So what will be BushCo's 'casus belli' for attacking Iran and/or Syria and when will it happen?

[marmar]

Any predictions? :shrug:

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Something like "Mom, HE started it!!!" Definitely using the pretense and

pretext of self defense.

[havocmom]

2. Well, they moved a carrier group within range of Iranian ground based weapons

then attacked an Iranian consulate to get their attention.

Remember the Maine! - the sequel

[rwenos]

3. One Big Explosion

It doesn't even have to be in a big liberal American city. Just something on US soil. Then the declarations will start tumbling - suspend habeas corpus, order a "grossfandung" (SS word for massive search) for dissidents, raise the threat level to red red red.

It will all work to create urgency, enough urgency to silence the Democrats in Congress.

Have we learned nothing from the non-events at the Tonkin Gulf?

[scarletwoman]

4. They're combing through those computers they raided from the consulate looking for one.

In any case, if they can't provoke Iran into doing something they can use, they'll just make something up.

Remember the Maine!, Polish uniforms, Gulf of Tonkin -- ginning up a causus belli is S.O.P. Once all the pieces are moved into place for the attack, the precipitating "incident" will be arranged.

sw

[The Magistrate]

5. If They Do This, Ma'am, It Will Be Their Downfall

Their ruination, utter and complete. The people and the Congress will not stand for it, and the consequences to our forces in Iraq will be a death of ten thousand cuts. Your opinion of Mr. Brezinski is probably not as high as mine, but he has stated emphatically that war with Iran in the present situation will be the destruction of U.S. global power, and he is quite correct in that analysis.

"Failure is always an option."

[scarletwoman]

6. Actually, I'm rather fond of Mr. Brezinski, as unapologetic imperialists go.

I always find his analyses to be astute and clear-eyed. I'm simply not as optimistic as he in regard to what "(t)he people and the Congress will not stand for".

sw

[The Magistrate]

9. That Element Is Mine, Ma'am, Not His

His view is simply that the act would fail, and by demonstrating conclusively the limits of U.S. power, reveal the degree to which it is, like all power, baseless and mostly illusory, and lead to not only defiance but disregard, which can be even worse.

Neither the Congress nor the people are in the mood for a wider war, and seem of a temper to obstruct such a thing, to the limit of their ability. If pressed in disregard of this, the disasterous consequences will affect our political life, to the great detriment of Republicans, for a generation and more. A party that is essentially a minority on the merits of its economic posture commits suicide by revealing the degree to which its leadership is disposed to disregard the desires of the people in an ostensibly democratic order....

"Vox populi, vox Dei!"

[scarletwoman]

10. I agree with Mr. B., then. But I'm not quite ready to trust that Congress will be moved to prevent

an attack on Iran up front. And there will still be people willing to be gulled into believing it's necessary. Even if a majority of the people ARE against it, since when does that make much difference to our "leaders"?

We'll see. I hope you're correct. We're running out of time, bushco needs to be stopped NOW.

sw

[The Magistrate]

11. They May Not Be Able To Prevent It, Ma'am

But only to clean up afterwards. Authorization for such action does not exist, and will not be voted, but it is quite possible these "unitary executive" types will proceed anyway. Constitutional crisis is a mild term for what would have to follow, and the disasterous consequences in Iraq would ensure that something of that nature would follow....

[scarletwoman]

13. I want to see Congress go on record NOW -- no attacking Iran!

We all know he'll just keep doing whatever the hell he wants -- he needs to be stopped, not just cleaned up after. I want the Constitutional crisis NOW, not after a few million Iranians are nuked.

sw

[bluewave]

15. Me too. Go on record against this.

Any Dem who does this has my support.

[CoffeeCat]

7. First...

...He'll have Condi give a speech in which she will point out dozens of aluminum tubes that the Iranians
plan to use for their nuclear program.

Then, Colin Powell will show up to reveal the locations of several mobile weapons labs that are currently
manufacturing deadly biological weapons.

Then, a memo will surface--which will reveal that someone in Iran tried to buy yellow cake from....

Oh no, wait. I think this was from something else.

I'm sorry. I can't keep track of all of the evil.

[EFerrari]

8. He doesn't need a causus -- he's the Decider, remember?

"Mom, he's lookin' at me!"

[marmar]

14. Teehee....

:)

[Octafish]

12. Our carriers are in danger.

"Heh. Gulf of Tonkin, er, Persian. Persian Gulf, I mean, little fodder unit."