Just plain dumb

MIDDLE EAST: Bothersome Intel on Iran, By Michael Hirsh, NEWSWEEK, Jan 21, 2008

ARTICLE: A President’s Defender Keeps His Distance, By NAZILA FATHI, New York Times, January 8, 2008

Bush has his reality, but Ahmadinejad's deepening fall from grace with the Supreme Leader shows that denying Tehran its favorite enemy puts the onus on its leaders to deal with the internal situation. As the second piece declares: "international pressures are supplanted by internal disagreements."

Containment? Yes.

Some sanctions to work the Revolutionary Guards? You bet (but expect them to act up).

But no carrots means we get no play on these internal disagreements, and that means Bush's policies stalemate themselves.

As I have long stated: all Bush's strategy gets us is a nuclear-capable Tehran down the road that's disconnected and angry and willing to f--k up our efforts throughout the region--that after we remove its two greatest and close enemies from power!

That's just stupid, in strategic terms, to do so much to Iran's benefit and get nada in return. Just plain dumb.

Comments

[farhad]

Bush and the farts in the air(neocons) always wanted to give a lending hand to the hardliners,why? there are a few reasons; one,contrary to all the noises Bush admin made about democracy,in direct"confronying" the hardliners,he gave them the excuses they neededto smash the people movment in the name of fighting the great satan.otherwise proballey people would had finished the mullas by now.two,in 2003 by puting Iran in the axis of evil,did the biggest favor to the hardliner,and effectivley put the nail in the cofin for thereformer's movement,and basicallly killed it.Bush and Israel did notwant peace in the middle east,because they wanted permenant bases,and present in the Persian Gulf,with reformer in office they couldn't carry thier plan,and convience the American people.plus more important of them all,they are scared about the rise of the Iranian people and its aftermat shock waves throughout the region.also, they want to cash in all those oil money that these shaickdomshave in the gulf,by selling blns of arm sales,and like France buildingnuclar power plants.the problem is not Iran having bomb,they don'tlike the way Iranian are getting vast variety of knowlge(forbiden)thatonly should belong to them! and cutting into thier future bussiness.

[Bruce Sterling]

In case you don't know the EU (including Germany) has decided to impose very stringent eco sanctions on Iran that goes beyond the two UN resolutions-because of their nuke program. EU intell on Iran's nukes differs greatly from the NIE Report. Ahmadenijad is hopping mad and made "veiled threats" to Sarkozy.