But We Can Still Trust Ahmadinejad on Nuke Talks, Right?
The document led to a conclusion that Iran was preparing for war, and offered two scenarios. The first built around the idea of a massive Iranian invasion of southern Iraq by up to a half-million Iranians and sympathetic Iraqi Shia. At the time the report was written, there indeed was a possibility that such a scenario could take place — but with the current political climate in Iraq, this scenario seems less likely.
The second scenario was that of a “blitzkrieg-like” rocket and missile assault on Israel by Iran, Syria, and their proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon. In November, Israel intercepted a 500-ton shipment of weapons bound for Hezbollah that included Iranian rockets identical to those used against American forces in Iraq.
At the time of the briefing in January 2006, the Iranian nuclear threat was largely discounted. Nearly four years of accelerated Iranian nuclear development has no doubt changed that picture, and nuclear warheads fired into Israel from Syria, from Hezbollah-controlled southern Lebanon, or by Hamas terrorists in Gaza or the West Bank could decimate Israel without the telegraphed punch of a long-range missile launch from Iranian soil.
A reasonable person would be quick to point out that Israel would likely know exactly where such an attack originated regardless of the actual launch site, and with their alleged but never acknowledged arsenal of nuclear warheads, the Jewish state has quietly allowed the rumor of the Samson Option to be their greatest deterrent to another attempted Holocaust.
Such an overwhelming retaliatory strike by Israel would stay the hand of any aggressive nation with an eye towards self-preservation. But the eschatology of the faction of the Iranian government fronted by Ahmadinejad and his powerful mentor Yazdi is decidedly not interested or deterred by earthly interests, a detail evidenced by Ahmadinejad’s famously spartan lifestyle and his searing rhetoric.
We know from the presentation that the Pentagon has been studying the threat posed by a powerful faction within the Iranian government for at least four years. We also know Iran is led by a faction rapidly developing the capability to carry out a preemptive nuclear strike and that one of the most powerful factions of their government is convinced that triggering such a war could create the cataclysm that would usher in the return of the Hidden Imam to save the world.
Against the distinct possibility of a nuclear Iran plotting a nuclear war that would end millions of lives, we face the flaccid foreign policy of the Obama administration. Since taking office, Obama’s government has not lifted so much as a finger in an attempt at public political deterrence of Iran’s desire for nuclear armaments. On the contrary, his State Department has given every indication of abandoning the Middle East entirely to Iran’s eschatological influence.
Obama dithers.
Will the Middle East burn?
Iranians should not stop until all the nut cases are takin out of office. Then they should have a public stoning for the few leaders that have tried too stifle the students,public,etc… Peace and freedom will prevail!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What, you expect rational comments from a slightly demented practitioner of the “Religion of Peace?” As long as he, and his ilk, are locked in a Sixth Century mindset, rational thinking is not a front-burner item on their agenda.
The reason that only FOX made it a story is because the other “news” entities are really OB’s proxy straw persons and probably don’t bring out “news worthy events” until our Emperor tells them to.
An old 1960s Dylan said, “times are a changing” and the next election is closer than many “politicians” want to talk about.
jensad
I don’t think the great Satan is stoping the anti-Christ from showing up. I think it is called the restrainer.
It was my understanding the 12 Imam was in a well, not a cave. That could explain why all my care boxes of pork skins and beer to the 12th Imam keep coming back to me with nasty notes like die Infidel, and behead those who insult Islam!
What’s with all the hate from the religion of peace?
That’s probably who Osama Bin Laden has been visiting these past years, maybe we should encourage more of those imans to go and live in caves.
I am getting tired of all of this.
the religion of peace….I believe what this means is that when we are all true believers, then the world will be at peace……
The edit job you made on my last comment, #5, is how I would have put it several years ago. What I find just as sad as editing comments is being pushed to a point of posting such a comment in the first place. Our Western world had better realize there are a lot of angry people out there, look out.
THe 12th iman is down in my basement – along with numbers 13 & 14. I sent down 72 hookers, so they may be there a while.
Don’t wait up.
“. . . stop the return of the Hidden Imam.” Hell, I’ll just be glad if we can stop his re-election.
“Against the distinct possibility of a nuclear Iran plotting a nuclear war that would end millions of lives, we face the flaccid foreign policy of the Obama administration.”
Flaccid, what are you talking about? We’ve been working hard at stopping the 12th Imam. And never were our tax dollars more well spent! Do you think it’s been easy keeping the little bugger under wraps in Gitmo? Any day now I expect AG Holdren to announce that he’ll have a civilian trial in the big apple.
The President is naive or wilfully dishonest on the subject of Iran and for that matter on other subjects as well (e.g. no one earning $240,000 or less will pay one penny more in taxes). Take your pick!
A spot-on article with only a couple of point at which I disagree with Bob:
1) Unless I misread, there’s an implication that Khamenei heads a faction less radical, if not opposed to Mezbah-Yazdi’s “Apocalypse now” faction. I don’t think so, based on what I’ve read in Michael Ledeen’s writings and elsewhere. My impression is that Khamenei is only marginally less millenarian than Mezbah-Yazdi: perhaps the Supreme Whackjob is just cagier because he’s actually in charge and they don’t have the bomb… yet.The point is that I don’t think there’s really much daylight between the positions of Mezbah-Yazdi/Ahmadinejad and Khamenei on the questions of bringing about the chaos necessary for the return of the Mahdi and nuking Israel.
What will be interesting is what happens when Khamenei dies (if he hasn’t already). The power struggle between the Mezbah-Yazdi faction and the more pragmatic group lead by Rafsanjani (pragmatic because they’re making too much money from corruption to risk seeing it go up in nuclear smoke) will be crucial. If Mezbah-Yazdi or one of his creatures becomes Supreme Leader, I fear our only options left will be military.
2) Bob writes: “Against the distinct possibility of a nuclear Iran plotting a nuclear war that would end millions of lives, we face the flaccid foreign policy of the Obama administration. Since taking office, Obama’s government has not lifted so much as a finger in an attempt at public political deterrence of Iran’s desire for nuclear armaments. On the contrary, his State Department has given every indication of abandoning the Middle East entirely to Iran’s eschatological influence.”
I wonder. Obama’s speech in Oslo, while not remarkable by the standards of his recent predecessors, was shockingly strong for a liberal internationalist like Obama. When combined with Secretary Clinton’s statements earlier today, perhaps this signals a more muscular Obama Doctrine against Iran?
Or is that too much to hope for?
the Iranian people are crying out for our help. they don’t like their leaders any more than we do. well, except for Obama, that is. he seems to be just fine with his buddy Ahmadinejad.
Obama had a marvelous chance to stand up for freedom and human rights after the Iranian elections, when people were beaten in the streets. Barry could have stood up for them, as they wanted and needed him to.
but no; he didn’t want to meddle. I mean, it’s not like it was ISRAEL or anything, right?
if Obama was really the paragon of virtue he thinks he is, he would have given his Nobel to Neda Soltan.
Fundamentalists are the same, whether living in cave or crystal cathedrals, the same story; believe as i do or you will burn in hell.
Take all the fundamentalists and leave them on a deserted island, let them battle it out and leave the rest of humanity alone.
Islamic crazies with nuclear weapons, now that’s an unsettling thought.
Who’s crazier, Ahamadinejad & his ”sect” of fanatics or Obama & his ”sect” of fanatics? Obama is without doubt the most irresponsible president we have ever had.
The list of things the media doesn’t report is growing longer by the day. Still waiting for a story about the stabbing death of the Jewish (converted from being a Muslim) professor by a Saudi grad student. As far as I can tell, it’s only been Fox news and a local paper. A pathetic state of affairs.
This imam guy must be pretty disappointing if the earthly powers can prevent him from returning.
And not only fox has reported this – the reporting HAS been patchy, sure, but it is basically drivel coming from a bozo. Ahmadinehad says stuff like this from time to time. It just shows (IMHO) that he’s desperate. Normal iranians surely don’t buy this sort of crap.
One single man, Hitler, caused WWII to happen. One single man! Oh, Hitler had help along the way, but without one single man, Hitler, WWII would not have had to happen.
This is the most important story in the world today.
Why? Because it actually is being played out every day on a small scale.
Suicide bombers are a daily..no thrice daily event. But no one is asking
..why? What drives them? Its this. Apocalyptic religious vision that appeals to the highest idealism. Self sacrifice in return for a world of justice and purity…and a ticket to paradise in the bargain.
The threat of deterrence, or death means nothing. So much for peace treaties, conferences, military strategy. Western materialism once again cant see anything else in the world but its own reflection.
We need Oliver Stone to make a movie in which Amadinnerjacket and Osama bust #12 out of the Pentagon. The pentangle that holds him prisoner. Or is that Cthuthulu?
When dealing with Iran, the Obama administration reminds me of that Woody Allen movie, “Bananas.” In it, Woody Allen is being taken away to a firing squad. As he’s being taken away, he says “Of course you know, this means a nasty letter to the New York Times!” In a nutshell, that’s our policy with Iran. They are going to get nuclear weapons and all we can say is, “Of course you know, this means a nasty letter to the New York Times.” Where is all of this international support the great Obama is collecting to stop Iran? Are the Russians and the Chinese falling all over themselves to help us stop Iran from getting a nuclear bomb? The Russians and the Chinese are barely willing to listen to arguments from us for economic sanctions against Iran. So do you think they’re actually going to do anything to STOP Iran from getting a bomb? And I’m sure the Europeans are going to help us out on this too. Oh, that’s right, they’ve been talking to the Iranians for about six years now and haven’t gotten anywhere, either. So I guess it’s up to the United States and our great leader, the Nobel Peace Prize winner. Yep, how much are you willing to bet that nasty letter to the New York Times is being written as we speak. Because, you just know we’re not going to lift a finger to stop these people. Just more words and more talk. The question is, are there going to be any Israelis left alive to read that nasty letter to the New York Times? At the rate Iran is going, I doubt it.
Although this all sounds rather far-fetched to most Americans, we must not ignore these warnings or be dismissive of them as
something to ridicule. Here’s the reason. No matter how strange or silly ideas appear, the people that believe in such
radicalism are sincere – sincere enough to give their lives, and, I might say, the lives of multitudes of innocent people to
bring such events to come to pass. Perhaps here in the western world we don’t know much of such dedication to hardly
anything; therefore, we find it hard to comprehend such adherence to ideas we deem to be crazy. We cannot afford or
take the risk of ignoring these warnings. To pass this off as unimportant is to do so at our peril.
Abracadabradingdong is correct. Well, the cat’s out of the bag. For the past 12 months, Derek Flint and Matt Helm have been keeping the Mahahahahadi plied with keggers and 71 virgins. They keep fooling him saying they’ll bring the 72nd one “tommorrow”. He’ll probably wise up next week. Then, I guess Austin Powers will be on the case.
What a friggin’ fruitloop.
Abracadabradingdong is correct. For the past 12 months, Derek Flint and Matt Helm have been keeping the mahdi in a Motel 6 plying him with keggers and 71 virgins. They keep telling him the 72nd will show up tommorrow. They think he may be catching on. Word has it that Austin Powers has another plan to keep him there but. oBOWma nixed it because Powers is British.
What a fruitloop…….
As Tony Blair made comments (today ?), the main aim of the Iraq War was to stop a nuclear arms race in the Middle East, not just Saddam Hussein’s WMD program. No Sunni nation is going to sleep safe at night with a nuclear Shia Iran.
Are you still glad that you voted for Obama-the-Weak?
#4 you are right he disapeared in the well. I am a shia muslim and you are correct. however a racsit person..
Alex # 14 you siad it right…
Mr Bob Owen: what Iranian President said about America blocking the arrival of our beloved 12th Imam is as meaningless as your column here.. however both you and he are dangerous.. Him for making a comment like that and you for being a racist and anti muslim. Ahmadinejad is no difference that the Pope. Ahmadinejad preached exremism against the west and the Pope promotes child molestion in order to save celibacy.. and you promote rasicme.. all three of you are cut form the same cloth…
I dont know…its all a bit confusing if you consider that chaos is supposed to bring the 12th out of the well or cave. Team 44, Congress and progressives seem to be creating loads of chaos. I wonder what the proof is that we are holding him down and keeping him from “drying the roots”.
sure we can-he proved that nuclear energy is better for water and air pollution on summet in copengagen. but the problem is he is expectiong enriched uranium from russia-but in oder to create nuclear enegry the uranium he has at the moment is pretty enough..oh yes! testing of one of the bombs component also proves his peacful purposes)))