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Strelnikov_ Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-10-05 09:04 PM
Original message
The Iranian Nightmare
Excellent article summarizing the danger the Iraq adventure has placed us in.

It is beginning to appear that the Iraq invasion will go down in history as a parallel to Stalin's invasion of Finland. When Hitler observed the apparent weakness of the previously unassailable Soviet military, he was emboldened to attempt Operation Barbarossa. Like Hitler, the Iranian leadership is now emboldened by what they have observed. Wars are started due to hubris, not doubt.

And all this is due to the complete incompetence of the GOP in their pursuit of this war. If they had decided Iraq must be taken, why did they not use adequate troop levels or follow the advise of State Department experts? Why did they rush to set up a wild west of crony capitalism, thus alienating most of the population?

Incompetence rising to the level of treason. Yes, treason, freepers. Not the Ann Coulter 'cause we don't like what they say' treason. I am talking the 'place the entire nation in danger' treason.


The Iranian Nightmare
Aug 11, 2005
By Michael Schwartz

http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/GH11Ak01.html

. . .

At first, events looked to be moving in quite a different direction. Lost in the obscure pages of the early coverage of the Iraq war was a moment when, it seemed, the clerical regime in Iran flinched. Soon after Saddam fled and Baghdad became an American town, Iran suddenly entered into negotiations with Great Britain, France and Germany on ending its nuclear program, the most public point of friction with the US. After all, it was Saddam's supposed nuclear program that had been the casus belli for the American invasion, and Bush administration neo-conservatives had been hammering away at the Iranian program in a similar fashion.

. . .

The increasingly destructive, devolving American occupation in Iraq also deflected the anger of an Iranian population that had been growing restless under the harsh clerical hand of Iran's political leaders. At the time of the invasion, opinion surveys in Iran indicated both "widespread discontent within the Islamic republic" and a generally positive attitude toward the United States. ("The average Iranian does not bear ill will against America.")

. . .

In other words, instead of deterring or ending the Iranian nuclear effort, the US invasion and botched occupation encouraged and accelerated it, lending it national prestige and rallying Iranian public opinion to the cause. The long-term oil relationship between China and Iran, sparked in part by the American occupation of neighboring Iraq, would soon be complemented by a host of other economic ties, including an $836-million contract for China to build the first stage of the Tehran subway system, an expanding Chinese auto manufacturing presence in Iran and negotiations around a host of other transportation and energy projects. In 2004, China sought to deepen political ties between the two countries by linking Iran to the Shanghai Cooperative Organization (SCO), a political alliance composed of China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. China and Russia soon began shipping Iran advanced missile systems, a decision that generated angry protests from the Bush administration.

. . .

In light of all these developments, Juan Cole commented: "In a historic irony, Iran's most dangerous enemy of all, the United States, invaded Iran's neighbor with an eye to eventually toppling the Tehran regime - but succeeded only in defeating itself."


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Hubert Flottz Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-10-05 09:23 PM
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1. I was afraid this would spill across the borders when it began!
Edited on Wed Aug-10-05 09:31 PM by Hubert Flottz
WWIII?

"why did they not use adequate troop levels or follow the advise of State Department experts?"

Just like Hitler, Bush and his closest know it all neocons thought they knew more than the general officers. Hitler didn't trust his generals and neither did Bush! Hitler paid for his stupidity and so did the German people!

Edit: Bush is the second coming of the GROFAZ!

GROFAZ (German acronym for "Greatest Leader of all time") a title Hitler bestowed upon himself...
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Strelnikov_ Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-10-05 09:39 PM
Response to Reply #1
2. I Often Think Of That
If you read an inside history of the the Third Reich, like Speer's, the parallels between the incompetence of the Nazi and GOP regimes are striking.

I particularly remember the part of the book where Speer was describing the battles with the hierarchy to bring the country to a full war footing in industrial production, in 1944. The Rove's and Cheney's of the Nazi regime resisted placing any economic hardship on the people fearing a loss of popular support.
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artemisia1 Donating Member (343 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-10-05 10:21 PM
Response to Reply #2
3. See "Downfall", great movie. kick eom
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Eloriel Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Aug-11-05 02:57 PM
Response to Original message
4. Well, ThIS didn't get nearly the attn it deserved
:kick:
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artemisia1 Donating Member (343 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Aug-12-05 03:28 AM
Response to Original message
5. Kick. /nt
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