U.S. Set To Strike Iran

The Bush Administration is about to go to war with Iran. I think President Bush intends to attack Iran with air strikes initiated from airbases in Turkey and missiles launched from battleships in the Persian Gulf, striking targets that he perceives are nuclear installations. Once again, he does not have good intelligence information detailing what these sites actually are nor does he have proof that Iran has nuclear weapons.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headed by Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, has inspected Iran’s nuclear sites and reported to the United Nations that Iran failed to disclose their uranium enrichment program. In December, 2006, the U.N. implemented sanctions against Iran designed to make them end this program. As late as September, 2007, Dr. ElBaradei argued against military action, stating "We have not seen any weaponization of their program, nor have we received any information to that effect - no smoking gun or information from intelligence. Based on the evidence we have, we do not see ... a clear and present danger that requires that you go beyond diplomacy."

The IAEA made a similar disclaimer concerning Iraq’s nuclear program, stating that they could find no evidence that Saddam had any nuclear weapons. They suggested that further diplomacy continue with Iraq instead of waging war. Bush ignored them in Iraq and is ignoring their interpretation of the situation in Iran. He has made up his mind to attack Iran and now he will make up the intelligence to support that action.

In my heart, I believe we are being led by a madman. One who shirked his duty during the Viet Nam war and who now has control over the military of the United States and does not hesitate to place our military men and women into another war that he is justifying based on his interpretation of the facts and perhaps on lies and half-truths like the ones he used to justify attacking Iraq.

He has already begun gathering Congressional buy-in by asking both houses of Congress to declare the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a Terrorist Organization when experts on Iran have pointed out that the army is not a staunch supporter of Ahmadinejad and his policies. However, many congress men and women did so without hesitation. They were afraid that the Bush Administration would brand them, at worst traitors and at best soft on fighting terror. The opposition, lead by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reed, two terribly inept and ineffective leaders, are too intimidated by these charges to begin to challenge the reasons for war put forth by Bush and his political allies.

Once again, the American people will not suffer as a nation would during times of war. Only those Americans who have loved ones serving in the armed forces, a military severely weakened by an insufficient number of personnel, will feel the angst and anger associated with another war begun on trumped up reasons while the real reasons remain untold and unknown.

This time, however, it is not inconceivable that we may need to use nuclear weapons to defeat an army as large, well trained and equipped as Iran’s. If they should align with the Taliban in Afghanistan and the Muslim militias in Iraq, they could sweep down on our already sparsely staffed military and inflict heavy casualties on our fighting forces. I have no doubt that we will be triumphant in the end, but at a tremendous cost of life and limb to our military personnel and to many innocent civilians. The war could easily spread into Israel, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and be joined by China and Russia, especially if nukes are used against Iran. The possibilities are numerous and frightening.

I believe that George Bush is an “End of Timer.” A religious zealot bent on implementing a self fulfilling prophecy resulting in the “end of the world” battle of Armageddon and based on biblical lore. He is not an evil man but delusional as are some right wing religious zealots. He has a strong, narrow minded understanding of the bible and the biblical prophesies concerning the end of the world. I feel that he is determined to make his beliefs materialize and show the world the truth of the bible.

Shame on Bush, Chaney, Powell, Rumsfeld and others in the administration for lying to Congress and to the American people about the reasons for going to war in Iraq: shame on us and Congress if we don’t take the time and expend the effort to check the facts and the validity of the intelligence information this time around pertaining to war with Iran. Many additional lives will depend on it. Perhaps avoiding World War III will, too.