What does The Decider have to say about this?
That's the thing.
Posted by Sharkbabe at October 28, 2007 10:01 PMAs the warmongers were happy to point out during the run-up to Iraq, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.' While the IAEA report is significant to those of us in the reality-based community, I doubt it will matter to Cheney, et al.
Posted by biggerbox at October 28, 2007 10:47 PMEmpirial data and facts are not dispositive in BuahAmerica, as biggerbox wisely notes.
In fact, they aren't even relevant to the neocons, Cheney and the Talk Radio Repubs.
IAEA completed extensive sweeps of Iraq with geiger counters as part of the inspections "process", found absolutely nothing and informed the world (including BushAmerica) of these findings several days before the invasion. No mushroom cloud was possible, Condi. You saw how much that mattered.
Posted by euzoius at October 29, 2007 05:27 AMThis isn't the fall of 2002.
Posted by snark at October 29, 2007 05:49 AMLuckily, the rest of the world isn't listening to Cheney and the warmonger chorus anymore. They're listening to the IAEA this time, and to China and Russia, who refused to sign on to UN sanctions, which is why Bush had to rush out his new unilateral sanctions on his own. They knew this was coming, they hoped to overshadow El Baradei's impending reports with scary noise, and it isn't working on anyone but lefty bloggers this time. Expect more bluster around Nov. 22, when the IAEA's final report comes out.
Posted by iamcoyote at October 29, 2007 05:55 AMWell, as coyote implies, it's workin' on me!
Bush's unilateral Iran sanctions are for domestic warmongering consumption, our aerial attack isn't going to involve a single other "allied" country. And they want to do everything they can to degrade the Iranian defenses and its build up of new defense capabilities.
The rest of the world won't lift a finger to stop a Bushco attack. Russia and China most likely want the US to irrevocably sink as a credible world power. There's a lot of animus in Russia's ruling circles for our backing of the Afghan rebels, which brought down the government, economy and military of the Soviet Union and took then from the super-power ranks. That rankles!
They more Cheney does to destroy us, the more these waiting-in-the-wings world powers like it. Cheney's attacking Iran digs our grave even deeper---and it can't be too deep for the Russian KGB boys runnin' the show in the Kremlin. History doesn't end, and Americans don't even think it exists.
Posted by euzoius at October 29, 2007 07:52 AMWhile you're right about Putin and Hu being happy that the US is digging its own grave, euzoius, I don't think it's so much about revenge for past mistakes, though that's a bonus, I'm sure. They're giddy at the thought of the US cutting itself out of the markets in Iran. Smaller countries might be cowed by the US's self-imposed sanctions, and fear retribution if they try to do bidness with Tehran, but Russia and China are ecstatic to not have to compete with the US for Iran's resources. And they would be pissed off if their newfound primacy in dealing with Iran is messed up by more chaos.
And without the help of the international community, all our troops in Iraq are prime targets for the promised retaliation from Iran if we strike. Cheney may not care, but Bush wants some kind of legacy other than presiding over the decimation of their prop troops.
Of course, Bush and Cheney's oil buddies have benefitted nicely from the worry about whether they'll attack or not. Have you checked the price per barrel lately? They get all the profit from an attack without the cut in supply an actual attack might bring. Why mess up a last ditch effort to make billions before they leave office? As an added incentive, they get to watch the left squirm and gnash their teeth while the Dem prez candidates try to one-up each other on toughness, then have to back down when their base howls at stuff like Kyl/Lieberman votes.
As snark has said, this is not 2002, that perfect storm of fear, hype, proximity to 9-11, and the world's benefit of the doubt is long gone.
Posted by iamcoyote at October 29, 2007 09:34 AMYou think Bush/Cheney give a rat's ass about the world's benefit of the doubt?
Posted by gay veteran at October 29, 2007 03:08 PMIf they didn't they'd have attacked Iran already.
Posted by snark at October 29, 2007 03:48 PM