New at Reason

February 15, 2007

Jeff Taylor wonders where, post-North Korea deal, all of that ordnance is going to be pointed.

Comments

|2.15.07 @ 8:48AM|#

What's going on in George's beady little mind? It's obvious. He can't fight three wars at once. But we're already in the Middle East, and George would dearly love to blow something up before he leaves office. The pathetic "don't quote me, boys" press conference that supposedly proved that "top officials" were sending anti-personnel charges to Iraq shows how desperate the Administration is to start a fight with Iraq. Fasten your seat belts, chillen. It's going to be a bumpy flight.

|2.15.07 @ 8:50AM|#

I still can't bring myself to believe that he'll actually attack Iran. I keep thinking that somehow he'll be prevented from doing it, that Congress will revolt, that military commanders will resign in protest, whatever.

I hope I'm right. If I'm wrong, well, we are so royally fucked.

|2.15.07 @ 11:34AM|#

I think it's just bluster; I doubt the administration will do anything substantive about Iran. They've gotten rather gunshy about Iraq if a 20,000 troop "surge" is their big idea in that conflict.

|2.15.07 @ 11:52AM|#

This is why you don't cry wolf. This is why you don't start wars just because you think it would be a great idea. This is why you don't manufacture evidence and make dishonest statements you can't back up to the public.

Iran really is a threat. We might, in the near-to-medium term, have to take military action against them. Not some kind of looney-toons "regime change" nonsense, but strikes to degrade their capacity to harm us and our interests.

And when George Bush tries to point that out, nobody's going to listen to him. We've got the Iraq War and the discreditted threat warnings in our recent past.

And no, I don't care to have a semantic argument about whether the administration "lied" or "mislead" or "spun." The worked to create a false impression, and damaged the public's willingness to trust them.

It's a damn shame when the President of the United States says one thing, some two-bit dictator says the opposite, and we can't be confident that it's the president telling us the truth.

|2.15.07 @ 12:43PM|#

Joe, I don't often agree with you, but I think you're probably right about this one.

Even back when Bush gave his "Axis of Evil" speech, Iraq seemed the most pathetic member of that 'club,' and the one least likely to cause us harm. And I seem to recall that being pointed out at least somewhere in the public sphere back then.

On the other hand, some opponents of the Iraq war are hardcore peaceniks who have little more credibility than Bush when it comes to serious debate over what to do about Iran and N. Korea.

Guy Montag|2.15.07 @ 12:57PM|#

So it's a go on Montag's Nukes for Iran program?

Bombing begins in five minutes.

|2.15.07 @ 8:19PM|#

joe,

Iran really is a threat.

All other things aside, it would be difficult to argue that Iran is any more of a threat than N. Korea. But I have to basically agree with you.

thoreau,

I still can't bring myself to believe that he'll actually attack Iran.

I can't either. But how the hell can you tell if he's playing the bluff game, or if he intends to hit them?

Anyway, I too hope somehow he gets stopped.