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Bluesman · 01-19-2006, 12:11 PM

Full court press, starting immediately. There is no other single foreign policy issue that deserves the attention of this matter, and it cannot wait anymore.

DIPLOMATIC offensive
MILITARY strikes, with defensive measures to keep the Straits open
POLITICAL destabilization of the regime
ECONOMIC weapons of all sorts
and finally, a robust and well-planned INFORMATION OPERATIONS campaign.

We are so close to a complete and total disaster, of the world-altering type, that we simply MUST go all the way with it, and we do not have until this time next year to reach that conclusion and ACT on it. No compromise seems likely or even possible at this point, due to 1) the impossibility of matching Iran's nuclear ambitions with something they value as much, and 2) the nature of the regime, which is the 'crazy as a rat in a coffee can' variety. We simply cannot strike a deal with these madmen and their unalterable desire to be a nuclear power and regional hegemon.

If 'regime change' has been discredited as a viable US policy, then we're screwed, because really, nothing else can be considered a success after the smoke has cleared and the dust has settled from the strikes.

I just KNEW this is where we were going to end up. The EU-3 plan was destined for failure, mostly because the Europeans feared American power in the region more than Iranian ambitions, and only reluctantly enageged Iran because they thought that another American adventure would be WORSE than whatever the Iranians were up to. So, they stirred themselves enough to beg for the lead, but not enough to actually back their diplomatic play with any REAL power. THIS is what 'soft power' doctrine gets you: NO RESPECT. And THIS is what flinching in the face of evil gets you: abetting rogue regimes by playing to their strengths, in this case an Iran that WANTS to talk about the crisis until they actually have a weapon ready. Iran never was negotiating in good faith, but they saw that they could keep the EU-3 on the hook forever, just by playing the game. And the Euros went for it, hook, line, and sinker.

Once again, it will all turn on American will, leadership, and capabilities, because that's the only entity on the planet that possesses each iin the right combination and amount to get done what needs to be done.

Does anybody here yet see WHY we're just about sick of the rest of the planet? Either they're evil, feckless, or weak, and after all of their hectoring, lecturing, and ankle-biting, it all comes down to letting us do what they can't or won't, and then listening to them carp about the way we went about it.

But if the rest of the world impedes us THIS time, they'll be forever sorry. Because THIS time, they could actually bring us up short and make us pull our punch. That would be a calamity for all of us.

01-19-2006, 12:11 PM	#3 (permalink)
Bluesman WAB Bartender *Defense Professional* *Military Professional* Join Date: 11-24-04 Location: Vacaville, CA. Posts: 7,520 Country:	Full court press, starting immediately. There is no other single foreign policy issue that deserves the attention of this matter, and it cannot wait anymore. DIPLOMATIC offensive MILITARY strikes, with defensive measures to keep the Straits open POLITICAL destabilization of the regime ECONOMIC weapons of all sorts and finally, a robust and well-planned INFORMATION OPERATIONS campaign. We are so close to a complete and total disaster, of the world-altering type, that we simply MUST go all the way with it, and we do not have until this time next year to reach that conclusion and ACT on it. No compromise seems likely or even possible at this point, due to 1) the impossibility of matching Iran's nuclear ambitions with something they value as much, and 2) the nature of the regime, which is the 'crazy as a rat in a coffee can' variety. We simply cannot strike a deal with these madmen and their unalterable desire to be a nuclear power and regional hegemon. If 'regime change' has been discredited as a viable US policy, then we're screwed, because really, nothing else can be considered a success after the smoke has cleared and the dust has settled from the strikes. I just KNEW this is where we were going to end up. The EU-3 plan was destined for failure, mostly because the Europeans feared American power in the region more than Iranian ambitions, and only reluctantly enageged Iran because they thought that another American adventure would be WORSE than whatever the Iranians were up to. So, they stirred themselves enough to beg for the lead, but not enough to actually back their diplomatic play with any REAL power. THIS is what 'soft power' doctrine gets you: NO RESPECT. And THIS is what flinching in the face of evil gets you: abetting rogue regimes by playing to their strengths, in this case an Iran that WANTS to talk about the crisis until they actually have a weapon ready. Iran never was negotiating in good faith, but they saw that they could keep the EU-3 on the hook forever, just by playing the game. And the Euros went for it, hook, line, and sinker. Once again, it will all turn on American will, leadership, and capabilities, because that's the only entity on the planet that possesses each iin the right combination and amount to get done what needs to be done. Does anybody here yet see WHY we're just about sick of the rest of the planet? Either they're evil, feckless, or weak, and after all of their hectoring, lecturing, and ankle-biting, it all comes down to letting us do what they can't or won't, and then listening to them carp about the way we went about it. But if the rest of the world impedes us THIS time, they'll be forever sorry. Because THIS time, they could actually bring us up short and make us pull our punch. That would be a calamity for all of us. __________________ "The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it, and if one finds the prospect of a long war intolerable, it is natural to disbelieve in the possibility of victory." - George Orwell