Can We Stop the Iran Scam Now?
In January, I wrote an extensive post about whether Iran posed a nuclear threat where I suggested that the Bush Administration was attempting to shape the debate about Iran policy based upon flawed or inaccurate information.
Today, I see this report (PDF) which confirms some of the information stated by sources I cited in my post; namely, that Iran abandoned their nuclear weapons program in 2003 and could not produce enough enriched uranium for at least 5-7 years if they decided to restart the program.
“We judge with moderate confidence that the earliest possible date Iran would be technically capable of producing enough highly enriched uranium for a weapon is late 2009, but that this is very unlikely,” the report says. A more likely time frame for that production is between 2010 and 2015, it concludes.
Here is another important point:
The International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, has reported that Iran is cooperating with inspectors by providing access to declared nuclear material, documents and facilities. However, the agency also said Iran is withholding information in other areas, and as a result, the IAEA’s knowledge about the status of the program is “diminishing.”
This also follows the sources I cited.
Here is the bottom line on Iran: They do not have an active nuclear weapons program today. They could certainly restart their program and in the span of a few years, develop a viable nuclear weapon. Possibilities are not an excuse for aggression. The Bush administration would do well to sit down at the diplomacy table with Iran and stop threatening them.
No matter how obnoxious anyone thinks the current leadership in Tehran is, we owe it to our people and theirs to open up diplomatic channels and begin a meaningful dialogue toward peace and some sort of agreement about Iran that does not include our weapons being turned on their country.
Sphere: Related ContentBush Speeches Prove Karl Rove is a Liar
Karl Rove attempts to rewrite history by claiming that the Democrats “rushed Bush into war in 2002″.
Rove said that the administration did not want lawmakers to vote on a resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq that soon because it would “make things move too fast,” before Bush could line up international allies, and politicize the issue ahead of midterm elections. But Democrats and some Republicans involved with the issue at the time said yesterday that Bush wanted a quick vote.
Here are some excerpts from speeches Bush gave calling for war in Iraq ahead of the vote by Congress to authorize it:
The 2002 State of the Union address where Bush says:
Iraq continues to flaunt its hostility toward America and to support terror. The Iraqi regime has plotted to develop anthrax, and nerve gas, and nuclear weapons for over a decade. This is a regime that has already used poison gas to murder thousands of its own citizens — leaving the bodies of mothers huddled over their dead children. This is a regime that agreed to international inspections — then kicked out the inspectors. This is a regime that has something to hide from the civilized world.
We’ll be deliberate, yet time is not on our side. I will not wait on events, while dangers gather. I will not stand by, as peril draws closer and closer. The United States of America will not permit the world’s most dangerous regimes to threaten us with the world’s most destructive weapons. (Applause.)
Bush Speech on Iraq 10/7/2002:
Some have argued we should wait — and that’s an option. In my view, it’s the riskiest of all options, because the longer we wait, the stronger and bolder Saddam Hussein will become. We could wait and hope that Saddam does not give weapons to terrorists, or develop a nuclear weapon to blackmail the world. But I’m convinced that is a hope against all evidence.
I have asked Congress to authorize the use of America’s military, if it proves necessary, to enforce U.N. Security Council demands. Approving this resolution does not mean that military action is imminent or unavoidable. The resolution will tell the United Nations, and all nations, that America speaks with one voice and is determined to make the demands of the civilized world mean something. Congress will also be sending a message to the dictator in Iraq: that his only chance — his only choice is full compliance, and the time remaining for that choice is limited.
The time for denying, deceiving, and delaying has come to an end. Saddam Hussein must disarm himself — or, for the sake of peace, we will lead a coalition to disarm him.
Don’t let Karl Rove rewrite history. Make him accountable for what happened. This is nothing more than a cheap effort to Swiftboat the Democrats and excuse Bush from his responsibility for the debacle that is Iraq.
Technorati Tags: Karl Rove, liars, Iraq war, policy
Stupid Politician Tricks, Chapter 1
I considered Mike Huckabee a possible real Republican challenger until I read his statement that Jesus is for the death penalty. It’s not the statement that has me scratching my head; it’s the logic. Here’s his argument:
“Interestingly enough,” Huckabee allowed, “if there was ever an occasion for someone to have argued against the death penalty, I think Jesus could have done so on the cross and said, ‘This is an unjust punishment and I deserve clemency’.”
Such an argument coming from someone who is trained in theology and is a minister, no less, is a huge statement as to his willingness to sell the truth down the river to get votes. He’s a politician, for sure, but he’s no better than any of the rest, and maybe worse, given his ability to twist around theology to fit his agenda.
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