I’m not sure either; it at least looks like they covered for him. But I’m just saying you might not need a decision on high for something like that to happen, just a few of the right people.
That’s true. But I also don’t believe that Iran is as splintered and disorganized as Pakistan is right now, so I think the likelihood of a rogue element in the security forces siphoning off materiel to terrorist groups is fairly low.
True, but along with the negotiations on how to cooperate in overthrowing the Taliban, those were fairly minor negotiations on how we could cooperate in achieving ends both sides wanted to achieve (toppling a government that was hostile to both the US and Iran, along with the organization that was helping support it). They didn’t require a large amount of trust from either side.
Perhaps I should have been more specific in my meaning of serious negotiations that require a high level of trust between both sides. Such as asking Iran to sacrifice strides in its national security.
So they’re shouting “death to America”? Meh. As noted, they’ve been doing that ever since 1979.
Obviously, but doesn’t it seem a tad strange that they’re doing it at a lawmaking session, and that the lawmakers themselves are doing it, right after they approved new nuclear developments? And doesn’t it seem odd that they’d be screaming this if it were indeed all for peaceful energy purposes?
It would only seem odd if one was willing to stick their head in the ground and think that Iran would not be willing to use their nukes against the “west”, whatever that is these days.
Alas, it doesn’t seem odd at all. This has been perfectly normal practice for the Iranian government for the past 25 years, unfortunately. However, you should distinguish between the rabid propagandistic screaming, and what’s actually going on.
(Not excusing anything, but you can also bet there’s a lot of peer pressure, and fear that if one doesn’t scream loud enough, one will be in deep crap - read up about the applause after Stalin gave a speech, and how everyone was scared to be the first to stop clapping, so it went on for hours.)
Iran is odd.
Perhaps there were sentiments involved that were related to the US’s objections and attitude toward Iran pursuing legal activities within its own borders. Maybe some of it was the equivalent of a good nose thumbing.
Or maybe Iran can hardly wait to blow a nuke in Souix City Iowa to ensure the rapid annihilation of their country.
Sure they would use em. I mean why have nukes if you don’t intend to use them? Right? Just look at the US we’ve got em because we intend to use them.
I’m sure if Iran was already risking ‘national obliteration’ they’d be willing to launch a nuke @ a NATO member.
I’m sure anything that’d make worthwhile to risk the desctruction of Iran’d cause Iran to launch a nuke.
You’re kidding, right? It’s Iran. It would be be odd if they weren’t screaming “death to America.”
I’m likely to leave at any moment not to return until the new year.
Where the hell did you pull that from?
So a few nutso lawmakers shout “Death to America”, and this condemns all of Iran?
As far as the bill itself… they passed an outline of a bill, not a bill. And it says nothing about using it as a weapon. This is saber rattling with Europe, which has been trying to rationally iron things out before randomly invading people.
Unilaterally pre-emptively invade them? Won’t happen. Bush is a wuss and he wouldn’t want to fight another losing war, and Iran would be much harder than Iraq.
But it’s OK. Now that Iraq is clear airspace, Israel can just fly over and bomb them at will.
In that case, Happy New Year, Simon. I enjoy your commentary, so here’s hoping the Middle East is calm for a while until you return.
:smack:
Another voice of sanity consumed by the growing drivel. Sigh.
Please don’t. You’re rational!
I’m in the middle of moving to DC.
I’m leaving first thing in the morning so I’m packing up tonight. For various reasons I won’t arrive at my new place for several days. But even after I arrive I expect it’ll be a bit before I’m online again.
I’m just not sure when I’m going to unplug my computer tonight- hence the “at any moment.”
Well, there goes the whole collection of Conservatives I respect on this board.
Yep. And I’ve known several Iranian nationals in the US, one back in the day of Khomeini. Basically they argued that this was just internal propaganda being said by those in power to “look good”. Otherwise, pretty irrelevant. And, I’d say they had a point. How is Iran going to cause the death to America? For those who think Iran would use nukes, they wouldn’t ever have enough to truly destroy America. However, for Iran this would mean they be squashed like bugs. I can’t imagine that so long as Iran was ruled by a group of people, they could agree amongst themselves to be destroyed. (A single crazy dictator might, but that isn’t how Iranian politics currently are.)
Don’t you mean Persian? 
As to what Iranian thing I’d like to know why it isn’t “on the news,” it’s the Sazeman-e Mojahedin-e Khalq-e Iran and their relationship with Sadaam Hussein, their parts in implementing Hussein’s atrocities re the Kurds and Shiites that have recently become trendy to be all outraged about (a decade too late), and their relationships with various people in and around the Bush Admin. As recently as this year one of Bush’s foreign policy/defense advisors was rasing funds for this Islamo-Marxist terrorist cult.
AKA
National Liberation Army of Iran, the People’s Mujahedin of Iran, Organization of the People’s Holy Warriors of Iran, National Council of Resistance, Muslim Iranian Student’s Society, Council of Iranian National Resistance, National Council of Resistance (NCR), National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), etc
Not to mention selectively.
RNC: Attrocities only exist when they further our goals!