We cannot possibly have just declared the military of a sovereign nation to be

[WritersBlock]

a terrorist organization, can we?

Tell me I misread that.

Tell me not even George W Bush could be that fucking stupid.

Why are these assholes so blatantly *trying* to increase the threat of terrorism against the United States?

[liberal N proud]

1. bu$h is that stupid

[mwb970]

2. The increased threat is politically useful for Republicans.

That's all you need to know.

[Vinca]

5. And don't be alarmed if there's a politically useful new war.

I can see the ads and hear the press conferences already. Too bad they haven't considered how the American voter will react when the 160,000 troops wedged between Iran and Syria are annihilated.

[leftchick]

10. It is hardly republicans alone

Did you miss this vote? Do you actually believe any Democrats would complain about calling Iran's army terrorists at this point? AIPAC has a strangle hold on our lawmakers. ALL of them.

http://www.firedoglake.com/category/lieberman/


Levin-Lieberman Love Fest - One Step Closer to War on Iran

By Siun on Wed Jul 11, 2007 at 02:24 pm

Right after Sen. Lieberman voted against U.S. troops on the Webb amendment, he launched his new Iran Amendment – cosponsored by pals Kyl, Graham, Collins and Sessions with strong support by McCain – and Senator Levin could not fall over himself fast enough to display his love of his big pal from CT. Watch here – but prepare yourself – it will test your gag reflex mightily. (Thanks as always to Crooks and Liars for being on top of the news!)

This gist of the amendment: It is the sense of the senate that Iran is participating in acts of war against the United States.

They were making minor changes to the language right up to the last minute but the released draft states:

that “the murder of members of the United States Armed Forces by a foreign government or its agents is an intolerable act of hostility against the United States,” and demands the government of Iran “take immediate action” to end all forms of support it is providing to Iraqi militias and insurgents. The amendment also mandates a regular report on Iran’s anti-coalition activity in Iraq.

Joe says:

“For many months, our military commanders and diplomats have warned us that the Iranian government has been training, equipping, arming, and funding proxies in Iraq who are murdering our troops,” said Senator Lieberman. “This amendment is a common sense, common ground statement of the Senate to Tehran: we know what you are doing, and you must stop.”

Levin and Salazar asked to be added as co-sponsors before the language was finalized, McCain used the bullshit Michael Gordon Hezbollah story to justify his vote, Graham waxed poetic comparing Iranian leadership to Hitler and Sen Durbin spoke of his support – as long as the amendment specified that it was not an authorization of military action. (Wow, what a relief! We all know that little details like congressional authorization matter so much to this White House).

Levin introduced the actual vote on the Lieberman Amendment by stressing that the Senate stands as one and that Iran had better listen.

The final vote: 97 Ayes, 0 Nays

[Megahurtz]

26. "AIPAC has a strangle hold on our lawmakers. ALL of them."

When is everyone on D.U. going to realize this???

[leftchick]

29. lol!

uh, never? To many here defend the current policy.

[HughBeaumont]

3. Getting their kicks before the whole shithouse goes up in flames?

The saying fits . . . considering that's what they turned America into.

I don't think the Failure Fuhrer's administration was EVER serious on the GWOT. Just some boogeyman to keep the peons scared while they energy market-grab their way to kingship.

[Perky]

4. well actually...

I understand that the RG is alot like Hexbollah and are running a sort of Shadow Government within Iran.....They are apparently supply arms to the insurgents not the Iranian Government. The distinction here is somewhat important. Iran is already a Terrorist stete...but naming the RG a terrorist Organization would seem to isolate them as effectively an NGO. They are powerful, semi-autonomous and pretty strident.

I think creating the distinction may be a step towards normalization, but demanding the Goverment get the RG under control....but then again I am mainlining Sudafed this morning,

[SpiralHawk]

7. What about Commander AWOL's intimate cronies, the Saudis?

The Saudis are the ones who attacked us on 9/11?

And most of the so-called insurgents in Iraq are Saudis.

Why does Commander aWOL continue to play kissy face with the Saudis?

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

8. The way you describe them, the RG

sounds like Blackwater. MKJ

[DemoTex]

14. RG & Blackwater both paramilitary forces.

Paramilitary designates forces whose function and organization is similar to those of a professional military force, but which are not regarded as having the same status. (snip)

Depending on context, paramilitaries can include:

Military forces outside the army, e.g. gendarmeries and forces such as the Indian Paramilitary Forces and Pakistan Paramilitary Forces.

Illegal forces which consider themselves military but which governments consider terrorist, e.g. Provisional IRA, Ulster Volunteer Force, AUC, guerrillas.

Private armies and militias.

Militarized preexisting government agencies, such as SWAT teams. Youth groups and movements that can be considered 'militarized' to various degrees, the Hitler Youth movement being perhaps the most notorious example. Less nefarious modern examples include miltary cadet movements like the Royal Canadian Air Cadets and the American Civil Air Patrol. Whether various global Boy Scout organizations fill the necessary criteria today or historically is a topic of debate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramilitary

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

15. Hmmm.

So, Blackwater is just ducky, according to our reps, but the RG is designated as a terrorist group.

MKJ

[DemoTex]

17. Pound-for-pound, Blackwater is much more dangerous and sinister.

Especially given Blackwater's worldwide mobility and seeming carte blance from Bu$hco. I am truly afraid of Blackwater. Blackwater has the potential of directly affecting me. About the Iranian RG, I could give a rat's ass.

[leftchick]

12. How exactly is Iran any more of a "terrorist state" than the US?

Israel? Saudi Arabia? Pakistan? etc, etc?

[Warren Stupidity]

27. Driink deep. Taste Good? nt.

[eridani]

28. Why in fucking hell would Shi'ites supply arms to Sunni insurgents?

Iraq has a pro-Iranian government now. Why would they want to change that?

If RG is like the CIA, there may be some justification for the designation, but again, why would the Iranian CIA want to mess with the favorable situation in Iraq that Iran now enjoys?

[mmonk]

30. You're thinking too much.

This is America.

[malaise]

6. Absolute madness indeed

This planet better lock up this lunatic and his goons.

[paparush]

16. Bonhoffer...

[KittyWampus]

9. what about labeling the Saudi National Guard as terrorist organization?

or whatever the Saudi military is called.

[Mnemosyne]

11. "And those that harbor them." Blatantly turning Iran into another

target for "freedom and democracy". :puke:

[Canuckistanian]

24. Funny how that works, eh?

Very "convenient"

[LiberalEsto]

13. The Rapture cometh

They really want a Rapture

These people are batshit f*cking crazy.
Everything they have done, since the B*sh Occupation began, has been anti-life, pro-death, pro-war, pro-poverty, pro-destruction, pro-armageddon.

They want to ignore climate change, at the world's peril.
They want to ban stem cell research.
They want to destroy the middle class.
They want to take away our jobs
They want us to cringe 24/7 in fear of terrorists
They want to make wars with Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and now Iran.
They would simply love to go to war with Venezuela, Cuba, Syria and other countries, except that we don't seem to have the personnel.
They don't give a damn if US soldiers get killed due to faulty or missing or inadequate body armor or vehicle armor.
They leave the wounded, traumatized veterans to rot with cheap care and endless paperwork.
They want to let China poison us with tainted food, toys and other products because they've gutted our framework of consumer protection and food safety laws.
They want to outlaw abortions so women will die from unsanitary back-room procedures. They want to stop abortions by murdering physicians and bombing clinics.
They want to imprison us for long periods of time in their new corporate prisons, for minor crimes.
They want to destroy the public education system and make college unaffordable for everyone except the rich.
Oh, I could go on and on, and so can all of you.

One can only conclude that:
1. These bastards actually believe in a Rapture and are racing to bring it on, the faster the better.

And that
2. The very rich have somehow figured out a way to take their obscene wealth with them.

[bonito]

18. K&R

[cui bono]

19. Why do people make posts without telling others what they're talking about? eom

[The Backlash Cometh]

20. That's not stupid. That's lawyering using gene manipulation.

[Hydra]

21. K&R

This isn't stupid, this is just another declaration of war. We've had several against Iran, and I seem to recall that our special forces commandos are inside Iran right now causing trouble.

This is the Imperial US making the law up as we go along. Making REALITY as we go along.

"If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator."

The Fuhrer, W III

[Disturbed]

22. Eight years of the Iraq/Iran War didn't teach

Busholini, Darth & the Chicken Hawks a freakin' thing. Research that War & find out what Iranians will do if attacked by Israel & the USA.

[iverglas]

23. Is the Revolutionary Guard "the military"?

Yeah, I finally figured out what the thread was about.

It seems so:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Revolutionary_Guards_Corps

The AGIR were formed in May 1979 as a force loyal to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, but later became a full military force alongside the army in the Iran-Iraq War. It was infamous for its human wave attacks such as during Operation Ramadan, an assault on the city of Basra.

I don't really know what the story here is, but I do know the Revolutionary Guard, or, as we called them when I knew them, pasdaran.

When I knew them, they were the domestic hit squad maintained by the Khomeini régime in Iran -- not that they limited their activities to solely domestic hits. I had them following me one weekend, and calling me things to third parties that you'd really rather not have the hit squad maintained by a seriously unpleasant foreign power call you. And if you were an Iranian living in Iran and harbouring notions of democracy, you didn't want them to know your real name at all.

As Iranian democrats knew then and know now, the enemy of your enemy is not always your friend. Give me a forced choice between Bush and the pasdaran, and I'll just ask for a gun, and use it on myself.



edited illiterately edited subject line ...

[bemildred]

25. Cheney says he is not part of the executive branch?

We stopped caring a fig about intellectual credibilty some time ago now, and we stopped caring about the appearance of intellectual credibility when the USSC appointed Bush pResident.