I agree that we should not just swallow the storyline put out by the administration. However, I’m not inclined to just believe the Iranians, either. Remember the crap they put out about the British hostages last year? My guess is that we’ll never know the complete truth.
However, no matter what I might believe or not believe about this particular incident, I can’t see that we’ll end up going to war with Iran. This is a tiny blip on the radar screen. As I said, Bush is indeed a poopy-head, but that doesn’t absolve us of thinking critically about the larger situation, and recognizing that reality puts a constraint on what he can actually do.
Aw, c’mon, John, you lay out all the practical and sensible reasons why it ought not to be done, and then you want to quibble with me about a word? I agree, it ought not to be done, for practical reasons if nothing else. We haven’t got this, we haven’t got that, yeah, you’re right. What I don’t agree with you about is the assumption that such practical, sensible constraints are as relevent as they ought to be.
What elucidator said. And you are wrong anyway; we do have the troops for another war; what we don’t have are the troops for a successful one. I can see Bush, for example, skimming off a few thousand troops, and sending them into Iran to grab a town or two right before he has to leave power, just to mire us in a war with Iran for his neocon buddies.
And then there’s the possibility of air strikes ( and why just ‘a few’ ? ), or “tactical” nuclear strikes against supposed Iranian WMD sites. You say he wouldn’t use nukes ? Why ? He has zero ethical constraints, and the chance of his being punished for anything he does is zero. And it would spread terror of America, and the neocons like that.
If he WANTS TO DO TIME or be killed by some legal proceeding… that’s what he’ll do. I would think that self-preservation would be enough for him - stoopid tho he be.
While I don’t think Bush is going to start lobbing nukes at Iran, his administration has made it clear that they think they can do so without congressional consent, and congress has made it clear that they will not investigate, let alone hold this administration to account for any possible criminal behavior. Aside from Bush’s own personal restraint, what exactly is there left in our system to stop him from attacking Iran in any fashion he chooses to?
Don’t be silly. Bush is the President of the United States, and a Republican, and is therefore beyond the law. The very worst that will happen to him is that he’ll get a blanket pardon for anything he did from the incoming President, of whichever party.
That COULD happen. At some point, however, the populace would get radicalized against the government OR feel disenchanted to the point that… the strengths of a republic erode.
The Unitary Executive is bullshit and unconstitutional. Any Supreme Court Justice who thinks otherwise should never have been confirmed - or even nominated. The Constitution is clear. But… to your point, people have very clearly lost sight of that. And its other “guarantees.”
In the system? I have no idea. The entire government is derelict, imo. Bush is horrid precedent and should have been at least censured by now and Cheney impeached. Laws and guarantees in the BILL OF RIGHTS are being ignored or rationalized away.
Pelosi et. al. should not have forbidden impeachment.
What we have now is a party willing to impeach for any reason, and another unwilling to do it for any reason. Both are wrong. And Bush is, imo, worse than Adams.
Regardless of whatever Bush does or doesn’t do to Iran, I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets a pre-emptive pardon from the incoming President anyway, after Bush gives a blanket pre-emptive pardon to everyone else in his Administration.
Oh, I’m sure nuking a bunch of foreign unbelieving enemies of the One True God, in defiance of the Atheistic Commie Terrorist-Loving Liberal Traitors would make Bush very proud of himself.
If you look at what I actually wrote, you’ll see it’s not a “quibble”. I said that practical reality is standing in the way of war. That’s altogether different from saying we could push the button anytime we want, but it would stupid to do so.
Well, tell me how you want to define it, and let’s talk. I never said I had to define it.
OK. Let’s place a little wager on whether that will happen or not. It needn’t be monetary. Let’s bet on posting privileges. Whoever loses doesn’t post on on this MB for “x” number weeks. If you’re game, we can discuss what “x” is. If you’re not, then you’re blowing shit out your ass.