Russian Leader Expects U.S. to Attack Iran in Late March

[Christa]

A senior Russian parliamentary official and leader of the ultranationalist Liberal Democratic Vladimir Zhirinovsky believes that a US attack on Iran is inevitable, he has told Ekho Moskvy radio station.

“The war is inevitable because the Americans want this war,” he said. “Any country claiming a leading position in the world will need to wage wars. Otherwise it will simply not be able to retain its leading position. The date for the strike is already known — it is the election day in Israel (March 28). It is also known how much that war will cost,” Zhirinovsky said.

He went on to add that the publication of Prophet Muhammad cartoons in the European press was a planned action by the U.S. whose aim is “to provoke a row between Europe and the Islamic world”. “It will all end with European countries thanking the United States and paying, and giving soldiers,” he said. Russia should “choose a position of non-interference and express minimal solidarity with the Islamic world”, Zhirinovsky added.

For his part, the head of the Centre for Strategic Studies of Religions and Modern World Politics, Maxim Shevchenko, also believes that a U.S. attack on Iran is very likely although he sees no preconditions for this war. “Iran does not threaten anyone, is not pointing its missiles at anyone. No Iranian leader has ever threatened to carry out a strike against the U.S. Therefore preparations for a war against Iran appear to be a global act of provocation,” he said.

More: http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/02/07/vzhiriran.shtml

[tmooses]

1. What, is March the Hallmark "Invade a Country" month?

n/t

[sasha031]

2. this saddens and terrifies me

[BoneDaddy]

3. Wow amazing

He may not be that far off the mark.

[Dunvegan]

4. Well, the psychops guys are really firing on 12 cylinders, if this is so.

Because if the "cartoon jihad" is a black-ops precursor to an invasion of Iran, it's really working to someone's advantage better than their wildest dreams.

Just look how divided even this board is regarding the "cartoon crusade."

I'm astounded.

And I'm beginning to think it's more probable than not that there's another mid-March Middle Eastern invasion is on Rumsfeld's calendar with a country that begins with Ira-.

Next target: Ireland...they have an IRA, too, don't they?

[Poiuyt]

5. Americans DO NOT want this war!!

Bush wants it. He loves war.

[The Magistrate]

6. Zhirinovsky, Ma'am

Is a fascist, paranoid, ultra-nationalist Anti-Semite. His comments reflect no particular knowledge or even expertise in the matter: you might as well report that "My neighbor, the one in the Klan, said last night at the bar that the U.S. was going to invade Iran in March...."

[Christa]

7. What about this:

In March 2006, Iran will take Iraq’s switch to the petroeuro to new heights by launching a third oil exchange. The Iranians have developed a petroeuro system for oil trade which, when enacted, will once again threaten U.S. dollar supremacy far greater than Iraq’s euro conversion. Called the Iran Oil Bourse, an exchange that only accepts the euro for oil sales, would mean that the entire world could begin purchasing oil from any oil-producing nation with euros instead of dollars.

The Iranian plan isn’t limited to purchasing one oil-producing country’s oil with euros. Its plan will create a global alternative to the U.S. dollar. Come March 2006, the Iran Oil Bourse will further the momentum of OPEC to create an alternate currency for oil purchases worldwide. China, Russia and the European Union are evaluating the Iranian plan to exchange oil for euros and giving the plan serious consideration.

Skeptics of the meaning of oil being purchased with euros versus dollars and the devastating impact it will have on the economy of the United States should consider the historic move by the Federal Reserve to begin hiding information pertaining to the U.S. dollar money supply starting in March 2006.

More: http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_2417.shtml

[Selatius]

8. Beware the Ides of March

It seems a lot of things are falling on March. I wonder what time will say.

[The Magistrate]

10. Not Of Too Much Importance, Ma'am

Money is money, when all is said and done. the European currency is certainly rooted in an economic base as good as or superior to that of the United States, and so will be increasingly sought as a store of value. Armed force cannot prevent this.

The United States does gain certain benefits by the wide use of the dollar as a currency beyond our shores. Chief among these is in effect an export of inflation, since a signifigant proportion of dollars are not "chasing goods" in the United States. The real danger to the dollar, and the country's economy, is not a change in the type of currency used in the purchase of oil, but the large holding of dollar denominated bonds, particularly Treasury bonds, in foreignh hands. A lessened usage of dollars in purchase of oil might reduce the value of dollars somewhat, but to nothing near the degree a sell-off of these bonds would do, and the reduction owing to a currency substitution in the oil markets would not ikely be sufficient to trigger such a reaction. That is far more likely to be triggered by continued high Federal deficiets, leading to questions about the long-term soundness of tghe currency our government issues, as governments traditionally "settle" such colossal debts by reducing the value of their currency by debasing it in some manner....

[Dunvegan]

9. You're dead on about Zhirinovsky...he's a couple shots short of...

...a fifth of Stoly, all right.

However, he may just be piling on with all the other warmongers.

A lot of very crazy people are shoving the world as hard as they can, hoping they can topple us over the brink.

And I fear the insane are the ones that are about to burn down this asylum.