Rumors of War: Is Bush Gearing Up to Attack Iran?

[babylonsister]

Rumors of War: Is Bush Gearing Up to Attack Iran?

By Conn Hallinan, Portside. Posted June 5, 2008.

Something is afoot. Just what is not clear, but recent moves by the White House strongly suggest that Bush will attack Iran in the near future.


The May 8 letter from U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., chair of the House Judiciary Committee, to George W. Bush received virtually no media coverage, in spite of the fact that it warned the president that an attack on Iran without Congressional approval would be grounds for impeachment. Rumor has it several senators have been briefed about the possibility of war with Iran.

Something is afoot.

Just what is not clear, but over the past several months, several moves by the White House strongly suggest that the Bush administration will attack Iran sometime in the near future. According to the Asia Times, "a former assistant secretary of state still active in the foreign affairs community" said an air attack will target the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force garrisons. Not even the White House is bonkers enough to put troops on the ground amid 65 million Iranians.

There is a certain disconnect to all this, particularly given December's National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) concluding that Iran had abandoned its program to build a nuclear weapon. The NIE is the consensus view of all 16 U.S. intelligence services. At the time, the report seemed to shelve any possibility of war with Iran.

However, shortly after the intelligence estimate on Iran was released, the old "into Iraq gang" went to work undermining it.

According to Newsweek, during his Middle East tour in January, Bush "all but disowned the document" to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. A "senior administration official" told the magazine, "He {Bush}told the Israelis that he can't control what the intelligence community says but that {the NIE's} conclusions don't reflect his own views."

more...

http://www.alternet.org/audits/87079/?page=entire

[Stargazer99]

1. Stuff like this makes me sick of the Republican party

and its supporters. While their children are not in the front lines they support this war monger in the White House. And don't any of you RW viewers give me this crap about your kids in the frong lines. MOST of the present big wig Republicans do not have their children serving in the front lines. Like Romney said that his sons were serving the country because his sons were supporting his election campaign. Just how dense is the average American?Just like that good old Nazi officer said "the common man doesn't want to go to war" I forget what the rest of the comments was but it told of how you manipulate the population to go to war. The ruling class must think the common man is a manipulated piece of stupidity.

[hadrons]

7. Its 'common people' quote by Reichmarshall Herman Goering

"Naturally the common people don't want war, but they can always be brought to their goverments bidding. Simply tell them they are being attacked and chastise the left for being unpatriotic. It works the same in every country." - Herman Goering at the Nuremberg trials.

Old Herm would find a nice home with the neo-cons

[Fireweed247]

11. It is the Democrats, specifically Conyers who is blocking Impeachment of that war criminal bastard

The Dems helped pass the "Iran Freedom Support Act", John Conyers and other 'anti-war' Dems voting yes.

Unfortunately almost our entire US Congress are part of the dog and pony show, and they all need to be removed from office.

[Conyersfan]

2. I wouldn't be surprised

Even Petraeus has been saber-rattling against Iran for no reason. We'll see.

[winter999]

3. Been hearing this "breaking news" for 7 years, now.

What happened to the Iranian "Gulf of Tonkin"?

*yawn*

[babylonsister]

4. I hope it's only talk myself. They've already bitten off more than they

can chew.

[KoKo]

5. They are waiting until the "timing is right." Like sometime in September or October.

They want to cause a mess for Dems and given that both our Dem Candidates were very harsh about Iran at the AIPAC meeting yesterday...I could imagine some Dems not having a problem with Bush attempting to "clean out the Kuds Force" and justifying it.

I hope that there are other Dems (including our candidates) who will work in the background to stop this even if they had to do AIPAC rhetoric for the Election.

[colonel odis]

6. why doesn't congress step in and neuter bush's powers? do a quickie

that says he must have their approval before doing anything military.

[FiveGoodMen]

8. Doesn't seem like they WANT to.

Makes you wonder who's side any of them are on.

[Fireweed247]

12. They could and they should

But they won't...so what does that mean?

Why does Obama also continue to pretend that Iran is a threat?

[OhioChick]

9. God, I hope not.

:nuke:

[yurbud]

10. this is simmering on the back burner and no one is paying attention.