Posted on 03/08/2006 6:52:45 AM PST by Paul_Denton
Vice President Dick Cheney has vowed unshakeable solidarity with Israel, and condemned the new Palestinian government.
Cheney made it clear Iran would not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon, described the Iranian regime as "irresponsible," and warned the United States had "all options on the table."
"The Iranian regime needs to know that if it stays on its present course, the international community is prepared to impose meaningful consequences," he said.
Cheney was addresing 5,000 pro-Israel activists from all 50 states Monday who gathered in Washington, D.C., to attend the two-day Annual Policy Conference of AIPAC, America's pro-Israel lobbyist organization, which began Sunday. The focus of the conference was "the urgency of stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons and isolating the Palestinian government, which is now controlled by the terrorist group Hamas." Additionally, AIPAC delegates had 400 lobbying appointments with members of the House and Senate who were in attendance.
The American vice president joined U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, in condemning the new Hamas-led Palestinian government. Bolton too echoed the vice-president's "unshakeable" commitment to the U.S.-Israel alliance.
"While Mr. Ahmadi-nejad, president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, has clearly failed his lessons in history, indulge me a moment if you will to offer him up at least one lesson on current events: our commitment to Israel's security and the alliance between the United States and Israel are unshakeable," Bolton told the conference.
ping
I think there needs to be a full scale operation into Iran, which I have read will be a difficult task. But if you put the Islamists on the run in Iran, what do they have left? Syria?
True. We have some hard choices to make and it will not be easy. But the alternative is probably far worse.
Agreed. We need to conduct a strategic leveling of Iran's government, its nuclear facilities, its chem/bio stockpiles and make life generally horrible in Iran. We will have to have some boots on the ground but we don't wan't to occupy. I'm so tired of our 'nationbuilding' crap and trying to bring democracy to a bunch of animals. you would have better luck establishing democracy among the inhabitants of your local zoo than you will in the ME.
Syria, yes. Also Berkeley, San Francisco, Ithaca and parts of Vermont.
However Iran is already launching attacks into Iraq with their insurgents and abrams-killing IEDs. That has to be stopped as well.
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That's the thing, these guys will never be on the run. They know nothing of democracy nor do they want to.
We need to possibly isolate, probably neutralize the nuclear threat in Iran if we are to be sure they won't be used for hostile purposes.
It would be smart on our part if we can avoid going to war. We have vastly spread our resources mainly across Afghanistan and Iraq and S. Korea. To continue to spread it so thin will be somewhat detrimental to the security of our troops. I'm not a general and I know our guys will prevail, but I don't want America to bite off more than we can chew trying to quell these animals and their fundamentalist agendas.
Just my op.
there is nothing like being one step behind.
cancer? we treat it reactively, not proactively. part of the theory is based on evidence, tangible evidence.
with iran/syria? its not even the Tip of the Iceberg thats being viewed today
imo
I agree with you on your points. However, the reason we are spread so thin is that we are trying to establish democracy in these crapholes.
In order to solve this problem, all we need to do is establish a sensible immigration policy, energy independence, and use our millitary for punishing our enemies instead of wasting lives and resources chasing windmills. We need to make the cost very high to cross our country. As in utter destruction of your country if you harm the US or its vital interests.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
We destroyed the tyrant and much structure, we are allowing the Iraqis to rebuild it and run it in a form that -- yes we are experimenting, but the experiemnt is forced upon us -- we hope and even trust will survive, be vital, be successful and peaceful ... and free.
Can it be democratic? We also hope and trust. But it is an experiment, we and Iraq should not be afraid to experiment. If not pure democracy, maybe a parliment and monarchy? We must remember that the goal is not pure democracy, or a particular type of government -- the goal is peace and freedom.
We are not nation building in Iraq -- they have a nation already, it is ancient in it's history. We are forcing a reformation in structure for the sake of freedom, and a detoxification for the sake of peace.
If it haps, we would not be nation building in Iran either -- it is already a nation. We only need reform for freedom and detoxify for peace.
If we ever get to Somalia, or the Sudan -- there we would be nation building. Those are not nations in any real sense.
Exactly! Ever since World War II the US (Uncle Sugar) has felt that we must rebuild countries, societies, etc. with our troops and treasure.
The big mistake in Iraq was that when we toppled saddam, Bush should've given the UN a week to send in peacekeepers, and then taken our troops out. Since Viet Nam the military has been too occupied with nation-building. I want the military to be nothing but warriors.
If we are forced to take action in Iran, let's get in, clean out any WMD programs, and get out.
I think role and function confusion among troops must be a real problem. You are trained to fight, then fight.
If a country needs peacekeeping troops (as we did in Ireland) then train seperate people for that role.
We cannot keep the peace of the world. The persuit of that is a nonsense.
But strategic strikes and short term holding operations are sometimes needed.
Incidentially I think that the military are the real peacekeeping activists.
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