Former Mossad Director: Romney ‘Is Making The Situation Worse’ With Iran

[babylonsister]

Former Mossad Director: Romney ‘Is Making The Situation Worse’ With Iran

By Eli Clifton on Mar 6, 2012 at 5:56 pm


Mitt Romney’s oped in today’s Washington Post claimed — without offering any evidence — that Iran has a “nuclear-bomb program” and that the Islamic Republic is “racing to build a nuclear bomb.” Currently, U.S. intelligence and the IAEA do not believe either of these claims to be true.

But Romney’s disregard for the facts was noticed not just in Washington. Former Israeli Mossad director Efraim Halevy said that Romney’s militaristic talk could induce the Iranians to rush to acquire nuclear weapons in order to deter an attack if the former Massachusetts governor were to assume the presidency in January 2013. Halevy warned that Romney is effectively “telling the Iranians, ‘You better be quick about it,’” in an interview with the Huffington Post. Halevy explained:

If I’m sitting here in the month of March 2012 reading this, and I’m an Iranian leader, what do I understand? I have nine more months to run as fast as I can because this is going to be terrible if the other guys get in.

Halevy went on to observe, “In the effort to demolish the president {Romney} is making the situation worse.”

more...

http://thinkprogress.org/security/2012/03/06/439217/halevy-romney-is-making-it-worse-iran/

[Skinner]

1. That's disturbing.

[babylonsister]

3. I agree; their cluelessness is scary. nt

[ann---]

20. Yes, it is

VERY disturbing. Didn't we have McCain singing "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran?" The GOP has lost it.

[Ikonoklast]

2. Seems to follow, logically.

Mittens is declaring his time-line, the Iranian leadership reacts accordingly.

Just another Republican foreign-policy disaster instigator.

[dynasaw]

4. Posted This Yesterday which Was Ignored

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002390358

whether the republicans will use an attack n Iran to turn the elections around. Sounds as if Romney is trying. The president needs to get on top of this.

[Pachamama]

9. Timing is Everything...sorry your original post was ignored...but better later than never on

....an important topic.....

We all have to support one another here at DU!

[FSogol]

5. Maybe Romney wants to make a deal with Iranian Moderates to keep the hostages until after

the election? Or am I confusing my Republican scumbags again?

[louis-t]

6. Repugs love war, they love killing, they love torture.

If Romney wins, we WILL have another war in 2013. Maybe 2.

[Pachamama]

12. Yes, they do...they also HATE Obama more than they love their country and would rather send the US

....into another War and send send the world into global economic and political chaos on Obama's watch so that they can "beat" him...even if it means our economic recovery is destroyed when Oil prices skyrocket and there are terrorist threats on US soil and abroad from Iran...they dont care if more US soldiers or innocent citizens die....just as long as they destroy Obama...

Very sad...but sadly true and I think that we should all be worried what Israel is inevitably going to do and that the GOP seems to be egging on....

[MicaelS]

7. I think the decision has already been made by Israel to attack Iran

As this Der Spiegel article asserts. http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,819312,00.html

It now seems likely that there will be an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, perhaps on the uranium enrichment facilities near the cities of Natanz and Qom, the conversion plant near Isfahan, the heavy water reactor under construction in Arak or the Bushehr nuclear power plant. According to off-the-record conversations with high-level politicians, military officials and experts from the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, it will happen this year, probably between the summer and the fall. Officials in Washington, on the other hand, anticipate a military strike as early as May, an assumption that Berlin also feels is absolutely realistic.

I have a friend that spends a lot of time on (active duty) military forums, international political forums, and religious forums (where many Jews post), and he says those on these forums all say the same thing. It is not of question of IF Israel attacks Iran, it is only a question of when. And the May to October timeframe is when it will happen.

That's assuming all of this saber rattling is not a massive disinformation campaign by Israel.

[Pachamama]

10. I read that article too (get a lot of news from my original country of origin) - I believe from a

...purely strategic standpoint, the best time to strike is now, the sooner the better. This is because you have economic turmoil in europe that is keeping those countries busy and focused on their own problems, political turmoil and instability in almost all the Middle Eastern countries (therefore making it unlikely they would be able or willing to do anything to aid Iran- ofcourse then you get into all the complexities of Sunni v Shite), Russia and Putin has their own set of problems politically and while they may stop supporting the embargos, would be reluctant to get involved militarily, China too would likely speak out because if their oil dependencies, but ultimately wouldnt aid Iran militarily, and finally, its an election year in the US and no candidate wanting to win wants to be seen as Anti-Israel nor weak against the evil Iran.

All in all, speaking purely strategically - the time to strike is now. I believe too that its not a matter of if, but when. And I think it will happen soon - next 3 months.

I think the fear Israel has of extermination will ultimately drive the decision, regardless of the global economic fallout, rise in terrorism and chaos. Scary stuff. And not helped by Mitt Romney trying to recklessly throw his opinion in there and make matters worse...or any other candidate....

[Odin2005]

27. Israel will time it so as to hurt Obama the most.

They want to force him to choose between angering the anti-war folks in the Dem base, or angering Jewish voters, causing him to loose either way.

[Behind the Aegis]

31. Unfounded remarks.

Also, you make a false choice scenario. Jewish voters and anti-war folks can be one in the same, they are not polar opposites. You are tip-toeing dangerously close to something quite ugly. You might want to step it back and re-think.

[Pachamama]

8. Further evidence in my opinion too that the GOP truly is dangerous for the future of America & World

If they want to run the country and can be so reckless in their words and actions and failure to think of consequences just in the run up to the election, how can it be any different when they are in the White House? Not to mention how Mitt Romney shifts positions constantly, he cant be believed, trusted or have any credibility with anyone!

I shudder at the thought of what these whackos on the right would do socially and economically to our Nation, but what they might do on a foreign policy level and globally is even more frightening.

[liberal N proud]

11. RMoney is pushing for war to support he military industrial complex

[stonecutter357]

16. K&R...

[saras]

13. Holy fucking shit! Too right-wing for MOSSAD?!

In order to avoid Godwin's law, I would suggest that he perhaps has ambitions to be Pol Pot, or Idi Amin.

[davidthegnome]

14. Mitt Romney is a damn fool

He contradicts our own intelligence and the IAEA and makes statements he cannot verify as fact. Regardless of his (political) reasons for doing so, he is adding more fuel to the fire with his statements. I highly doubt the Iranians will strive for diplomacy when we have idiots like Romney who have already decided that they are guilty and must be destroyed.

I truly hope President Obama will continue to attempt diplomatic measures. This is not the time to be invading another Nation because some suspect that they may have a "nuclear bomb program". Certainly not based on the assertions of men like Romney, who have no idea what the hell they're talking about.

If I wasn't certain before that the man was incredibly dangerous, I am now. All the more reason to fight for Obama in the upcoming election. Not all of us here are crazy about him and I certainly have my objections to a number of his policies... but presently, he is our best hope of preventing another costly, fruitless and even foolish war.

Let's all remember now, what the rhetoric was prior to the Iraq war. WMDs... weapons of mass destruction. Did we find any? In fact, didn't the nuclear watch dogs tell us there wasn't enough evidence of WMDs? Yet Bush sent the Nation to war anyhow, a pre-emptive strike that it turns out (as many of us knew) was completely unnecessary. How many lives were lost as a result of misinformation, suspicion and paranoia?

Israel deciding to launch an attack is something that we here have little control over. I am hoping though, really hoping, that Obama is sensible enough to avoid yet another middle eastern conflict at this time.

[stonecutter357]

15. K&R...

Mossad.

[Iliyah]

17. Drum beat from

the gops. Send your children to fight for their causes (oil, money, power) and leave the crumbs for the "little" people. Make America a 3rd world country so that the little people have to appreicate the crumbs left over from the 1%, it's "GAWD" will!

Once the CHOOSEN by GAWD people create a war torn world, all in the name of their GAWD, then they will no doubt also go against the people who don't believe that JESUS is the messiah as well.

Instead of a world where people can live peacefully together, certain fractions, certain religions think that their religion should be the only religion of the world, and hate any other faith/beliefs.

[Mosby]

18. Efraim Halevy: Obama showed "leadership of historic dimensions" to save Israelis in Cairo embassy

http://vimeo.com/29008786

Text:

“We’ve been talking these days about Turkey and about Egypt. And I would like to say something about the event which took place last Friday evening or through the night in Cairo, which I think to a large extent was a seminal event, not only in the history of the Middle East but also in the history of the relations between Israel and Egypt, and between Israel and the United States of America.

During that night, as you know, our embassy was surrounded and was on the verge of being stormed. And the Prime Minister went to the special command center in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and from there he actually ran and commanded this operation of trying to extricate our staff from the embassy. And, at the end, there were six people left, six people of the security detail of the embassy. They were there inside the last room, which had been the ultimate room in the embassy. And, they had one steel door, which was between them and the mob.

And the Prime Minister took many very, very important decisions that night. Successful decisions, very responsible decisions. And for that he has been lauded, and rightly so I think by the public in Israel and by the population at large for his cool and his measured way of handling this crisis.

But one of the decisions he had to take in the end, he wanted to take, was to find ways of extricating his people, our people, out of that embassy. And he turned to one man, to the President of the United States, and he spoke to him. And the president of the United States, without having much time to consult with Congress, and with the media, and with the analysts and with all of the other people who have to be consulted on major and grave decisions. He took a decision to take up the telephone and get on the line with the powers that be in Egypt, and get them to order the release of these six people, and the detail of the Egyptian commando forces entered and saved them.

I think that this decision by President Obama was a unique decision in many ways. Because I don’t have to tell you, and this was just said time and time and over again this afternoon/this evening, that the United States is not in a position the way it was many years ago in the Middle East, it has its problems, it has its considerations, and rightly so. But I believe the leadership that the President of the United States showed on that night was a leadership of historic dimensions. It was he who took the ultimate decision that night which prevented what could have been a sad outcome—instead of six men coming home, the arrival in Israel of six body bags.

And I want to say to you very openly and very clearly that had there been six body bags, there would have been a much different Israel today than we have been used to seeing over recent years. This would not have been one more incident, one more operation, one event. And the man who brought this about was one man and that was President Barack Hussein Obama.

And I believe it is our duty as Israelis, as citizens of the free world, to say, not simply thank you President Obama, but also we respect you for the way and the manner in which you took this decision.”

[Schema Thing]

29. fascinating

[truedelphi]

19. Jon Stewart's show was hilarious last night, as Jon

poked fun at politicians from all three nations involved in heating up the "tough guy" talk.

It is an election year not only here in the USA but also in Iran.

The candidates are all so willing to show the world how tough they are, and how eager they are to drop bombs on each other's nations.

And the rhetoric is taken seriously by the populations of all three nations: USA, Iran, and Israel.

How nice it would be if one of these nations had a statesman at its helm. Though several people in Israel's government are outspoken about there not being a need for war. Only those people are not at the top of the Israeli government but inside the governmental body equivalent to our House of Reps.

[cosmicone]

32. Are you saying Obama is not a statesman?

How nice it would be if one of these nations had a statesman at its helm.

Shocked! I think Obama has managed great leadership with a right balance of diplomacy and force. In my opinion, Obama is like a scholarly and mature professor trying to make two unruly jocks (Iran and Israel) focus on studying,

[NICO9000]

21. Maybe he could volunteer his sons as cannon fodder?

Willard is dumber than dogshit and twice as stinky.

[davidthegnome]

23. I'd really rather he go himself

and take congress with him

[Turbineguy]

22. I thought that was the whole idea

to make things worse (and make big money from doing harm).

[DesertFlower]

24. Jesus H. Christ.

i wish the repubs would STFU. if McCain had won in '08 we'd probably be in a war with iran. why do they love war so much?

[EVDebs]

25. Iran is playing us....

Iran is playing us, just like we played the former Soviet Union: We knew the USSR couldn't keep up with defense spending (our 'Star Wars' ploy) and we also knew they couldn't feed themselves--we were constantly sending grain shipments to them which propped up their regime.

Iran, much like the No. Koreans, is playing for time, using the threat of building a bomb, in order to preserve the regime.

It takes lots of money to maintain a bomb even when you have one, just ask the So. Africans or for that matter the Libyans, who have renounced their programs in order to keep money in the pipeline for the people's benefit:

See 'Reason Five' at
http://www.nonukes.org/cd18_sixarg.htm

[Odin2005]

26. Netanyahu is terrified of an Obama 2nd term...

...because after he is re-elected he can tell the Israel Lobby to shove it. The GOP realizes that they can use this to destroy Obama.

[rudycantfail]

28. Former Mossad Director: Let us handle the bullshit, Mitt.

[McCamy Taylor]

30. Not really related, but the Mormon Church is making sure that Jewish Americans

will return to the Democratic Party with all their posthumous baptisms.