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Who Got the British Sailors Released?
Time.Com ^

Posted on 04/04/2007 1:16:42 PM PDT by Sub-Driver

Who Got the British Sailors Released? By Catherine Mayer/London and Azadeh Moaveni/Tehran

The President of Iran was clearly relishing his role as beneficent liberator of the 15 British Marines and sailors detained by Iran for nearly two weeks. At a press conference today, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called the release a "gift to the British people" on the occasion of Easter as well as a commemoration of the Prophet Muhammad's birthday. The smiling President then met with the British detainees, nodding his head munificently as they lined up to offer thanks for their release. "It is for Islam," he reminded one. He joked to another: "You ended up on a compulsory visit, didn't you?"

As much as today's events appeared to be another episode of the Mahmoud Ahmadinejad show, the Iranian president's actual role in ending the crisis may have been less than meets the eye. The office of the presidency in Iran does not really have a say in matters of foreign policy. Indeed, British analysts were quick to credit another political personage for the resolution of the drama. John Williams, the former Director of News of Britain's Foreign Office, asserts that Dr. Ali Larijani, the secretary general of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, was more important in calling the shots. "It seems that around the weekend, Dr. Larijani decided to settle this and took control," says Williams. "He has proved himself a significant power broker, a man who, if he feels it is in Iran's best interests, will do business with the international community." Other observers warn against giving Larijani too much credit. Supreme Leader Ayatullah Ali Khamenei, they say, may have decided that Iran had squeezed as much advantage out of the situation as possible and simply got Larijani to do the legwork to end the crisis.

(Excerpt) Read more at time.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: bombirannow; muhammadsminions
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1 posted on 04/04/2007 1:16:46 PM PDT by Sub-Driver
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To: Sub-Driver

I wonder if news of a 3rd US Carrier Strike Group entering the Gulf had anything to do with it.


2 posted on 04/04/2007 1:18:28 PM PDT by DrGunsforHands
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To: Sub-Driver

“Who Got the British Sailors Released?”

I think it was the commander of the Nimitz Battle Group. Or fear of him anyway.


3 posted on 04/04/2007 1:18:35 PM PDT by FreeInWV
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To: Sub-Driver

That little bit of PR isn’t going to help islam’s cause any. It was they who captured them to begin with. Now they’re the heroes for releasing them?


4 posted on 04/04/2007 1:19:53 PM PDT by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: DrGunsforHands

What General Pelosi didn’t fix it!


5 posted on 04/04/2007 1:21:59 PM PDT by GeorgefromGeorgia
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To: Sub-Driver
How many Iranians captured by the US and UK in Iraq had to be released for the deal?
6 posted on 04/04/2007 1:24:10 PM PDT by KarlInOhio (Parker v. DC: the best court decision of the year.)
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To: Sub-Driver
-"The President of Iran was clearly relishing his role as beneficent liberator..."

That tells you all you need to know whether this was a contrived - premeditated - dog and pony hostage-taking show.

7 posted on 04/04/2007 1:24:42 PM PDT by The Bronze Titan
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To: Sub-Driver
The useful idiots and defeatist in the West fell for Iran trick into believing that there are “moderates” in the terrorist regime in Iran and that Diplomacy works with the Iranian terrorist rulers.

Once the news broke this morning about the release of the 15 British hostages by the terrorist regime in Iran, we can see the “diplomats” rushing to TV screens telling us “see, diplomacy is great, diplomacy works, blah, blah, blah…” That is exactly what AhmadiNajad and Khamenei want the useful idiots in the West to believe, that “Diplomacy works”.

The whole hostage crisis was created by the terrorist rulers in Tehran in order to give the false impression to the surrender monkeys and defeatists in the West that the same way the hostage crisis was resolved through “Diplomacy”, so the Iran nuclear issue can be resolved through “Diplomacy”. If the defeatists in the West get their way and engage us again in endless and fruitless cycles of diplomacy with Iran regarding the nuclear issue, and stop any meaningful economic sanctions or military actions against Iran under the pretext “let diplomacy works”, then the terrorist mullahs will have plenty of time to build their nuclear weapons.

I have great faith that the most important man in the world, President Bush, will not fall for this deception by the Islamic terrorist regime, however and without any doubt the defeatists and traitors among us in the democrat party and their media will mount a huge campaign to surrender to Iran under the pretext of diplomatic talks to resolve the nuclear issue.

Let us support our President and stand with him to stop this terror regime from building any nuclear weapon and prevent a new dark age in the world.

8 posted on 04/04/2007 1:25:08 PM PDT by jveritas (Support The Commander in Chief in Times of War)
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To: Sub-Driver
Those soldiers/sailors should NEVER have been taken in the first place. The “rules of engagement” prohibited the firing on the boats that took those people. And Iran KNEW it.
9 posted on 04/04/2007 1:26:01 PM PDT by hophead ("Enjoy Every Sandwich")
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To: Sub-Driver

Jesse JackAss?......


10 posted on 04/04/2007 1:26:14 PM PDT by Red Badger (If it's consensus, it's not science. If it's science, there's no need for consensus......)
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To: Red Badger

Didn’t we release the captured Iranian diplomats two days ago?


11 posted on 04/04/2007 1:29:26 PM PDT by Dacula (Keeper of useless knowledge.)
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To: Sub-Driver

The emasculated British government negotiated their release. That’s really all we need to know.


12 posted on 04/04/2007 1:30:17 PM PDT by Rutles4Ever (Ubi Petrus, ibi ecclesia, et ubi ecclesia vita eterna)
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To: Sub-Driver

no one “got them released.” The regime did as they chose, when they chose.


13 posted on 04/04/2007 1:31:48 PM PDT by nuconvert ([there are bad people in the pistachio business] (...but his head is so tiny...))
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To: Sub-Driver

Nah!

Bella Pelosi shows a little leg in Syria, and they realize that using her is a great way to undermine Bush and Blair, and she’s too f###ing stupid to realize she’s being used, so a few calls to terrorist buddies figure its time to embarass Bush and Blair while the traitor is still on their turf!


14 posted on 04/04/2007 1:32:42 PM PDT by aShepard (Oh little Mohammad, kouchy, kouchy, koo, Your momma is so proud,you'll be the cutest suicide bomber!)
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To: Dacula

Into Iraqi custody?......


15 posted on 04/04/2007 1:35:33 PM PDT by Red Badger (If it's consensus, it's not science. If it's science, there's no need for consensus......)
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To: jveritas
On the mark. It gives them more time to keep those centrifuges spinning out plutonium for the Big Bomb they have to deliver.
16 posted on 04/04/2007 1:52:19 PM PDT by Shady
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To: aShepard

IMHO, this was a setup by President Bush. He got Nasty Pelosi to go along. The end result is a victory for Bush and Blair, their people are going home!


17 posted on 04/04/2007 1:52:31 PM PDT by Blake#1
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To: GeorgefromGeorgia

“What General Pelosi didn’t fix it!”

Convenient timeing of her trip, though. I am surprised she has not put headlines in all the papers that she did it.


18 posted on 04/04/2007 1:54:57 PM PDT by freekitty
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To: Sub-Driver

The HOSTAGES are not free yet. But Nan Pelousy will take credit when they are.


19 posted on 04/04/2007 2:00:45 PM PDT by lawdude (2006: The elections we will live to die for!)
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To: Red Badger

this is what I am basing my comments on.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/world/4683624.html


20 posted on 04/04/2007 2:00:53 PM PDT by Dacula (Keeper of useless knowledge.)
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