[walden]

I thought UPI was a news service? Since when does a farrago of nonsense, a bunch of hyperventilating rumors become news?

[omega4412]

There's something to be said for making Syria our next taget in the Middle East and letting the Iranians take care of their own tyrants.

[astounded]

I think a lot of the "Washington types" have been lurking here at FR. Many of these ideas have been discussed previously and, I think, have some merit.

[CedarDave]

You know, this says more about liberal fantasies and the mind set of Foggy Bottom employees that have too much time on their hands, than it does about George W. Bush.

[JmyBryan]

Why this administration is so cool - They know that solving the Israeli/Palestinian crisis is the key to cutting the heart out of Islamic terrorism. The key to solving the crisis is destabilizing the Arab regimes who refuse to help and only use the Palestinian conflict to perpetuate their own questionable regimes. Iraq is just number one on the list.

[ARCADIA]

I think there is some truth to the viewpoints in this article. I think the Republicans want the Jews to migrate from the Democrats, much like the South and the evangelical Christians did.

I also think that the war in Iraq has a lot to do with Israel's security. And, all the countries in the Middle East are artificial entities, created by the British after WWI with no thought to their ethnic composition. So redrawing the map is not a big deal, either to the people actually on the ground or in a historical sense.

But the unspoken reason for attacking Iraq is not in this article. The reason is this --

Eliminating Saddam frees up Iraq's oil for sale in the world markets. This vastly reduces Saudi and Iranian power and allows the US to better protect itself from the murderous religious fundamentalists that run both countries. Right now if the US starts pressuring them, they can destroy our economy in months simply by cutting off the oil supply. With Iraqi oil in US hands, their power will be much less.

BTW, I think that Saudi Arabia is next.

[Pagey]

"Syria fears Washington would restructure the region in line with its new vision," a Western diplomat told United Press International.

Hmmm, I hadn't thought about Syria, but they are a country that sponsors Terrorism aren't they.Our Defense people have some really interesting ideas and I bet this article isn't even the tip of the (possible) iceberg.

[kabar]

Pure nonsense. I wonder about the origin of this stuff and what the agenda is. If it is to create the impression that the United States is an imperial power more interested in real politic than its stated objectives, I smell a rat.

[RightWhale]

"Israel is very much embedded in the rationale for war with Iraq. It is part of the argument that dare not speak its name, a fantasy quietly cherished by the neo-conservative faction in the Bush

People up here in the Bush are ready. Duct tape, drop cloth, spam, been ready for some time. Good luck to Israel, they are in a tough spot.