Obama began dispatching the first of 4 additional carrier strike forces to the Persian Gulf today.

According to this article, by July/August, we'll have 5 total carrier task forces directly offshore of Iran.

:eeeek icon:

http://www.debka.com/article/8794/


I guess these are the new sanctions he referred to?

Things ain't lookin' so good in Korea either!

I sure hope that doesn't escalate into a full-blown war.

I'm not worried about Iran. We would have our way with them, just like we owned Iraq in the first gulf war. We would just need to get in and get out.

Korea, that would be a fight, and it could go big quickly, NBC big. They actually have good weaponry, a real navy, and some fanatical leadership. I don't see their troops surrendering to a drone.

Blockade would be more likely. Iran amazingly enough does not refine much of its own fuel. Stop the importing of petro and they grind to a halt. Food, other commodities the same.

Game of chicken more likely but ever wonder what happens if nobody chickens out?

Iran certainly isn't Iraq,...and the global implications of a full blown war there are much greater than they were in Iraq. Also, in today's model of warfare,............we never ever leave.

Sanctions are an act of war in case anybody was wondering. I don't see the justification in starving millions of people to will a signatory to the NPT to cease uranium enrichment.

Even if Iran were developing a nuke (which all of our intelligence agencies say they are not) why would that be something that should concern the US?

Aren't we chasing them towards a weapon with all the saber rattling and the fact that we now occupy countries on the eastern and western borders?

Isn't anyone the least bit bothered by the fact we are even considering preemptively attacking a country that has not attacked us?

Iran has a sizeable naval presence, and they have been conducting large scale operations lately in the Strait of Hormuz....Where 40% of the worlds oil supply passes through.
Considering the gulf oil spill and domestic drilling moratorium, securing our foreign oil interests just got a big breath of fresh air.

Hopefully we don't see small skirmish between our naval forces and Iran's develop into full blown war.

4Salt, you are right about Korea, that seems like a powder keg situation right there. Tensions are high, and north and south seem just one skirmish away from war.

Scary stuff really, considering the alliances and such.

Guess we will have to see what happens.

I watched this documentry on N. Korea awhile back, interesting although not really political it is still interesting to see the effort put forth for appearances.

http://www.vbs.tv/watch/the-vice-guide-to-travel/vice-guide-to-north-korea-1-of-3

It's been par for the course since The Mexican War. Most Americans think it's what we're put on Earth for.

Mexico, Cuba, Phillipenes, Russia (1919), China, Korea, Veitnam, Laos, Panama, Grenada, Iraq, El Salvador, Pakistan, Haiti...

It was US Marine Corp Major General Smedley Butler who wrote the book "War is a Racket."

In it he describes how his first hand experiences led him to the firm belief that war is a tool of corporations to make never ending profits. Eisenhower warned of the Military Industrial Complex in his farwell address.

Aunty, your blind faith in a president to take this country to war without being first attacked is akin to liberal's blind faith in the adminstration's attempts at financial and health care regulation. Should congress even issue a declaration of war? If we have that much faith in our president why should they? To hell with the Constitution anyway. We didn't issue a declaration for Iraq, why should we for Iran? Obama must know best.

But wait.

Seven months ago the US proposed a nuclear exchange deal between the Turks, the Brazilians, and the Iranians. In it the Iranians agreed to turn over most of their fissable material to the two countries in exchange for fuel rods that would enable them to produce medical grade materials. Peace seemed to be in the horizon. Only one little problem. The US and the UN Security Council wouldn't be having any of that. "Yes",.....wasn't good enough of an answer, so they proceeded with their sanctions campaign.

Iran nuclear facilities at Natanz are closely watched by the IAEA. Any attempt to enrich beyond the threshold to weapons grade would send off alarm bells. The facts are that the War Party and Israel's amen corner in Congress have been itching to go to war with Iran for some time. This is politics, pure and simple.

Iran has made good faith efforts to create the environment for a comprehensive settlement. Obama during his campaign oft quoted Kennedy concerning negotiating with Iran, stating it is in the county's best interest to focus first on negotiations. Will this be yet another broken promise from the Dear Leader?

Maybe war is how the US gets out of depressions, I mean recessions?

The only way the US can afford another war is to send the mint's printing presses into overtime. But who will buy it?

As a parent of adult children, I don't feel good about the legacy we're leaving the next generation of Americans.

Sg

It will simply be monetized Salmo. Meaning the Fed buys it.

Iran will be a perfect scapegoat to point the finger of blame and explain the runaway inflation. The run up in the price of oil will be because of those "evil Iranians" protecting themselves by blocking the Straight of Hormutz,........out of pure spite you understand.

The timing of this whole thing if it comes to fruition completely stinks to me. The Eurozone crumbling means this "recovery" in the US is coming to a halt,.......there will need to be a distraction and somewhere to place the blame.

The whole freakin' world sees the idiocy in our foreign policy. It worries me that lefties who once pummeled Bush for wars of aggression will now go handsomely along with Barry Soetoro in whatever mindless endeavor he sees fit to embark upon.

Aunty, Aunty, Aunty.

Can you really sit there and tell me that you believe that Iran has it in mind to attack a neighbor to secure more oil and secure more islamic militants????

First of all Iran has not attacked another country in modern history,......not once. Secondly even though Islamic law is completely draconian they remain one of the most socially progressive Muslim countries in the middle east. Also let's not forget they already have some of the largest oil reserves known to man.

I'll tell you why we will never find out why we were lied to about Iraq,..........because it was criminal. In this country there is no justice. We do not retroactively prosecute war criminals who were part of presidential administrations. Why do you think Kissinger's file is sealed until 5 years after his death?

Iran's military buildup is a direct result of them being pressured from all angles. The Persians are no friends to the Arabs. The Israeli's constantly threaten Iran with a nuclear strike. The US has them surrounded,..........and we wonder why they are building up their military????

I should have said preemptively attacked another country.

But, go ahead,......prove me wrong. Because they haven't.

It was Iraq that preemptively attacked Iran (with our help) in the early 80's.

I wouldn't believe a thing KK says about anybody personally if he came floating out of the clouds surrounded by a luminous orb.

That said I'm sorry to report that no where in your C&P did you refute my claim that Iran has not aggressively and preemptively attacked another country in modern history.

All you provided was proof that our double standard in foreign policy continues to this day as we subsidize the defense of the most repressive oligarchal regimes in the middle east while at the same time chastize Iran (an NPT signatory) for developing nuclear energy without any proof of weapons development. Not to mention we continue with crippling sanctions after the Iranians adhere to a deal we proposed.

Sheesh.

Well at least one element to that Arab propaganda piece was true. There has been a cold war raging between the Gulf Arab states and the Iranians since the 1979 revolution.

As I stated before. The Arabs and the Persians have been at odds going back centuries. Claims of Iranian support for the Sunni and CIA backed al qaeda are false even to the casual observer. The madrasas that recruit members to radical forms of islam are located almost exclusively within the oligarchal regimes that comprise the Gulf Arab states. States that the US supports with military and economic aid, most notably Saudi Arabia. It's also important to note that 17 of the 19 9/11 hijackers were Saudi nationals,.....yet we saw it fit to attack Afghanistan,......explain that one.

The power struggle in the middle east remains to this day a complicated triangle between the Arabs, the Persians, and the Israelis. The US for decades has directly supported puppet governments and brutal dictators, much to the dismay of the citizens of those countries.

As recently as a couple of years ago President Bush created and authorized a $400 million program to support the destabalization of the Islamic Republic by directly and indirectly supporting the known Sunni terrorist group Jundallah.

http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/opinion/?id=37727

Like I said before. As a country that is being attacked and subverted on so many fronts it's no wonder they are building up their military and making threats to attack Isreal and the Gulf Arab states if attacked first.

Might be? You doubt?

Might be that Iran knew what was coming and knew they were next on our list.

Or maybe they thought that Zoltan was going to invade from Planet X so they needed a little backup.

Maybe it's just me but I would like a sufficient explanation and cause from our leaders before they drag our country into a bloody, decade long, economically crippling, unnecessary war,.......call me crazy.

Oh and that little "game" of enriching defense contractors is wrath of god money. Many, many people have been killed for making the wrong decisions or going against that grain. Soetoro is no exception.

I think it's pretty strong actually.

Please don't tell me that you think that war actually stimulates an economy?

If you think another war won't put the kind of financial burden on this country that would bring it to it's knees you are living in Oz dear Aunty.

Wolf in sheeps clothing with a smooth telepromter style.

Now for the next verse same as the first verse.

People didn't actually think they were going to get "change" did they?

Watch it now. Benevolent dictators aren't easy to come by, you know.
BTW, aren't we due a re-run of your heritage by our very own Mr. Research.....(kk enter stage left)

Things are getting a little spooky over there........ Certainly not liking what I'm reading! One of them things where you actually hope the media is just hyping it up, but doesn't appear to be the case!

Keith