Will Obama succeed where Cheney failed? (1 Viewer)

[BullDawg]

As we all know, Dick Cheney wanted former President Bush to go all out and engage Iran in a military conflict. Bush, in one of his rare moments of any sense of wisdom, listened to his military leadership and rebuffed Cheney and thereby averting certain disaster by dragging us into an even deeper mess. Fast forward to today and we read this.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/us-preparing-bomb-iran/story?id=8765343

I'm on record poo-pooing the notion that we would make an unprovoked military strike on Iran without a substantial ground force in place to back it up. But after reading that article, I may be wrong.

This is bad mojo if true.

 

[blackadder]

As we all know, Dick Cheney wanted former President Bush to go all out and engage Iran in a military conflict. Bush, in one of his rare moments of any sense of wisdom, listened to his military leadership and rebuffed Cheney and thereby averting certain disaster by dragging us into an even deeper mess. Fast forward to today and we read this.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/us-preparing-bomb-iran/story?id=8765343

I'm on record poo-pooing the notion that we would make an unprovoked military strike on Iran without a substantial ground force in place to back it up. But after reading that article, I may be wrong.

This is bad mojo if true.

Things can't change in this country until there is a spectacular FAIL that finally causes serious soul searching and an objective view of reality.

Some incredible act of stupidity has to go forward to bring that about.

Attack Iran based on phoney intel and a seriously flawed premesis, when we are already broke and teetering. Initiate serious instabilty that roils oil markets again, while the economy is weak. Great!

Perhaps alarm China to the point that they are tired of us mucking around in Central Asia, so they pull back financing of our deficits.

All kinds of bad scenarios are possible. The least likely is that Iran builds a bomb and launches an unprovoked attack on anyone.

 

[Saint by the Bay]

A better guess is this was a story purposefully leaked to ABC news from within the administration to make it seem that way to intimidate Iran. I just don't believe this info hit the press accidentally.

 

[blackadder]

A better guess is this was a story purposefully leaked to ABC news from within the administration to make it seem that way to intimidate Iran. I just don't believe this info hit the press accidentally.

Quite possible.

But there are serious influences out there lobbying for the attack that should not be underestimated.

 

[BullDawg]

A better guess is this was a story purposefully leaked to ABC news from within the administration to make it seem that way to intimidate Iran. I just don't believe this info hit the press accidentally.

Another distinct possibility is the leak coming from inside the military. There is already plenty of friction right now between the White House and CENTCOM over Obama waffling on substantially increasing the number of boots on ground in Afghanistan.

 

[blackadder]

Another distinct possibility is the leak coming from inside the military. There is already plenty of friction right now between the White House and CENTCOM over Obama waffling on substantially increasing the number of boots on ground in Afghanistan.

You mean someone is trying undermine the Commander In Chief, and gum up the Constitutional process?

 

[BullDawg]

You mean someone is trying undermine the Commander In Chief, and gum up the Constitutional process?

I know you've read the news so I'm going to go out on a limb and assume you're being facetious.

 

[blackadder]

I know you've read the news so I'm going to go out on a limb and assume you're being factious.

I have to be be facetious or flippant more and more.

If you can't laugh, you have to cry...

But seriously, the President gives an order and it gets executed, as the document is written. If he orders to pack up and leave Afghanistan, that's the deal according the the letter of the law.

In reality, he's going to get pushback, foot draggiong and second guessing from everyone down the line who thinks they know better even though they do not have the Constitutional authority, especially any entity whoe funding or cash flow is dependent on continuing the effort in a certain way.

 

[BullDawg]

I have to be be facetious or flippant more and more.

If you can't laugh, you have to cry...

But seriously, the President gives an order and it gets executed, as the document is written. If he orders to pack up and leave Afghanistan, that's the deal according the the letter of the law.

In reality, he's going to get pushback, foot draggiong and second guessing from everyone down the line who thinks they know better even though they do not have the Constitutional authority, especially any entity whoe funding or cash flow is dependent on continuing the effort in a certain way.

If the President gives the order, it will be executed. Period. At the same time, the Combatant Commanders and JCS have the responsibility of expressing disagreement (it should be done privately though) in order for the President to make a fully informed decision. Disagreement does not equate to undermining.

However, if this leak were to have come from the DoD (not saying it did...just throwing out a possibility), it would definitely be seen as insubordination.

 

[Jeff Miller]

Let me get this straignt, President Obama is going to OK the bombing of a nuclear faucility which could result in radioactive material being released into the atmosphere as a result of the conventional explosion?

I don't see that happening under any circumstances. I think we'll see the Americans give a silent OK to Israel followed by Obama publicly condemning them for it, but privately thanking them.

The only other option i can see if tipping off the Irainians to get any nuclear material out of their ahead of time and we blow up a empty building.