Iran crossing the line?

interesting fuel for the fire.... any thoughts on where this leads?

 

I only wish we had the ability to do something about it, too bad we blew our wad in Iraq for no good reason.

 

Yeah and Iraq has WMD. The Admin has zero credibility.

I am not surprised this crap though. Cheney has a hard-on for Iran that won't stop until we start dropping some bombs. Naturally our first targets will be Iran's older refineries, which Haliburton can rebuild at a later date.

 

I am glad that you recognize the negligence the Administratin has shown in Iraq. The next step is of course to realize that that negligence was deliberate, which raises their conduct to the level of reckless or even intentional - that is why Scooter Libby had to be bailed out today, his conviction came about as a result of an adminstration cover up of tis negligence.

 

It is important to realize (I think this was one of the problems with Iraq) is that actions can very often result in an outcome worse than the current situation.

The Soviet Union back in the day was a much bigger state sponsor of terrorism than Iran is now. There was a quote awhile back from an oil contractor in Iraq where he said something to the effect of "We are playing checkers in Iraq while Iran is playing Chess." If you react like a bull in a china shop because they poke you with a stick, you will be doing what they want.

 

Iran doesn't feel it's inviting it's own demise. The Iraq disaster has so weakened the U.S. that it proves to everyone in the world we cannot take down Iran. It also proves if we attempt to do so the repercussions would be almost beyond imagination. In essence, the Iraq catastrophe has greatly strengthened Iran's position in the region and they are using that leverage against us.

Any military strike by the U.S. and/or Israel against Iran without global support would be a mistake because (among other things) it would likely fail to accomplish it's intended goal and it would fire up global hostility against us to another dimension.

I guess we can all agree that Bush doesn't have enough credibility to do anything other than go out to pasture and let the next president decide what to do.

 

The Saddam regime by 2003 was NOT a threat, it was owned by ten years of sanctions and no fly zones, and by the end it had nothing to fight anybody.

Seriously now, does anyone actually think sharing intelligence with ISRAEL would do any good? What would ISRAELI intelligence tell the Americans? That they should nuke the hell out of every country in the Middle East? Don't people realize that what's good for Israel is not necessarily good for America?

Iran is NOT inviting its own demise. Iran watched Iraq, and then watched NK. Iraq futilely tried to cooperate with the UN, but this wasn't good enough for the Americans since the non-existent WMD's failed to show up, because perhaps... they DIDN'T EXIST? However, NK built 2 nukes and screamed as loudly as they could that they had them. Of course the presence of China and the prospect of a second Korean War made the Americans reluctant to start a war, but the fact still remains that the US was forced to negotiate by NK when NK did the exact opposite of what Iraq did. With the US bogged down in Iraq, Iran's bargaining position is strong, and it's milking that.

Too bad for the Americans Iran offered in 2003 basically everything the Americans now want, but Cheney turned it down because "we don't negotiate with terror." It's great how the old "cowboy diplomacy" has now come back to bite the Americans in the ass.

 

Back before the invasion and occupation of Iraq, I said several times the old cliché, in one form or another, that wars have unintended consequences, so never begin one unless all other avenues have been explored and there is a clear and present danger to the State. Iraq is a perfect, and tragic, illustration of just how true that is. Iran would be far more circumspect about it's actions today had we not invaded Iraq. The aftermath of the first Gulf War and the successful invasion and overthrow AQ's allies, the Taliban, placed us as a military colossus on the world's stage. We were not only feared, but we had world opinion solidly behind us. That Bush could throw that away so cavalierly, invading Iraq without just cause, and turn the United States into a figure of scorn and ridicule so quickly, is simply astonishing. And tragic beyond belief.



D&D. And Here We Are.

 

The Iranians are definitely involved in the Iraqi theater, and heavily at that. I don't think the administration has to reach too far to convince me; I've seen the 'signs' and the Iranians are leaving fingerprints everywhere, perhaps even intentionally to send a message to everyone, "this is the trouble we can cause without even trying," not entirely unlike making a point with how powerful a presence it has in the region with Hezbollah pretty much counterbalancing Israel (unimaginable before the recent conflict, but Hezbollah caused enough damage/terror to the Israelis that everyone now -- including Arab states -- know not to cross 'em).

Iran has ambitions of being the major power in the region, they always have, and I think they're just utilizing whatever leverage they have.

I must admit, the prospect of Iran successfully forming yet another powerful paramilitary force like Hezbollah (probably even a more powerful one with a larger pool to draw from in Iraq) in the Middle East is rather troubling. If that happens, then the US/Arabs will pool their resources to counter it with their own 'private militia', which spells disaster for everyone in the region.

No wonder the Saudis are funneling money and weapons like crazy to the Sunni militants in Iraq, they and the Jordanians (to a lesser extent, the Egyptians) are terrified of the 'Shia Crescent' that's beginning to take form in the region. That's why no one should be surprised that our Arab allies (and more recently, the Israelis) are lobbying the U.S. to bring Syria into their 'tent'. The Israelis are desperate to break the Iranian influence and recent news suggest that they might even be willing to give up the Golan Heights just to bring Syria on-board. Ironically enough, Syria is in a pretty good bargaining position despite U.S. rhetoric/pressure applied against it since the Iraq war.

Welcome to Middle East politics, where two sworn enemies can share a bed that very same night

 

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes and.....Yes. Bush flushed all of it down the toilet with the Iraq catastrophe. That will be his sorry legacy.

 

iran is certainly walking a fine line and personally i have no doubts they are a big part of fueling the fire in iraq. Unlike iraq, however, Iran's people are not beat down like the iraq's were so there is a glimmer of hope that their people will step up and bring about some change and become a more open and progressive country.

 

Link? If you are using Cheney et al as your source of "facts", shame on you.

 

How are the Iranians doing anything differently than the USA?

Aren't we over there meddling too? How can we b**** about another country meddling when we are the ones doing the most meddling?

DD

 

This may be a stupid question, but why can't we booby trap or set land mines at the border crossings that cannot be guarded?

 

Our cause is righteous. God told W so.