was it ever in doubt???
Posted on 03/21/2006 5:40:45 PM PST by wagglebee
A former senior CIA operative says the U.S. can easily destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities with bunker-busting bombs and other weapons.
"We can dig those things out. We can destroy them," Gary Berntsen, who led the search for Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan in late 2001, told The Jerusalem Post.
"We can take care of it in a couple of days with air strikes and they wouldn't be able to stop us.
"It wouldn't be difficult to plan. There'd be some dangers but I think the United States can do it."
Berntsen, who left the CIA last June after more than 20 years of service, ruled out covert action because of the size of Iran's nuclear program.
"This is a huge system of facilities they have. This is not going to be a small sort of engagement,” he told the Post. "We are probably going to have to destroy 30 facilities in 30 locations. Or at least 15.”
Berntsen also ruled out a ground operation.
"This is huge country. There are 70 million people. We don't need to be getting into something like that.”
But despite U.S. capabilities, Berntsen believes that America should exhaust all political options before carrying out a strike.
"We should do what we're doing right now. That means taking them to the United Nations and [making] this 'the world against Iran,' because the Iranians appear determined to create a weapon.
"The Iranians have to know that we mean business,” added Berntsen, author of the best-selling book "Jawbreaker” about the search for bin Laden after al-Qaida's 9/11 attacks.
"They will either disarm or we will destroy their facilities. No ifs, ands, or buts. They present a threat to peace in the Middle East. They present a threat to Israel. We cannot accept that.”
Former Pentagon adviser Richard Perle said earlier this month that Iran's prime nuclear facilities could be devastated in one night by a small fleet of U.S. B-2 bombers.
"It wouldn't be difficult to plan. There'd be some dangers but I think the United States can do it."
Former Pentagon adviser Richard Perle said earlier this month that Iran's prime nuclear facilities could be devastated in one night by a small fleet of U.S. B-2 bombers.
Then what are we waiting for?!
Gary Berntsen, who led the search for Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan in late 2001
That's not exactly the most impressive resume in the world, is it?
I don't know if I'd trust the CIA to tell me the Earth is round. Too many political appointments, not enough actual intelligence.
Well, to give him the benefit of the doubt, he did establish his expertise at blowing up mountains.
exactly. They don't know their ass from their heads.
The US can destroy IRAN, nukes and all.
Some CIA wanker says it will be easy. That means it's going to be diabolically difficult.
Ping.
Slam dunk! Words to trust from the CIA.
Thank G-d for President Andrew Jackson! Thank G-d for John Paul Jones! Thank G-d for General George Washington! All men -- all Leaders! -- who understood the concept.
Even though he was a Democrat, Harry Truman deserves to be on that list!
I agree it needs to be done, sooner rather than later. I just don't believe anything the CIA has to say on any level.
This guy did a long presentation on C-Span Book TV.
He's no slacker.
I'm unconvinced. The CIA hasn't exactly shown its competence lately.
And if *I* had lead the search for Bin Laden in 2001, I wouldn't exactly advertise that.
For those who don't know, Gary Berntsen is the closest thing to a real life Jack Bauer this country has, or in his case had.
" Gary Berntsen spent more than twenty years as an officer in the Clandestine Service and served in an array of Field Command assignments. He has been awarded both the Distinguished Intelligence Medal and the Intelligence Star."
I wouldn't build a shrine to him by any means, but after having read a bit by/about him he knows his espionage as well as any of them.
You have to know where they are first. Unless you put boots on the ground, you can't be sure you got them.
That is a huge cheap shot that Mr. Berntsen doesn't deserve. The reality is he put his as$ on the line to the point 99.99% of people never will when he dropped into Stan back in late 2001 -
Berntsen is wrong about his notion that us putting 800-1000 Rangers into the Tora Bora mountains would have made a big difference in locating UBL......but without question Berntsen and his men did a hell of a job tracking down al-Qeade and Taliban HVT's while they were in Stan. And put many of them in the ground!
Regarding Iran....the real threat or difficulty isn't in destroying their facilities via air strikes.....BUT what comes after those strikes ....(regarding Iraq).
Cheap shot - See post #17 -
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was it ever in doubt???
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