabe Golub and let the country get what it deserves as POTUS.
Excellent.
Now send her one telling her she’d better take Golub and Sheehan seriously or she might need a new job.
worst and most dangerous.
what is more dangerous than a coward with power?
a cornered coward with power.
mebbe, but Obama has a heart, and even a moral compass.
you don’t feel that??? I do! BIG DIFFERENCE!
whut the bloomin’ heqq will they put in his “library”!?!
Don’t know whether to laugh or cry, mebbe both.
pathetic little fuck is running around europe- hiding from Europeans who hate his sorry ass.
What a dick!
Well said. No backing down! *g*
what a little dick….
ick
Perhaps I should write a new letter to both she and Harry suggesting they consider retirement since they are obviously too old and feeble to do their jobs properly. There’s no fight left in the old grey mare!
Visions of getting junior & shooter outta the bigwhytehouse:
ever watched the L.A. animal rescue squads programs on Anim. Planet?
Every time they find a bunch of half-wild pit bulls and have to use those sticks with the loop on the end to handle them.
And of course they’re not adoptable….
He was not cut out to be
an executivea HUMAN BEING – he has NONE of the skills required.Just thought you were sellin’ the little twerp a bit short…
Every time they find a bunch of half-wild pit bulls and have to use those sticks with the loop on the end to handle them.
That’s an apt comparison.
Probably would have been fine as- say- the activities director at an old folk’s home.
and never had their shots.
Not a good comparison. Pit Bulls are actually GOOD at what they do.
Swopa upstairs.
I think that may have been a little too tasking also..
…those bingo numbers don’t call themselves out, ya know…
US kills a bunch of Pakistani troops. Claims that they shot first- so AF dropped thousand pounders on their heads
Probably would have been fine as- say- the activities director at an old folk’s home.
“Ok, this morning y’all will have to do a ten-mile run before you’ll be allowed breakfast.”
“And this afternoon, we’ll continue in your training for the Iron-Man Triathlon…”
“For those of you who are not ambulatory, we have wheel-chair cage-fighting as a substitute activity.”
could have competed in a “no talent” show.
not a swipe at pit bulls.
neglected and badly raised & trained often translates into… well, you know as well as i.
Very sad to have to capture with such methods.
Forget the dawgs.
How would YOU remove a ##### safely and smoothly under certain known circumstances?
I’ll await yer answer.
Kudos to Kucinich!
terrraism from the sky…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_U.S._Air_Force_(song)
Definate and major kudos to Kucinich, Adie.
Iran is a signatory to the non-proliferation treaty (unlike US which has pulled out) and is allowed, under the terms of the treaty – to have and to enrich uranium for power plants with inspections by the IAEA. Those inspections ARE being done – and the IAEA states that the Iranians have been cooperative.
Iran helped us during the Afghanistan war by supplying arms, supplies and other materials to the Northern Allianc – AT OUR REQUEST. They also allowed us to overfly their airspace with our bombers, and transport ground vehicles through their country.
Ahmedinajad sent a letter to Bush saying that if WE would just talk to them, he was ready to remove all his objections to our ‘preconditions’ and put everything on the table for discussion. Bush ignored the letter (did not respond except with more sabre-rattling) and then called the Swiss ambassador on the carpet to beat him up for ‘interfering’ and even delivering the letter.
Iran has also been very helpful in Iraq when we have asked for help. Most recently, after al-Maliki attacked al-Sadr (dumb move) and was losing – WE asked the head of Quds (the organization we have officially declared as a terrorist organization – but which is part of Iran’s standing army) to mediate. Which he did.
And at the same time while they are HELPING US – we are busy calling them names, threatening them with all kinds of dire consequences, putting and advocating for more harsh sanctions, and criticizing their every move. We cut off diplomatic relations years ago.
All of you who are so worried about Iran have bought into the rhetoric of Bushco and need to take a deep breath and quit worrying about Iran and start worrying about Bush and Cheney. Once they are gone I believe firmly that the whole issue of Iran will be mostly taken care of.
If we can just get to January 20 without Buscho doing something absolutely stupid that is.
Standing “O”!
(((applause)))
come on upstairs. the water’s fine.
I don’t think the Israeli’s will do anything rash. It’s too dangerous. Other countries besides Israel and the US have an interest in Iran (not to mention the Iranians themselves) and would not look lightly on an unprovoked attack. It would be easy for said parties to pass on the appropriate warning as to consequences to the Israeli’s. It’s a small country, and it wouldn’t take much to incinerate.
Where?
Bob in HI