Posted on 09/11/2007 2:03:15 PM PDT by jbwbubba
U.S. Officials Begin Crafting Iran Bombing Plan Tuesday , September 11, 2007
By James Rosen WASHINGTON —
A recent decision by German officials to withhold support for any new sanctions against Iran has pushed a broad spectrum of officials in Washington to develop potential scenarios for a military attack on the Islamic regime, FOX News confirmed Tuesday.
Germany — a pivotal player among three European nations to rein in Iran's nuclear program over the last two-and-a-half years through a mixture of diplomacy and sanctions supported by the United States — notified its allies last week that the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel refuses to support the imposition of any further sanctions against Iran that could be imposed by the U.N. Security Council.
The announcement was made at a meeting in Berlin that brought German officials together with Iran desk officers from the five member states of the Security Council. It stunned the room, according to one of several Bush administration and foreign government sources who spoke to FOX News, and left most Bush administration principals concluding that sanctions are dead.
The Germans voiced concern about the damaging effects any further sanctions on Iran would have on the German economy — and also, according to diplomats from other countries, gave the distinct impression that they would privately welcome, while publicly protesting, an American bombing campaign against Iran's nuclear facilities.
Germany's withdrawal from the allied diplomatic offensive is the latest consensus across relevant U.S. agencies and offices, including the State Department, the National Security Council and the offices of the president and vice president. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns, the most ardent proponent of a diplomatic resolution to the problem of Iran's nuclear ambitions, has had his chance on the Iranian account and come up empty.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Sir, you insult pussies the world over.
It will be interesting to watch Russia’s response if this thing comes down.
I don’t think the President will be able to order a strike on Iran. Of course in law he can. But politically, it seems utterly impossible and the repercussions here are likely to outweigh any benefits gained.
He’s been a brave leader, but the forces against him right here in America have become stronger and louder. The world was with us for Afghanistan; the UN was (mostly) with us, and so was the Congress, for Iraq; where are our allies for an attack on Iran?
President Bush was so careful not to “go it alone.” He exhausted all other options, and he lined up support before going into Iraq. That wasn’t a situational thing, it’s his way. It’s the way he will always do things.
Only some completely outrageous action from Iran would provoke him to reprisals, and why should Iran do that? Why hurry to a loss when they might stroll to a win?
What did they say behind closed doors? It seems like you should be happy that they're cashiering sanctions since this provides a public impetus for the WH to plan an attack. i.e., "sanctions are off the table, we have no other weapon now but military action."
This shortens the diplomatic timeline dramatically and takes away a vital shelter for Ahmadinejad who could count on sanctions to politically drag this out once it became obvious that the WH would not tolerate his nuclear program. So, although economic sanctions hurt the regime in one sense, they've also bought a considerable amount of time.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm inclined to believe that the Germans are working with us, not against us, by backing away from further sanctions. I know that's counter-intuitive, but I take public pronouncements like this with a huge grain of salt.
By torpedoeing the sanctions, they have also made military action dammed near inevetible.
If the dammed Frogs would have stood with us from 2002 through March 2003, and whispered in the ear of Saddam that a comfortable exile was waiting for him and his family in Paris, we may not have had to fight. What the candy - a$$ed beer swillers just did will give hope to and stiffen the, er, backs of the Mullahs and the mad midget. Violence is about the only option left on the table.
Thanks for the next war, you cowardly Scweinehunden!
And take Syria out while they are at it
If that happens you will see a change in attitude of the muslims the world over
Then Riyadh.
Riyadh aka “Bullseye”. We can diddle arounf with the peripheries for centuries. We can end this whole thing in a decade with proper target selection.
Amadinenutjob must have pictures of Merkel with a donkey.
Europe pinglist ping.
It's no Secret [not sorry, Liberal MSM] that US, Iraqi & Coalition Forces are practically fighting pretty much eyeball-to-eyeball versus the Qods and other Iranian national government-approved hooligans.
I don’t know...
I don’t know...
They could have renamed French fries potato straws, and maybe that would have stuck.
My biggest concern has been that the sanctions kabuki play would go on and on and not be done before Bush is out of office. Better it comes to a head when there's a President with the cahones to do what needs to be done.
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