Pentagon sees Iran bombing as unsuccessful: report

Reuters ^

[markedmannerf]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top Pentagon officers have told the Bush administration that bombing Iranian nuclear facilities would probably fail to destroy that country's nuclear program, the New Yorker magazine reported on Sunday. ADVERTISEMENT

The senior commanders also warned that any attack launched if diplomacy fails to end the standoff over Iran's nuclear ambitions could have "serious economic, political, and military consequences for the United States," the article said, citing unidentified U.S. military officials.

"A crucial issue in the military's dissent, the officers said, is the fact that American and European intelligence agencies have not found specific evidence of clandestine activities or hidden facilities; the war planners are not sure what to hit," according to the report.

The U.S. military's experience in Iraq, where no weapons of mass destruction were found and the war continues, has affected its approach to Iran, the magazine quoted a high-ranking general as saying.

"The target array in Iran is huge, but it's amorphous," the unidentified general was quoted as saying. "We built this big monster with Iraq, and there was nothing there.

"This is son of Iraq."

The United States on Friday spurned Iranian calls for more time to study an offer of incentives to curb its nuclear fuel program, insisting Tehran must reply by the Group of Eight industrialized nations' deadline on July 5.

The article, by journalist Seymour Hersh, also questioned the effectiveness of U.S. targeting potential nuclear sites.

"Intelligence has also shown that for the past two years the Iranians have been shifting their most sensitive nuclear-related materials and production facilities, moving some into urban areas, in anticipation of a bombing raid," it said.

[Optimist]

Pentagon sees Iran bombing as unsuccessful: report
My gawd, is there any secret that is sacred in this day and age?

"Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, SAY NO MORE"

[MNJohnnie]

With Iran, we're stuck between a rock and a hard place. I hope someone thinks up a solution

Well I know you rabid Bush haters don't want to hear this but we are not stuck between a rock and hard place on Iran. We are in the process of stripping all the Euro Weenies et al excuses for doing nothing by "trying Diplomacy". As the Iranians show their real face to the world, the Euros will be dragged kicking and screaming to the table of war by GW Bush. At which point we will bomb the hell out of Irans nuke sites.

Figure after you Leftist got all your predictions so completely wrong on the Cold War, Gulf War 1, Iraq, Afghanistan, Grenada, Kosovo, Bosnia, ect ect ect, you all would finally give up this "Oh woe is us, the sky is falling" chicken little impersonation you all are so found of pulling.

[tomnbeverly]

"where no weapons of mass destruction were found"

AP (liberal Pravda) spreading the propaganda and lies of our enemies.... WMD were found yet they continue an attempt to change the facts.

[roaddog727]

"...there's much more to this than what appears in this biased article."

Perhaps, but in a different vein. Perhaps we know just exactly where these facilities are. Perhaps this is part of the IO deception plan.

Then again, if we really have no clue as to where these facilities are, perhaps a well placed 500LB bomb dropped on President Almond-ding's head would get the point across

[andy58-in-nh]

How come the "unidentified" source is always making DEM/RAT talking points?

That is a great point - and thanks for picking up on it. To wit:

"We built this big monster with Iraq, and there was nothing there"

Now, really: which "top Pentagon officers" do you suppose believe that steaming load of crap? Answer: none.

Seymour Hersch, as usual, cites conveniently unidentified sources (in the Pentagon!) to make John Kerry, et al.'s arguments. I call "BS".

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

I used to take the NEW YORKER

Whatever for? Idiotic warnings about Nuclear Winter? Luddism tarted out as pseudoscience? Keeping up with fashion trends on Christopher Street? Monotonous and incomprehesible whiny musings of perpetual adolescents?

James Thurber is dead, Robert Bentchley gone and Capote ain't coming back.

[RichInOC]

It couldn't hurt. It might help. It'd feel good in any case.

[curiosity]

Well I know you rabid Bush haters

Pointing out that we are in a difficult foreign policy situation with Iran hardly makes me a Bush hater. In fact, I will go on record as saying that the current situation in Iran is mostly Clinton's fault. This is a problem Bush inherited, and I hope he figures out a way to deal with it.

As the Iranians show their real face to the world, the Euros will be dragged kicking and screaming to the table of war by GW Bush. At which point we will bomb the hell out of Irans nuke sites.

There's just one teeny problem with your plan: 1) we don't know where many of the nuke sites are and 2) Those that we have located are in deep bunkers that would be very difficult to take out even with our bunker-busting bombs.

And BTW, I'm not relying on this article for the above information. It's been in the public domain for at least 2 years. The article that started this thread is a non-story.