Who's Behind The Proxy Wars

Human Events ^ | 4/18/08 | Patrick J. Buchanan

[Nephi]

Iran is conducting a proxy war against the United States in Iraq, declared Ambassador Ryan Crocker last week.

How? Gen. David Petraeus explained. The Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and Hezbollah are arming, training and directing the Shia militia fighting U.S. and Iraqi forces in Basra and firing rockets into the Green Zone. Said Petraeus, the Quds Force is responsible for killing hundreds of American soldiers.

If true, these are acts of war from a privileged sanctuary. And Bush would be as justified in attacking these Iranian base camps as was Nixon in ordering U.S. forces to clean out the North Vietnamese sanctuaries in Cambodia.

While there is no reason to question the truth of what Petraeus and Crocker allege, this proxy war raises a question. What is Tehran's motive?

Iran, after all, is the principal beneficiary of the U.S. invasion that dethroned its enemy Saddam, ended the Sunni Baath Party's monopoly of power and opened the door to Shia politicians with strong ties to Tehran. The regime in the Green Zone is the same regime that rolled out a red carpet for President Ahmadinejad.

Why, then, would Iran bloody it up? Why, when things are going Iran's way in Iraq, would it risk war with the United States over Iraq?

[Nephi]

For some clear thinking Americans, there are too many inconsistancies in our war effort in Iraq.

For example, why is President Jorge Boosh giving visas to them by the thousands, sending billions of dollars in foreign aid to them, allowing military weapon sales to them, meanwhile always pressuring Israel for restraint, tried to turn over our port security to UAE so that we can be dependent on foreign oil and SECURITY, virtually silent on ANWAR and unwilling to defend our own borders while allowing our military men to go to jail for doing their job?

[gusopol3]

Iran, after all, is the principal beneficiary of the U.S. invasion that dethroned its enemy Saddam, ended the Sunni Baath Party's monopoly of power and opened the door to Shia politicians with strong ties to Tehran

the usual two-bit leftist stupidity. If you were Iran, would you rather have a hollowed-out, sanction-weakened military under a Sadaam who would never under any circumstances be rehabilitated, who knew himself his only pretense to being able to field a legitimate defense was to hang onto WMD, at least in fiction; or the U.S. military and a potentially reinvigorated regional power as an ally of the U.S.?

[ex-snook]

Bush has never explained why he took out Iraq the bulwark against Iran.

[gusopol3]

do you mean the bulwark that crumpled like an old tin can; the one that had to use poison gas to avoid defeat in the iran-iraq war , even before ten years of sanctions?

[WorkerbeeCitizen]

ur reading too many blogs and not enough news.

[Nathan Zachary]

"What is Tehran's motive?

Total control of the ME oil fields. To become the new (and last) Persian empire (which includes everything south of the Euphates as well as north)

[Nathan Zachary]

" Bush has never explained why he took out Iraq the bulwark against Iran."

Because he had the same ambitions as Iran does.

[Nephi]

ur reading too many blogs and not enough news.

I suppose life will be easier for you when Patrick Buchanan columns are zotted. Admittedly, Alan Stang used wording that I would've avoided, but do you care about Marcus Luttrell, Evan Vela Carnahan or Jose L. Nazario? Do you think their stories are newsworthy? I do.

[gusopol3]

oh, you mean both terms or more precisely six years of being a satrap before he went back to clearing brush in Crawford?

[Nephi]

You act like ex-snook is the one who invented the idea of Iran being a “bulwark” against Iraq.

[gusopol3]

it was a real good altough murderous idea in the 1980’s.

[Nathan Zachary]

He started out right, but for some reason he didn't do what should have been done to finish the job. One colossal mistake was NOT taking out Mooky 3 years ago, thus allowing him to build up his militia. NOT taking out every black robed agitator and his mosk. NOT taking out Syria, and NOT kicking Amadjihadi's butt, destroying those Iranian border camps and supply lines right from the start. NOT smartening media up when they began propagandizing for the enemy.

He tied up the Militarys hands and caved into political back stabbing.

He blew it. I'm not defending that. I am saying he started out in the right direction, but somehow lost his spine along with the rest of the republican party along the way.

[gusopol3]

I at least partially misconstrued what you were saying, because I read it as Bush going for an empire , therefore some personal aggrandizement, as would be the reward for a Shah or other life-long ruler ( I suspect Ahmadinejab would pull a Chavez and not allow any constitution to stand in his path to prolonged power). The closest we came to that kind of narcissist was FDR.

[WorkerbeeCitizen]

I typically don’t read authors for the sake of the author but rather hard news from various sources.

Also I try to avoid OpEd’s.

Other than that, I find some of your posts a tad extreme, but thats just me.

Have a nice day.

[Perdogg]

First of all, Israel has never been pressure by President Bush to be restrained. Israel is fully capable of deciding whether to strike Iran. I am tired of this bullshit about the how US is keeping Israel from hitting Iran. The Prime Minister of Israel can pick up his phone, convene a cabinet meeting and decide to strike. Israel has trouble two years ago against Hezbollah due to poor leadership.

Second of all, I am in favor of drilling in ANWAR. But ANWAR isn’t going to solve all of our energy problems.

third, ever since Pat’s hero Yassir Arafat died, Pat has to find another hater of Israel to get behind. Because, if it were up to Pat, we would have a mullah type theocracy in this country.

Look at a map. What is one both sides of Iran? - Afghanistan and Iraq.

Iran has pretty much sealed its own fate. I know the Rupaulistas among us wants us to stay away from Iran, we will deal with Iran when the time comes. I think any military actions will have to by the end of June.

[ex-snook]

"third, ever since Pat’s hero Yassir Arafat died"

Bullcrap. Buchanan's only hero is Uncle Sam.

[Nephi]

google: Israel urged restraint

Israel and Syria Urged to Show Restraint - New York TimesLEAD: The United States has urged both Israel and Syria to exercise restraint in the wake of an attack Nov. 25 by a Palestinian guerrilla on an Israeli army ...
query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE4DE1431F934A35751C1A961948260 - 43k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

U.S. lauds Israeli restraint in face of Qassam rocket attacks ...State Department spokesman Sean McCormack urged restraint on all sides but said Israel had the right to respond to rocket attacks from Hamas, ...
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/860752.html - 261k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

SECURITY COUNCIL DEBATES ESCALATING CRISIS BETWEEN ISRAEL, LEBANON ...Jul 14, 2006 ... SECURITY COUNCIL DEBATES ESCALATING CRISIS BETWEEN ISRAEL, LEBANON; UN OFFICIALS URGE RESTRAINT, DIPLOMACY, PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS.
www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/sc8776.doc.htm - 53k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Olmert urges calm after strikesFeb 10, 2008 ... Israel’s PM says anger is understandable amid Palestinian rocket attacks, but it is not a plan of action.
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7237424.stm - 49k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

Rice, G8 Ministers Urge Restraint in Middle East, Await Iran’s AnswerJun 29, 2006 ... (G8) urge restraint in the Israeli-Palestinian confrontation and seek a formal response from Iran by July 5 on proposed nuclear talks.
www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2006/June/20060629172033MVyelwarC0.3575098.html - Similar pages - Note this

Creation of a Virtually Independent Kurdish State in Northern Iraq ...Oct 28, 2007 ... Washington urged “restraint” on its key ally, Turkey. By contrast, after two Israeli soldiers were captured last year in a routine border ...
www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/10/28/4863/ - 34k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

Israel urged to show restraint after bomb - Times OnlineTHE United States and Britain were desperately trying to contain a fresh outbreak of violence in the Middle East last night after the Haifa suicide bombing ...
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article1116328.ece - Similar pages - Note this

U.S. Mission to ItalyJun 29, 2006 ... Rice, G8 Ministers Urge Restraint in Israel, Await Iran’s Answer, June 29, 2006. (Foreign ministers meet in Moscow ahead of St. Petersburg ...
italy.usembassy.gov/viewer/article.asp?article=/file2006_06/alia/a6062906.htm - 18k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

Israel, Palestine urged to exercise restraint — china.org.cnMar 4, 2008 ... China hoped Israel and Palestine would remain restraint to avoid deteriorating the situation, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Qin ...
www.china.org.cn/international/foreign_ministry/2008-03/04/content_11520784.htm - 30k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

U.S. urges Israel to show restraint after Gaza attack | Oakland ...Despite the violence, U.S. officials urged Israel to show restraint, fearing heavy action in Gaza, which is controlled by the Islamic militant Hamas, ...
findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20070912/ai_n19517558 - 37k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

[Perdogg]

I don’t give a shit. These are for public consumption only. The Israelis are adults and they understand how the game is played. If Israel wants to take out Iran, they can do so.

[facedown]

Jorge Boosh

Why don't you just call him "shrub", you POS.

[RichInOC]

Why, when things are going Iran’s way in Iraq, would it risk war with the United States over Iraq?

Simple. Because Iran hates the Great Satan more than they like dominating Iraq.