work, it would be a good idea to finish them off now, before they figure out how to fix it
Posted on 10/06/2007 8:22:11 AM PDT by jdm
Last month's strike by Israel on a Syrian facility didn't just resemble their strike on Osirak in 1981 in the nuclear sense. According to ABC News, the American response also struck a familiar chord, with the Bush administration attempting to hold Israel back from its strike -- and offering some very weak tea as an alternative (via Power Line):
The September Israeli airstrike on a suspected nuclear site in Syria had been in the works for months, ABC News has learned, and was delayed only at the strong urging of the United States.
In early July the Israelis presented the United States with satellite imagery that they said showed a nuclear facility in Syria. They had additional evidence that they said showed that some of the technology was supplied by North Korea.
One U.S. official told ABC's Martha Raddatz the material was "jaw dropping" because it raised questions as to why U.S. intelligence had not previously picked up on the facility.
Officials said that the facility had likely been there for months if not years.
Between July and September, weeks of high-level talks took place. The Israelis wanted to destroy the facility immediately, and had some support from the American intelligence community that had managed to miss this development. However, Condoleezza Rice and others did not. They wanted to "confront" the Syrians first -- as the Jerusalem Post puts it, to scold Assad publicly for operating a nuclear facility.
Yes, I'm sure that would have been effective. Publicly scolding them over the Hariri assassination only resulted in five more car-bomb assassinations of anti-Syrian politicians in Lebanon since then. Fingerwagging has done so much to curtail their material support for Hezbollah, too.
The Israelis, who actually originated the "Bush doctrine" decades ago, appear to be the only nation still using it. They probably have concluded that they cannot rely on American will to protect them from Syria and Iran any longer, especially after this episode. The US opposed the raid up to the moment it occurred, afraid of destabilizing the region. Israel, more worried about the consequences of a nuclear Syria -- something that should worry us as well -- simply ignored Washington after weeks of argument and acted in its own self-interest.
And note that Syria has not lifted a finger in retaliation. Assad knows well that Israel would annihilate his forces in a straight-up fight, and the raid confirmed it. They had to know that Israel would attack that facility if they discovered it, and Syria had to have some defense ready against it. In the event, Israel flew unmolested across the widest part of their airspace, devastated their facility, and flew home as if on an El Al jaunt.
I recall the American response to Osirak was a large amount of finger-wagging at the Israelis. We had reason to thank them later for their long view of nukes in the region. We should be thanking them again, and next time should try following their advice.
“Big props to someone to whom I never thought I’d give any — Ehud Olmert”
_______________________________________________________________
It’s his appointment of Ehud Barak as Defense Minister. Barak at least, has learned his lesson from his earlier disastrous term as PM.
*sigh*
agree.....drain it.
bmflr
Sounds like mis-information, and sounds intentional. Whatever the Norks off-loaded from their freighter had to be destroyed immediately!
We're just supposed to wonder what all the fuss was about, and look the other way - pay no attention to the guy behind the curtain.
And since the Syrians and Iranians now know that their Russian Anti-Air-Crap doesn't work, it would be a good idea to finish them off now, before they figure out how to fix it ......................... FRegards
Here's why you shouldn't believe a word of this cover story that is clearly being shopped around to various news sources by someone in U.S. diplo-intel circles:
The State Department is **INCAPABLE** of keeping secret a Syrian nuclear facility, or an Israeli request for a strike, from July into September.
Heck, memos of "torture" are routinely leaked, much less anything really important.
No way...no freaking way did the State Department goons keep a secret this big for this long. Heck, they'd have their book out on Amazon.com doing the Micahel Schuerer shuffle by this point if they'd been informed of the above back in July.
...But this sort of news "leak" will cause normally pro-Bush Americans to bash Condi Rice, as if the story was accurate.
Not buyin' it.
Condoleezza Rice and others did not.
I think Condi is more concerned with the prospect that State Dept. would lose its driver seat on N. Korean issue than actually stopping their nuclear ambition. I am sure they still cling to futile hope that N. Korea would show serious change of attitude, after this Israeli raid.
This can only happen if Bush goes for broke with regard to N. Korea, ready to inflict pain on China, unless China plays along.
As I suspected, Israeli strike could be an "uncomfortable development" for Bush and Condi. It put them in a bind. While U.S. military and intel community were happy to help Israel out, Bush probably reluctantly acquiesced and Condi was unhappy.
Finally, Chris Hill must be one depressed man these days.:-)
The author nails it.
I guess we had Elint platforms up on the Iraq/Syria border to wag fingers at the IAF on their way by?
A game is afoot, and there is a domestic component.
I thank you for corroborating this, and also your belief that Condi Rice is clearly on the legacy, self-interest path rather than truly addressing the North Korean threat in the closing days of a lame duck (and getting more lame by the day it seems) administration!!
Aren't these the same guys who missed the fall of the Soviet Union? Every single agent and analyst in the CIA should've been fired after that. Better to start from scratch than work with crap.
The CIA had other priorities, they were busy undermining the regime. Of George W. Bush.
Indeed. But this game is not being played by our State Department, contrary to the "Condi is coddling nuke terrorist" implications of this and other articles being "shopped" around by diplo-intel types who have an ax to grind.
No claim in this article is to be believed. Israel delayed their attack while our State Department kept Israel’s “agression” secret for months?!
Not buyin’ it.
Our State Department can’t keep a secret, much less a big nuclear secret, and certainly not a “Jews are the agressor” type of secret.
The entire article is “shopped” propaganda.
As you correctly point out, if the Bush Administration had really wanted to stop Israel, then the Israeli attack plan would have been leaked in advance.
Yet the secret was kept.
That the secret was kept goes to show that the State Department wasn’t involved...and further shows that the Bush Administration approved the attack.
Please see #46 and #55.
Nothing has changed abroad or here at home
http://hotair.com/archives/2007/10/07/we-came-so-close-to-world-war-three/
The best explanation for Assad’s lack of protest is that the Israelis have threatened Assad himself. After last summer’s flyby and the September raid itself, Assad has to know that he’s never been more vulnerable to an Israeli airstrike or commando raid. His government has been killing Lebanese officials with relative impunity, so he of all people is aware that what he has been doing to others can be done unto him.
Public consumtion is exactly where a simple, "No, this adminstration will not allow the Iranian regime to aquire nuclear weapons" was called for. That in no way prevents negotiations, it enhances the prospect. The fact that he didn't say that to me shows he has abandoned the Bush doctrine of not allowing the most evil regimes to acquire the most dangerous weapons. The fact that the adminstration will not even say that our goal is removing the mullah regime, and is doing absolutely nothing to do so are further indications. The Bush of 2007 is not the Bush of 2001-2003.
Assad is wondering what Israel's going to attack next.
Good comments below the article, thanks for sharing.
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.