MEK (MKO) is a marxist islamist group. they are very dangerous to the US national security!
It's good to keep the mullah-queers guessing. I was very pleased with Bush stating he would not take military action off the table to deal with Iran's nukes. I'm glad Colin Powell is gone, so we don't have to hear him pussyfoot around it.
They are soooo 20th century!
Any article, especially one from the Guardian, that presents the argument as one being posed between "neo-conservatives" and "ex-CIA agents" is not what most Freepers would call "fair and balanced."
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"It is not a straightforward problem but at some point the costs of doing nothing may just become too high."
"In Iran you have the intersection of nuclear weapons and proven ties to terrorism. That is what we are looking at now."
But we sure as heck aren't going to wait until after we're attacked. Pre-emption is still the modus operandi.
When you have to shoot...shoot
dont ponder
That is it in a nutshell. On the one hand, the sort of nuclear weapons capable of production by a nascent program such as Iran's tend to be large, crude, and difficult of concealment. On the other hand, they aren't impossible to conceal and deliver; in fact, smuggling may be Iran's best bet to deliver them given the nascency of its missile programs as well. If the target is the U.S. then it's the only way.
The more immediate purpose of such weapons would be to inoculate the theocracy against overt invasion, but the necessity to use terrorist means to make the threat credible means that one threshold at least will be crossed the moment they successfully test a device. That is precisely the sort of threshold beyond which the Iranian government is convinced it will be invulnerable but in fact will necessitate action against it.
But the notion of using the Mujahideen Khalq is one that has been bruited before. These are not really our friends at all, despite being the enemies of our enemy, and using them will present the same sort of disadvantage a similar use of Saddam Hussein in the 80's presented. But if it does turn into a covert war they'll play. It may already have started.
More third hand speculation, what if anything can go right with these upcoming elections 80% of Iraq is islamic, they will favor Islamic government hence another terror state!
While destroying Irans infrastructure and reactors sounds like a great idea, there is no end game, there is no endgame for Iraq either. I would like to see a huge portion of Iraqs population disabled as in made eunuchs or something to guarntee their future cooperation not just a slide into more Islamic hornet nests. Im sorry but it would be wise not to leave any potential suicide bomber standing in the Arab world, they are the enemy we can kill them now
or let them kill us later.
But I thought the neo-conservatives were run out of town by the searing intellectual criticism of Barbara (no WMD in my pants) Boxer ?
No, no... not whether. Just when. ;^)
Actually, a strike against Iran a couple days before the elections in Iraq might be just the thing to draw off foreign terrorists and send them scurrying back to Iran to fight for the home turf.
How about getting the mullahs running around like rats for a while. The Syrians are getting fat and complacent. and one morning Syria is surrounded.
It won't be the first time Bush used news liberals to our military advantage.
I'd just like to know where the money for this one will come from. It's not like we're rolling in the dough with annual half trillion dollar deficits.
We have unfinished business with Iran. And after the battles in Afghanistan and Iraq, we certainly don't need another "hearts and minds" war. When we deal with Iran, it only needs to be Shock & Awe until they see the error of their ways.
Well, I obviously question the sourcing of this article.
However, if we do go into Iran, it dang well better not be until the elections, and we should not plan on a full-scale invasion, at least for awhile.
I would not support a move that would lead to a draft.
However, we do need to bomb the bastards into the stone age and send special ops to aid in aiding an internal rebellion.
The OSP really gets their goat...
Now it's Iran's turn to be terrorized when we liquidate their nuclear facilities. They thought they were the only ones who could reach out and f with people. Now they are going to be spanked, taught a lesson. They are going to be given something to wail about in the UN with the Muslim chorus.
These wily Ayatollahs have been running terrorist operations for years aimed at Israel and the USA. Israel has suffered from Iranian state sponsored terrorism in the form of Hizbuallah and other outfits. Iran has been sponsoring terrorism in Iraq and sponsored that shi'ite freak Al Sadr.