Former Democratic Senator, Gary Hart, is a believer. He believes an attack on Iran may very well be the so-called “October Surprise” from Bush, Rove and Co. (via The Huffington Post):
It should come as no surprise if the Bush Administration undertakes a preemptive war against Iran sometime before the November election.
Were these more normal times, this would be a stunning possibility, quickly dismissed by thoughtful people as dangerous, unprovoked, and out of keeping with our national character. But we do not live in normal times. […]
The steps will be these: Air Force tankers will be deployed to fuel B-2 bombers, Navy cruise missile ships will be positioned at strategic points in the northern Indian Ocean and perhaps the Persian Gulf, unmanned drones will collect target data, and commando teams will refine those data. The latter two steps are already being taken.
Then the president will speak on national television. He will say this: Iran is determined to develop nuclear weapons; if this happens, the entire region will go nuclear; our diplomatic efforts to prevent this have failed; Iran is offering a haven to known al Qaeda leaders; the fate of our ally Israel is at stake; Iran persists in supporting terrorism, including in Iraq; and sanctions will have no affect (and besides they are for sissies). He will not say: …and besides, we need the oil.
Please go read the whole nine yards, as they say.
Let me quote to you Senator’s Hart’s final two paragraphs:
With a worldview so black and white, of clearly defined good guys and evil doers, it is all to easy for someone like Bush to make monumental miscalculations, and to make those misjudments on the basis of fantasy and wish fulfillment, rather than a rational and careful analysis if the facts.
Press on this; press on this; press on this.
There is only ONE WAY that we can effectively stop the success of this move, if it indeed happens (As seems to be the likely case.)
We must publicize what is really going on in any way we can.
Tell your neighbors, your family, your friends, your co-workers. Blog your asses off. Write letters. March. Make telephone calls.
REACH THE UNINFORMED, THE UNCOMMITTED.
Only the possibility of an even GREATER political loss will stop these people from running an Iran War game.
And how to make that possibility a reality?
One mind at a time.
That is the ONLY way.
MIND
AT
A
TIME
Later…
AG
I’ve been pressing Arthur, I’ve been pressing …
Let me ask you wise ppl here a question. If this adm. does go ahead and do this horrible thing, would this be the end of the republican party as we know it? Do you think the Iranian ppl will allow this to happen without fighting back and making this look like the worst thing ever in the world? Do you think the military will actually let this happen without a revolt? What will be the consensus of the ppl in America be if this should transpire?
These ppl are absolutely nuts to even contemplate such a move. Then again we all know this to be a group of ppl who have lost their ever-lovein minds…
Steven, you are doing such a great job in your writings. I applaud you. How is your wife? My best.
My wife: She finishes up her radiation treatments tomorrow. It’s been a little rough at times, but she’s hoding up well. After she recovers from this round of chemo and radiation, she has another round of just chemo scheduled.
As for the Republican Party, I fear we are watching them morph into something rather ugly and fascist, to be blunt. And I don’t see enough from our Dem officials to stem the tide. It seems those who are outside of office (Gore, Edwards, Clark, etc.) are more outspoken about the danger we face than those in office. The leading pols in Congress still seem to be “triangulating” too much. I think they are triangulating themselves into permanent minority party status, with an essentially authoritarian one party state run by the most extreme elements of the Repubs.
Steven, I hope things work out better for her with the upcoming new round of chemo. My mother had problems with severe nausea with hers and she was told to eat popcorn while getting it. Now that my mother is passed, I do not remember if I ever asked her if it worked.
Anyhow, hope that someone who has some clout will step up and clear the air over this whole adm.s messing around and creating the worst ever world in which to live. I have this aching in my old bones that shit is about to hit the fan and when it does, I want to see the fact that these critters go down as hard as they can fall. Every last one of them. I fear for the civilian population of Iran as we are all now seeing in Iraq.
If we do go into Iraq, I predict we will loose most of our military in Iraq with blowback. So be prepared for mass funerals here in America. This is a given. So very sad!
I’ve been watching Edwards at his One America Committee web site and blog.
The way I figure it – IF the US democracy survives to 2008 and IF there is any integrity left if our electoral politics – we are in sore need of someone with a little principle left to take on Hilary. As much as I like and admire Feingold, I don’t think he can do it. And if Gore doesn’t get in the race – I think that leaves Edwards as the strongest possibility.
He’s doing some very interesting things and smartly flying under the radar right now. He’s working hard to help dems this November and spending lots of time with “real” people who will be going to primaries and caucuses.
But most importantly – he’s being relentless in his fight against poverty and saying that the Dems need to stop half-assing (my word, not his) healthcare issues and get behind universal healthcare.
And Elizabeth Edward’s book comes out this week. She’ll be on Oprah on Wednesday in case anyone’s interested.
Presumably Karl Rove will tell Bush that gasoline at $5-6 per gallon is not going to enhance Republican chances in November. I really have a hard time believing that the attack will come in October.
I don’t think it will either. But the PR Blitz in the run-up to the war will happen. In fact it already is happening. My guess is that war will start shprtly after November 7th.