Posted on 02/17/2005 9:59:20 AM PST by IAF ThunderPilot
President George W. Bush on Thursday addressed the issue of Iran's possible nuclear armament, declining to offer his full endorsement of Europe's negotiations to get Iran to halt its suspected nuclear weapons program.
He said the United States and Europe share the goal that Iran must not develop a nuclear weapon. Still, he left it up in the air whether he fully supports Europe's approach.
"I look forward to ... discussing strategies, ways forward with the Europeans to make sure we continue to speak with one voice, and that is Iran should not have a nuclear weapon and how to work together to make sure they don't," Bush said.
Asked if was concerned that Israel might attack Iran to prevent it from acquiring a nuclear weapon, Bush said Israel is concerned about Iran's intentions.
"But clearly, if I was the leader of Israel and I'd listened to some of the statements by the Iranian ayatollahs that regarded the security of my country, I'd be concerned about Iran having a nuclear weapon as well," Bush said.
He said Israel "is our ally and in that we've made a very strong commitment to support Israel, we will support Israel if her security is threatened."
Bush spoke at a news conference where he announced that John Negroponte, the US ambassador to Iraq, would be the first US director of national intelligence, the powerful overseer of all 15 intelligence agencies.
In addition, Bush said Syria was "out of step" with other nations in the Middle East and said the United States would work with other countries to pressure Damascus to remove its troops from Lebanon.
Bush said he did not know if Syria was involved in the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri.
"I can't tell you yet," Bush said. "I don't know that. I'm going to withhold judgment until we know what the facts are."
Bush said he would consult with allies about Syria when he visits Europe next week, and said the United States supports an international investigation of Hariri's assassination.
The United States has withdrawn its ambassador to Syria, Margaret Scobey, and that "indicates that the relationship is not moving forward," the president said. He said Syria was "out of step with the progress being made in the greater Middle East."
The United States expected Syria to find and turn over former supporters of Saddam Hussein's regime and send them back to Iraq and stop supporting terrorism, Bush said. He said Syria also must comply with UN resolutions calling for it to withdraw from Lebanon. Syria has 15,000 troops in Lebanon.
Looking ahead to his European trip, Bush said he knows that some allies think that his only concern is national security, and he said that national security is at the top of his agenda.
Yet, he said, "We also care about hunger and disease. We care about the climate."
Many allies are upset with the United States for refusing to approve the Kyoto climate treaty.
"They thought the treaty made sense," Bush said. "I didn't." He noted that the Senate had voted 95-0 against the treaty. Yet, Bush said there were other ways to deal with the problem of global warming and that he would talk with allies about new technologies to deal with the issue.
See post 42
Good work, RaceBannon!
If you'd like to be on or off this
Christian Supporters of Israel ping list,
please FR mail me. ~
MikeFromFR ~
There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had
spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass. (Joshua 21:45)
Letter To The President In Support Of Israel ~
'Final Solution,' Phase 2 ~
Warnings ~
Bravo President Bush.
As a Christian, I feel it is our (the US's) duty and obligation to protect and support Israel and the Jews whenever and wherever possible.
After all, the Christian culture owes Israel and the Jewish culture a tremendous debt of gratitude, not only in religious terms, but culturally and scientifically as well.
As it says in the Bible, we are grafted into the vine ... or something like that.
Yes. Not many nations are masculine - the only one I can think of offhand is Germany...
Reference #166:
You rock! Good expository.
Gosh, thanks for pointing out something I never claimed.
The same went for US airspace when Cuban MiGs defected to Florida on a number of occasions without being intercepted
There were also a slew of Soviet "Bear" bombers that penetrated US airspace. Again though, this has nothing to do with what we were talking about.
As long as you are quoting scripture to justify your position, you may want to look at this one too:
Isaiah Chapter 49:
"I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh. They shall be drunk with their own blood as with wine. And all mankind shall know that I the Lord am your savior, the Mighty One of Jacob, your Redeemer."
This particular scripture talks about people who oppress Israel, and the rewards they reap in the end.
Replacement Theology has one MAJOR flaw, besides the fact it is a killer theological doctrine developed by men who were blotted with the stain of anti-semitism. It has resulted in the murder of many people through the centuries. That position alone would make any reasonable person question its validity.
If the church replaced Israel, as you claim, how do you explain the fact Israel exists and has since 1948? By the logic of replacement theology, they should have just remained in the Diaspora forver.
"As a Christian, I feel it is our (the US's) duty and obligation to protect and support Israel and the Jews whenever and wherever possible."
Your idea could well explain our invasion of Iraq. That WMD argument really never did look very good. Your idea could also explain why we countinue our occupation of that country even after the WMD hoax has been totally discredited. I think, however, that the families our dead soldiers may not fully appreciate the necessity of our support of Israel. Perhaps the administration should level with them.
Your hostility towards the Nation of Israel is barely veiled.
Whatever the justifications published by the Administration for world consumption for the invasion of Iraq, their goals are certainly more broad than simply the benefit of Israel. Unfortunately for those inherently hostile to the Jews who always insist on conspiracy in our Middle East foreign policy, the American government has much more far reaching objectives in that region.
Instead spouting off uneducated comments like in your post, I suggest you read 
George Friedman's (founder of STRATFOR) America's Secret War: Inside the Hidden Worldwide Struggle Between America and Its Enemies. The organization is well respected in American circles of influence and his detailed analysis will reveal some pretty bold objectives on the part of the Bush Administration for the Middle East. Israel is just another chess piece on their big table.
Unfortunately, strong-arming Israel into a false "peace" with her sworn enemies is part of the wider plan.
Can you explain why it has Stars of David on the wings and fuselage but a Syrian flag on the tail?
The religion may be or not be, but the blood line surely is, for Jews were a segregated people since their beginning, and history has proven that.
There may be more people who have abandoned their Jewish heritage because of persecution, I will grant that, but there were plenty who did NOT abandon their religion through those persecutions, they remained religiously and genetically Jewish.
I am English, Irish, Dutch and German by decent, there is no pure blood in me past 4 generations or more after that, my family might be more English than Irish, but my Irish side came from England centuries before they left Belfast!
My Dutch side came from Germany, so, where did they come from before that?
The Jews may have differing national origin of where they emigrated from, but who did they marry? THEY ALWAYS MARRIED JEWS...unless they are the ones who recanted under pressure and persecution.
Jerusalem was NEVER mandated for the Church, but it was to Israel, so, my point is still proved correct.
Iran cannot ever be allowed to have a nuke. Case closed.
"Also, at the beginning of the Common Era (e.g. A.D.), Jerusalem Jews began formulating the Talmud, the essence of post-Temple Jewish life to this day, and transfered this effort seamlessly to Baghdad after the Romans expelled most Jews from Palestine."
Yes, yes. Indeed, contempory Judaism could more properly be referred to as Talmudism so as to distinguish itself from the Hebrew religion of the Old Testament.
As I recall, the entire world thought Iraq had chemical and biological weapons, including anthrax.
After the anthrax letters killed a half dozen people in the US, no one, including the Democrats, wanted to take a chance that Saddam Hussein could simply supply his terrorist buddies (who at the time were living in Baghdad) with anthrax or worst, and send them into America.
That said, I don't recall Bush ever claiming that the US was in immenent danger of direct attack from Iraq, as has been claimed by the libs and the Democrat loonies.
But there WAS a real danger that Hussein could have simply helped many a foreign terrorist or alQaeda member to obtain some dangerous substance, which could have been used to kill thousands of innocent Americans or Europeans.
As for your inference to Israel, are one of those who sees all world events (and Bush decisions) through some suspicion of the Jews.
As for me, I see our Iraq policy as a brilliant start to draining the hate-filled Wahabi swamp which, until the President's bold action, was infecting the Middle East Arab countries.
By lancing that puss filled boil, the infection seems to already be slowly disappating. The world will be better off.
If that helps Israel, that's all the better.
Why on earth would this surprise anyone, or be a strange thing for a U.S. president to say? We stand ready to help defend any democracy from totalitarian threat!
"He said Israel 'is our ally and in that we've made a very strong commitment to support Israel, we will support Israel if her security is threatened.'"
Israel is our ally against what enemies? Well, against the Arabs, obviously. And why are the Arabs our enemies? Because we are supporting Israel. Now, tell me again why we need Israel as an ally.
"He said Israel 'is our ally and in that we've made a very strong commitment to support Israel, we will support Israel if her security is threatened.'"
Israel is our ally against what enemies? Well, against the Arabs, obviously. And why are the Arabs our enemies? Because we are supporting Israel. Now, tell me again why we need Israel as an ally.
It was evaluated by Israeli pilots after the defection.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.