Hitchens: Does the left really want the U.S. to lose?

I am sorry that you know nothing about Iranian politics. These individuals and the CIA were responsible for the overthrow of Mohammed Mossadeq and giving absolute power to Reza Pahlavi. Reza may have tried to modernize Iran, but in the process he orchestrated a destruction of human rights and often tortured Iranians. The people lived in poverty, but they royal family lived lavish lifestyles, almost in mockery of the people. Not only was the Shah cruel and inhumane, but he was set up and empowered by the US and British intelligence agencies (See Operation Ajax) The Iranians had every right to be distrustful of the US embassy in their revolution. Following the revolution, due to the insanity of the revolution the people further empowered Khomeini. The following year, Iraq attacked Iran with full support of the US. The more Iran was able to counter Iraq's gains, the more weapons, intelligence, and economic aid we provided to Iraq, Saddam's Iraq. The Iranian government has every right to be distrustful of the US. We have played with their lives for decades.

Or, you can continue to be ignorant and pretend we have never done anything to Iran and make them be the new Soviet Union, what is a few hundred thousand more dead Iranians to you?

 

Sure is.....

 

So you get to pick who is allowed to have nuclear weapons. No wait, some of them were not picked by you, and became nuclear powers by themselves without your permission, but you can't do anything about it. Scratch that then, you are going to pick who can have nuclear weapons, as long as you can bully them. And, you will claim those you don't like as nuclear threat, so that you can go to war against with a noble cause "you are less comfortable". Even before they are close to have nuclear weapon (10 years from now, a big maybe), you can claim that once they get that, they will SURELY to give that to terrorists to use it on US, so that you can confront them militarily. In nuclear policy, Russia and China act selfishly, but US will act in the noble intention to make people like you "feel comfortable".

One problem though, those US picked or supported ones, the ones you feel comfortable with might not be friends of US forever, Saddam and Bin Laden as perfect examples. What happens then?

 

weird...

looks eerily similar to Reza

 

Why doesn't the left have the right to they told you so. They did. They didn't want the troops to be put in the situation in the first place.

 

Because the NeoCons don't like to hear that they were wrong......

 

The fact that Iran at some point might be a legitimate threat is all the more reason not to have our troops tied up in Iraq.

If it came down to it then targeted strikes and small special forces operations to take out facilities that could produce nuclear weapons, then that option should not be off the table.

That is a real terrorist threat, while Iraq was not.

 

Iranian troops wearing protective masks from Iraqi chemical weapons. Sign says: "Hey brother, smile."

 

How old were you when this occurred? Negative 5 years old? Don't listen to everything daddy tells you, son.

Iran and its support for terrorists is disgusting.

 

I listen to historians; my dad did live in Iran pre-revolution. The historians and my dad's commentary match. Imagine that.

 

Iran supports Hezbollah. Hezbollah is a political and military party in Lebanon founded in 1982 to fight Israel in southern Lebanon. It is regarded by most in the Arab and Muslim world as a legitimate, militant, Shia political party in Lebanon, and by the Israeli government and most Western governments as an Islamic fundamentalist, or Islamist, terrorist organization.
In addition to its military wing, Hezbollah maintains a civilian arm, which runs hospitals, schools, orphanages, a television station, a radio station (Al-Nur Radio) and a weekly newspaper called As-Safer. After the 2005 elections, Hezbollah held 23 seats (up from eight previously) in the 128-member Lebanese Parliament. It also participated for the first time in the Lebanese government that was formed in July 2005. Hezbolla has two ministers in the government, and a third is Hezbollah-endorsed. It is primarily active in the Bekaa Valley, the southern suburbs of Beirut, and southern Lebanon. The group is headed by Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and is financed largely by Iran and Syria, though it also raises funds itself through charities and commercial activities.

Hezbollah is not a terror organization, but a militant organization that formed during the Israeli invasion.

 

So is this, nutbush.....

 

were those the chemical weapons rummy hand delivered to saddam?

 

None. They've never claimed any terror attack.

 

Hezbollah might have a political wing, and do charitable works. They also intentionally target civilians and are therefore terrorists.

While the U.S. supported Iraq, and sold them materials needed to develop chem weapons, it is beyond the scope of reason to claim Rumsfeld hand delivered chem weapons to Saddam.

 

Hamas is the group the intentionally targets Israelis out of combat.

Suicide attacks are an element of Hamas' asymmetric warfare against Israel. Because Hamas considers all Israelis to be active participants in an illegal occupation of Palestinian land and because Israel's policy of universal conscription implies that a majority of adults serve in either the Israeli military or the reserves for some portion of their lives, Hamas does not distinguish between Israeli civilian and military targets. The failure to distinguish between combatants and non-combatants has helped to earn Hamas the label of "terrorist organization."

 

what if the civilians are afghans and iraqis?

 

Well we don't know because we don't keep count.

 

No.

The neocons fantasy of nukes for us and our buds has run its course.

Though I don't want Iran or anyone else to have nukes, the invasion of Iraq shows Iran that they need nukes to defend themselves against the neocons. I hate to say defend themsselves against America, but the neocons are in control of the GOP and the country.