Posted on 05/07/2019 4:09:57 AM PDT by Kaslin
Last week, it was Venezuela in America's gun sights.
"While a peaceful solution is desirable, military action is possible," thundered Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. "If that's what is required, that's what the United States will do."
John Bolton tutored Vladimir Putin on the meaning of the Monroe Doctrine: "This is our hemisphere. It's not where the Russians ought to be interfering."
After Venezuela's army decided not to rise up and overthrow Nicholas Maduro, by Sunday night, it was Iran that was in our gun sights.
Bolton ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln, its carrier battle group and a bomber force to the Mideast "to send a clear and unmistakable message to the Iranian regime that any attack on United States interests or those of our allies will be met with unrelenting force."
What "attack" was Bolton talking about?
According to Axios, Israel had alerted Bolton that an Iranian strike on U.S. interests in Iraq was imminent.
Flying to Finland, Pompeo echoed Bolton's warning:
"We've seen escalatory actions from the Iranians, and ... we will hold the Iranians accountable for attacks on American interests. ... (If) these actions take place, if they do by some third-party proxy, whether that's a Shia militia group or the Houthis or Hezbollah, we will hold the ... Iranian leadership directly accountable for that."
Taken together, the Bolton-Pompeo threats add up to an ultimatum that any attack by Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, or Iran-backed militias -- on Israel, Saudi Arabia, the UAE or U.S. forces in Iraq, Syria or the Gulf states -- will bring a U.S. retaliatory response on Iran itself.
Did President Donald Trump approve of this? For he appears to be going along. He has pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal and re-imposed sanctions. Last week, he canceled waivers he had given eight nations to let them continue buying Iranian oil.
Purpose: Reduce Iran's oil exports, 40% of GDP, to zero, to deepen an economic crisis that is already expected to cut Iran's GDP this year by 6%.
Trump has also designated Iran a terrorist state and the Republican Guard a terrorist organization, the first time we have done that with the armed forces of a foreign nation. We don't even do that with North Korea.
Iran responded last Tuesday by naming the U.S. a state sponsor of terror and designating U.S. forces in the Middle East as terrorists.
Iran has also warned that if we choke off its oil exports that exit the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, the Strait could be closed to other nations. As 30% of the world's oil shipments transit the Strait, closing it could cause a global crash.
In 1973, when President Nixon rescued Israel in the Yom Kippur War, the OPEC Arabs imposed an oil embargo. Gas prices spiked so high Nixon considered taking a train to Florida for Christmas vacation.
The gas price surge so damaged Nixon's standing with the public that it became a contributing factor in the drive for impeachment.
Today, Trump's approval rating in the Gallup Poll has reached an all-time high, 46%, a level surely related to the astonishing performance of the U.S. economy following Trump's tax cuts and sweeping deregulation.
While a Gulf war with Iran might be popular at the outset, what would it do for the U.S. economy or our ability to exit the forever war of the Middle East, as Trump has pledged to do?
In late April, in an interview with Fox News, Iran's foreign minister identified those he believes truly want a U.S.-Iranian war.
Asked if Trump was seeking the confrontation and the "regime change" that Bolton championed before becoming his national security adviser, Mohammad Javad Zarif said no. "I do not believe President Trump wants to do that. I believe President Trump ran on a campaign promise of not bringing the United States into another war.
"President Trump himself has said that the U.S. spent $7 trillion in our region ... and the only outcome of that was that we have more terror, we have more insecurity, and we have more instability.
"People in our region are making the determination that the presence of the United States is inherently destabilizing. I think President Trump agrees with that."
But if it is not Trump pushing for confrontation and war with Iran, who is?
Said Zarif, "I believe 'the B-team' wants to actually push the United States, lure President Trump, into a confrontation that he doesn't want."
And who makes up "the B-team"?
Zarif identifies them: Bolton, Benjamin Netanyahu, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed.
Should the B-team succeed in its ambitions -- it will be Trump's war, and Trump's presidency will pay the price.
Not since Reagan have I had as much foreign policy confidence in any one man. Trump’s a master at this. I still can’t believe he handled ISIS so quickly. Once the president’s Chinese strategy is fully implemented the NORKs will fall in line. I understand Pat’s concerns but I’m not worried.
pat buchanan is a moron
I said no such thing.
Go back over my posts here on FreeRepublic over the last 2+ years and see how many times I've been critical of Trump. You can probably count those occasions on one hand.
I'm warning about an unnecessary, unforced error that would be disastrous for his presidency -- which is exactly what Buchanan is saying.
While I may not agree with you I respect your viewpoint and your argument. I’d encourage you to hold that Trump vote in your pocket and let this run its course. Don’t be discouraged seeing the infantile term “never Trumper” thrown at you. The term has run its course, it’s school yard juvenile, overused, is 2000 and late, vomit inducing and lazy. It’s the new term faux conservatives are tossing around these days to discredit those they disagree with and besmirch anyone with an opposing view that isn’t 100% following dogma. It’s the new liberal “raaaacissst” term for independent thinkers.
You’ve been attached with the scarlet letter and must now grovel and repent before being readmitted back at the altar.
I get tired of the Trump hasn’t done the wall so I am not voting for him posts. Get on the phone and call your congress and get the funding since it is so easy.
That’s a very good historical analysis. Good work there
You don’t “steer” President Trump. I think Bolton and the President are on the same sheet of music.
“” “” John Bolton tutored Vladimir Putin on the meaning of the Monroe Doctrine: “This is our hemisphere. It’s not where the Russians ought to be interfering.””””
Last time I’ve check Iran is much closer to Russia than Venezuela to US.
That’s your opinion.
Blah, blah blah.
IMHO, I see it this way, for eight long pathetic years the world watched as America became weak and lacking resolve to defend its reputation and standing around the world, world leaders loved odunga because he was feckless...
Enter President Trump, reminding the world that we are still a force and presence to be dealt with.
Iran does not deserve nuclear weapons, and therefore should never possess them, nor should they be involved in arming those that would harm Israel.
In the event Iran does something stupid, we will be there to remind them that our tolerance for their BS has reached unacceptable levels and we are now ready, willing, and able to shut them down. I am all for tactical/strategic/surgical strikes within Iran against any and all military targets. Time to set them back decades…
No more free passes. Definitely no more pallets of cash for crying out loud...
Iran, you are $hithole country, if you want to be accepted then stop arming Hezbollah!!!
Whether or not we go to war with Iran
pretty much depends in Iran.
Too little information to make a sound judgement at this time as a lay person. As much as everyone may be disturbed by corrupt officials in our intelligence community we still have an awesome ability to gather information not known to the public or even those being spied upon. And if we really even 1% on “media reports” we are in danger of not operation on good information.
I'm not thinking so. A recommendation maybe but "ordered"?
I might seem like that but it is because he understands the Muslim mind, which is always at war.
“The same thing was said about Iraqis and Saddam,”
I thought Obama tried to rectify that Bush move by touting a premature ejaculation and withdrawal..
Europe? To manage the Persian Gulf?
France won’t even protect it’s own churches.
:)
The hills are alive with the sound of.. Uh, nope. Doesn't fit.
“I don’t think anyone steers Trump, but Trump himself. All options must be put on the table.”
Obviously
So do I. That's why I've never said such a thing.
"Alberta's Child" is not a screen name for Ann Coulter. LOL.
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