Regime change in Iran now in Bush’s sights

[Emillereid]

By Jenifer Johnston

PRESIDENT George Bush has promised that if re-elected in November he will make regime change in Iran his new target.

Bush named Iran as part of the Axis of Evil along with North Korea and Iraq almost three years ago. A US government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that military action would not be overt in changing Iran, but rather that the US would work to stir revolts in the country and hope to topple the current conservative religious leadership.

The official said: “If George Bush is re-elected there will be much more intervention in the internal affairs of Iran.”

The Iranian government announced this weekend that it had successfully eradicated all al-Qaeda cells operating in the country, but the statement comes as leaked reports from the US September 11 Commission show definite links between Iran and the September 11 terrorists.....

http://www.sundayherald.com/43461

Hope this isn't a dupe -- I couldn't find another post that reports the bit about Bush's plans for Iranian regime change.

[qanda]

1. "Four more wars"

Bush's campaign promise.

[The Zanti Regent]

21. Yes and here come four more wars thanks to the Jesusistas!

Against Iran, Syria, the Palestinians and then THE BIG ONE at Armageddon care of the Jesusistas

[Alpharetta]

2. I hear they have rape rooms.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

9. ...And Prostitutes... And they hate us for our freedoms...

they eat children...
they are EVIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Been there, done that.

[classof56]

14. If they don't they will have by the time Bushco is done. n/t

[Bok_Tukalo]

3. With who and with what?

Everytime I hear about new wars that a Bush Administration will launch I am drawn back to resources and our lack there of.

We, as a nation, shot our wad on Iraq. There won't be any more wars unless they are defensive.

[TrogL]

30. Defending with whom? what?

Old ladies with broomsticks?

Old men with flintlocks?

Gay guys with whips?

Everybody's in Iraq.

[louis-t]

34. Iran is also 3 times the size of Iraq.

[lastliberalintexas]

37. And hasn't been crippled

by a decade of sanctions, either.

[louis-t]

38. good point

[IndianaGreen]

41. Don't worry, our National Guard and Reserves can handle it

and with the Bush economy, we can get more unemployed youths to join the NG with promises of college education and a week in the summer to drill.

:eyes:

One difference between Kerry and Bush is that Kerry is not calling for an invasion of Iran. Take it for what is worth!

[Devils Advocate NZ]

4. Absolutely Brilliant!

Now the Iranians have NO REASON to encourage the killing of American soldiers in Iraq!

This is truly a fine example of Bush logic!

[Career Prole]

5. He has to. It's only logical. Iraq didn't provide the "End-Times Holy War"

that he and the rest of the fundies had hoped for to bring about their apocalyptical fantasies. Can't wake up Christ over a couple of lousy car bombs, can we?

[aquart]

6. He's like the sorcerer's apprentice.

He just can't quit. Will someone tell the military that he has more work for them? Pretty please?

I'm kind of awed, actually.

Some leaders would pull back from hugely unpopular policies just to get elected. Not our George.

[Malva Zebrina]

7. Oh he will do it alright if he is elected

and a year later he will be lauded as doing the right thing and all hail Bush, becasue the Ayatollah was a bad man who gassed his own people and who lied to the inspectors. He really does have weapons of mass destruction and is hiding them from the UN. Let's just throw in a few, well a little more than a few forgeries and lies, to clinch it, OK?


All hail Bush

and--the pompous senate.

and Bush's horse,Incitatus sits in the front row,

and Bush did the right thing by invading Iraq. And NO ONE is to blame for the slaughter,except the people of Iraq, I guess, because pre-emption is all the rage right now, because now, people are coming round to believing that it was the right thing to do, inspite of the lies, which they certainly had been aware of once in an age when the right thing to do was not clouded in a mist of greed for conquest and spoils.

Isn't it interesting how the human mind can work itself around anything that it finds threatening to it and change it so as to protect oneself? It is called the Stockholm syndrome.

[CO Liberal]

8. Regime change in USA now in CO Liberal’s sights

:kick:

[quaoar]

10. The neocon slogan

Before the start of the Iraq War was, "Real men go to Teheran."

So, let's see now. Of the three Axis of Evil countries, the one that actually has nuclear weapons and has threatened to use them against us is the only one we are doing absolutely nothing about.

[harpo]

11. Trend in * administration...

If you follow how they act and what they do...everytime the times start to get tough there is always someone they bring up out of the blue as a target to take attention away from the facts.

It was Osama, then Saddam, then Zarqawi, next it will be someone else to help keep the media focused on some type of "eminent" danger that is lurking around the corner instead of watching what these crooks are doing under their noses.

When there is someone to attack...the press will only be able to go on what they get fed from the WH since MOST of them don't do any fact checking anyway they consider it credible.

[kskiska]

12. Will the Coalition of the Willing

still be willing? Will Britain be willing? Would he go back to the U.N.?

[nolabels]

16. I think they call it a DRAFT

Everybody should join the Coalition of the departing

Coalition of the Departing

When I read an article like this, my first reaction is kind of strange. I'm not one to denigrate the contributions of smaller nations to the effort in Iraq and I, for one, get pissed when the Left does. But the political benefit (to "our side," I should say) and the material benefit of their presence is minimal (aside from Britain's)... at best. There's a part of me that thinks each and every one of the Coalition countries should withdraw their troops ahead of schedule, save the United States, thusly - and promptly - removing the enormous public relations coup the Left, and the terrorists they cheer on, glean from each individual departure. I appreciate the sacrifice and the support. But if we're going to be called unilateral, we might as well be unilateral -- and send a strong message that yes, we can take action alone, and yes, we will.
07/15/04 10:04 am | Comments (0
(snip)
http://www.redlinerants.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1089911083&archive=&start_from=&ucat=1&

No bows to kidnappers,I just think people should like to keep their pocket book intact.

Filipino Hostage Thanks President on Tape

Thu Jul 15, 9:33 AM ET


BAGHDAD, Iraq - A Filipino truck driver being held hostage in Iraq (news - web sites) said he was coming home soon and thanked his government for agreeing to withdraw peacekeepers from the country, according to a video shown Thursday on Al-Jazeera.


AP Photo

In the video, Angelo dela Cruz was no longer wearing the bright orange garment he had worn previously. Other hostages killed by insurgents had been wearing a similar garment in videos showing their death
(snip)
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&u=/ap/20040715/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_philippines_hostage_040715124349&printer=1

The War in Iraq Cost the United States
http://costofwar.com/
(its at $123,000,000,000 so far, frankly I do feel we are being hosed more than anything else, how much oil could that have bought anyway?)

[tanyev]

13. I just hope...

we will topple our current conservative religious leadership!

[SpiralHawk]

15. Messing with the Persians (Iranians) is not too bright

After all, BushCo's good buddy Jolly Ollie North made sure that they are well equiped with our own Hawk antiaircraft missles.

Nice going, Ollie. Why don't you stand up and pretend to salute the flag again? Tell us some more about Republican family values. We could really use another lecture from you on morality and patriotism.

From the Iran-Contra report:
http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/walsh/chap_02.htm

"Oliver L. North, a Marine lieutenant colonel assigned to the National Security Council staff beginning in 1981 until he was fired on November 25, 1986, was the White House official most directly involved in secretly aiding the contras, selling arms to Iran, and diverting Iran arms sales proceeds to the contras."

snip

[tlcandie]

17. Can someone PLEASE....

"....topple the current conservative religious leadership." in the USA? The quote was pulled from the original linked article.

So, now North Korea is saying, "Oh, crap...so much for any possible negotiations!"

Well, Katy-bar-the-door! It's about to hit the fan like you've never seen it before. IF anyone EVER had any doubts...now is the time to say to hell with it all we are going for the gold ring because this asshole surely is!

Watch out..get your plastic and duct tape NOW!

[Emillereid]

18. I heard Robert Baer on KPFK today say that Iraq was

absolutely the worst decision -- and will tie up American money and personnel for years to come -- he likened it to a self-inflicted blow on the scale of Pearl Harbor. To think he's pursuing more messianic madness and planning on stirring up another hornet's nest is 'beyond the beyonds.' Just hope we don't hear Kerry say 'me too' concerning fomenting regime change in Iran.

[belle]

36. I'm sure he won't. He's not retarded.

[Dems Will Win]

19. BUSH '04 = DRAFT '05

[oldcoot]

40. That should be a bumper sticker

I wonder how many Americans really understand how dangerous Bush is. Hopefully, an American newspaper will run this story so the voters will get an idea of what a second Bush term will mean.

[TahitiNut]

20. Watch as more Shiites hit the fan.

Mushrooms will bloom in the desert, this time.

[Scairp]

22. Oh goody

Another illegal and immoral interference in a sovereign nation's politics. I'm so glad Shrub pledge NOT to nation build. Prick.

[daleo]

23. I have a feeling Bush will do a bit of bombing in Iran around Sept-Oct

He will just use some cruise missiles, perhaps some Stealth Bombers. He will probably go for the nuclear development sites, some anti-aircraft sites, maybe airfields. It will be quite limited - I don't think he will dare do anything with ground troops. The point will be just to try to create a rally-round-the-flag effect before the election, purely for electoral purposes.

If there is a lot of anti-Iranian propaganda over the next three months you can be pretty sure something is cooking.

[kori]

24. For all of you that think there is little difference between.....

Bush and Kerry
This war is for you!!!!!

[Emillereid]

28. You will eat crow -- if Kerry implements the plan instead?

I have been around too long to believe that the basic trajectory of US foreign policy is going to shift dramatically if one or the other party gets the presidency. I will admit that Kerry is likely to be a more likable, more cooperative looking, imperialist. But that being said, the basic hegemony of American foreign policy will not change. Remember the dems issued their own version of PNAC.

[abelenkpe]

46. huh?

"Remember the dems issued their own version of PNAC."

They did? Where can one check it out. Is it online? Lemmeno.

[Emillereid]

50. I think the title of the paper was something like

Progressive Internationalism -- something about National Security. It's a DLC document I think and was signed off on by Kerry. Several months ago I remember reading it and coming away with the impression that it was a kinder, gentler version of Pax Americana -- I know it approved of the Iraq invasion and America's preeminence, etc. Here's an article about it: http://www.counterpunch.org/hand02182004.html

[IndianaGreen]

29. Who voted for the Syria Accountability Act? It has an Iran component!

Congress has given bipartisan support to measures that give Bush tremendous power and latitude in dealing with countries under the pretext of the war on terror. From Syria, Iran, and Lebanon to places closer to home such as Venezuela and Colombia, our beloved Congress has given Bush the green light to pursue his imperial dreams.

from the October 14, 2003 edition - http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/1014/p02s01-usfp.html

US eyes second-tier threats in terror war
It signals hardening stance by focusing on Syria, Libya, and Cuba.
By Howard LaFranchi | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

WASHINGTON - The "axis of evil" is back - and in expanded form. Anticipated congressional action against Syria this week is just one sign that the US plans to keep up the pressure on countries it places on the wrong side in the war on terror.

The triad of WMD-seeking states that President Bush first targeted in his January 2002 State of the Union address no longer includes Iraq. But the club otherwise made up of North Korea and Iran has grown to include Syria, Libya, and Cuba, in the administration's eyes, as it seeks to keep the nation and the world focused on the dual threats of weapons proliferation and state-sponsored terrorism.

Some experts see the new club members as minor threats compared to the original three - one former US official calls them "the ladies' auxiliary of the axis of evil." But the Bush administration is showing lack of patience with any state tolerance of terrorism, while making clear its determination to see development of and trading in weapons of mass destruction stopped. Some recent examples:

• With the administration dropping its opposition, stiff new sanctions against Iraq's neighbor Syria are likely to win House approval this week and a Senate nod after that. Called the Syria Accountability Act, the legislation would impose new sanctions against a country that has long been on the US list of state sponsors of terrorism - but which has also aided the US in efforts against Al Qaeda.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/1014/p02s01-usfp.htm

[tlcandie]

25. Seems like Israel make take the pre-emptive hit on this one ..

while we do the coup part! There's a LBN thread re: Israel's new plan for Iran if Russia sends them specific nuclear parts.

EDIT: Here it is...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x694117

[acmavm]

26. Well hell, we went into Iraq for Israel and oil. Why not go after the rest

of the oil and make Israel really, really happy at the same time?

This is like a really bad episode of the Twilight Zone. We lost Afganistan, we can't get ahold of Iraq so we dumped it on another Saddam-type thug, and now the dimwit that commandeered the White House wants to start something with a nation that does have bombs and bullets, and who know what else. (Not to mention the backing of Putin's Russia.)

bush* and his buddies are demonstrably insane.

[Barkley]

44. Drop Bush, Not Bombs!

daleo:

War is the only thing that will get his approval ratings up.
Unfortunately, the Democrats will be the first to rally around the
flag and president.

Good point and insights.

[goforit]

27. And with Sharon's hands on the trigger...who would think other wise.

[dusty64]

31. Well there it is.

If our junta is reinstalled another illegal war and the reimposition of the draft. This story is getting VERY little coverage, surprise!

[V Lee]

32. Does anyone else see the irony ...

... in that fact that Bush reportedly wants to "topple the current conservative religious leadership" in Iran, yet his whole term he's worked to install conservative religious leadership here in America?

V

[Pachamama]

33. Kick! That is ironic....Welcome to the DU!

Wow....your first posting....congrats and welcome to the DU!

:toast:

Always nice to welcome Freethinking Newbies to the party!

:hi:

[nolabels]

43. The irony gets to be annoying after a while

Of course it helps if the puzzle of the enigma is shrouded in a cloak of mystery and is part of an illusion (or something like that)

"You can get more with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone. -Al Capone"

Naturally, since the Sumerians didn't know what caused the flood anymore than we do, they blamed the gods. That's the advantage of religion. You're never short an explanation for anything. -Isaac Asimov (in essay 'The Last Man on Earth')"

The devil has the broadest perspectives for God; therefore he keeps so far away from God---the devil being the most ancient friend of wisdom. -Nietzsche"

http://www.miniluv.com/mt/mt-comments.cgi?entry_id=471

[Oilwellian]

47. Ding ding ding! We have a winner.

Welcome to DU. :hi:

[jgardner]

35. Scary...

I read things like this and my stomach starts to churn. I've heard that America likes to "police the world" for years, but Bush is taking that to a whole new level. I don't like being the country that bullies and pushes everyone else around. I don't like Bush furthering his own agenda in our name. I hate who we have become, and I don't blame the rest of the world for wanting to bomb us. Bush SCARES me.

[TrueStory]

39. The Reason for Regime Change - A Most Critical Development

July 2004 ASPO newsletter:


The July issue of the ASPO Newsletter is not yet available in HTML format but it is available in these formats:

http://216.187.75.220/newsletter43.pdf
http://216.187.75.220/newsletter43.doc

CONTENTS:

376.Oil effectively traded in Euros
377.Oil,money,and war -the end of the New American Century?
378.A Most Critical Development
379.Country Assessment -Italy
380.UK Balance of Payments
381.An Oil Enigma: Production falls as Reserves rise
382.Tanker shortage
383.Dwindling Exploration
384.BP takes responsibility for false reserve numbers
385.The Truth about Oil and the Looming World Energy Crisis


A Most Critical Development

In the light of the foregoing, the move by Iran to trade oil in dinars seems to be a most critical development, possibly explaining moves by the United States to accuse it of posing a nuclear threat.

The Iran takes on west's control of oil trading
Terry Macalister
Wednesday June 16, 2004 The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,3604,1239644,00.html

Iran is to launch an oil trading market for Middle East and Opec producers that could threaten the supremacy of London's International Petroleum Exchange.
A contract to design and establish a new platform for crude, natural gas and petrochemical trades is expected to be signed with an international consortium within days.
Top oil producing countries are determined to seize more control of trading after being advised that existing markets such as the IPE and Nymex in New York are not working in their favour.
Three years ago a former compliance director accused the IPE of manipulating prices, although these allegations were dismissed after an investigation.
The Tehran oil bourse is scheduled to open in 2005, according to its architect, Mohammad Javad Asemipour, who is a personal adviser to the Iranian energy minister.

[Owsley]

42. My problem with the issue...

...is this: There is already a burgeoning pro-democracy movement in Iran, and it has existed since the mid-19th century. Simply put, the political landscape in Iran is drasitcally different than that of either Afghanistan or Iraq.

Here is an article I dug up on the subject (from the Asia Times, May 2003):

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EE29Ak03.html

IRAN AND REGIME CHANGE
Leave it to the Iranians
By Hooman Peimani

Over a one-week period, two groups of influential Iranians have criticized the unelected but powerful institutions undermining efforts towards their country's liberalization. They have both expressed concerns about the status quo, and demanded a change. As the American administration is clearly shifting towards destabilizing the Iranian government, these realities of Iranian society suggest that an inevitable fundamental change in its political system will not be an American determined outcome, but one arising from a deep-rooted indigenous movement for democracy.

more...


Not only that, but Iran is freaking huge. American invasion in Iran would be an extremely bad idea.

Owsley

[Barkley]

45. Kick!

Great Post!

:kick:

[Nashyra]

48. My new anti * saying

He forgot about Osama and Afghanistan,
He screwed up Iraq,
Do you trust him with Iran?
Regime change at home

All day I have been asking people if they really think the idiot is the one to trust with Iran, after he screwed up so bad with the Iraq intelligence? Can't trust the chimp

[Matilda]

51. But didn't you know .......

The Taliban have gone from Afghanistan, and Iraq has democracy.

Bush will straighten out Iran in the twinkling of an eye.

Shit.

[rocktivity]

49. Of course, he'll have to make draft change first

But this "stirring revolts" strategy sounds vaugely similar to what his father did...

:headbang:
rocknation