Hey Secretary Gates, Admiral Mullen, General Petraeus! Isn’t General Odierno Right?
Note to Secretary Gates, General Petraeus, and Admiral Mullen:
Our refusal to see the big war that we are actually fighting is making your commanders in the field very nervous. In another one of those little stories that appear just once and then vanish into the pit of Newspeak, General Odierno pointed out that the Iranians are still after our guys in Iraq, and we are making things easier for them.
The U.S. military is beefing up security around its bases in Iraq in anticipation of Iranian-backed militants looking to score propaganda points by attacking American soldiers leaving the country, the U.S. commander said Tuesday.
Gen. Ray Odierno said the Iranian threat to U.S. forces has increased as Tehran looks to boost its political and economic influence in Iraq in the face of a decreasing U.S. military presence.
Well of course they are. And they are doing the same thing in Afghanistan. And Somalia. And they are going to keep it up until something, or someone, makes them stop. There’s not much doubt about what they’re doing; just listen to Gen. Odierno:
the people that are getting ready to conduct this attack went back, got special training in Iran, they came back (to Iraq), and we knew that there were experts sent from Iran into Iraq to help them to do this in the last month or so…
Let’s put it in simple language: the Iranians are doing everything they can to kill Americans. These are your soldiers and our children, and while the politicians and journalists rarely mention this unpleasant fact, your sworn duty is to defend them, and to strike at our enemies. Your commander in Iraq is obviously trying to get somebody’s attention back here in Washington.
Are you not obliged to underline the seriousness of his words and design a strategy to win the real war, the big war, in which Iran is the central enemy? The regime in Iran is wobbly, the ranks of the opposition are swelling, and yet our government — which has been so eager to talk to the tyrants and killers inTehran– has yet to talk to the leaders of the opposition. Are you not obliged to make this case to your political commanders?
Perhaps you have. If so, and we don’t know about it, it’s just about the only thing in town that hasn’t been leaked…you’re going to have to win on that battlefield, too.
“Well of course they are. And they are doing the same thing in Afghanistan. And Somalia.”
And in Venezuela.
So what? Iraq is Iran´s neighbour and these to countrys have a reord of relations for centuries.
what would you do if the chinese invades canada and accuses americans of killing chinese soldiers in canada? would be a silly argument right?
americans would a have a historical right to support canadian insurgents and troops to fight against chinese.
that is the same situation in iraq. the only countries having a problem with iranian influence in iraq are those occupying it.
iran is the most reliable partner in iraq and most iraq appreciate that.
ulash, most iraqis hate Iran. good grief.
Any evidence for this assertion? let me remind you that the “iraqis” are more than just the sunni minority.
well, ulash, the shi’a leader in iraq is sistani, who rejects the iranian theocracy. just saying, ya know. and anyone who says that WWII was a European war (in caps, yet), as if pearl harbor were a minor event in some other conflict, well, it’s hard to take him seriously.
I never ever understood the reasons behind the lack of actions against a clear enemy that is the Iranian regime. No wonder ordinary people in Iran think (it is a conspiracy of course) that the US governments since that incompetent pres. Carter has been aiding the regime by not taking action. I never understood it even though I know enough to draw my own conclusions but……
I never ever understood the reasons behind the lack of action against a clear enemy that is the Iranian regime. No wonder ordinary people in Iran think (it is a conspiracy theory of course) that the US governments since that incompetent pres. Carter have been aiding the regime by their inaction. I never understood it even though I know enough to draw my own conclusions but……
I am coming more and more to the conclusion that the Obama administration does not give a d*mn about foreign affairs (not to mention their illiteracy in this subject). It appears that their goal is to consolidate their power and turn our nation into an oligarchy. Anyway, that’s my 2 cents.
While I appreciate your desire to blame “Harold Hill” Obama, all administrations since 1979 appear to have had the same policy on Iran…
It is very late to still be wondering why this administratoin will not defend our country and attack its enemies. The reasons are there to see, but so many seem not yet ready to believe them: 1.Obama is incompetent, 2. Obama is a Muslim and is therefore loathe to attack a Muslim state, and 3. Obama is a communist and an America hater. That is stating it bluntly but it is essentially the truth as many, including myself, see it. I don’t know what Dr. Ledeen thinks about that, but I note that he addresses his complaint to the Secretary, the General and the Admiral, while it is in fact Obama who calls the shots.
Iran is a sitting duck now, surrounded by our forces & Nato. These are A-Jad’s last days!
These facts do not make a difference. Iran has China and Russia on their side.
NATO…what a farce and a waste of money and human life
Bingo! Iran has far more options for defence than the US has options for an offense in the middle east. That is exactly the reason why Obama has now choice but to duck down toward iran.
Same old same old. Russians flew combat missions in North Korean Migs during the Korean War. Several of them bacame aces. ChiComs did the same during the Vietnam war & were on the ground in North Vietnam as advisiors. Johnson in particular would have no info released on this matter as he was terrified that Mao would jump in the Vietnam War. For several years now Iran has been killing our troops. Just when will this stupid BS stop?? Send a few cruise missles into Iranian Military bases with a warning “many more to follow” if they don’t keep their filthy little terrorist hands off of Iraq & our troops there. But, w/ Zero “leading” us, there is about as much chance of this happening as Barney Frank becoming a closet heterosexual…
Dear Mr Ledeen,
My analysis and conclusions are more unpleasant than your, I believe understated (in this article), market conditions. This has been going on continuously since 1979, when the dictators that parade as religious were literally brought back to power by the USA after we “stabbed the Shah in the back” (Haig)
So my conclusions and explanations for “our executive branch’s behavior/policy” across the political spectrum, is or should be, the only possible conclusions…as no other analysis can explain what we are observing.
1) We hand over a certain amount of human sacrifice to the Islime G-d, by design .
2) We are committed to keep most of Iranian/Iraqi/Venezuelan oil off the market to maintain absurd artificially high priced oil that in turn finances the other side’s war against us every day at the gas pump!
3) At $ 7.00/bbl there is minimum demand for our weapons systems and our construction of oil cities in the Middle East.
4) “A nice Long lasting War and sell lots of weapons” (C 1991 me)
5) Our Aircraft Carriers are patrolling off the coast of Iran to: protect the regime and as sitting ducks for some ally Akbar “whack job” (pun intended) .
You, sir, “seem” to maintain this view that we are not competent or sufficiently committed…I think that view, if it is your view, is not defendable.
“Well of course they are. And they are doing the same thing in Afghanistan. And Somalia.”
And Lebanon. Don’t forget Lebanon, where Hezbollah will attack Israel from the North after Israel is forced to bomb Iran’s nuclear processing facilities.
And Gaza. Hamas can’t exist militarily without help from Iran and a few other Muslim countires.
And the Kurds. Iran loves to attack the Kurds because they are one of the few people who actually LIKE Americans and because they want to score points with their new buddy, Turkey.
If we really do pull out of Afghanistan in July 2011 and end our major presence in Iraq around the same time, expect to see most of the region fall to pieces after that, especially if the Israelis are forced to bomb Iran because of our dithering and appeasement of Iran.
Shame on Obama for letting this happen after all of our efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Shame on him.
Our foreign policy and military guidance is in the hands of incompetents and mental midgets.
Reports of IEDs being manufactured in Iran and then being transported to Iraq have been common for quite some time now, I smiled when I read last week that the idiot bomb makers in Iran accidentally killed 20 of their own with a premature detonation.
Of course the Iranians are killing American soldiers. When will the Liar-In-Chief finally get the message? Probably not before election campaign time in 2012. I look for him to get on his War Horse just to look all heroic and very Presidential in spring time of 2012, not before. If he doesn’t, Hillary will hammer him in the primaries, (I think she still has presidential aspirations and I look for her to resign as Sec State in 2011), and/or the Republicans will easily defeat him in November.
I do not believe your Hillary could get elected dog catcher! She is a Harold Hill Obama clone and would be running an almost identical administration…
RE; Hillary. You underestimate the power of the women’s vote as well as the gay vote which has been consolidating their forces for some years now.
Almost all IED’s have come from Iran. Why bush or O’blah-blah have not dealt with it is beyond the pale!
Pajamasmedia did not fail here.
Since 2005 or earlier we have known that Iran had been providing, and regularly improving upon that they provided, the killing IEDs which do not require profound technology to create.
Bush did nothing and said little and now Obama duplicates him as to Afghanistan. We have leaders with no war intellect.
We have Obama agree to a surge of his making, cutting the number of troops used for the surge by a factor of 2 or more and then being skewered for his surge not working twice as fast as it would have, had all the capabilities requested by the experts on the ground had requested, been provided.
It should never be allowed to be said that the surge is a failure before it is immediately heard that the surge was never fully manned and only in some recent month been manned at its niggling risky lower rate.
It should never have happened that one Iranian IED have been identified in a war zone before we sent the most severe war warning to Iran, that such weapons if supplied again would result in consequences to their military.
Bush and Obama are dilettantes and have never had a weapon pointed in their face!
How can you expect anything else, when from Obama on down they can’t even agree on how to define the enemy. Now we hear that Hillary Clinton is going to Afghanistan to refine the goals there. There should be only one goal in war, and that should be victory. If victory is not essential, then those that have died , have died in vain. And that blood is on the politicians, and generals hands. May God have mercy on them for those that have fought will not give it to them.
savage: remember that Bush was the same on iran, and on islam.
As reported in the open press:
One of the key enablers that Iran has provided to Iraqi insurgent groups are concave copper metal plates specically engineered to form explosively formed penetrators (EFP). These plates, and the know-how to deploy them effectively, rendered our up-armored humvees and our new MRAP vehicles.
As a direct and intentional result of Iranian involvement, American service members are killed and maimed in explosions that they would otherwise survive uninjured if not for the EFPs.
When will our country demand that our leaders do more to protect my brethren, their sons and daughters, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers?
Chief Petty Officer Mack,
Iraq
As reported in the open press:
One of the key enablers that Iran has provided to Iraqi insurgent groups are concave copper metal plates specically engineered to form explosively formed penetrators (EFP). These plates, and the know-how to deploy them effectively, rendered our up-armored humvees and our new MRAP vehicles vulnerable.
As a direct and intentional result of Iranian involvement, American service members are killed and maimed in explosions that they would otherwise survive uninjured if not for the EFPs.
When will our country demand that our leaders do more to protect my brethren, their sons and daughters, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers?
Chief Petty Officer Mack,
Iraq
one wonders why Mcchrystal gave an interview to the rolling stone magazine. the commanders are screaming beam me up scottie. i miss that cowboy.
Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan….
We can’t be the world’s cop and we can’t fight multiple wars. Therefore, I propose that we pick one of these conflicts, like Iran, and win it. Leave Tehran looking like post war Berlin. (Didn’t we nuke the Japanese to scare the Russians?) The multple wars we need to fight will miraculously vanish. Nah, too simple.
Phil
there is no “one of these conflicts.” they are battles in the real war, which we must win somehow.
and no we did not nuke japan to scare the russians. good grief.
I would suggest that winning is still relatively easy:
It is correct that we do not need invading armies to woop their sorry a…;
We start winning by not buying any mid east oil and embargo all food, oil, and steel to/from Iran, Saudi, Syria et al (embargo by land, sea, and air: no phones, no lights, no internet)…Just like we did Japan in June 1940; not in your history book is it.
Domestically produced cellulose ethanol (convert the corn cob/cellulose using non toxic enzymes) equals: full employment in the USA, balanced trade deficit, cut off of funding for terrorist; set the minimum price of fuel at the pump at $1.75/gal to keep monopoly OPEC from lowering the price long enough to rust out our stills. Brazil does a variation…
I could convert the USA to cellulose ethanol in 18 months; WAR ENDS WE WIN!
(Did you, invalid objection, ethanol dissing Lilliputians add the BTUs for the war ships and dead Army men to the cost of crude? and the shrimp cocktails!)
FIRST of all, there is no way to invade or attack iran anyway.
SECONDLY, an oil trade boycott by the US would be senseless. Asia is the biggest producer as well as the biggest consumer of oil worlwide. they (especially iran) do not need US as a customer. research for that.
THIRDLY, we can observe that since the Clinton administration every attempt to contain or pull back iran has failed.
Sanctioning and isolating Iran from the US or European market is the main responsible factor why iran became so developed in respect to military, diplomacy, science and economy. they had all capacities to develope with non western resources.
this is the paradoxy of US Iran policy: every US strategie and action leads to the opposite.
Mr. Ledden: Iranians are still killing…
could you be a little more sensetive. I wish you could distinguish more about the Iranian people as opposed to the muderous Iranian government whom I am sure you are balming these killings on and rightfully so. I am not sure if the readers here can discern this.
Thank you
well, miriam rove, if the readers of this blog don’t discern by now that I want freedom for the Iranian people and hell for the regime, they don’t know how to read.
thats right,
the decision to nuke hiroshima and nagasaki was not exclusively tailored on russia.
what had led to these bombings was that the US needed fuel for their concept of deterrence which was aimed for EVERY country posing a thread to US dominance after WWII. nuclear deterrence relies on the massive destruction of cities and it was of vital importance for future US dominance to let the world no that they are willed to use this kind of option.
but today we can observe that all this japanese died in vain. see iran: they are nipping US Coercion and Deterrence strategies in the bud. US is not able to coerce and deterre iran to the desired behavior.
Ulash, that is ridiculous, and ignores the historical record.
The bombing of Japan was simply a decision to end the war, not some calculation to proclaim American dominance, military or otherwise. To quote Ledeen: “Good grief!”
oh really?! so you think it was necessary to bomb a country twice with N-Weapons which was already bled to death, to end the 2nd WW which was a EUROPEAN war? are you that cynical?
We have been at war with Persia for 30 years. The problem is, only one government wants to win.
Put a Nationalist in charge, and try the global Marxists for treason.
For the internationalist subversives, America’s might is THE enemy.
Therefore, they must destroy that might.
Economic might, military might.
The first is destroyed by over-intervening, the second by omission.
Each Citizen can use his/her brain and decide who is doing what.
Before we can get rid of the regime in Iran, we need to stop the regime building at home.
November…
Iranians have proved what monsters they are;they cannot be re-habilitated;you must take no prisoners in this war;all must die.The EURPOPEANS and thier humanitarian ways do not count;there is to be no prisoners taken from Iran.The hangmans noose is waiting.Lets see what ALLAH has to say to me about that.Let him open his mouth.I am waiting for him….and his warriors.
Gen. Odierno is right. Iranian backed groups will attack on the days leading up to US troop withdrawls.
And that is exactly why I feel safe sleeping at night. Because I know that the officials in Iran and the Republican Guard are smart enough that they know exactly how to act to make Iran a regional power, Inshallah!
As for those who blame Bush and Obama for being “soft” on Iran. Hello, maybe they know something you don’t! Aha!!!
Iran is bound to be a regional power. You can choose to accept the fact and befriend it and hence protect your interests or become its enemies and continue to witness defear after defeat.
Remember, Iran is not just a country. It is the Vatican for all Shiites worldwide. Over 250 million folks spread out in strategic countries.
You could easily defeat Pakistan of 150 million pop. but Iran with 70 mil you can’t because you choose to ignore the fact that Iran is regarded by Shiites as their beating heart and by a large number of disenfranchised Sunnis as the flag bearer for the oppressed.
Get Real and understand the issues.
If you are an Iranian and you disagree with me, I challenge you to see how much you know about Sunnis and HSiites before you make a grandoise statement.
And if you are a non Iranian, I challenge you to the same and to name Iranian politicians and their beliefs.
You folks are so so out of the park, Babe Ruth would’ve thought you were one of his home-run balls if he would have seen you.
Iran is already a regional power. So are Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia. They will all act as a check against Iran, the Arab Sunnis and Turks will get their own nukes, and then we will see how well you sleep at night. Also the regime may well be overthrown and collaborators with the old regime may find themselves in not so comfortable circumstances. Good luck either way, remember that Muslims kill each other in far greater numbers than they do infidels, Inshallah!
mesbah,
your contributions are balm to the soul among all these out-of-touch-with-reality-comments.
since iran is predisposed to be the dominant regional power of the middle east and since it WILL block US dominance out, the behavior of the so called “hawks” is nothing more than intellectual desperation.
instead of realizing that Obama has no other choice than to duck down toward iran, they accuse his administartion of being to soft on iran.
iraqis have every right to want iranians in their country as a protection power and as a source of support.
Mesbah, does this supernatural and pan-religious power also deflect sustained strikes against the regime and its key installations?
Iran is so great, it will not let the 12th Imam out of his well. I keep sending beer, and pork skins,(hot), to him, but they keep getting returned with statements like Death to Infidels, and murder all who oppose Islam.
I mean, where is the love?
Should Israel Bomb Iran?
“What the Israelis need to do is rock the system. Iran’s nuclear-weapons program has become the third pillar of Khamenei’s theocracy (the other two being anti-Americanism and the veil). If the Israelis, whom the regime constantly asperses as Zionists ripe for extinction, can badly damage Iran’s nuclear program, the regime will lose enormous face. Khamenei and Ahmadinejad have said repeatedly that the Israelis wouldn’t dare strike the nation’s nuclear program; if the Israelis do dare, it will be a stunning blow. And military defeats can be deadly for dictatorships—historically, there’s nothing deadlier.”
http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/should-israel-bomb-iran
Michael, for what it’s worth, http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Gunners+welcome+shooting+orders/3294536/story.html shows adaptability by Canadians. Now, the likelihood of the Pentagon Paraders doing the same is how small?
On a related note, just picked up “The Islamic Antichrist”
by Joel Robertson, from my local library. Some interesting stuff to explain the terrormasters.
If I were President of the United States, I would tell Iran, stop killing my citizens, or I will anilliate one of your cities. The so named city will be given 1-week to evacuate after which American Forces will level it. Completely. If Iranians continue to kill Americans, we pick another city.
If we did this, the killing would stop.
Believing WWII was a European war is like saying the US Civil War was between Pennsylvania and South Carolina; it ignores history and context. WWII was engaged by the US as a direct result of Pearl Harbor. The venue and actors had little to do with Europe at the time.
That Japan was ‘bled to death’ by 1945 is debatable — that the US still had to regard it as a viable adversary is not. Intel at the time estimated the expected casualties resulting from an Allied invasion of Japan’s mainland would exceed 2 million, most of them Japanese. Truman’s decision to go nuclear to end the war quickly was based entirely on this calculation and is well documented.
And yes, Ulash, I am a cynic…
Of Washington’s ability to confront the real terrorists: Ahmadinejad, Iran’s theocracy, and their enablers.
Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu did not drop hand grenade at the place he killed Sarduna of Sokoto that was reason Mamoud Aminajade of Iran said his convoy was attacked with grenade,what he plugged in the house was boiler that will charge a kettle filled with carbide which he told them was a radio…The 9/11 shooting was on yahoo today was he did not fire any gun in the house..
The POP plaster of paris on his neck was illustration of how carbide looks like when mixed with hydrogen peroxide…
http://www.zimbio.com/Asthma/articles/RFCh9WV9j94/Han+Yan+green+Peng+Lan+trio+shot?add=True