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November 23, 2011
Calls for “Regime Change” in Iran

The neocon editors of the Washington Post call for regime change in Iran:

By now it should be obvious that only regime change will stop the Iranian nuclear program. That means, at a minimum, the departure of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who has repeatedly blocked efforts by other Iranian leaders to talk to the West. Sanctions that stop Iran from exporting oil and importing gasoline could deal a decisive blow to his dictatorship, which already faced an Arab Spring-like popular revolt two years ago. By holding back on such measures, the Obama administration merely makes it more likely that drastic action, such as a military attack, eventually will be taken by Israel, or forced on the United States.

"Forced on the United States?" That poor small country is getting forced by the gigantic Iran to kill Iranians?

Unfortunately these neocon idiots are not alone.

Jasmin Ramsey reports on yesterday's republican candidate exhibition of foreign policy incompetence:

All candidates accepted a question from the Heritage Foundation that cited Ehud Barak’s claim that Iran is “less than a year away” from creating a nuclear weapon and apart from congressman Ron Paul, no one took issue with the U.S. supporting “regime change” or using military force against the country.

"Regime change" means a big war. There is no other way to achieve that. And in case you plan to vote against that forget about it. The democrats are no different. Obama is imposing more sanctions against Iran which will fail as they always do. These sanctions are just designed to fail and will then "necessitate" regime change.

This is now the "Iraqization" of the Iran debate. Reports by international inspector get intentionally misread and misreported (video) by the media. Made up scare stories of attacks on a Saudi ambassador and Iranian WMD in Libya get added to demonize the country.

In 1998 then president Clinton started attacking Iraq. Three years later a republican president followed through. Now it is Obama retching up pressure and is preparing the propaganda field which in 2013 a president Rommey might well use to launch a real attack.

That would of course be a disaster for all sides. But as the current calls for regime change in Iran show the U.S. is already forgetting the disaster and the strategic defeat the Iraq war has been and it is preparing for another one.

Posted by b on November 23, 2011 at 16:07 UTC | Permalink
Comments

So Khamenei has “blocked efforts by other Iranian leaders to talk to the West”?? LOL I guess they insist on ignoring Iran’s 2003 comprehensive peace proposal to the US, as well as the multitude of Iranian nuclear concession offers, including most recently the offer to cease 20% enrichment. Who “blocked” those? Not Iran.

Posted by: Cyrus | Nov 23 2011 16:52 utc | 1

BTW there really is no evidence of an Iranian nuclear weapons program prior to 2003 either. The IAEA, whilst welcoming the NIE’s conclusion that there was no evidence of an existing nuclear weapons program in Iran, never endorsed the claim that there was one in existence prior to 2003 either. In fact the IAEA is on record, stating clearly that they had no evidence that Iran has or ever had a nuclear weapons program: In response to allegations that the IAEA was “hiding” evidence against Iran, the IAEA issued a press release which stated quite unequivocally,
“With respect to a recent media report, the IAEA reiterates that it has no concrete proof that there is or has been a nuclear weapon programme in Iran.”
Just to make sure the message was clear, later in October 2009, ElBaradei stated,
“The IAEA is not making any judgment at all whether Iran even had weaponisation studies before because there is a major question of authenticity of the documents.”

Posted by: Cyrus | Nov 23 2011 17:05 utc | 2

Here is what Bachman said of Ahmadenijad last night during the GOP stage production of “War and more War”, (produced and directed by the Heritage Foundation, CNN, and AEI).
“He said that he wanted to eradicate Israel from the face of the Earth”
“He has said that if he has a nuclear weapon he will use it to wipe Israel off the face of the Earth. He will use it against the United States of America.”

Posted by: PissedOffAmerican | Nov 23 2011 17:40 utc | 3

Truth is, if you pay careful attention to the religious zealotry of Bachman and Perry, it is terrifying to imagine them harnessing the power the Oval Office holds. Romney is scary enough, without having to quiver at the possibility of a Bachman or Perry Administration.
Seems Huntsman and Paul have the firmest grip on reality, which, of course, is why they won’t make it to second base.
What is really terrifying is that Bachman can get up and misinform such a huge audience, yet still recieve kudos for her performance. This ass Clemons, (of the New America Foundation), at The Atlantic, is a prime example of the current state of our so called “Fourth Estate”, and the think tanks that supply them their talking points. Lauding Bachman’s performance, he comments on how “informed” she is.
The whole production, really, was a joke. Questions raised by the AEI and the Heritage Foundation? This wasn’t a debate, it was a propaganda extravaganza with an irresponsible corporate media entity climbing in bed with two of the more despicable RW organizations responsible for our disastrous military adventures in the middle east. The questions were designed to advance a false premise, a false rationale for perpetual war against a fabricated foe. “They want to kill us all” brayed one of these jackasses. Another rebrands profiling as “targeted identification”.
This country is in deep shit.

Posted by: PissedOffAmerican | Nov 23 2011 18:06 utc | 4

I fell off my chair and puked last week when I heard Cain, Rommney, Bachmann, Perry, mouth the credo, “we kill them!” – and the media illusion reports it all as if it was near an exchange of views between sane people. I can express myself in expletives in several languages, but this is beyond me.
Dear hearts, the hubris of such arrogance will manifest, suddenly, unexpectedly. When, how – no way to know, but it will come.
All the bombs are in the hands of terrorists.

Posted by: Chuck Cliff | Nov 23 2011 20:36 utc | 5

pof
had the misfortune to regard that mass ‘debate’ – really they are batshit crazy, they know nothing, it is like something from the 40’s – very very stupid, but very very dark
those united states are already waist deep in shit but clearly they are aiming for the neck

Posted by: remembereringgiap | Nov 23 2011 20:38 utc | 6

@ poa “Seems Huntsman and Paul have the firmest grip on reality, which, of course, is why they won’t make it to second base.”
Actually, Huntsman is very creepy, and will drink ooodles of zionist man-milk at the drop of a hat. And he’s a Moron, ooops I mean a Mormon freak cultist who will send your children to kill those baddy moooooslims.
America has gone insane, it’s been bitten by the zio virus.

Posted by: Chauncey | Nov 23 2011 20:41 utc | 7

& yes chuck, they all spoke of murder so casually; pornography is just a beginning of a ddescription of their ‘discourse’

Posted by: remembereringgiap | Nov 23 2011 20:44 utc | 8

From ZH
It seems that CVN-77 has decided ‘to park’ this week in the Mediterranean just close enough to Syria. Perhaps it has just to do with the evacuation order for all US citizens from Syria (it’s common to park some navy assets close when a general evacuation is adviced) but we can wonder if there are other motives for this reposition.
The navy update graphic also shows CVN-74 in the AfPak area, but close enough to Iran (though I guess an operation in Iran may require at least two CVNs in the area).

Posted by: ThePaper | Nov 23 2011 20:48 utc | 9

If Ron Paul does well in primaries, elections are not necessarily a lost cause.

Posted by: lysias | Nov 23 2011 22:04 utc | 10

Nice to see you around here poa, & r’giap (the video’s were excellent, thanks).
Personally, Theses fucks are so off the charts it’s almost pointless to bother up a rational argument against them. They’re (usual republican) paradigm of low taxes, defense, and small government has been a triple bust and is the self evident primary cause of of the worlds malaise. So it seems all they have left is braggadocio, exceptionalism, and nativism to raise the zombies once again out of the crypt. This is the latent and constant desire of brain stem logic the 25% deadenders fantasize in their fetish with fascism, and accounts for the current crop of exclusively grifter celebrity candidates and the front runner of the week phenomena.
If one of these fools actually flops into the white house, we can rest assured that true to reason and Hitlerian logic, we’ll sure as shit march on Russia. Or in this case, Iran – with a similar set of consequences.

Posted by: anna missed | Nov 24 2011 6:53 utc | 11

so you’ll be voting Obombsalot, then?

Posted by: ran | Nov 24 2011 7:44 utc | 12

I suspect I will vote for a third party candidate. people always say my vote is wasted but if enough of us vote for a third party it will eventually become to big to ignore.
I certainly can’t bring myself to vote for Obama or any of the republicans

Posted by: dan of steele | Nov 24 2011 11:06 utc | 13

The Paper
What the ZH article fails to mention is that CVN-77 started its current deployment back on May 11th of this year – and is currently returning to Norfolk, its home port.
I would guess that it’s going to do a port visit either in Turkey, Cyprus or Greece before the final sail back to the East Coast of the US, and a well-deserved Christmas holiday for its by-now very stale crew.

Posted by: dan | Nov 24 2011 12:43 utc | 14

Pissed Off American — do you have the links for your points in Comment 4? About Clemons? Thnx much.
On Charlie Rose last night, the guest pundit/journo noted that the location for the debate was Washington DC, where the audience was far more knowledgeable about foreign affairs and the questions made the candidates respond more rationally.
I found the program guests for 11/23, and the pundit was Jake Tapper…but the site has changed and I can’t find how to locate the video or transcript. Seems very bare bones now. Whassup with that?

Posted by: jawbone | Nov 24 2011 14:39 utc | 15

PissedOff– Is this your source for Steve Clemons?
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/11/the-gop-national-security-debate-updated/248979/#

Michele Bachmann going after Iran because of its standing, overt threats to Israel. While I disagree with her overall framing, she has clearly studied up on foreign policy — and has views that are generally informed and internally coherent. Impressive actually.

This is stunningly stupid, but Clemons is a believer in going after Iran, so, I guess, to him she seemed “informed” and “internally coherent” (which can be said of much irrational thinking, eh?). Oh my. If it benefits Israel, it’s good…geez, Steve.

Posted by: jawbone | Nov 24 2011 14:56 utc | 16

In defense of Clemons, he does offer this summary of the debate at the beginning of his, apparent, live blogging of it. It appears the summary was done post-debate. He sticks with his B+ grade for Bachmann, while, on reflection, changing Santorum’s D+ to a C-. Yikes

Sad truth is that this was really amateurish overall. Where was the serious discussion about the costs of war and peace (except from Ron Paul)? Nuclear weapons responsibilities and challenges? North Korea? Sudan? Piracy? The complications and challenges of the Arab Spring? And what of non-traditional but important national security issues like global water management, climate change, pandemics, natural disasters, and the growing sense aroundt the world that America’s mystique has been ruptured and is in decline. Other than platitudes from Romney, very few got into the realities of America’s limited stock of power today.

Here’s the full transcript, for those who can stomach these fools’ gibberish:
http://archives.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1111/22/se.06.html
One of them just might be deciding the future of the US and parts of the world….

Posted by: jawbone | Nov 24 2011 15:08 utc | 17

These are not serious “candidates.” I think it’s been decided by those who make such decisions, that Obama will do just fine to advance the goals of the New World Order. The Republican clown show is only to keep certain themes alive in the media, and further the cause of the “Global Plantation” through perpetual war. The only serious candidate is a guy named Buddy Roemer. Never heard of him? That’s because he has ideas that aren’t allowed to be discussed in the U.S. media. He’s not allowed in these so called “debates”, because he might actually broach a subject contrary to the wishes of the malignant 1%ers.

Posted by: ben | Nov 24 2011 15:12 utc | 18

Afaik, the Iranian Nuclear Program began and flourished under the Shah, Mistah Pahlavi Senior.
Cooperation between Isr. and Iran was extensive, it was all gung-ho for maxi sharing and exchanges. Iran recognized Isr. as a ‘state.’
See for ex Project Flower, brief wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Flower
And: Under the Shah’s brilliant leadership Iran is an island of stability in one of the most troublesome regions of the world. There is no other state figure whom I could appreciate and like more. Jimmy Carter, 1978.
When the Shah fell, 1979, US+Isr supported opposing factions, etc. but lost.
That defeat has never been digested, an attempt to co-opt a large, influential and powerful country ‘peripheral’ to Israel failed.
Iran became the bogey man on the block. Err, one of them.
Iran’s break-away, 30+ years ago, is a major factor in today’s Arab Springs. (That sounds like bottled water – sorry, no snark intended.)
Reza Phalavi -son- lives in the US and makes bucks by carrying the torch.
Farah Dibah -wife-, Empress, appears all over women’s mags and the net, rich semi-royalty, sweet lady, kinda thing. (Not to be underestimated…)
(left out the hostage crisis)
have i got that right? what else is important in history? sincere question.

Posted by: Noirette | Nov 24 2011 15:39 utc | 19

“Pissed Off American — do you have the links for your points in Comment 4? About Clemons? Thnx much”
Go to his lair at the Atlantic. Heres the link to the rock he now resides under. He’s a complete and utter sell-out, career and money have become his Gods….
http://www.theatlantic.com/steve-clemons/

Posted by: PissedOffAmerican | Nov 24 2011 16:10 utc | 20

Really, all one need do is note Bachman’s MEMRI bullshit “quotes” she attributes to Ahmedinajad, if one is looking for an excuse to rip Clemons a new asshole. To me, it is despicable beyond words when a so-called “journalist” can witness a Presidential candidate so blatantly and purposely misinforming such a HUGE American audience about such a critical issue. He might just as well be mouthing the lies himself, because his failure to underscore them is actual COMPLICITY in the lie. The fact that Clemons is such a key player in the NAF, and is involved in so many international panels and forums only compounds the disgust I have for someone that is so willing to allow such despicable propaganda to go unchallenged. How many American citizens now believe that Ahmadinjad has threatened to nuke that United States and Israel??? A “journalist” and “editor” employed by a widely read media entity has no responsibility to the truth? His complicity in spreading such propaganda is a BETRAYAL to ALL Americans, and, should we attack Iran using such untruths as the justification, he has in fact betrayed all of mankind.
Screw ‘im.

Posted by: PissedOffAmerican | Nov 24 2011 16:40 utc | 21

“…if enough of us vote for a third party it will eventually become to big to ignore.
I certainly can’t bring myself to vote for Obama or any of the republicans.”
Posted by: dan of steele
Unfortunately, it no longer matters who you vote for, dan of steele. The Voting Machines, controlled by proprietary (secret) software, count the votes according to how the people who own them want them to. But you already knew that.
It’s Revolution time. Let’s just hope we can win this Revolution using Gandhi’s strategies and techniques. …Or someone else who eschews violence to constructive ends.
Blood is hard to remove from clothing.
“This ass Clemons, (of the New America Foundation), at The Atlantic, is a prime example of the current state of our so called “Fourth Estate”, and the think tanks that supply them their talking points. Lauding Bachman’s performance, he comments on how “informed” she is.” POA
Consider the creative energies you and I both naively wasted trying to convince Steve Clemons of the errors of his ways, POA! My god! Years of it! We both could have written Best Sellers if we had focused our efforts on more practical considerations than commenting on the deliberately vacuous and/or deliberately misleading content of his undistinguished propagandizing, toadying, lickspittle blog whose only purpose was to attract the positive attentions of the POWERS THAT BE. He was always a Whore to Power. He will always be. You knew it too, didn’t you? That’s how you get hired by the Atlantic to lie.
I was banned from commenting on his blog for repeatedly calling him on his embarrassingly fawning arse-kissing-of-the-most-despicable-kind. Heh heh Getting shut down was fine with me because I was done with him but I missed you, Carroll and Katherine.
Perceptive, sensitive intelligence is hard to find…so it’s good to read you again, POA.
And you too, moonofalabama!

Posted by: arthurdecco | Nov 25 2011 1:31 utc | 22

Good to communicate with you again, Arthur. I too have missed our cross banter. Miss Kervick’s needle nosed mind too, albiet don’t much miss his pretentious awareness of it. Norhiem, too, is missed. He and I had our spats occassionally, but he’s a good guy with a sharp open mind.
But, yeah, on Clemons. Sold out. Just another media whore pimping himself out to whomever will buy him another rung on the ladder to High DC Sleazedom.

Posted by: PissedOffAmerican | Nov 25 2011 3:13 utc | 23

@b: “Now it is Obama retching up pressure”
I think you mean “ratcheting up pressure”, but in this case “retching” is pretty appropriate as well.
And they’re still using that “eradicate Israel” line? Five years after it was disproved?

Posted by: Pere Ubu | Nov 25 2011 3:48 utc | 24

Pere Ubu @ 24 —
Exactly my response to the “retching up pressure” line. Too evocative to change!

Posted by: jawbone | Nov 25 2011 5:25 utc | 25

If you need pressure to be retched up, a manicured puppet like Obama is just the character to do it. I should have known better than to argue for the man right after he was elected , or before he was elected; but there turns out to be no consequential choice in our presidential elections.
When I started writing about the Empire in 2003, I recalled Albert Camus’ “Letters to a German Friend”, which in the context of 1930’s rise of fascism was about the issue of the ends of political will being put at the service of any means whatsoever.

“You said to me: “The greatness of my country is beyond price. Anything is good that contributes to its greatness. And in a world where everything has lost its meaning, those who, like us young Germans, are lucky enough to find a meaning in the destiny of our nation must sacrifice everything else.” I loved you then, but at that point we diverged. “No,” I told you, “I cannot believe that everything must be subordinated to a single end. There are means that cannot be excused. And I should like to be able to love my country and still love justice. I don’t want just any greatness for it, particularly a greatness born of blood and falsehood. I want to keep it alive by keeping justice alive.” You retorted: “Well, you don’t love your country.” (Albert Camus, “Letters to a German Friend”, Resistance, Rebellion, And Death, p. 5)

To talk about hope in the US requires a commitment to resisting evil in its two most familiar forms: the republicans style which sheds any pretense to humanity, and argues that all power rightly belongs to the bold and the ruthless. The platform of some candidates can be making war on Iran, if elected; or there is Obama, with the Vichy style of decision making, that the democrats have perfected.

Posted by: Copeland | Nov 25 2011 5:57 utc | 26

On November 17, 2011, the University of St. Andrew Union Debating Society (Scotland) held a discussion on motion “This House Would Resort to War to Prevent a Nuclear Iran“. The motion was defeated by about 90% to 10%.
St. Andrew University is Scotland’s oldest learning institution. It’s home to a number of welknown pro-Israel characters. For example, anti-Islamic regime, professor Ali Ansari is director of the Institute for Iranian Studies. He also works with Ziocons’ Catham House. Britta Froelicher who along with her husband Tom MacMaster faked the anti-Bashar blog ‘A Gay Girl in Damascus ‘ was also studying at University of St. Andrew.
One of the speakers against the motion was former British Ambassador to Uzbekistan (2002-2004) Craig Murray. Craig is no admirer of Iran’s President Dr. Mahmoud Ahmedinejad. In fact Craig called him “a thug“. However, he is campaigning to prevent US-Israel-NATO war on Iran as he believes it will bring terrible death toll to all parties involved.
Craig believes that former British defense secretary Liam Fox, his gayfriend Adam Werritty and British Jewish ambassador Matthew Gould conspired with Israeli officials to prepare the ground for a new western war against Islamic Republic to Israel’s benefit.
According to Craig, Matthew Gould was Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Iran, a country which Werritty frequently visited, and where Werritty claimed to have British government support for plots against Ahmadinejad. Gould worked at the British Embassy in Washington; the Fox-Werritty Atlantic Bridge fake charity was active in building links between British and American neo-conservatives and particularly ultra-zionists. Gould’s responsibilities at the Embassy included co-ordination on US policy towards Iran.
“Matthew Gould does not see his race or religion as irrelevant. He has chosen to give numerous interviews to both British and Israeli media on the subject of being a jewish ambassador, and has been at pains to be photographed by the Israeli media participating in jewish religious festivals. Israeli newspaper Haaretz described him as “Not just an ambassador who is jewish, but a jewish ambassador”. That rather peculiar phrase appears directly to indicate that the potential conflict of interest for a British ambassador in Israel has indeed arisen,” says Craig.
http://rehmat1.wordpress.com/2011/11/20/st-andrew-motion-war-on-iran-defeated/

Posted by: Rehmat | Nov 25 2011 12:49 utc | 27

The Leveretts’ take aim at the baseless wishful thinking of Yankee elites.
Tom Donilon and the Myth of Iran’s Isolation (Nov 28)
http://www.raceforiran.com/
There are several embedded links including a PDF record of some Brookings Inst tomfoolery and articles by MKB and Arshin Adib-Moghaddam both of whom, unlike Donilon, seem to know what they’re talking about.

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Nov 29 2011 13:02 utc | 28

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