Time To Get Tough With Iran

National Review: Enough Diplomacy! Address Iran Before Another 9/11 Happens

(National Review Online)  This column was written by Michael Ledeen.

---

Things are never the way we expect they will be, and so it is today, as we stagger and blither our way toward the inevitable decision about Iran. I had imagined that we would finally face up to the necessity of confronting the terror masters of Tehran after some dreadful event that would compel the president to pound the table and say "enough!"

Instead, it has been more like Chinese water torture, or maybe straws piling up on our national back. Never has a country strained so hard to avoid a conflict as the United States concerning Iran. They have waged war against us for 28 years, and we are only now beginning to contemplate the possibility of a response.

That is about the most one can say on behalf of our feckless national-security team, whose leaders are trying to be a little bit pregnant instead of trying to win this thing. Indeed, even in the face of a torrent of information showing Iranian support for the terror war against us, some diplomats and spooks are trying, in their usual too-clever-by-half ways, to relive one of my favorite jokes, the one about the woman accused of stealing her neighbor's pot. She says to the judge "I never took the pot. And it was a very old pot. And it was in better shape when I returned it." Our heroes deny that there is such information, and it isn't really convincing information, and even if it is convincing we shouldn't be mean to the mullahs.

This is the pattern that led us straight to 9/11. For that matter, it got us to Pearl Harbor and to Khobar Towers, and to the Beirut bombings of our embassy and the Marine barracks. It is a pattern of denial and self-deception, driven by an absolute conviction that the truth must not be passed on to people whose view of the world differs from your own. And so our kids get blown up in Iraq, while the Bushes, Rices, Rumsfelds, Cambones, Tenets, Negropontes, and their cohorts deny that we know who's doing it. Deputy Secretary of State Burns, the architect of our failed Middle East mission, goes to Israel to thump his chest and talk about getting tough with Iran, meaning tough talk and a few symbolic gestures — certainly not regime change. Such people talk about "insurgency" as if the shattered remnants of Saddam's ruined state were capable of mounting the terror war we face, when common sense points in the direction of professional intelligence services in Tehran and Damascus.

We are not alone in this suicidal self-deception. Our friends across the water, those tough-minded Englishmen who have recently decided to abolish the Royal Navy for all intents and purposes, have been frenetically seducing us into one diplomat failure after another with regard to Iran for many years now. It is no surprise, then, that the London Times yesterday quoted British officials are denying there is a "smoking gun" to show Iranian support for terrorists in Iraq. I think the unnamed officials who are saying that are either out of the intelligence loop or lying. American intelligence has known for at least a year and a half that the frightful shaped charges that have killed and maimed so many American soldiers were manufactured in Iran — they traced the serial numbers back to the Iranian manufacturer — and it is inconceivable that we would have failed to share that fact with our British allies.

I can well imagine the debates now raging inside the Bush administration over what is apparently a substantial trove of devastating information about Iranian activities in Iraq, and perhaps also Afghanistan. American officials long opposed to any serious challenge to Iran pronounced the information "a bombshell," and some of them now say they have changed their minds about going after the mullahs. So those who still want to take the diplomatic route and continue to appease Tehran must set up a series of obstacles: First try to keep the intelligence bottled up; if that fails, discredit it; and, if all else fails, join the "war is not the answer" crowd, whose credibility rests on the hope that nobody in America has read any history.

This debate has its drama, to be sure. But it is not the dramatic event I had imagined, and its outcome is still in doubt. We are not there yet; if we were, we'd have a national commitment to regime change in Damascus and Tehran. We are in the bowels of the bureaucracy, not on the high slopes of strategic vision and inspirational leadership. But that's our world.

[ladyguru1]

The vague threat voiced here is reminiscent of the color coded alerts that had people duct-taping themselves in to their homes during the first Bush administration. Here we have the disinformation artists again, complete with a photo of the (hated) Iranian president shaking hands in June '06 with a turbaned Shia cleric from Iraq. It would be perfect as a frame-up, except that President Bush himself met with the same cleric in Washington, on December 4th, as reported by CBS, to discuss how to quell the sectarian violence. Ledeen relies on the ignorance and amnesia of the American viewing public to spout his nonsense about a "threat" from Iran. The fact is, Iran is in support of our nominal allies, not our enemies. They are on our "side", if there is one, in identifying with the same factions as the Maliki (our) regime relies on, in the Iraqi civil war. And obviously, since Iran (and any other nation) has more than one overall demographic, it is not comprised of mostly mullahs, as the neo-cons would have us believe, but 75% young folks, under 35, of a largely a-political bent. And when asked, Iran's citizens generally are not too thrilled by the mouthings of their president or the media twisting of such!

[bm6005]

Unfortunately even if a draft were started today it would take at least 9 mos to create more trained (barely)troops. These idiots in the admin are poking the hornets nest today. We would have no choice once we were past initial bombing other than to use nukes. Iran has somewhere around 40 million people, I believe, and they have a tendency to argue amongst themselves but rally around their flag when threatened. They also have very sophisticated missle technology, not scuds as someone mentioned. While it might feel good to turn Iran into a glass parking lot, the ramifications would be civilization ending. No oil, world economy goes to s.h.i.t. Food wars, religious wars, neocons vs liberals, etc. Hmmm have we found the anti-christ?

[clemenhagen1]

Here we go again. More drum-beats of war from the same idiots who brought you the blissful sound of democracy in Iraq. Sound oh so familiar, right down to the smoking gun reference. Perhaps you can sprinkle in some more mushroom clouds while you are at it. We need to honestly assess the history of the U.S. in getting us to this point:
1953: Mohammad Mossadegh elected Prime Minister of Iran. United States intervened, foiling a legitimate democratic movement there. Mossadegh sought to nationalize Iranian oil assets. U.S. & British oil companies screamed; CIA responded with coup that placeed Shah of Iran in power.
1950's - 1978: Shah ruled with brutal force. With democracy suppressed, dissent manifested itself in the form of religious uprising. Islamic Fundamentalism in the modern Shiite form born under the direction of Ayatollah Khomeini.
1980's: To stop spread of revolution U.S. funded Saddam Hussein; however, during Iran-Contra scandal we also funded Iran. Why fund both sides? So pro-U.S. oil producers could make a killing as Iran and Iraq blew up each others oil industry.
1990 to Today: Saddam invaded Kuwait - U.S. troops now occupied the holy land. Osama declared jihad against the infidel. If we'd only allowed democracy to flower in the first case, eh!

[jimibear]

Michael Ledeen's mother should have spat him into a tissue like she did with her other tricks.

[jimibear]

A-nus doesn't work either. This is sad. You can't say g-ay, a-nus, r-ectum, or d-arn, but *******, horsefucker, assreaming bottom bandit and cumgargling roadwhore get through fine ...

[jimibear]

You can't even say rec-tum on this board?

How about sphincter? Colon? ***?

[jimibear]

What a billthering piece of bu11shit this article is. How far up Bush's *** does this guy have his tongue?

Of course Iran's hatred of the US could have nothing to do with the CIA deposing a democratically elected government in 1953 and replacing it with the Shah, a dictator who imprisoned, tortured and murdered thousands of his people.

This sort of blatant dissemination of lies and propaganda is how wars get started, and is of course the purpose. Bush is not satisfied with the colossal mess in Iraq; he wants to add to it by invading another country we won't be able to control.

[tibu987]

Let Israel deal with Iran, Syria, Lebanon.
I don't see it as our (U.S.) fight. How many more young Americans must die for Israel?
That we have always supported Israel has always caused a negative in the foreign policy of the U.S.
I believe we can continue a relationship with Israel without having to fight and die for their causes.
Israel with approximately 8 million people, less than the population of New York City is a moral and financial burden for the U.S.

[talkingham]

Time to get tough with the idiots running our own government. Our policy of isolating Iran, Iraq, and Syria has really worked wonders for the region hasn't it?

Meanwhile Reagan trades weapons for hostages and is called as savior. If a Dem had traded weapons for hostages all hello would have broken loose on Fox.

[getcentered]

"Time To Get Tough With Iran
National Review: Enough Diplomacy!"

Wrong wrong wrong!! First of all the channels of diplomacy are not even open between the Bush Admin and Iran. Bush doesn't want to talk because he doesn't know how.

The opinion writer doesn't give any suggestions of what to do; it's all just rhetoric and neo-con hogwash.

Do Republicans really think that we should get into a war with Iran? I don't think it's a good idea. After all attacking Iran is going to be a real war with tanks against tanks, planes against planes, and soldiers against soldiers.

Many more US military personnel would die in a war with Iran then of what were seeing in Iraq.

[grumpas]

Notblue is like every other neocon I have come across! He must spend his nights cowering in the dark afraid a missle is going to hit him directly! He doesn't have one visable ounce of common sense! There isn't anyway Iran is going to attack us with nuclear weapons or anything else for that matter...grow up!!!! Quit allowing the "great fear monger" Bush to push your buttons! All I can say is if Iran was such a threat, why didn't our "cheif theif" attack them instead of Iraq??????? Isn't it time for people like you to quit allowing Bush to use you to start another useless war that doesn't need to be started?

[skyk-2009]

If this wasn't so sad it would be outright funny! We have a Commander in Chief so Incompetent that he is LOSING in a Country not much larger than Ohio. We have our OWN intelligence telling us that the MAIN reason we are LOSING there is that we are in the middle of a CIVIL WAR. We have a Military so abused and misused that it's streached to the breaking point. We have MASSIVE Corruption within the Contractors we are using in Iraq and a MASSIVE debt the size of which we can't even imagine. We have all this and the Fascist want to attack yet another Country? People if we do not do what Germany was forced to do in 1945 and do it soon, we are HISTORY!!

[webdepot]

typical article by the neocons/repukes beating the drums for more war so their investments in the defense industry will continue to provide handsome gains...

What a crock of sh*t from these chicken hawks so willing to spill someone else's blood..

[bluestardad]

Media
Quit covering these animals in the Middle East and let them butcher themselves off camera. We have spent 50 years of time blood and money trying to civilize them to western standards and it does not work. Do they own your Job or what? For Example, If your neighbor%u2019s barn burnt down and you helped him with labor and financial aid to rebuild it and he burns it down two and three more times how may times would you rebuild his barn before you stopped and just figured he is not worth the effort anymore because he is not civilized enough to have a barn? America get out of Iraq and quit meddling in the Middle East quit selling them weapons, learn how to make Bio-Fuel or Clean-Coal Fuel and let the Middle East drink the oil, eat the sand, and slaughter each other to their hearts content! They cut the Oil off in the middle Seventies and we still have not gotten independent from Middle East Oil! Who in the American Media Leadership is forcing our media to cover this violence in the Middle East? America has paid for the entire Middle East for the last Fifty Years in Lives, Blood and Tax Money and this investment has brought us the Chaos we have today. It is time to look at Americas own problems and let these animals kill each other! The Middle East has been fighting since the Sons of Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac were born. Americans come home and let the Middle East be Isolated! The entire Middle East is not worth one more American Life or Dollar!

[karlimhof]

it's friday morning so let's discuss opinions;

I really viserally dislike Ledeen, almost as much as I dislike that smug Perly guy. What I specifically find revolting about them is their total exclusion of human beings from their plans. How many could die? They don't ask the question, they state "many must die for "freedom", "liberty" etc.

These guys are real bad and I'm sure Someone, somewhere, it drawing up a list......

[dallison7]

The right wing propaganda machine is in motion. Anyone who thinks Bush isn't planning to attack the second 'axis of evil' nation is foolish. Bush believes he has a directive from God. This crazy S.O.B. will blow the world up if he isn't stopped! Oh, and Kim Jung Il, better get your helmet, your next.

[kreuz4]

"and on the opposite end of the spectrum the left would wait until the missile hits U.S. soil killing hundreds of thousands."

What missile? Iran doesn't have much more than a SCUD, which could barely hit Israel. Their most advanced fighters are F-14s and F-4s, and most of their missile defenses are obsolete US weapons from the era of the Shah. This isn't Germany circa 1936 or the Soviet Union, this is a third world country with links to a bunch of terrrorist group but almost no way of delivering a weapon to the US. They could stir up a lot of trouble in the Middle East, or maybe Europe, but we shouldn't artificially elevate them to near superpower status to justify an attack, 'cause they're just not even close.

[shingles1]

"They have waged war against us for 28 years"

Um, we overthrew their democratically elected government way back in 1953 - which was kind of an act of war on our part, if you think about it.

But I'm not one to make excuses.

Note how Ledeen is attacking the Bush Administration from the right, for not being agressive enough and for being too cautious. This is an old tactic, tried and true, of pulling the debate to the right. All of the sudden the Bush Administration seems sane or moderate by comparison.

You almost forget that it is this Administration that has sent a second fleet into the gulf; has violated an Iranian diplomatic office (according to our Kurdish allies); issued a supposedly "defensive" shoot to kill order that seems more like the Phoenix program than anything else (since you can already shoot at anything that shoots at you); is blaming Iran for anything that has gone wrong recently without providing any real evidence, etc.

Why, it's almost like our government is already at war but is just waiting for the right justification to come along.

[emhawks]

As someone said in an earlier post,"Let's get tough with the enemies from within". How very true. The terrorists in the White House have just as much blood on their hands as any Mid-Eastern terrorist.
Bush & Cheney are "setting it up" once again, just as they did with Iraq. They are playing both sides; one side against the other; using lies, deception, manipulation of the MSM, the CIA & covert-ops. to stir-up chaos in an extremely volatile area of the world that already has more than enough chaos & terror. Bush & Cheney want the profit of oil, power & lucrative longterm defense contracts from all this.
I believe Bush & Cheney can be stopped in one of (2) ways; either by impeachment/indictment(the way I would prefer) or end the funding for the Iraq war & the coming war with Iran.
Re-open the 9/11 investigation.

[gary-hamm]

Israeli took it apon its self to strike sadam nuke plant yrs ago..Im shure they are capable of doing the same if they ( Israeli) feel threatened again,It wouldnt supprise me to see them take action before the threat of nukes being pointed or even targeted at them