Misblog

Originally published March 17, 2008, Updated and Republished April 25, 2008, Updated and Republished May 02, 2008; Updated and Republished May 21, 2008; Updated and Republished June 06, 2008; Updated and Republished July 01, 2008:

These six eight eight-point-five nine 10 11 12 combined indicators signal an Iran attack is imminent:

12. UPDATED 07/01/2008 Bush, Cheney and the so called congressional "Gang of Eight"³ (Nancy Pelosi, Roy Blunt, Sivestre Reyes, Peter Hoekstra, Harry Reid, Mitch McConnell, John Rockefeller, and Christopher Bond) have begun running major covert operations against Iran to provoke a Casus Beli sufficient to justify an Iran War debacle—guess if you can't manufacture intelligence to begin an Iran War debacle you just have to try provoking it!

    The secret covert operations are being directed out of Vice President Cheney's office in the White House (New Yorker Magazine, Preparing the Battlefield).

    November 2008 cannot come too soon for this American—any chance we can just skip the conventions and hold early elections?!

11. UPDATED 06/06/2008 Israel's low level Transport Minister, Shaul Mofaz, sends up a trial balloon that Israel will attack Iran if it does not stop uranium enrichment (Reuters, Israel to attack Iran unless enrichment stops: minister).

    If Israel preemptively attacks Iran, America must immediately stop ALL monetary financial aid ($3 Billion per year)², military loan guarantees, and delivery of all (defensive and offensive) military hardware to Israel.

    America must make crystal clear that we will not defend Israel in ANY war preemptively initiated by Israel. America must make crystal clear that it will defend Israel if she is attacked.

    UPDATED 06/09/08 Guess the trial balloon didn't go over so well (AP, Israel backs away from minister's Iran statement).

10. UPDATED 05/21/2008 Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has urged the United States (House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during yesterday's visit) to blockade Iran. (AFP).

    Go for it Olmert (guarantee it will distract the Israelis from your being investigated for corruption - Reuters and AP)! If you think you have enough support in Israel to declare war against Iran—get your submarines in the water and begin an Israeli naval blockade (an act of war under international law)! We want no part of an Israel-neoconservative Israel-Iran war or ANY American politician that does!

9. UPDATED 05/21/2008 Jerusalem Post is quoting "senior officials" as saying Bush plans to attack Iran in the coming months—a claim spokespuppet Dana Perino says isn't worth the paper it's written on—yeah, but is it true Perino?(AP)

8. UPDATED 04/25/2008 Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, Admiral Michael Mullen, using vague and militarily meaningless words, states that the Pentagon is planning for "potential military courses of action" against Iran. (WP and AFP)

   • 8.5. UPDATED 05/02/2008 Secretary of Defense Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, Admiral Michael Mullen, continue their "Mutt and Jeff" comic routine on Iran attack...(CBS)
7. UPDATED 03/18/2008 On Wednesday Speaker Pelosi will begin an "India Only" visit extending through the Easter weekend, ostensibly to talk about the stalled nuclear deal with India. (UPI)
6. Israel announces it is preparing to conduct nation wide nuclear drills on April 6, 2008. (UPI)
5. United States simultaneously deploys all four of its SSGN submarine platforms—combined they carry up to 616 cruise missiles, 250 special forces troops, and special equipment.(NavNews)
4. The Chief Commander of Middle East Forces, four star Admiral William Fallon, resigns. (AP)
3. Cheney travels to Middle East ostensibly for peace talks with Israel and Saudi Arabia, makes a surprise pop-up visit to Iraq with the delusional declaration that Iraq has been a successful endeavor¹ (no word on whether he went shopping in the market just like back home).(AFP and AFP)
2. Cold War antiquarians, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, travel to Russia ostensibly for talks about Missile Defense. (AFP)
1. Hard-line nationalist Iranian politicians overwhelmingly win in Iran’s parliamentary elections. (AP)

There is absolutely NO American national security interest to protect by attacking Iran, NONE—It is hard to over-state how foolish it is for America to attack Iran!

Conflating Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein produced the Iraq debacle. Conflating Israel's interests with America's interests will produce the Iran debacle.

America has no interest in attacking Iran on behalf of Israel, Israeli Lobby, or neoconservatives—None, nada, zero, zip, zippo, nothing, null, goose egg, nil, zilch.

-----notes-----

1. Well then, having declared success all that remains is to bring our troops home from Iraq.

2. Total of all US aid to Israel 1949-2006 is a whopping $98.7 billion dollars. See U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel, CRS RL33222, (2007)—not a bad return on Israel's lobbying efforts!

The former Israel defense minister neglected to mention that Israel does not currently have the conventional weaponry to more than irritate Iran. Additionally, the cost to Israel will likely exceed the cost of 18 cascades and the resources to rebuild any Israel manage to destroy (i.e. those less than several meters underground).

If Israel attacks Iran with non-conventional weapons (e.g. low yield nuclear "bunker buster"), irritating Iran will be the least of its concerns.

3. Not to be confused with the Chinese Communist Party's so called Eight Immortals.