Word on the street is that they're putting a Navy guy in charge of CENTCOM because that's supposed to scare Iran. Either that, or it's because we're actually planning to start a war with Iran. In which case I'm scare. But now: Brunch.
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Serious Strategic Thinker
07 Jan 2007 11:24 am
Comments (11)
The London Times has just had two articles on successive days.
1) The first (commentary) says that the US with Mr. Blair's support
fully intends to attack Iran.
2) The second says that Israel has advanced plans to attack Iran using
tactical nukes (!!) and has been making training flights into Gibraltar.
I fear these may be orginating as leaks from the British Cabinet. If so we should
really worry.
Israel's foreign ministry is denying the Times report. Olmert's office says they don't respond to stories in "that paper."
http://www.irna.com/en/news/view/line-203/0611252655174126.htm
United States would not dare to attack Iran and such a threat is not being taken seriously by the Islamic Republic of Iran, Secretary of Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Larijani said on Saturday.
He told Pakistani media officials in Tehran that the US is weak enough to dare go through another military adventure.
He was responding to a question whether or not the US or Israeli may attack Iranian nuclear sites in an attempt to damage national nuclear program.
"Israel is not in the position to attack us either, things they say are sheer slogans," Larijani said.
"We do not take such slogans seriously and if they do that (attack Iran) they will receive a decisive response."
We see how Iran felt in November 2006. The US has brought another carrier into the region and we see these leaks. Has anything really changed? I would guess no.
Also, at this time last year Israel was leaking that it may have to launch a pre-emptive strike on Iran around March. I'd say last year's leaks were more threatening than this year's, which is to say not that threatening at all.
Following is the December 2005 version of the same leaks:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-1920074,00.html
Israel readies forces for strike on nuclear Iran
Uzi Mahnaimi, Tel Aviv, and Sarah Baxter, Washington
ISRAEL’S armed forces have been ordered by Ariel Sharon, the prime minister, to be ready by the end of March for possible strikes on secret uranium enrichment sites in Iran, military sources have revealed.
did anybody ever make any serious noises about invading NK, back when they were still a hot topic ?
I don't know that Admiral Fallon's naval aviation background is such a compelling litmus test for the Cheney regime's Iranian plans. With this administration, "loyalty", deference, trumps ability every time. I suspect they may have selected the admiral because they expect him to be a good team player, i.e., that he won't wince too noticably when he has to get in front of cameras and defend this week's "strategy".
In any case, it's certainly vital that the Dems use their new-found chutpah to get ahead of whatever Iran-oriented fuckwittery the Cheney regime is contemplating....
i hereby move that the term "fuckwittery" be recognized as an official and appropriate term of art.
Cheney is a unreformed cold warrior. He was very much into the nuclear chicken game back in the days.
You know about the "Mexican" variant? Mexican buses don't leave the way to no one.
In a head-on crash, cars get squeezed to pulp, buses get dented fenders.
So, if you're in a rickety tiny on a narrow mountain road, you start start weaving from shoulder to shoulder, making the bus driver believe you're either a drunk, suicidal or stupid motherfucker, preferably all three.
Teh Dubya admin. is the drive their military-industrial complex bus with this tactic, and if they actually crash the Persian car, so much the better, cause they'll only get a dented fender, and the mullahs will be pancakes.
They in turn think they can make the US bus veer of the cliff with their nimble car, and if they get rammed, there's a crude oil-bomb in the trunk anyway.
Hey, Iranian Chicken sounds like a fun game! Let's play this!
More talk of that here;
http://zenhuber.blogspot.com/2007/01/navy-admiral-goes-to-centcom-be-very.html
It seems highly unusual for a navy admiral to take charge of CENTCOM until you consider two interrelated things. First is that Bush needs a senior four-star in the CENTCOM job who hasn't gone on record as opposing additional troops in Iraq. Second is that Fallon's CENTCOM area of responsibility will include Iran.
A conflict with Iran would be a naval and air operation. Fallon is a naval flight officer. He flew combat missions in Vietnam, commanded an A-6 Intruder squadron, a carrier air wing and an aircraft carrier. As a three-star, he commanded Second Fleet and Strike Force Atlantic. He presently heads U.S. Pacific Command. His resume also includes duty in numerous joint and Navy staff billets, including Deputy Director for Operations with Joint Task Force Southwest Asia in Riyahd, Saudi Arabia.
If anybody knows how to run a maritime and air operation against Iran, it's "Fox" Fallon.
Well, it was the navy that pulled off the Gulf of Tonkin resolution.
It's the Sunday Times, not the Times - different papers. The Sunday Times gets a lot of exclusive military/intelligence stories from the UK security services, some of which are even slightly true. Most aren't but the Sunset Times keeps running them none the less.
Comments closed January 21, 2007.
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Heads in the Sand
Either that, or it's because we're actually planning to start a war with Iran.
Starting a war with them would certainly scare them, wouldn't it?
m, two for the price of one
Posted by max | January 7, 2007 12:19 PM