Eisenhower Carrier Group Sails for Iran Theater

[fernsibal]

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Eisenhower and its accompanying strike force of cruiser, destroyer and attack submarine slipped their moorings and headed off for the Persian Gulf region on Oct. 2, as I had predicted in a piece in The Nation magazine a few weeks back.

The Eisenhower strike force, according to my sources, is scheduled to arrive in the vicinity of Iran around October 21, at the same time as a second flotilla of minesweepers and other ships.

This build-up of naval power around the coast of Iran, according to some military sources, is in preparation for an air attack on Iran that would target not just Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities, but its entire military command and control system.

While such an attack could be expected to unleash a wave of military violence all over Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and elsewhere against American forces and interests and against oil wells, pipelines and loading vacilities, as well as a mining of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, with a resulting skyrocketing of global oil prices, the real goal of this new war by the U.S. would be ensuring Republican control of the House and Senate.

http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/contributors/461

[Mojambo]

1. Unless they are planning to blow this up so huge

that they can cancel elections, I don't see how this will help them retain control of Congress.

[daleo]

2. I fear that the chimp is sure to go after Iran now

Now that North Korea has demonstrated nuclear capability (and mocked Bush in the process), Bush and his neo-cons will have to prove something to the world, their followers, and themselves. A massive air assault on Iran will probably be the result.

[jpak]

3. A cornered Chimp is a dangerous animal

and capable of anything...

[Monkeyman]

4. Warned about this two week ago

all passes and leaves were stopped

[ecoalex]

7. This is the October surprise. War = rally behind the repugs

[baldingrockwarlord2]

5. this has been posted here for almost 3 weeks now

several times a day as well. Why is this still being considered "breaking news". What's next? Dewey defeats Truman? please! Sorry folks, I don't mean to be snarky, but even since I got home from work 2 hours ago, I've seen this posted no less than 4 times. It is definately NOT breaking news anymore and has NOT been for almost 3 weeks.

[Sherman A1]

8. Agreed

and if things are going to turn HOT, it will be with more than 2 CVSG's. That isn't nearly enough for the Navy to justify them in the next budget (Oh, we really need more and more big ships). When it gets to 4 or more then things "might" get interesting.

[fernsibal]

12. well excuuuuuuze me for posting old news

Let the moderator remove it, I guess. Maybe it wasn't old news to everyone. And lets see what happens Oct. 21.

[wakeme2008]

6. Stop with the Sky is FALLING

from that same piece

I hope I am wrong about all this, but the sailing of the Eisenhower, which had been pushed forward recently by about a month by the Pentagon for clearly political reasons, makes me think I'm right. A key will be what happens with the Enterprise carrier strike force, which has already been on station in the Arabian Sea for six months, where it has been launching air strikes against Afghanistan and Iraq targets. Ordinarily, such deployments last six months and then the carrier group returns to base for resupply and for R&R for the crew. If the Enterprise is held over for a longer deployment, after the arrival of the Eisenhower, we will know that something serious is planned.

Every six months there are TWO Strike Groups in the Gulf... Just because it is Oct do not jump to the fact we are attacking Iran....

[Pavulon]

9. Pre scheduled sailings are not lbn...

[driver8]

10. We rotate carriers in and out of the region every six months.

Trust me, I know.

I spent 3 1/2 years on the Eisenhower. I did two Med cruises and a Persian excursion.

The Eisenhower is replacing the Enterprise, from what I understand.

[Thickasabrick]

11. Thank you