Iran's bad behavior blamed on Bush

Washington Times ^

[Sub-Driver]

Iran's bad behavior blamed on Bush

March 15, 2008

By Rowan Scarborough - Sen. Barack Obama's most senior military adviser says President Bush is to blame for Iran's bad behavior.

The assessment from an interview with retired Air Force Gen. Merrill McPeak provides a glimpse into how an Obama administration would deal with Iran.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called repeatedly for the destruction of Israel, is pursuing nuclear weapons in the opinion of some national security experts, and his Revolutionary Guard is training Iraqis to kill American military personnel in Iraq.

Earlier this month, Mr. Ahmadinejad said of Israel, "the world powers established this filthy bacteria, the Zionist regime, which is lashing out at the nations in the region like a wild beast."

In the view of Gen. McPeak, the most-senior retired officer to back Mr. Obama's presidential run, Iran's behavior is a reaction to Mr. Bush's tough talk.

"Iran is a big enemy of al Qaeda," said Gen. McPeak, who was the Air Force's chief of staff and a Joint Chiefs member during the presidency of Mr. Bush's father.

"They were a big enemy of the Taliban," the retired four-star general said. "They cooperated with us quite completely in the initial phases of our Afghanistan operation. And it was us that insulted them by including them in the 'axis of evil' and making sure they understood we didn't like them very much."

Gen. McPeak, an Obama campaign co-chairman, was referring to Mr. Bush's post-September 11 speech in which he referred to North Korea, Iraq and Iran as an "axis of evil."

[rbg81]

Exactly. I can’t remember an AF Chief of Staff who was so universally despised. And since his retirement his second “career” seems to be that of professional gadfly.

[ricks_place]

Iran is America's great friend,

keeping American's hostage for 444 days.

[EdnaMode]

Jar Jar Binks......Bush’s fault
Susan Lucci taking 19 years to win an Emmy.....Bush’s fault
Lindsay Lohan having a career....Bush’s fault
Abraham Lincoln’s assassination: Bush’s fault
The War of 1812: Bush’s fault

[Tammy8]

There is a deep hatred of America in Iran, I don't know how far back it goes- but I know first hand it goes back at least as far as the mid-late 1970s when I was in college with Iranian students. I had never felt the rage and hatred they had for this country before from any group. The students were here to take advantage of our education system, but had no use for us at all. They saw us as ignorant and spoiled, and blamed us for all of their problems. Having any type of reasonable discussion with them that might have led to some understanding on both sides was totally impossible. Come to think of it, I am reminded of the attitude of todays moonbats- put your fingers in your ears and scream at anyone that doesn't agree with you 100%.

Their hatred of us is so deep, I am convinced if we decided tomorrow to allow or even help them with their “goals” like destroying Israel they would continue to hate us- it is easy to pick a target to blame all your problems on, then you have no responsiblity yourself to make changes for the better.

[CCGuy]

I likewise served under Gen McPeak. I likewise think he was a mess. As I recall his retirement was a bit abrupt.

He was one of the few big Clinton backers in the 90s. It took us several years to fix the mess he created.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Retired Air Force Gen. Merrill McPeak should recall that Iran was fomenting against the USA, and makimng the same threats, etc. in 1980, while Obama was just out of high school.

[LSUfan]

McPeak displays shocking ignorance.

He states that Iran was a big enemy of Al Qaeda.

He should go read the bipartisan, independent 9-11 Commission Report, which details extensive cooperative ties between Iran and Al Qaeda.

[SteamShovel]

"NO B.O."

The antidote is "Right Guard"

[SunkenCiv]

Ping!

[Fred Nerks]

http://www.freedomsenemies.com/_Obama/ObamaAdvisers.htm

“With all due respect to Gen. McPeak, what drives the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran apart — and has since 1979 — is the unwavering antipathy of the regime in Tehran towards the United States, its ally Israel and freedom-loving, non-Islamist nations more generally,” said Frank Gaffney, a Pentagon policymaker in the Ronald Reagan administration who heads the Center for Security Policy.

Added Gaffney: “It is not simply naïve, it is reckless to ignore: serial statements by the mullahs and their front man, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, about a world without America; their goons parading in Iranian cities shouting “Death to America”; their active efforts to kill and maim Americans and Iraqis in the hope of defeating the United States in Iraq and rendering the latter an oil-rich satellite and new safe-haven for Iranian-backed terror; and accumulating evidence that Iran’s Hezbollah proxies, and their intelligence agents are developing cells capable of unleashing deadly violence here as well as elsewhere. Even an individual without appreciable expertise in such matters like Sen. Obama should be able to discern these realities. It is inexplicable how a professional military officer like Gen. McPeak could fail to do so.”

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Fred.