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Action against Iran, Syria could escalate conflict: Rudd....Labor Leader in Australia...
ABC News Australia ^ | Friday, January 12, 2007. 11:00am | staff

Posted on 01/12/2007 11:12:17 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach

The Federal Opposition says excessive action by the US to stem Iranian and Syrian involvement in Iraq could escalate the conflict in the region.

US President George W Bush has accused the two countries of providing support for insurgents in Iraq, saying the United States would destroy networks supplying weapons and training to coalition enemies.

Labor leader Kevin Rudd says it is a complex dilemma for the US and Australia.

"The Shia in the southern parts of the country are backed in part by various elements within Iran and that is a huge problem, something the Opposition's been pointing to for more than a year now," he said.

"But there is a grave risk that if there is an excessive, across the border military action by the Americans, that in fact we generate a broader conflict, a broader war within the Middle East."

Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer says there is no indication the US is planning military action against Iran and Syria outside Iraq.

"What those comments do [is] remind people that if you decided just that the best course of action was to abandon the Iraqis all together, just to pack up and leave, then inevitably the Iranian and Syrian factors - as well as I suspect Saudi Arabia and possible even Turkey - would come into play in a much more substantial way than is already the case."

(Excerpt) Read more at abc.net.au ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: iran; iraq; irbilraid; syria

1 posted on 01/12/2007 11:12:18 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Personally I would like to FAE both of those countries into oblivion.


2 posted on 01/12/2007 11:18:42 AM PST by stm (Believe 1% of what you hear in the lamestream media and take half of that with a grain of salt)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

"The Federal Opposition says excessive action by the US to stem Iranian and Syrian involvement in Iraq could escalate the conflict in the region."

I really don't understand this irrational fear of escalation. Isn't escalation a good thing if it's in the proper direction? For example, let's same I'm trying to loosen a lug nut. Maybe it's a bit tight, so I escalate my torque to achieve the goal. What would the "Federal Opposition" prefer? A long war of attrition with no victory in sight or a rapid escalation and successful conclusion of the war?


3 posted on 01/12/2007 11:19:51 AM PST by CitizenUSA
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

4 posted on 01/12/2007 11:20:36 AM PST by Rutles4Ever (Ubi Petrus, ibi ecclesia, et ubi ecclesia vita eterna)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
if there is an excessive, across the border military action by the Americans

Would that cause fear of escalation? Nooooo. It would be escalation. It had better be excessive if done at all.

5 posted on 01/12/2007 11:21:56 AM PST by RightWhale
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To: RightWhale; Rutles4Ever; CitizenUSA; stm
Well the Lefties are getting all up tight over this:

Did the U.S. just provoke Iran?

But remember this:

*************************************

The press is the propaganda arm of the American left and they have an agenda...see this:

Unholy Alliance: Radical Islam and the American Left

6 posted on 01/12/2007 11:37:46 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Good escalate the conflict. Things are moving too slow. Get-R-Done.


7 posted on 01/12/2007 11:42:15 AM PST by rhombus
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
I'm sure this idiot was against the deploying of Pershing Missiles in Europe as well...
8 posted on 01/12/2007 11:42:27 AM PST by johnny7 ("We took a hell of a beating." -'Vinegar Joe' Stilwell)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

So, if we ignore the presence of Iran and Syria in Iraq and the trouble they are causing, things won't get worse. What is this guy smoking?? We have finally wised up to address the underlying problem. What we are doing about Iran and Syria in Iraq is long, long overdue.


9 posted on 01/12/2007 11:44:40 AM PST by RatRipper
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
I keep thinking I'm missing some MSM hidden message in all these articles about "consequences". The idea of the WOT is to suck em in and spit em out and if drawing Iran and Syria into a conflict accomplishes that, shouldn't we want this? The CIC has full authority to go after immediate threats to our troops so if they find Iranian Officials involved in attacking our troops in Iraq the CIC can immediately go after the threat which maybe Iran. The only condition to the immediate reprisal is that he goes to the Congress within 30 days for approval and if they don't approve he has to cease operations after that 30 days. By the time 30 days is up Iran maybe glass. If the Rats want a Constitutional showdown over it then it will go right up to the USSC which they would either tell the legislature and Executive branches to work it out or they may never even get to it within the next year and eleven months.
10 posted on 01/12/2007 12:03:15 PM PST by tobyhill (The War on Terrorism is not for the weak.)
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To: tobyhill

Well....we do live in interesting times....


11 posted on 01/12/2007 12:06:01 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Yes we do and this may actually be a fun 2 years. The only way the Rats could have had any effect on the CIC is if they had won in '02 or '04 where they would have had time. The MSM knows there's nothing anyone in this congress can do to the President and that's why they're pumping for the '08 elections already.


12 posted on 01/12/2007 12:12:43 PM PST by tobyhill (The War on Terrorism is not for the weak.)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

I see. Defending ourselves might make Iran and Syria mad.


13 posted on 01/12/2007 12:16:18 PM PST by EternalHope (Boycott everything French forever. Including their vassal nations.)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
Iran and Syria have escalated their pre-planned murders of US & other Coalition troops hoping the left leaning American media beats the drums of withdrawal so the Iranians can expand their jihadist empire.

In order to safe guard our troops the only solution is taking out the terrorist exporting régimes of Iran and Syria - or do we wait around until Iran nukes entire cities?

14 posted on 01/12/2007 3:34:46 PM PST by M. Espinola (Freedom is never free)
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To: M. Espinola

Ask Biden and Hagel that question....


15 posted on 01/12/2007 3:59:44 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
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