Perle: ‘I Have Very Little Doubt’ That Bush Would Order ‘Necessary Military Action’ Against Iran

[RedEarth]

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) recently warned that the Bush administration is building a case against Iran. “This whole concept of moving against Iran is bizarre,” he said. When Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) warned last week that President Bush does not have the authority to launch an attack against Iran without congressional approval, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino responded that she was “puzzled” because Reid seemed “to be fanning flames where there’s no fire.”

That’s not the view of Richard Perle, a leading neoconservative proponent of the Iraq war. Speaking at a conference this weekend in Israel, Perle suggested Bush would attack Iran before he leaves office:

“Would this president do it? I think that until the day he leaves office, this is a president that, if he is told, ‘Mr. President, you are at the point of no return,’ I have very little doubt that this president would order the necessary military action.”

<…>

“I’m not convinced that we have a lot of time. Given the peril that would result, its astonishing to me that we do not now have a serious political strategy with Iran,” he said, adding he thought regime change is “the only significant effective way” to deal with the Iranian threat.

“If we continue on our current course, we have only a military option. So what I’m urging, and this should have happened a very long time ago, is that we make a serious effort to work with the internal (Iranian) opposition,” Perle said.

Perle is reported to have once said, “The first time I met Bush 43 … two things became clear. One, he didn’t know very much. The other, that he had the confidence to ask questions that revealed he didn’t know very much.”

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/01/22/perle-iran-attack/

[no_hypocrisy]

1. The term "necessary" can mean one thing to a reasonably prudent

person and someone suffering from meglomania, paranoia, and sociopathy.

[Cabcere]

3. My thoughts exactly.

:-( :scared: :nuke:

[no_hypocrisy]

4. Welcome to DU

And not just because you agree with me.

[Cabcere]

5. Thanks!

Well, you know what they say about great minds... ;) (Actually, disagreement is fine by me, as long as it's somewhat intelligent. Yay progressives!) :) This seems like a pretty cool board, and I'm glad to be here.

[newyawker99]

11. Hi Cabcere!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Hosnon]

8. Right...if it were objectively necessary, I would hope he would invade.

But...his "necessary" is probably not anyone else's "necessary".

We've already played this game with "imminent threat".

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

2. Perle probably had to change his shorts after his pronouncement.

“I’m not convinced that we have a lot of time. Given the peril that would result, its astonishing to me that we do not now have a serious political strategy with Iran,” he said, adding he thought regime change is “the only significant effective way” to deal with the Iranian threat.

“If we continue on our current course, we have only a military option. So what I’m urging, and this should have happened a very long time ago, is that we make a serious effort to work with the internal (Iranian) opposition,” Perle said.

It worked so well in Iraq.

[shanti]

6. PNAC signator, perle

of course, he would think so! :grr:

[Imagevision]

10. Bush pulls a Gulf Of Tonkin Incident and merely says, Iran attacked us first

CIA would provide a torpedo or arrange the shooting down of a US. aircraft doing surveying's over Iran when it was shot down -- 9-11 Part-2

[Imagevision]

7. Bush stated that he believes he is the only president (Dem or Repug) who would have the nerve

to use nuclear power against Iran. With the build-up of the added second carrier group stationed off Iran something big is going to happen, it's deeply in the timing. We have a deranged man with presidential powers, how do we make sure this NEVER happens again???

[bdamomma]

9. like Rockfeller said "bush is a man who doesn't know the world"

okay, looks like we need more Rockfellers to say that.