Cheney: Iran Won't Get Nuclear Weapon

U.S. And Other Nations Prepared To Impose "Serious Consequences," Vice President Says

(AP)  The United States and other nations will not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney said.

"Our country, and the entire international community, cannot stand by as a terror-supporting state fulfills its grandest ambitions," Cheney said in a speech Sunday to the Washington Institute for Near East Studies.

He said Iran's efforts to pursue technology that would allow it to build a nuclear weapon are obvious and that "the regime continues to practice delay and deceit in an obvious effort to buy time."

If Iran continues on its current course, Cheney said the U.S. and other nations are "prepared to impose serious consequences." The vice president made no specific reference to military action.

"We will not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon," he said.

Cheney's words seemed to only escalate the U.S. rhetoric against Iran over the past several days, including President George W. Bush's warning that a nuclear Iran could lead to "World War III."

Cheney said the ultimate goal of the Iranian leadership is to establish itself as the hegemonic force in the Middle East and undermine a free Shiite-majority Iraq as a rival for influence in the Muslim world.

Iran's government seeks "to keep Iraq in a state of weakness to ensure Baghdad does not pose a threat to Tehran," Cheney said.

While he was critical of the Iranian government and President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, he offered praise and words of solidarity to the Iranian people. Iran "is a place of unlimited potential ... and it has the right to be free of tyranny," Cheney said.

Cheney accused of Iran of having a direct role in the deaths of U.S. soldiers in Iraq and said the government has "solidified its grip on the country" since coming to power in the 1979 Islamic revolution that overthrew the shah.

The U.S. and some allies accuse Iran of secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons and have demanded it halt uranium enrichment, an important step in the production of atomic weapons. Oil-rich Iran says its program is for peaceful purposes including generating electricity.

At a news conference Wednesday, Mr. Bush suggested that if Iran obtained nuclear weapons, it could lead to a new world war.

"I've told people that if you're interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them (Iran) from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon," Mr. Bush said.

Mr. Bush's spokeswoman later said the president was making not making any war plans but rather "a rhetorical point."

Also, on Thursday, the top officer in the U.S. military said the U.S. has the resources to attack Iran if needed despite the strains of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Navy Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said striking Iran is a last resort, and the focus now is on diplomacy to stem Iran's nuclear ambitions, but "there is more than enough reserve to respond" militarily if need be.

The Bush administration's intentions toward Iran have been the subject of debate in Congress.

Last month the Senate approved a resolution urging the State Department to label Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization.

Sen. Jim Webb, a Democrat, said he feared the measure could be interpreted as authorizing a military strike in Iran, calling it Cheney's "fondest pipe dream."

[sftodd]

You''''re nothing but an idiot with a big mouth. Either put your money where your mouth is and debate me or just stop wasting my time.
Posted by katg21 at 09:33 AM : Oct 23, 2007

Care to make a point? I''d be happy to debate it, if you could come up with one. LOL!

[katg21]

Islamic jihad is evil. It has nothing to do with politics. It is a false religious movement that looks to spread islamic rule globally.
Posted by singinrick at 07:49 AM : Oct 23, 2007

This is FACT yet these people choose to deny it and call the US the bad guy. I am hoping that we do not have to go into Iran, that there will be an uprising of the opposition instead. In fact that is what our government would prefer as well, however, you can''t remove an invasion from the table. I don''t care what any of the idiots on this site are saying, Iran + nukes = disaster. These dems are foolish to buy into Ahmedinejad''s deception. Sure, Iran wants Nukes for energy purposes...they live on one of the largest supplies of oil and they want nuclear energy? FOOLS.

[realpatriot1]

singinrick,

The Jihadists are primarily Sunni and Iran is Shiite. The problems are more complicated than your world view.

*** Cheney,

If Iran gets the bomb it will be because you outed Valerie Plame and the Brewster & Jennings unit. In fact, since you did that you most likely lack the actionable intelligence to locate the targets.

[hippychicky-2009]

singinrick:
"If anyone opposes (the "infidels"), they must be killed, according to the Quran and the Hadith."

You take one text from the Koran, and make all muslims sounds insane. There are bad apples in every bunch, you can''t sterotype and throw everyone in together.
I am assuming you are christian, or at least right in thinking.
I could do the same thing with the bible.
"But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him."
Luke 12:4

Wow..that seems violent to me, not sure thats a God I would want to worship.

The fact is, Iran will get weapons if they want them. It has nothing to do with us "giving them" or stopping them. Just sounds like another exuse to fight with someone.

[katg21]

I don''''t need to TRY; your doing a fine job...Posted by sftodd

Yeah, okay. You''re nothing but an idiot with a big mouth. Either put your money where your mouth is and debate me or just stop wasting my time.

[tbweb]

Posted by grazinggoat at 02:41 AM : Oct 23, 2007,,,

The current Iranian government is far more brutal than the Shah of Iran ever was, especially the public hangings, sometimes up to 12 Iranians a day! In addition the current Iranian government doesn''t even acknowledge its AIDS epidemic or than Iran even has a G.A.Y. community! Just because Iran ignores obvious problems the whole World knows Iran has does not mean those problems do not exist! Iran''s biggest problem however is Iran''s support of terrorist organizations and the exporting of money, weapons and know-how that support terrorist, the only qualifier for Iranian terrorist support is that the terrorist be an enemy of the U.S. and/or Israel. Iran has hundreds of American deaths on its hands from Iranian weapons making their way into Iraq and Afghanistan and even if the Iranian government is not directly involved, the Iranian government is aware of their weapons killing Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan and look the other way at a minimum and are directly involved at the other end of the scale! Iran is provoking and practically begging for a War with the United States and nothing in Iran''s public posture or rhetoric indicates otherwise, if Iran even fixed its mouth to utter the word PEACE it would probably burn their tongue off since Iran wouldn''t recognize PEACE if PEACE walked up to them and smacked Iran upside its head!

[grazinggoat]

Diplomacy is not working so now what? If Iran does acquire a nuclear bomb, D1ck Cheney will be exonerated because Iran will act like a complete a.s.s. if its gets one!
Posted by at 01:13 AM : Oct 23, 2007

-tbweb, The Iranians feel threatened by Israel and USA, everyday since the beginning of their government throwing the Shah regime that was well documented brutal to its people.

-The same way USA, the greatest democracy on Earth has dropped down to third world country level in term of information gathering and intelligence collecting- spying over its own citizens... prisoners and human rights abuses, one has to agree Iran regime has been under pressure of coup-d''etat MANY times, boycotted, Embargoed. Despite all, they are still standing to some decency. They are defending their right to acquire the Nuclear Technology for civilian peaceful purposes which is garanteed by the United Nations'' watchdog and NPT.
-The fact Iran is surrounded by foe forces is and must be sufficient to keep an eye on its activities and kept in due watch. Iran must be allowed Nuclear Technology, for its needs in Civil Energy Consumption will exceed its actual capacity of production. Everyone remembers the energy crisis felt recently Last June-July in Tehran Mainly because of US Embargo.

-Put to an end to this unilateral Embargo act by Our Walking-Liar administration . If this is done I think Iran wil soften its stance against Israel... So stop the strangulation amd Iran will behave.

[tbweb]

Even those who don''t want to bomb Iran over enriching uranium and possibly making nuclear weapons do not want Iran to acquire a nuclear know how or nuclear bomb, but yet they offer no clear way to stop Iran! Diplomacy is not working so now what? If Iran does acquire a nuclear bomb, D1ck Cheney will be exonerated because Iran will act like a complete a.s.s. if its gets one!

[rowdytexan2]

WHo let lame duck Cheney out of the box? Hos mouth should be wired shut ASAP. Does a bugger jackass happen to occupy the White House?

Posted by dmgenet at 06:41 PM : Oct 22, 20

Whaaaaaahahahahahahaha! Now I''m shickled!

[sftodd]

Go Cheney and Bush. These guys have shown more guts to risk all political aspirations to do what is right. . . .
Posted by drivelphobe at 12:23 AM : Oct 23, 2007

LOL! These incompetents have practically run this country into the ground and the stupid fools that voted for them are still kissing their pathetic butts. A true testament to the genius of Karl Rove -- they are putty in his hands. I''m beginning to see the wisdom of the old adage, "If you can''t beat ''em, join ''em." At least I could enjoy a few good years stealing from the middle class before watching this country go down in flames.

[drivelphobe]

Simplemind2..

Your name says it all. "You poor crying baby?" Is that it? You are worthless and should quit participating.

Go Cheney and Bush. These guys have shown more guts to risk all political aspirations to do what is right. The annihilation of Iran would be a wonderful way to go out of office. It would be the icing on the cake if they could close our borders to illegals and deport every Muslim and illegal in this country. Goodnight.

[sftodd]

Sounds like Republicans to me.
Part 3
Posted by AJMarine1 at 09:39 PM : Oct 22, 2007

AJ - uh, do you think maybe there''s a difference between talking rationally about a realistic threat and wrecklessly starting a war based on a lie, huh, maybe just a small difference, as in one is practical, responsible and smart, while the other is extremist lunacy with a severe price tag including the loss of thousands of innocent lives? If you can''t tell the difference between Clinton, a brillian statesman, and Bush, and incompetent fool, then you are sadly part of the problem. You ain''t lookin'' so bright there, dude.

[ajmarine1]

WE gave Saddam all the weapons he possessed, WE GAVE THEM TO HIM, MORONS!!!,....We gave him Chemical, Biological, Conventional, plus Training and Labs to create them, etc.,.

Posted by veteran71 at 10:09 PM : Oct 22, 2007



I thought there were no WMD''s in Iraq,.........where did these go?

[grazinggoat]

CBS News: ''He said Iran''s efforts to pursue technology that would allow it to build a nuclear weapon are obvious and that "the regime continues to practice delay and deceit in an obvious effort to buy time." ''

The biggest deceivers are Presenter Walking-Liar and his de-facto president Dicck Cheney. Walking-Liar almost laughing when he asked for the 196 Billion$, so surprised himself, the way Gullible Americans are still accepting this terrorism bullsh*t.

We are stupid, we are gullible and we deserve to be skkrewwed. $700 per American head, are what cost this Walking-Liar wars, per year... we need not to pay this money into war, destruction and killing. Get our GI''s back home. Now!

[ajmarine1]

On August 14, 1998, President Clinton signed public law 105-235, "Iraqi Breach of International Obligations," which had passed the Senate unanimously and by a vote of 407-6 in the House.34 Among the law''s findings: "Iraq''s continuing weapons of mass destruction programs threaten vital United States interests and international peace and security." It concluded:

"Resolved ... [t]hat the Government of Iraq is in material and unacceptable breach of its international obligations, and therefore the President is urged to take appropriate action, in accordance with the Constitution and relevant laws of the United States, to bring Iraq into compliance with its international obligations."35

Six days later, August 20, the U.S. launched missiles strikes in Afghanistan and Sudan. According to the September 1, 1998 Washington Post, a U.S. intelligence operation "to investigate Sudan''s nascent chemical weapons program ultimately linked Al Shifa [a Sudanese pharmaceutical factory] to Iraq''s chemical weapons programs.




Sounds like Republicans to me.


Part 3

[ajmarine1]

On May 22, 1998, President Clinton delivered a speech reminiscent of the comments he made on February 17 at the Pentagon.

The president warned Annapolis graduates that our enemies "may deploy compact and relatively cheap weapons of mass destruction - not just nuclear, but also chemical or biological, to use disease as a weapon of war. Sometimes the terrorists and criminals act alone. But increasingly, they are interconnected, and sometimes supported by hostile countries." The U.S. will work to "prevent the spread and use of biological weapons and to protect our people in the event these terrible weapons are ever unleashed by a rogue state or terrorist group or an international criminal organization." This protection will include "creating stockpiles of medicines and vaccines to protect our civilian population against the kind of biological agents our adversaries are most likely to obtain or develop."32

On August 5, 1998, Iraq halted no-notice inspections by UNSCOM but allowed UNSCOM''s monitoring activities to continue.33


Part 2

[ajmarine1]

Posted by sftodd at 09:23 PM : Oct 22, 2007,



At Tennessee State on February 19, Albright told the crowd that the world has not "seen, except maybe since Hitler, somebody who is quite as evil as Saddam Hussein." In answering a question, she sketched some of the "worse" case scenarios should Saddam "break out of the box that we kept him in."

One "scenario is that he could in fact somehow use his weapons of mass destruction."

"Another scenario is that he could kind of become the salesman for weapons of mass destruction -- that he could be the place that people come and get more weapons."

One of the lessons of history, Albright continued, is that "if you don''t stop a horrific dictator before he gets started too far -- that he can do untold damage." "If the world had been firmer with Hitler earlier," said Albright, "then chances are that we might not have needed to send Americans to Europe during the Second World War."


Part 1

[sftodd]

Posted by AJMarine1 at 09:10 PM : Oct 22, 2007

Now let''s see, AJ, do you think maybe there''s a difference between campaigning night and day to instill fear of Muslims and illegals into the American people, and say, oh, I don''t know, being responsible and addressing the issue in an intelligent rational way as Clinton did? Republicans simply scare people into voting for them with boogeymen while they absolutely ignore the real and credible threats to this country because they know that when we do get hit, they hit the jackpot. Republican politicians are the scum of all scum. This country is less safe than it was in 2001, and we have Republicans to thank for it.

[ajmarine1]

"Over the past few months, as [the weapons inspectors] have come closer and closer to rooting out Iraq''s remaining nuclear capacity, Saddam has undertaken yet another gambit to thwart their ambitions by imposing debilitating conditions on the inspectors and declaring key sites which have still not been inspected off limits . . . .

"It is obvious that there is an attempt here, based on the whole history of this operation since 1991, to protect whatever remains of his capacity to produce weapons of mass destruction, the missiles to deliver them, and the feed stocks necessary to produce them. The UNSCOM inspectors believe that Iraq still has stockpiles of chemical and biological munitions, a small force of Scud-type missiles, and the capacity to restart quickly its production program and build many, many more weapons. . . .

"Now, let''s imagine the future. What if he fails to comply and we fail to act, or we take some ambiguous third route, which gives him yet more opportunities to develop this program of weapons of mass destruction and continue to press for the release of the sanctions and continue to ignore the solemn commitments that he made? Well, he will conclude that the international community has lost its will. He will then conclude that he can go right on and do more to rebuild an arsenal of devastating destruction. And some day, some way, I guarantee you he''ll use the arsenal.




Sounds like Clinton wanted to protect us from them "Muslims too.


Part 2

[ajmarine1]

What a joke you are that you can so easily be manipulated by Republicans into voting for them so they will protect you from the "Muslims and the illegals."

Posted by sftodd at 08:41 PM : Oct 22, 2007


On February 17, President Clinton spoke on the steps of the Pentagon. The president declared that the great danger confronting the U.S. and its allies was the "threat Iraq poses now-a rogue state with weapons of mass destruction, ready to use them or provide them to terrorists, drug traffickers, or organized criminals who travel the world among us unnoticed." Before the Gulf War of 1991, he noted, "Saddam had built up a terrible arsenal, and he had used it. Not once, but many times in a decade-long war with Iran, he used chemical weapons against combatants, against civilians, against a foreign adversary and even against his own people."28

Clinton furthered explained that:

Iraq "admitted, among other things, an offensive biological warfare capability, notably, 5,000 gallons of botulinum, which causes botulism; 2,000 gallons of anthrax; 25 biological-filled Scud warheads; and 157 aerial bombs. And I might say UNSCOM inspectors believe that Iraq has actually greatly understated its production. . . .

Part 1