Posted on 01/16/2007 10:37:38 AM PST by Flavius
JERUSALEM - When a US secretary of State comes to town, all eyes are on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
But as Condoleezza Rice's weekend visit here demonstrated, there is no issue dominating the agenda like the international standoff surrounding Iran's nuclear ambitions.
A report last week in one of Britain's leading newspapers, The Sunday Times, claimed that Israel was making preparations for a conventional attack on Iran to destroy its uranium enrichment facilities. Ms. Rice, asked in an Israeli television interview during her visit if the US would support such an Israeli strike, gave a reply that didn't exactly douse the smoldering signals emanating from Israel and Iran. Rather, the fact that some kind of a confrontation is now talked about openly, she said, is an indication of how grave the situation has become.
(Excerpt) Read more at csmonitor.com ...
bttt
I suspect that Olmert leaked that thinking that it would prompt Iran to change course and give up it's nukes. It's a really dumb thing to do, if that's true. Now the Iranians are busy moving their nuke material to safer and as yet undetected quarters. And Olmert has basically exposed Israel's strategy.
Time to buy a bicycle.
Condy sleeping with the enemy...again. An enemy whom unless we hit where they live, we may as well start preparing our prayer rugs and readying burqas.
Well the Israelis better not do it the PC way they did with the Hezbos in Southern Lebanon, if they are then don't even bother.
Do you really believe that the mullah's hadn't figured this out long ago? I'm not 100% sure what the PM had in mind in making this statement public but Israel's contingency plans regarding Iran's nukes came as a surprise to nobody....not in Tel Aviv...not in Tehran...not at UN Headquarters...and not in DC.
"And Olmert has basically exposed Israel's strategy."
Israel would be ill advised to take on any major conflict with Olmert in office.
Some Iranians are also busily considering the quickest way to 'shallow grave' the monkey man, which may also be a motive of the Israeli leak.
>> I suspect that Olmert leaked that thinking that it would prompt Iran to change course and give up it's nukes.
Or, more likely, Olmert broadcast the move so that Iran WOULD move their nuke material to safer digs. Then when a military strike on the old site fails to accomplish anything, Olmert and the peaceniks can claim that there is no military solution and that Israel will just have to compromise.
It might turn out to be a dumb move, or it might turn out to be a smart move. We do know that moderates and "liberals" in Iran are a lot more vocal now in opposition to Ahmadinejad's anti-western stance. Israel's "leaked info" might have helped.
But like I said, I don't think we'll really know until the whole thing plays itself out.
Oh Boy, I wish I could turn the clock back to Jan 1, 2002 and re formulate the whole war policy. The reason is clear why we are in Iraq. The whole fuzziness about Saddam's wmd's and their capability was a waste of time. We need to guard the oil flow and we need a base of operations in the Middle East (being in Saudi Arabia wasn't working). Too bad the US wasn't a bit more straightforward with the American public back then. The whole philosophy of pre-emptive war and acting in our interest could have been put forth in a clearer manner. The real enemy as has been proven are the Iranians and the Syrians, who have done more than Saddam had ever done in regard to to spreading worldwide terrorism. Saddam was basically in a weakened state and his capabilities limited (that's why we chose him rather than Assad or the Iranians)---but surprise surprise Gomer, it looks like we're going to have to deal with Baathy Boy Assad and the Maniacal Mullahs after all.
Olmert leaked his intentions in the hopes of garnering US logistical support: air tankers, AWACS & emergency landing strips.
The Iranians will assume that if the Israelis strike that they had tacit as well as physical support from the US. They will be right, of course.
So this dance is all about nudging the US a bit.
I don't think Iran was ignorant to what Israel may or may not have in store for them. Iran is holding their own oil refineries hostage. Sort of like what Saddam did.
Israel would be better off threatening Iran's oil refineries then its nuke program. This would force China and the EU to pick a side because destroying Iran's ability to produce oil will cause China and the EU's economic collapse.
It will also force the US to reconsider their position on ANWR and other oil producing fields that are currently protected by laws benefitting the envirowhackos.
What we are seeing is a game of chess and it's only in the early stages of the game.
In my humble opinion only one military force in the world would be able to destroy ALL of Iran nuclear facilities and that is the United States military. The terrorist regime in Iran must be punished with a massive Air Campaign that will destroy its nuclear facilities, military infrastructures, and command and control centers. The islamic terrorist regime in Tehran must understand once and for all that they are not going to control the Middle East, and thus this terrorist regime must be broken and humiliated via an intensive and severe Air War against it.
What was a surprise was the notion that they'd use nukes. That, incidentally, is the reason I thought the Israeli leak had some credibility. If they'd leaked that they were planning a conventional strike, I'd have thought it was just a smoke screen. I've been saying for a couple of years now that a conventional strike won't do it. Only a nuke strike will do it. So the fact that Israel now comes out and proposes it suggests to me that it's not just talk. They've actually done the engineering. And I think that Tehran has figured that out as well.
Or more likely, to move them is to bring them out into the open where our satellites can find and target them.
I'm convinced that the only reason the "moderates" don't like Ahmadinejad's stance is that he's made it public. They'd prefer that he use a little more stealth.
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