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Really? How advanced were they compared to Iran today.

According to Bush and his wingmen, Iraq already had WMD. A dead set certainty. So Iraq was more advanced in 2003, at least as far as the US Government was concerned.

I wonder how advanced the Iran of 2025 will be considered in 2045?

Yes. THAT is the point. Iran HAS a nuclear program, Iraq did not.

In 2003, Iraq absolutely did have a nuclear program. That is the point. What was learned subsequently to 2003 does not change what took place in '03.

Likewise, Iran has a nuclear program now (so we're assured).....just as Iraq had one in '03. The same language is being used, the same degree of certitude is being expressed. Will the narrative change in 5.....10 years as it did with Iraq? Time will tell.

"Oh don't ya hate this bombing crap? It's awful! Stop already! Be nice to each other. OK, so I bombed Iran, too.....but only once.....at least so far."

So the Iraq claims were bogus. But not the current Iranian panic. This time it's real.

OK.

No, the similarity between Iraq, '03 and Iran '25 is in the creation of a catastrophic future scenario which absolutely will occur if we don't act now. Iran hasn't actually done anything at this point......but it will do......trust us. The exact (I use the word deliberately) same narrative which was used to sell the Iraq invasion.

There was no "allegedly" in 2003. Iraq definitely had weapons of mass destruction. It was a done deal. Colin Powell stood before the United Nations and said so. There were no doubts. Certainly none on this forum. To question was to be labelled a traitor.

Today, even the Director of National Intelligence is skeptical about the "imminent threat", so aside from the sense of deja vu due to the '03 fiasco, there's also the dissent of the nation's top intelligence official coupled with the strident warhawk rhetoric of the usual suspects (Graham, Haley, Pence et al.)

No sale.

The Dealmaker’s “peace” efforts in the Middle East are going about as well as they are in Eastern Europe. Not surprising he’s a little testy.

The narrative now being pushed about Iran is exactly the same as lies we’ve been previously told.

Iran's about as far from America as it's possible to get. They're on the other side of the planet. But they're going to attack us? How?

We, on the other hand, have military bases all around them. We've invaded two countries with whom they share a border; Iraq and Afghanistan. Both ended badly. They're supposed to be cool with that? Whom have they attacked or invaded? Leave them alone.

You’re saying that Iran is like Saddam? No nuclear capabilities?

No, I'm saying our government told us the same thing about Saddam. Look back to 2003. The rhetoric currently being tossed around concerning Iran is exactly the same as that tossed around by Dubya, Cheney, Condi and Rumsfeld 20+ years ago. Saddam had "weapons of mass destruction" and he was going to kill us all.

Completely bogus but lots of folks bought into the pro-war hysteria, including most on this forum.

When do we annex Canada?

Like Saddam?

Maybe we could just get out of their backyard.

Is anyone allowed to bomb? Or is this an exclusively American prerogative?

“OK, I’m gonna bomb Iran but when I’m done, no more bombing, OK? Bombing is bad. Y’all just behave yourselves!”

Is this the model going forward into the future? Simply bombing countries all over the planet when they have nuclear capability?

Tulsi told the truth but was instructed to shut her mouth and stand down.

She's a lame duck now won't be around for too much longer.

It'll take a little more than 24hrs to determine whether this was a "complete win".

Years, more likely.

More nation building.

Apparently Khamenei isn't going quietly. We've been assured by the British tabloids (The Daily Mail, chief among them), that the Islamic government was falling apart under the pressure of Israeli air strikes and would be done by the end of last week.

More disinformation from "The Empire of Lies". Now Trump's decided to throw in his lot with the neocons. Big mistake.

Since Lindsey Graham, Nikki Haley and Mike Pence have all effusively praised the bombing, I know Trump got this one wrong. It's clear he's been won over by the war-hawks. His own chief-of-intelligence (Tulsi) said there was no evidence for bomb-making but Trump told her to stand down. She was humiliated and I'm wondering how long she'll be around, now.

Massie may have learned something from the Iraq misadventure.