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20 May 2009




The report that serves as the basis for the Haaretz article is three months old. It got a fair amount of publicity when it was released (I read it). Why would it be the center of a "news" article now? No reason, except as one more opportunity to build the Bomb Iran echo chamber.


Any ideas what's the strategy behind Iranian intransigence to Obama's overture?

Dave of Maryland

There's another view.

What did the Allies do, in London, when confronted with underground German factories that sprang up in the early 1940's? Did they use spies on the ground to determine their locations? Did they carefully track trains in & out of these hidden locations? Did they then develop bunker-buster bombs & destroy those factories?

Or did they firebomb Dresden? Nuke Hiroshima? They had unlimited planes, many airfields, as much ordinance as they liked, they flew raids every day & every night. The Allies took the easy route. German war factories starved from lack of raw materials. They were not destroyed by Allied bombs.

There's another analogy. If Super Crusading Attorney General Bobby Kennedy is making your life a mess, do you take out Bobby, or do you take out his brother?

Nuking Tehran solves many more problems than nuking desert research sites. Nuking Tehran cuts off the head of government, a far greater prize. And it's the easy way out. And don't they have nuke-carrying submarines?

Are the Israelis telling the truth? Of course not. They have the same intelligence as we do. Are the Israelis squeamish? When have the Israelis ever been squeamish?


What did Obama offer/ask the Iranians to do so far?

Iran intransigence in regard to what?


Overture? It probably just sounds like more words to the Iranians. They are still waiting for deeds.


@ zanzibar re Iranian strategy

My guess is that she has the Arab streets in mind, mainly to pressure Arab governments and help her allies in those countries. Her plans wouldn't work without rampant anti-Americanism.

The I/P conflict is the 'raw material' that allows her to maintain a 'working level' of such sentiments since more than anything else it is that conflict that is feeding anti-Americanism in those localities. Iran, like Israel but for different reasons, has absolutely no wish that the conflict be resolved soon.

In this game, Netanyahu and Khameini are just Butch and Sundance (at the top of their game that is). Obama is not in the same league.

Sean Paul Kelley

Yes, Zanzibar, it's election season in Iran and all foreign policy questions are on hold until after the election.


And how long would it take for Iran to produce 200 to 400 nuclear weapons? Surely they wouldn't test #1 on Dimona?!!



WaPo: EXCLUSIVE: U.S., Israel forming working group on Iran


... The Israeli side would be represented by Mr. Jones' counterpart, Uzi Arad.


Aipac letters senate 67, house 195 as of Tuesday.

Senators sign AIPAC-backed letter on Mideast



One has to wonder if Bibi isn't 'pressing' Obama for the 3 U.S. made E3's that the Israelis have been greasing the skids in Congress for.


giving E3 to Israel? Are they insane?

- all Israel airport is so near to hostile border, might as well paint the tarmac with "bomb here" mark. Even Hamas can shot that plane.

- Syria has mig, and awacs has zero defense, except for ability to "see" over great distance. But Israel doesn't have such airspace. few minutes of flight and that plane is already in somebody's airspace.

- Awacs has tons of keys and computer. With Israel level of security, might as well send those to Moscow and Beijing and get the money. Why bother with the middle man?

-who is going to pay for such expensive gear + maintenance? Israel can't afford that. (lemme guess, military aid?)


Where is the evidence that the Iranian leadership (not the president but count him too) are suicidal fools?

Even at a date 20 years in the future would Iran annihilate Israel at the chance the US would respond the same to them? MAD anyone?

What's the real issue here? The Palestinian problem. Bibi wants Greater Israel and time is running out. This is a side show, Iran is going to get the bomb unless the whole of the ME effects nuclear disarmament, and that ain't likely.

Israel will never attack Iran on their own--too risky--and its a real long shot to involve Obama. Bibi's stars didn't align with the fool and four years will be too late.

Sorry Bibi we had the USSR and you got Iran, you are going to have to get along and avoid MAD, don't fret, we've got a Roadmap for you.

maui bob

i say give them the green light then shoot them down. then tell them we mistook them for enemy planes



Dave, they must have known about certain locations. I was born in the German South, Black Forest, and there was one such location. There are not many big cities in that area, so at one point I wondered why this one was attacked. And there was one such location.


"President Obama is not interested in doing Israel's bidding in regard to Iran, but continued Iranian intransigence could change that."

I know what Obama has said, but what actionables back up the contention that he's not interested in doing Isreal's bidding.

Maybe I'm not watching closely enough, but I've yet to see a battle won by Obama regarding Israel. Israel has gotten the funding it sought, Freeman forced out, AIPAC spy case thrown out, Jones on watch list, Congress/AIPAC Israel support lined up. I know I'm mixing congress and admin issues here but I believe they are in cahoots on this)

I've seen Obama's statement from latest ambiguous encounter with Bibi, which I contend was a photo op to inoculate him when he becomes a "reluctant proponent" for a defensive aggression toward Iran. (I think this was always to be the storyline)

Not surprising to me that Iran sitting back now is about testing Obama's commitment to engagement by insisting he set and prepare the negiotating table before they do anything. Seems that Iran is unconvinced this negotiating with Iran thingy isn't for real.

Has Obama or US envoys met with Iran (he was recently in Israel)? Maybe I'm naive, but quit talking about engagement and just do it. Has Iran refused to meet with US? Has US signalled or planned meetings with Iran and Israel?

Now I'll go back to baking my cookies...



So is Uzi Arad 'latest' a blowing out his pipe hole, or is there concrete ominous undertones to this?

'We reserve operational freedom on Iran'


Israel will not let Iran attain nuclear weapons capability, said Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's National Security Adviser Uzi Arad on Thursday, adding that the US was aware of Israel's security needs and knew that it would not necessarily receive forewarning of an Israeli strike against Tehran's nuclear facilities.


I wonder what will happen if Iran says. We will get out of NPT and won't come back as long as Israel doesn't sign NPT.

That would be a brilliant, but painful tactic. But sustainable if Iran has about 80-90% larger economy. (in less than 10 yrs.)




Daniel Luban, at Jim Lobe's blog, highly interesting new. The more people like Roger Cohen will come out support Obama's view, the more will follow. Two more interesting voices, a secret AIPAC source and Keith Weissman:



excuse many, many typos. I am in a hurry.

Sidney O. Smith III

An endpoint -- or the endpoint -- of revisionist Zionism (as distinguished from other varieties, e.g. that of Buber) is the turning of the launch key at Dimona or its equivalent. I don’t say such from a Manichean perspective. No, not at all. I say that as someone who has had an attachment to Zionism. Revisionist Zionism, like other forms of ethnic nationalism, can lead to an exhilarating and intoxicating experience for those deeply involved, and it allows one to turn off a psychological safety switch, thereby bypassing moral considerations that are a deep part of the Judaic tradition. All you have to do is read the Psalter from the viewpoint of a West Bank settler and you will feel the sublime power of the mushroom cloud. Vindication.

Increasingly, a number of very courageous Israelis are sending out warning signals, even at a sub textual level, to those who care to listen. One such person is Segev. Another is Burg.



Tehran has a population of 7.7 million people. Add the suburbs and exurbs and the population is thirteen and a half million. There are lots more people downwind. This proposed atrocity could quite possibly kill more people than the entire population of the state of Israel.

Once the nuclear taboo is broken, why stop with Tehran? On a day when the winds are blowing the right way, why not follow up with Gaza City, Beirut, Cairo...



Bibi would rather.... In the famous words of Dick Cheney, So?

Babak Makkinejad

Sidney O. Smith III:

Are you aware of any statistics regarding the ethnic composition of the settlers?

Do yu know how many of them are born and raised in Israel?

Do you know how many of them are immigrants from North America and Europe?

And do you know what the distribution of hyper-religious, hyper-nationalists are between the native and non-native?

Does anyone know?

How many of the militant settlers are actually Americans or Europeans who are living a (Jewish) fanatsy?

Babak Makkinejad


From Jerusalem Post:


or "Truth from AIPAC's Mouth"

Arthur A.

while the Isaelis speak of irrational Iranian leadership they are now lead by a man who looks visibly unhinged, maniacal and untrustworthy.

This poppycock about "the existential threat" is yet another example of zionist exceptionalism. MAD does not prevent anhihilation, but merely insures that the agressor will perish too. In a world of rational players this doctrine has worked quite well. Is Bibi capable of rational analysis?

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