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Is War with Iran Key To Winning This Election?

twig's picture
Submitted by twig on Mon, 08/13/2012 - 1:29pm
Tags: 
iran
war
israel
Neo Cons
military industrial complex
2012 Election
crazy war mongers

Lots of stories cropping up (see here, here, and here, for example) about the likelihood of Israel attacking Iran -- very soon.

And apparently it has something to do with the coming election. I know -- I'm shocked, shocked, too!

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DCblogger's picture
Submitted by DCblogger on

even though the war drums have been beating for years, I don't think that anyone outside the kleptocracy supports this war. Obama was elected to stop wars. I don't know what would happen, except that it would doom Obama's candidacy.

a little night musing's picture
Submitted by a little night ... on

I doubt it would doom his presidency. It seems so hard to get "progressives" to realize what is wrong with this. I think they'd love it, much as they love his assassination of OBL.

jest's picture
Submitted by jest on

"War is a force that gives us meaning," as Hedges said.

Once the bombs start dropping, all the progressives will drop in line. Especially "National Security Liberals" like Maddow. Do you remember how Olbermann excoriated Michael Moore when he made his "fictitious" comments about Bush at the Oscars? Do you really think Moore will do that again? And keep in mind, that was a Republican president in office...

twig's picture
Submitted by twig on

so he could either play the role of Wise Peacemaker and tell Israel to knock it off or be "forced" to defend them, in the role of Reluctant War Preznit -- all depending on which way the wind is blowing.

But most of the stories are talking about this being fueled by the right wing to give the election to Romney. I'm not sure how that works, but okay.

The other thing I was wondering about is if they're at least partially using this as a roundabout way to shore up defense spending and prevent cuts. We can't take a nickel away from the military when there are weapons of mass destruction in the hands of evildoers.

Normally, I don't think this way, but with these people, you just can't be cynical enough. Plus, it's so similar to the Iraq war run up, same language, many of the same people, same lack of hard evidence. Scary!

lambert's picture
Submitted by lambert on

They do what they do, driven by internal impulses.

* * *

FWIW, I've thought the election was always going to be close, and always rigged for Obama. I see the Ryan nomination as handing the election to Obama ("Only Obama can gut the New Deal!"). From that perspective, no October surprise needed, fortunately.

But nobody knows anything.

jumpjet's picture
Submitted by jumpjet on

An issue.

Because I'd long since have engineered a full-blown American occupation of Israel. The politician in me is tired of them jerking our chain; they've passed beyond my tolerance level of client state behavior. I'd have engineered a CIA-backed "Palestinian assault" that resulted in the deaths of key members of the Knesset, as many and as high-ranking as I could manage, destabilizing Israel enough for the US to justify taking a direct role in their security state. Within five years I'd try to have a naval base in Ashod and a garrison in Jerusalem.

This is not very charitable, I realize, but there are days I do not feel charitable about Israel. There are days in which I see them as grossly abusing the United States' considerable friendship, and there are days I would like to see them brought to heel.

lambert's picture
Submitted by lambert on

... than Israel is in deep trouble.

For me, Israel is a nation state like any other. And nations don't have friends. Only interests. So why not do to Israel what has been done to any number of other states, in the interest of empire?

jumpjet's picture
Submitted by jumpjet on

I wrote it in the heat of a bad mood and a distaste that the war drums are beating yet again in Jerusalem. That does not mean I was correct, nor does it mean my approach would solve the problem. I always wind up crawling back from my uglier ideas, and this instance is no different.

The frustration behind it, though, lingers. I'm beyond angry at the way Israel treats its neighbors, the way it causes so many of its own problems through its bellicosity and paranoia. And why is their rhetoric so inflammatory? Because they know that the United States will stand with them, seemingly no matter what. We are guilty of many things in the Middle East, the current state of Iran being one of them, but that doesn't absolve Israel of its own actions, nor does it make them any less responsible for war, if it comes.

I hope it doesn't. I hope the Iranians are right. But if it does come, and we are drawn into it, then it will be largely Israel's fault, and too much senseless bloodshed will be, in part, on their heads.

lambert's picture
Submitted by lambert on

The closest they come to moderating for personal attacks is "any stick to beat a dog."

I've never had a policy of moderating for them (a) because I'm a subtle enough writer to slide a personal attack into anything, as I'm sure are others here, so it's a big slippery slope, and (b) in general, they are their own punishment, because they discredit both the poster and what they're in favor of (as I would argue happened here).

twig's picture
Submitted by twig on

but here's one thing I don't understand -- if you bomb a nuclear facility, isn't there a likelihood of releasing radioactive material? That's probably a dumb question, but I don't know much about the topic.

lambert's picture
Submitted by lambert on

You wrote:

releasing radioactive material

but I think you meant to write:

releasing radioactive material somewhere that matters

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