Report: Administration Moving Forward on Plans for Bombing Attacks in Iran

[sabra]

http://www.tcf.org/list.asp?type=PR&pubid=110

New Report: Administration Moving Forward on Plans for Bombing Attacks in Iran

September 18, 2006, New York City—In a new report for The Century Foundation, Retired Air Force Colonel Sam Gardiner warns that some in the Bush administration are making the case for air strikes aimed not only at setting back Iran’s nuclear program, but also at toppling the country’s government. He says that these officials are undeterred by the concerns of military leaders about whether such attacks would be effective.

“If this uncertainty does not appear to worry the proponents of air strikes in Iran it is in no small part because the real U.S. policy objective is not merely to eliminate the nuclear program, but to overthrow the regime,” he writes. “It is hard to believe, after the misguided talk prior to Iraq of how American troops would be greeted with flowers and welcomed as liberators, but those inside and close to the administration who are arguing for an air strike against Iran actually sound as if they believe the regime in Tehran can be eliminated by air attacks.”

In “The End of the ‘Summer of Diplomacy’: Assessing U.S. Military Options on Iran,” Gardiner explains that the policymakers’ plan is to use targeted air strikes to kill the leadership and “enable the people” of Iran to take over their government. The assumption is that more reasonable, U.S. friendly, leadership will emerge. But, Gardiner says, the plan is dangerously flawed and would more likely yield very different results.

...

According to Gardiner’s report, the administration is not seriously seeking diplomatic solutions to the Iran nuclear issue. “From diplomacy to sanctions, the administration is not making good-faith efforts to avert a war so much as going through the motions, eliminating other possible strategies of engagement, until the only option left on the table is the military one,” he writes.

[bif]

1. These guys are insane

That's all I can say.

[goforit]

13. And the military continues to follow these mad men?

They are truely weak men.

[Virginia Dare]

15. One of the things they made sure of...

was getting all potential dissenters at the Pentagon out of the way, or at least they tried, we'll see how it plays out.. :scared:

[arcane1]

16. when will tanks be rolling up to the White House?

:shrug:

[liberal N proud]

2. How reliable is the Century Foundation?

I don't recall ever hearing about them in the past and wonder what their background is.

[halobeam]

3. my first question too.

[sabra]

4. Gardner

<snip>

Sam Gardiner is a retired Air Force colonel who has taught strategy and military operations at the National War College, Air War College, and Naval War College. He was recently a visiting scholar at the Swedish Defense College. During the second Gulf War, he was a regular on CNN, the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, BBC radio and television, and National Public Radio. He has conducted war games on Iran and North Korea.

</snip>

Additionally he was on CNN last night...

[jberryhill]

6. Yes, but did he sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night? eom

[Pharaoh]

17. HA HA HA!!!!

:rofl: good one man!

[0007]

9. Col. Sam Gardiner: Everyone is a liar but me.

http://cdrsalamander.blogspot.com/2005/01/col-sam-gardiner-everyone-is-liar-but.html
Oh no. Not another one. AirFarce again. Sigh. Another House Colonel for the Moonbat Left.

Everyone, meet Col. Gardiner.

At first glance, he looks respectful. He has taught strategy and military operations at the National War College, AirWar College, and Naval War College. He was recently a visiting scholar at the Swedish Defense College. You start to wonder though when his own Papers start to brag that he is a regular on NPR, BBC, and the LA Times. Mmmmmm.

Did I just type Swedish War College? Ehhhh?

Just when you thought he was gone, he is back. This time his take is 'Everyone should be as pouty as I am.'

"I am amazed that it is not greater," says retired Air Force Col. Sam Gardiner. "The war continues to go badly. Their equipment is in bad shape. Supply problems continue. Tours are extended. Many are on a second or third deployment to a combat zone. I would expect a louder voice."

More at link ...... Sound like Col. Sam Gardiner has pissed off the right wing.

[lumpy]

10. No shit. Salamander right wing blogger

must hate Gardiner's guts. This makes me think Gardiner is making mucho sense.

[lumpy]

11. Arthur Schlesinger, Theodore Sorensen

from Kennedy's administration(?) Hodding CarterIII, Alan Brinkley , Joseph Califano are affiliated members.

[fencesitter]

5. crap

"plan is to use targeted air strikes to kill the leadership and “enable the people” of Iran to take over their government"

I was under the assumption the people of Iran have the government they want already.

[lumpy]

7. Gardiner is strongly convinced

that the US is, and has been, undercover in Iran for some time.Would certainly not be surprised. Bush and buddies might as well come out and admit it from what they publically have to say in regard to Iran.

[Supersedeas]

8. by democracy -- they mean elections ruled by Diebold -- no other form of

government will do for the Neo-Cons

[AngryOldDem]

19. And wasn't that precisely the strategy behind Iraq?

To let the people rule and bring the kind of government they (read: us) want to the region?

I know that we don't have much of a collective memory for history, but man, why do we want to open up a second front here? Can the madness get any worse?

[katty]

12. "We are conducting military ops in Iran right now"-thinkprogLink

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/09/18/gardiner-iran/

[jaybeat]

14. Nice...and now we have the wingnuts in the MSM making the "case" for war

The insanity and profanity of these freaks appears to have no bounds. They justify senseless death and destruction with the calm demeanor of a broker managing a portfolio.

Check this out from Charles Nuthammer...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/14/AR2006091401413.html?referrer=emailarticle

Some of the more blood-curdling excerpts:

An aerial attack on Iran's nuclear facilities lies just beyond the horizon of diplomacy. With the crisis advancing and the moment of truth approaching, it is important to begin looking now with unflinching honesty at the military option.

The costs will be terrible:

· Economic . An attack on Iran is likely to send oil prices overnight to $100 or even to $150 a barrel. That will cause a worldwide recession perhaps as deep as the one triggered by the Iranian revolution of 1979...We will succeed, but at considerable cost. And it will take time -- during which the world economy will be in a deep spiral.

· Military . Iran will activate its proxies in Iraq... activate terrorist cells around the world... Many... will die...

· Diplomatic. There will be massive criticism of America from around the world...

These are the costs. There is no denying them. However, equally undeniable is the cost of doing nothing...

There is the larger danger of permitting nuclear weapons to be acquired by religious fanatics seized with an eschatological belief in the imminent apocalypse and in their own divine duty to hasten the End of Days. The mullahs are infinitely more likely to use these weapons than anyone in the history of the nuclear age. Every city in the civilized world will live under the specter of instant annihilation delivered either by missile or by terrorist...

These are the questions. These are the calculations. The decision is no more than a year away.

Even given all of the insanity masquerading as rational government policy that we've already seen, this strikes me as way over the top. I mean, OH MY GOD!!! THESE NUT JOBS ARE REALLY GOING TO DO THIS!!! And he even accuses the Iranians of wanting to bring on the End of Days, when it is the RW Freaks supporting the administration that want this. Talk about projection!

And they try to make themselves sound oh so sensible. Logical. Prudent. Hard choices, but someone's got to make them.

I think they will truly not be satisfied until they destroy the entire bloody world.

The scariest question is, can we stop them?

[Pharaoh]

18. Welcome to DU jaybeat!

[Leopolds Ghost]

22. Here, let me rewrite that for you.

Charles Krauthammer (rewritten):

An aerial attack on Iran's nuclear facilities lies just beyond the horizon of diplomacy. With the crisis advancing and the moment of truth approaching, it is important to begin looking now with unflinching dishonesty at the military option.

The benefits to the Bush doctrine will be enormous:

* Economic. An attack on Iran is likely to send oil prices overnight to $100 or even to $150 a barrel.

* Military . Iran will activate its proxies in Iraq... activate terrorist cells around the world... Many... will die...

* Diplomatic. There will be massive criticism of America from around the world... thus confirming that we are alone in the world, and can't rely on anyone but ourselves.

These are the benefits. There is no denying them. However, equally undeniable is the opportunities presented by doing nothing...

There is the larger opportunity for the Administration of permitting nuclear weapons to be acquired by religious fanatics seized with an eschatological belief in the imminent apocalypse and in their own divine duty to hasten the End of Days. The neocons are infinitely more likely to use these weapons than anyone in the history of the nuclear age. Every city in the civilized world will live under the specter of instant annihilation delivered either by US missile or by terrorist...

These are the questions. These are the calculations. The decision is no more than a year away.

[savemefromdumbya]

20. Our October surprise - I thought Congress sanctioned war?

not a surprise really?

[jaybeat]

21. Or a Xmas present...

They'll let Die-bold et. al. steal the elections for them, claim a "mandate," and start dropping bombs by Xmas. (Or maybe January--I think GB the 1st waited till then after the '90 elections?)

Bat...shit...crazy. (Actually bats, by comparison, are, I'm sure, quite sane.):scared:

[Sir Jeffrey]

23. I would like not only to recommend...

that EVERYONE reads the entire paper (not just the executive summary) but would also like to include a link to a war games scenario conducted by the author a few years ago ("Will Iran be next"?).

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200412/fallows

And remember, the people conducting the war game exercise for that paper are more informed and more intelligent than the king and his court.

Chilling...

[mmonk]

24. 1..2..3....

Regime change.
It's always been about regime change. This is a plan to "remake" the middle east. It's a plan for global hegemony. Still, everyone out there in middle America or the "heartland" believes otherwise.