Point of view about Bush and Iran, credibility and capability. Dean FTN

[madfloridian]

From Face the Nation in August this year with Howard Dean and his inquisitors, Bob Scheiffer and John Harris of the WP. Transcript.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/081505I.shtml

Schieffer: I want to ask you about some politics in a minute. I want to go back to one international question. The president said earlier this week that if diplomacy fails, that we may have to resort--he said every option will be on the table including military action, concerning Iran, if they go ahead with plans that--and we begin to think they're building a nuclear weapon. What's your response to that?

Dr. Dean: My response that that's the proper thing for any president to say. When I was running for president I said the same thing. You can never take any option off the table. The problem with this president is he doesn't have the credibility either at home or abroad to make that into a believable statement. The problem is the president's got 138,000 people pinned down in Iraq. He doesn't have the capability to do anything in Iran nor the international support to do anything because of his extraordinary blunders so far in defending the country. So while no president can ever take any option off the table, this president's words are--can't be take seriously by people either at home or abroad. He has allowed a real danger to the United States, which is an atomic or nuclear-armed Iran to be--to go for five years while he has focused on what I frequently refer to as the...

Schieffer: But if he said we may have to resort to military action, you can see circumstances where you would support that.

Dr. Dean: What I--I didn't say that, Bob. What I said was...

Schieffer: No. I'm just asking.

Dr. Dean: Well, that sounded like a statement, not a question. I think obviously you have to look at what the circumstances are. The problem, again, with this president is he squandered our resources in Iraq, which was not a danger to the United States. He doesn't have much left to fight a country that is a danger to the United States. So while he--any president should always say, Democrat or Republican, that no option should be taken off the table, he lacks the credibility both here and abroad to actually exercise that option. He shouldn't say it, because it can't be delivered upon.

So, whether Bush will or won't....good question. We are borrowing from China and elsewhere to pay for the Iraq debacle now. I just find myself wondering if Bush will really pull a stunt like that...or if it is more warmongering right now to build up militaristic fervor.

[rfranklin]

1. Double or nothing!

And bring my friend a Jack Daniels!

[MissWaverly]

2. I feel what Bush craves is another 9-11 type attack

this is what he believes would cement the US behind him perhaps forever as our ruler with
all the power and no other government left just his lackeys. I believe that this is 1 reason for his brutal handling of the Iraqi people by using torture and chemical weapons (WP).

[RazzleDazzle]

3. I can tell you that it is firmly on the planned agenda of PNAC

and they, PNACers, run this country's foreign policy for George W. Bush, you may have noticed. Aside from oil, and your regular ole military-industrial-complex war profiteering, the other piece of it is protection and making a "friend" for Israel in the region (where, I'm not so sure, but that's what they want nonetheless).

[madfloridian]

4. Turkey denies they have been asked for use of their bases..

to attack Iran's facilities. I wonder if a lot of this stuff coming out about needing to get out of Iraq and Bush wanting to attack Iran....are pre-emptive statements by our Democrats meant to put folks on guard.

Sure they want to remake the middle east, but they wanted Iraq to be the "gateway" according to the PNAC documents...and it ain't working out that way.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L02669724.htm

Ankara denies report US wants Turk base to hit Iran

ANKARA, Jan 2 (Reuters) - "Turkey said on Monday that newspaper reports which say the United States has asked Ankara for permission to use military bases in Turkey for possible attacks on neighbouring Iran are not connected with reality.

Some Turkish newspapers have reported or repeated similar stories in newspapers published in other countries which say that a series of high-profile U.S. visitors to Ankara in recent months have been preparing the ground for U.S. strikes from Turkey against Iran's nuclear facilities.

"This speculation has no connection with reality," Turkey's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The United States accuses Iran of seeking to produce nuclear weapons. Tehran denies the accusation but insists on its right to produce enriched uranium, a vital component for nuclear power plants or bombs.

"Turkey considers that the problems in its region should be resolved by dialogue and negotiations. It believes our region does not need any new problems and that everyone should fulfil their responsibilities with this aim in mind," the statement said."