Posted on 01/12/2007 10:40:48 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
For months, rumors of war between the United States and Iran have been building. Many fear that President Bush is spoiling for a fight, and they've begun to interpret various developments in the region as the run-up to an attack on Tehran. A report in the British press about a possible Israeli raid on Iran's nuclear facilities quickly became linked with predictions about coordinated action with the United States. Observers on all sides, left, right and other, convinced themselves that the appointment of Adm. William Fallon to oversee military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan meant there would soon be Tomahawk missiles, if not U.S. soldiers, crossing the border into Iran.
President Bush's speech on Wednesday night only stoked such speculation. Bush paid lip service to the Iraq Study Group report, but cast aside its advice that he negotiate with Iran and Syria. Instead, he rattled sabers at Iran with some ferocity, accusing it of arming insurgents in Iraq and threatening it with international isolation. He attempted to rally his Sunni Arab allies, such as Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, in this effort. He said, "We will disrupt the attacks on our forces. We'll interrupt the flow of support from Iran and Syria. And we will seek out and destroy the networks providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies in Iraq." He announced that he would position another aircraft-carrier battle group in the Persian Gulf and would deploy Patriot antimissile batteries.
Then Thursday came a U.S. raid on an Iranian consulate in the Iraqi Kurdish city of Irbil. By the end of the day, rumors of war with Iran had spread to normally cautious corners of the Internet. The Washington Note wondered aloud if Bush had issued an executive order to commence military action against Iran and Syria. Was the raid a deliberate provocation and the preface to war?
fyi
Then you have this...http://www.kuna.net.kw/home/Story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=941583
Why deploy Patriots, unless you are anticipating enemy missiles flying your way?
Very interesting!
Last time I checked the jihadists didn't have missiles.
fyi
If you pronounce it just right, one wonders if this fellow is ready to cry "JuanCole."
> Last time I checked the jihadists didn't have missiles.
How bout Iran? How about Lebanese Hezbollah? Have you been reading the news?
That was sarcasm.
Ah, my computer must be acting up. The /sarc tag got lost in transmission. Thanks.
Could have something to do with that patriot missile battalion that shipped to Iraq...
U.S. detains 6 Iranians in sweep ~ ...in Kurdish region reflects crackdown on such networks
Oh, so taking over a building that is sovereign soil is a cause for war now? Guess we'd better invade Iran for that embassy deal back in '79.
Action against Iran, Syria could escalate conflict: Rudd....Labor Leader in Australia...
Methinks we have sent the additional carrier group into the region with reasonable suspicion of an excellent strategy...
Once on station -- the verbal jousting will increase, and "W" will begin to turn the softly-spoken answer into a big stick.
(Isn't it the TR ordered out anyway -- outstanding!)
I think we will provoke/lure the Iranians into the airspace on/near the Iraqi border or over the open seas of the Gulf -- and engage them in a little hi-tech air combat -- the ratio will be nearly 40 to 1... IMHO...
Get 'em close enough -- a little AMRAAM action -- then the rest of them will launch; history will be re-written. The Marianas Turkey Shoot (WWII) will move to second place on the best day ever in Naval Aviation.
The staggering odds will kowtow the Iranians and all their local allies into staying on the ground. A no-fly zone will be imposed -- and re-negotiations of their nuclear strategy will be quickly underway-- with the implications that we can overfly any/all of their stuff --- or bomb it into oblivion at our own pleasure.
The best story I heard from late in Viet Nam war -- was a story -- but a good one. A section of MiG-21's preparing for early morning patrol... One of our CLG's (guided missile cruiser) was just offshore a few miles with the newest version of the Sea Sparrow and its improved sea-based radar....
When the radarman advised the CIC officer that he had inadvertently radar-locked one of the MiG's on the taxiway -- the LT asked the skipper to engage... which was approved.
The two pilots went into position on the runway -- finished their engine runups and control checks....
About the time the lead released the brakes for takeoff roll... the cruiser went to guidance radar mode and pickeled the Sparrow....
About the time the lead MiG was retracting the landing gear 50 feet in the air the missile impacted right behind the cockpit and blew the fighter out of the air....
It's reported that -2 aborted with some rapidly invented mechanical probllem or other....
Bad day all around for the bad guys...
The Iranians are next....
just my humble....
Discovery channel keeps re-playing the original Raid on the Reactor (Osirik) in Iraq story.
That's like watching a chimpanzee poke a bear with a stick for an hour and when the bear stands up and growls the bear is accused of picking a fight.
I like it!
Provoke?
Like they're rabid dogs and cannot be held liable for their actions.
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The press is the propaganda arm of the American left and they have an agenda...see this:
Well it was not really an Iranian consulate
Our Navy has been jousting with the Iranians in the Gulf every day, apparently. There's a long-standing dispute on just where the sea boundary between Iraq and Iran is. The Revolutionary Guards' naval arm is constantly testing our guys over this imaginary line. I am told that the official, old-school Iranian navy is a lot more professional about this than the revolutionaries.
Deja Vu time again.
Since Pearl Harbor, we have used an old tactic to get the enemy which wants to kill us to act in a hostile manner to our warriors. Then we can say, "They attacked us first!"
Thanks for helping cut through the anti-American smoke screen put up by the press.
Freeper Dr Zin has a great site and has just posted these comments in a Free Republic Thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1766579/posts
Top News Story
Ahmadinejad's strategic guru captured in Iraq?
Reuters reported that U.S. forces stormed an Iranian government representative's office in the northern Iraqi city of Arbil early on Thursday and arrested five people, including diplomats and staff.
Iran Press News reported that based on unconfirmed received reports from reliable sources in Iraq, Hassan Abbasi was among those who was arrested in the Thursday, January 11th early-morning raid in the Iraqi town of Arbil.
DoctorZin, Regime Change Iran -
If confirmed, Hassan Abbasi's capture would be a major blow to the Iranian effort to support the insurgency in Iraq. He is believed to have been organizing the various insurgency groups under a common umbrella.
Abbasi is perhaps best known as the Iranian leader who claimed: “There are 29 sensitive sites in the U.S. and in the West. We have already spied on these sites and we know how we are going to attack them."
Bush Warns Iranians
Eli Lake, The New York Sun reported that President Bush says we are effectively at war with Iran.
We can only hope he did and it is.
The "consulate" is not a consulate.
‘US raid on Iranian office unacceptable’
"..The statement referred to the raid as being directed against “the Iranian consulate general” and described five Iranians arrested as “diplomats.” Iraq’s foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, denied this Friday, saying that the Iranians had been working officially in Iraq but as part of a “liaison office” that was yet to be classified as a consulate with diplomatic protection..."
Thanks E.
Robert Rules of Order....
Point of Order, Point of Order...
Granted...Iran declared WAR on the USA in 1979 with the invasion and takeover of the USA embassy in Teheran.
This WAR has never been closed. It is ongoing. The current President and Ruling Council all support continued action against the USA.
Because we have not responded since 1979 does not mean that the WAR does not exist. Only Dick Durbin could be so stupid as to think that.
Any action against Iran is warranted and allowed under all Conventions! (Geneva, Sun Tzu and UN!).
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