As Iranians go to the polls to elect a president, American neoconservatives are openly rooting not for moderate reform candidate and former prime minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi but for anti-U.S. hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. This is an obvious sign both of the neocons’ preference for conflict over peace between the U.S. and Iran and of the generally bankrupt state of conservatism in America, reduced now to banking on failure for the Obama administration (see Huffington Post, Rachel Maddow).
Should the reformist Mousavi win the Iranian election and become president, it would likely signal a new and more positive direction for U.S.-Iranian relations as well as providing support for the “Obama Doctrine” of engagement with Iran and other adversaries. Such a development would at the same time undercut the neocon attitude of hostility and suspicion toward Iran, as well as undercutting the right-wing Israeli government’s aggressive stance toward Iran. Indeed it is likely that right-wingers in Israel as well as America see nothing good for themselves in any warming of relations between the U.S. and Iran.
#78 agreed.
#79 OTher countries complain when America reduces its military presence. This includes Germany after Rumsfeld announced a reduction, and South Korea, when Rumsfeld announced a repositioning of troops. They love having America be the first people hit in a N Korean attack.
Jagermeister, the WMDs were the side reason. The primary reason was to topple Saddam. For political reasons, WMD made the top of the list.
From National Review:
Imagine how powerful it would be for Obama (or, more likely, a surrogate) to be able to stand up and say to the Iranian protesters, “Under the USA, your neighbor Iraq held free and fair elections. The government of Iran went out of its way to demonize the US and undermine those elections. We are now seeing the results of that mindset come home to Iran as you are denied a voice by your government in your own elections. The US government stands behind all who seek free and fair elections.”
@Mike
South Korea is so wealthy compared to North Korea they could have a military with jets, hi-tech radar, missile interceptors and bring North Korea to it’s knees.
Germany is the wealthiest country in Europe; we should withdraw. Considering their country had the wealth and resources to start 2 World Wars I bet they could have a military large enough to counter-balance Russia.
And what the hell are we getting out of subsidizing the protection for these countries that clearly shouldn’t need it?
We have a huge national debt and we have a huge deficit! So there isn’t even an economic reason.
The heinous Pol Pot of Cambodia was taken out by Vietnam after we left, so certainly the rest of the world can fend for itself and share the costs of maintaining a stable world.
@Jagermeister (again)
“Iran having democratic elements? Haven’t yesterday’s election taught you anything? ”
If the Iranians know how to riot — and they DO, they HAVE and they WILL — they will one day have Democracy.
See pics of the fires after the election …
http://breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.de58ae79bab547316b950e6d9851e28a.4b1&show_article=1
Don’t believe everything you are told; the Iranian people are on the right track.
Everyone misspells this fuckers name, it is Ahmadickwad.
#85, Special Ed,
Ya, I know the feeling.
Its obvious everyone *but* iranian people want this dickwad to win.
1
Israeli Defence Forces wants to liberate iranian goys and shiksas from muslim terror for quite long time, and nowadays they have entire US Army anxiously waiting to help them. What better time to do it?
2
Iran is one of the last modern countries where international corporations have no control or influence. Such barbarism cannot stand in modern times!
3
The timing is almost right, just need little bit more of flu pandemia, and of course reason that looks good on tv (i.e. Ahmadickwad in power saying he wants to wipe out americans, jews or any other eskimos) to attack.
Evidently Panetta is saying similar things about Cheney…marvelous such genius is so common among statists.
Will Obama side with the protesters…
He should…its the right thing to do…
Also, we can’t lose if we do, we have nothing to lose if the present regime falls.
Hmeyers, I’d go further and drop NATO entirely.
Mikey, I agree!
It’s a cold war relic, if we left NATO maybe we could have a military surplus by selling them all the weapons they’d need to buy to quit relying on us.