France cuts right to the point:
France plainly accused Iran today of pursuing a nuclear program that can only be intended for military purposes, just a two days after Iran said it had resumed enrichment for civilian purposes.
The declaration by Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy raised the pressure on Iran, ahead of talks next week in Brussels and Moscow with European Union and Russian officials, as Iran tries to avert a showdown at the Security Council in March.
“Today, it’s simple; no civilian nuclear program can explain the Iranian nuclear program. So, it’s an Iranian clandestine military nuclear program,” Mr. Douste-Blazy said on a morning news show on France 2 television.
I am not used to such straightforward and undiplomatic proclamations from our European allies, and I am unsure if this should tell me the situation is even worse than I had previously thought.
D. Mason
I guess if we weren’t bogged down in iraq we might be in a position to do soemthing about it. Too bad, so sad.
Mr Furious
Good for France. Too bad we didn’t listen to them last time, or we might be in a position to do something about it…
LITBMueller
I read this, and immediately became suspicious: this sort of logic is like saying, “The fact that bees fly cannot be explained by physics. So, bees fly by magic!”
Who the hell is this Philippe guy? A simple look at Wikipedia will show you he’s incredibly unqualified for his position:
Douste-Blazy was a cardiologist who got into politics, served as Mayor of Tolouse, and has held health and culture-related ministerial positions since the 90’s.
But here is the kicker:
Wow! Yer doin’ a heckuva job, Douste-Blazy-ie!!!!
So, I would suggest taking this man’s GIGANTIC leap of logic, unsupported by facts or evidence, with an even BIGGER grain of salt.
The fact remains that our own intelligence agencies have concluded that it would take Iran some 10 years to build any nuclear wepaon. Yet, there seems to be some sort of collective wisdom being thrown about by world leaders and the press that Iran is only days/months away from building a bomb. Yet, we have less evidence than we had in the run-up to Iraq: no presentations at the UN, no satellite imagery, no INC-provided defectors.
We’re getting railroaded. This Douste-Blazy is helping.
ppGaz
France voted against the GWOT before they voted for it.
They can’t be trusted.
People … and countries … who change their minds are not to be trusted. Once you make your mind up, that’s it. Stick to your guns.
If I wanted wishy-washy, I would have voted for … well, maybe I would …. er …. uh …
All I know is, “French” is for toast, and for kissing. Not good for much else.
Brian
I guess now we can all set to the task of dealing with Iran’s nuclear ambitions….because France has spoken!
The situation is as bad, if not worse, than it seems. Rather than diddling around about Cheney’s hunting mistake (although we can all thank the W.H. and Cheney for screwing the pooch in communicating on that one), and focusing their energies on the NSA, Plamegate, and Britney Spears driving with her baby in her lap, the media is abdicating it responsibilities and its resources in not giving this story the attention it deserves.
I will bet that we’re in direct conflict with Iran by this summer. A lot of signs are pointing that way: Ahmadinejad’s rattling about the destruction of Israel and last weekend’s speech where he encouraged his people and military to prepare for conflict, plans being drawn for attacks on key facilities by Western forces, the mobilization of Muslims through a ginned-up cartoon controversy (I don’t think they’re necessarily mutually exclusive), encouragement by the U.S. to resistance groups within the country – that Iran will fight against, and the internal crackdown on the Sufis that will only help bring international pressure on the regime.
It’s serious business.
D. Mason
LITBMueller if Iraq is any indication, the decision to go to war has already been made, they’re just doing the pre-game warmup now. WWIII might be just around the corner. If we start bombing Iranian nuclear facilities the fallout could be catastrophic to Irans neighbors. What do you want to bet they wouldn’t appreciate that too much?
Iran would be foolish to NOT be trying to get nukes. Having a functioning nuke might just be the only thing that could protect them from the American Empire.
I feel bad for our soldiers stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. If this build up comes to fruitition, they will be caught in a bloodbath.
LITBMueller
I totally agree, D. Mason. Don’t forget the incredible economic shockwave sent through the oil industry – it would (will?) be devastating to our economy.
Marcus Wellby
I see, so we are no longer mocking and ignoring the French? It is hard to keep track these days…
Lines
in my best righty man-voice
We can always drill through the glass to get to the oil.
D. Mason
Not just our economy LITBMueller the entire worlds economy, especially the emerging industrial superpower China. That seems(to me) like a possible catalyst for the start of a third world war. When Chinese industries start floundering because of our agressive foriegn policy it seems entirely likely(to me) that China could get an itch to interfere.
Of course, our VERY oil dependant military machine would be brought to a grinding halt if the oil pipelines run dry, and our soldiers(who aren’t trained to operate without a river of petroleum flowing beneath them) would be hanged out to dry. With our army descimated and our economy in ruin the U.S. would be ripe for the picking. This is of course only one possibility among a myriad of plausible scenarios, but if it were to happen this way we might all be speaking mandarin in 20 years.
capelza
Two words…beaujolais nouveau.
So some guy from France has spoken and now his statements will used as a prop…like those resolutions from the UN (that useless organisation that we’ll still use as a rationale to do whatever we want).
We want to have our gateau and eat it, too…
Steve
Our European “allies” will overplay their hand on this, as usual.
John S.
I guess that they are aspiring to be more like the United States.
Not that our proclamations with this administration are really all that straightforward, though they certainly are undiplomatic.
srv
Yes, we have our newest Hitler, and he is Ahmadinejad. Bushcult Rapture(TM) in our own times.
Just join us in the futures market. There’s alot of money to be made on the dead.
Don Surber
1. when did the french become an ally?
2. french don’t like it, let them send their troops in.
Marcus Wellby
Haha!That is good snark…
Steve
1776
spoosmith
It was Bush who first lumped them into that axis of evil bullsh*t. If I were Iran, I would be trying to make a nuclear weapon as fast as I could. It would be the only deterrant to stave off an attack. Do I think they would actually use it? No more so than India and Pakistan, who were actually threatening to use theirs (and no one called them names).
If the US bombs Iran, I think that the entire Middle East will form a solidarity against the US “aggression” as they would see it and Muslims around the world would rise up in protest of what they would see as an attack on Islamic countries.
The world cannot afford this showdown.
Marcus Wellby
Ever since LeBeau baked a cake for Schultz so that Kinch could sneak past him and put a bug in Klink’s flower pot. Damn man, do you know any history at all?
Tom
I shudder to think of the tone of the forthcoming strongly worded resolution..,
Paddy O'Shea
While it is refreshing to see our European allies stepping up, I can’t help but suspect that at least part of the reason for their doing so is fear of what the irrational leadership in the United States might do if they don’t get involved.
Events have forced them to play the role we used to play. That is, adults.
Stormy70
Off-topic, sorry, but I can’t help myself, and really, where is the open thread for us today?!
Did
Kristaanyone seeSayidLost last night? Oh, my. I think I need to be tortured just a little by a certain castaway. Stat.Sayid
Stormy, I am sure there are many at Balloon-Juice who would enjoy waterboarding with you.
Par R
It’s good to see that geopolitical foreign affairs experts, LITBMueller and D. Mason have weighed in with their carefully thought out concerns. Personally, I think they should have drank a lot more of the Kool Aid before tossing around such apocalyptic nonsense.
The dangers of significant radioactive fallout from well placed bombs on the Iranian program at this stage of development are slight. In any event, you can’t expect to make an omelette without breaking the eggs, as they say. (This last comment is intended to be as stupid as most of their comments were.) The oil shock, both price and availability, associated with the aftermath of a preemptive attack on Iran’s developing nuclear facilities, would pose some short term issues, but should be manageable in short order; one need only to look back to the experience of the Arab embargo back in the 1970s for guidance.
The French action, which reflected the views of the most senior leaders of France rather than the willful musings of the Foreign Minister (as LITBMueller appears to believe), are encouraging signs. They suggest that perhaps the Europeans may well get their act together, so that together with the Russians, a strong economic sanctions program can be put in place if the Iranians don’t back down. A united position on the need for a firm program might in and of itself lead to a moderation in the Iranian program.
Pooh
Stormy, I know I was right in mocking you because I didn’t feel the least bit guilty afterwords.
;)
Pooh’s theorem of Lost contains to gain ground
Stormy70
I don’t think anyone posting here feels remotely guilty about anything, ever.
Sayid – waterboarding? Mexican Riviera? Don’t tell Barbara.
Joey
From our very first moment of existence. They are our oldest ally, and though relations have been strained at times, they have never not been an ally. Friends fight all the time over stupid shit.
Marcus Wellby
No spoilers please!! I am new to Lost — watched all of Season 1 on DVD last week and am making my way through season 2 on iTunes — it is quite possibly the best network show ever.
Hmm, stormy, with you Kaysar thang over the summer and your Sayad infatuation I think I see a pattern developing…
Krista
Shit! I was told it wasn’t going to be a new episode last night, ’cause of the Olympics. Son of a bitch…now I’m mad. I’ll have to get my ass over to Television Without Pity and see what happened. It won’t be the same, though.
I’m still vehemently against torture, but he could pin me down and tickle me…that’d be legal, wouldn’t it?
Stormy70
No spoilers here, just admiring the cut of Sayid’s jib.
As for patterns, I think Kim and Sawyer are hot, too. I appreciate all forms of male beauty. On the other side of the color spectrum was Legolas from LoTR.
But Naveen was the only redeeming value of the English Patient. If he had not shown up, I would have had to do something drastic to escape that horrible movie. I was very happy to see him on Lost.
Stormy70
Krista! I think next week’s episode will be a rerun, but sometimes when they have a new episode they will show the previous episode one hour before the new episode airs. Whew! I am exhausted after typing that run-on sentence.
You must see that episode. I cannot stress this enough. ;)
D. Mason
Par R I know that you live a neo-conned existance where experts are gods and common people are brain dead but in the real world where the rest of us live the writing on the wall is pretty clear. It doesn’t take an expert to see that the U.S. is courting disaster. We are approaching a tipping point and invading Iran would be a giant lurch forward.
There is a direct corelation with the progress towards having a nuke and the signifigance of the fallout from an attack on the labs working to create them. Therefore by your logic they are far(as our intelligence reports say) from having a working bomb. Why the hurry to stir up more shit? Is another pre-emptive war what we need?
I believe that every citizen who has an interest in world affairs hopes and prays that a diplomatic resolution can be reached. But once again, if Iraq is any indicator, that’s not really on the table.
I’m not some left wing nut who believes we should never defend our interests, but give me a break. We are bogged down in 2 wars… Are we going for a quagmire hat-trick? George Washington said “beware of foreign entanglements”. I think that was sage advice then and I’m sure it is now. Too bad noone is listening.
Krista
Stormy – I’ll do my best. And if worst comes to worst, there’s always the DVD. That’s what I did with Galactica, anyway.
tzs
What happens if Iran decides (preemptively) to sink a few of their tankers in the Straits of Hormuz?
Hello, $100+ per barrel of oil?
Have any of the war planners factored that into their plans?
Sheesh.
Don Surber
when did the french become an ally?
Ever since LeBeau baked a cake for Schultz so that Kinch could sneak past him and put a bug in Klink’s flower pot. Damn man, do you know any history at all?
LOL
Actually it was not until 1779 for those of you keeping score at home and then only to piss off the brits. Our oldest ally is Poland. Pulaski roolz
France stopped being our ally in 1801 when Jefferson launched a preemptive war against the barbary pirates, whom teh french had been bribing since Joan d’Arc
Next time the Germans invade france, I say we let them keep it
It will teach both of them a lesson
Pooh
Krista, you should be able to download the episode from itunes for $1.99.
And that should have been ‘Pooh’s Theorem of Lost continues to gain ground.’
Bob In Pacifica
Don Surber writes, “France stopped being our ally in 1801.”
Don, in case you haven’t been following closely over the last 200 years, they freed the slaves and women got the vote.
Bob In Pacifica
Calling Valerie,
How’s the CIA Humint on Iran’s nuclear work going?
Sam Hutcheson
A couple of points that people not indoctrinated in the latest spin points of whatever party might be interested to know:
1) There is one country with which the Bush administration meets to discuss foriegn policy on a weekly basis: France. They have a constant FP attache in Washington specifically for this meeting.
2) The nearest approximation of neo-conservativism on the European continent is Gaulism.
3) France is more concerned about Iranian nukes, to some extent, because Iran probably has the rocket technology to land a warhead in Nice.
les
Does this mean I can stop ordering “freedom fries”, or would that still make me a surrender monkey?
Jorge
I can hear the war drums in the distance – just in time for November. One last Neocon con job before the 2008 POTUS election.
Par R
Pray tell, Mr. Mason, what is your best suggestion since you rule out any form of military action and don’t believe diplomatic pressure will work to resolve the “Iran with a Nuke” issue? Am I right in assuming, based on your comments, that you can live with a nuclear Iran notwithstanding their aberrant behavior and well documented ties to numerous terrorist organizations? If so, perhaps you should sign up for Farsi and Islamic religious instructions right now.
The Other Steve
Hey, what’s this… stratfor article. (got to it from google by searching for ‘russia iran’ under news. so it’s premium and you probably won’t get to it)
Even more interesting…
Iran is cunning, and they know what they are doing. They are our biggest threat in the middle east. Unfortunately they are too cunning for our existing administration, which already fell for their Iraq gambit.
Nothing much I can do about it. The Bush administration is guaranteed to fuck this up and make it worse, purposefully so they can campaign in the next election on how this problem needs to be solved.
Perry Como
Anyone want to start a “When will the US bomb Iran” pool? I say within 1.5 months. Their Euro traded oil bourse is opening within that time frame.
MAX HATS
U R DUM
Even by the purely bellicose metric used by so called “conservatives” to measure international co-operation, France is amongst our closest allies. Our intelligence agencies co-operate to a unprecendented degree in the capture and rendition of terrorist suspects and the sharing of intelligence on Muslim extremist movements.
LITBMueller
From Par R
Kool Aid? No. I’ll leave that stuff to the Neocons. I prefer beer and good ol’ realpolitik, anyway. You know, the kind we used to practice before we took up the Shoot First, Ask Questions Later Doctrine(tm).
Remember, though, there is another type of fallout: political. Shiite unrest in Iraq, a blockade of the Straights of Hormuz by Iran, retaliatory strikes by Iran and its terrorist allies, increased nuclear proliferation as other countries in the region race to secretly get the bomb, an end to any moderate political reform movement in Iran (if not much of the Middle East), damage to our relations with China and Russia….
That was 30 years ago. The economy is much different now, with strengths and weaknesses in different areas. A radical increase in oil prices affects every single sector of the American economy, and we saw from smaller “shocks to the system,” such as Katrina and the steadily rising prices over ths summer that there is a big economic backlash from increasing oil prices.
But even if our economy, if it was the only one affected, could survive it, what of the rest of the world, becuase the oil shock would be felt worldwide.
Iran supplies something like 13% of China’s oil. Their demand is skyrocketing. Could they survive the shock? What of our trade with China (since we are in such a trade deficit)? How would that afect our economy?
And what about Europe? How would the oil shock affect their economies?
And what of our neighbors to the South, Mexico and South America? How would their economies fare? Are you worried about illegal immigration? Well, you’d be even more upset after a major oil shock disrupts the world economy.
But, hey, if you think $100 per barrell is A-OK, I hope you’ll enjoy those gas lines! ;)
Steve
Can we live with a nuclear Pakistan? Can we live with a nuclear Soviet Union? Maybe in hindsight the Soviets were “sane” but I don’t recall being so sure of it at the time.
It does not help to talk about this issue in absolutist terms (“Either you favor stopping Iran from getting the bomb regardless of the costs, or else you’re happy to see Iran getting the bomb”). Everyone obviously prefers that they not get it. The questions are: (1) What will it take to stop them, and (2) Is it worth doing? Anyone who answers (2) without first answering (1) is unserious in my book.
LITBMueller
You beat me to it, Steve. But, I will add a line fom Revenge of the Sith for shits n’ giggles:
“Only a Neocon deals in absolutes, Par R.”
But, as far as what we SHOULD do, whatever happened to direct talks? Why are we letting other countries take the lead, even though Iran wants a nuclear program to keep the US at bay?
Lets face it: the Eupropean-led negotiations were designed to fail. Iran was never ineterested in nuclear technology because they were worried about Europe. They are worried about US.
What would be wrong with personally offering a non-aggression pact to Iran if they, in return, abandon their quest for nuclear technology? What about offering carrots instead of just flashing sticks?
That is the essence of true diplomacy – something this administration is completely uninterested in.
Sayid
Other Steve, exactly.
Axis-of-Evil(TM): 1/2002
Let’s start worrying about it: 2006
Bzzt. Too late.
Iran and their ally, China, are way smarter than our guys are. Think of this a war-by-proxy by China. Our power in the ME will decline, and we’ll all be better off for it. Empires corrode the soul and safety.
The Other Steve
Is there anything that the US could possibly offer Iran which would dissuade them?
That’s the thing, the US has just backed itself into a corner. If we threaten military action, they’ll just say “That’s why we need to build nukes”, and we can’t really threaten economic sanctions because we already have them imposed and they don’t care.
I suppose we could flail our arms around in the air and scream.
srv
Well, it’ll be more like we’ll bang the wardrums and all sorts of hysterical allegations. Mushroom clouds! I’ll tell you what. Then bomb some sites and declare mission accomplished. Call any dems that don’t support it ninnies and milk it for November.
In the end, Iran still gets the bomb, and the population fighting for liberalization against the clerics just gets more marginalized. Progress set aside for another generation or so.
LITBMueller
Well, I suggested one: a non-agression pact. Kinda addresses the whole reason they want nukes, doesn’t it?
Here’s another one: a scheduled, gradual lifting of our current sanctions tied in to specific goals: dismantling of specific nuclear sites, IAEA inspections, etc…whatever.
The fact that the President and the media have not broached the topic does not mean that there aren’t several ways to approach negotiations…without a loaded gun!
All it takes some creativity and open-mindedness.
LITBMueller
That’s an excellent point, BTW, srv: any attack short of invasion and conquering Iran will only delay their nuclear program, not end it completely.
hass
The French are simply trying to make up for the fact that most people there don’t trust their own president either:
“Few French adults appear satisfied with Jacques Chirac, according to a poll by TNS-Sofres published in Le Figaro. Only 21 per cent of respondents express confidence in their president to face the country’s problems” http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/10875
Here are the known facts about Iran’s nuclear program:
1- Iran has a legitimate economic case for nuclear power, which the US (including some of the members of the current Bush administration) encouraged. (see http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3983-2005Mar26.html and http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/GH24Ak02.html)
2- Iran’s enrichment program was not clandestine, and was widely reported in the nuclear industry literature & on Iranian radio. Iran’s deals with countries like CHina to make the necessary plants had been reported to the IAEA, and the IAEA had even visited Iran’s uranium mines in 1992. (See Le Monde Diplomatique: “Iran Needs Nuclear Energy, Not Weapons” November 2005 – http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:Wv7d_FdiMH0J:mondediplo.com/2005/11/02iran)
3- While there were undeclared facilities in Iran, the IAEA reported in Nov 2003 that “to date, there is no evidence that the previously undeclared nuclear material and activities referred to above were related to a nuclear weapons program.” Several other countries were caught cheating much worse with nuclear experiments than Iran (S. Korea, Bulgaria, Egypt . . .) but they just got a slap on th e wrist & no demands were made of them to totally give up their rights to a civilian nuclear industry.
4- In Nov 2004, the IAEA reported that “all the declared nuclear material in Iran has been accounted for, and therefore such material is not diverted to prohibited activities.”
5- In Jan 2006, the IAEA reported that “Iran has continued to facilitate access under its Safeguards Agreement as requested by the Agency . . . including by providing in a timely manner the requisite declarations and access to locations.”
6- Repeated offers of compromise by Iran that would have addressed the risk of proliferation of nukes were simply dismissed without any consideration. Most recently, Iran’s Jan 2006 offer to continue the suspension of enrichment for another 2 years of additional negotiations were summarily dismissed, and not even reported in the US press though it was reported in the Iranian press (see
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HB07Ak01.html )
Oh yeah, there’s also a “magic laptop” which has literally fallen out of the blue sky, and conveniently provides all the evidence of a nuclear weapons program in Iran that no one else has found after 3 years of inspections.
So, there we have it. Draw your own conclusions. Ask yourself, are nuclear weapons really the issue here or just a pretext?
Darrell
I suspect the French would be singing a different tune if it were French companies rather than Russian with the nuclear fuel and facilities contracts.
srv
Aberrant Ahmed. I like that. And you fantasize there’s some moderation to be found with him. Hmm. Chamberlain comes to mind.
So back to you. The only way we’re going to know for sure is to invade, occupy and democratize Iran. Trusting namby-pampy French and UN inspectors to run around Iran for 10 years? Sanctions! Hah, how Clintonian. How many sites did he bomb? 9/11 changed everything. Either Iran is an existential threat, or it isn’t. Either it’s our obligation to free the Iranian people or it isn’t.
Why don’t absolutist get absolutism? I absolutely amazes me.
Maybe it’s because your party is playing for November and not a nuclear-free Iran.
If not, I know the dems let y’all off easy last time, but could you please submit a detailed plan on invading, occupying and democratizing Iran? And for the sake of us Sharia-lovers, please assume there will be an insurgency.
D. Mason
Par R, I never suggested that diplomatic options wouldn’t work, infact I think it is the only option that can yield positive results. I said diplomacy probably isn’t on the table. Historically speaking, diplomacy hasn’t exactly been a go-to option for the current admin. It’s a tactic they don’t seem to be interested in trying. Of course having a band of war cheerleaders like yourself doesn’t hurt.
If someone were willing to actually make them accountable for the decisions they make in office maybe they would weigh their options more carefully. In the past few decades presidents haven’t been held accountable for their decisions to go to war and as a byproduct that option has become more and more preferable.
srv
Iran Renames Danish Pastries
Buwahahahahaha.
Freedom fries on the march.
Darrell
Nukes are obviously nothing but a pretext for this bloodthirsty adminstration to justify another War for Oil(TM) in order to exploit the resources of the peace-loving Iranians and to fatten the pockets of Halliburton.
Par R
Darrell says: “Nukes are obviously nothing but a pretext for this bloodthirsty adminstration to justify another War for Oil™ in order to exploit the resources of the peace-loving Iranians and to fatten the pockets of Halliburton.”
This statement is so idiotic that I assume it is intended as some sort of “ironical” comment. It is, however, the widely accepted view of the should-be-institutionalized crowd at Kos, HuffPo, and MoveOn, among other homes to the Nation’s nitwits.
Pooh
Darrell made a funny, and a not bad one at that. Tip’o’the hat to you, sir.
rachel
Doesn’t anybody in here find it ironic that the US and the British connived at the ouster of Iran’s *democratically elected* Prime Minister Mosaddeq in so they could install the Shah–whom they kept in power for the next thirty years in spite of his abyssmal human rights record–and now they’re talking about democratizing Iran by force. Ha. Ha. Ha.
If I were an average Irani, I’d want the bomb for my country the day before yesterday so as to discourage those nosy Parkers from screwing over my country *again*.
Steve
Elsewhere…
I can’t imagine a better illustration of why I prefer the nitwits on my side to the nitwits on the other side. Seriously, John Cole wastes time fretting about left-wingers who speculate about how much alcohol the Vice-President drinks, when right-wingers are busy advocating that we NUKE IRAN.
srv
I read it that way first too, but I think he’s talking about our convential bombs hitting their enrichment facilities.
That said, this admin has been overtly (and covertly I’d bet) working on low-yield nukes for hardened targets. Congress stopped it, but last I heard, they were talking about it again.
srv
Yeah, I loved that one. It’ll become exhibit A over the next few months. Almost as funny as Jesus’ Generals magic BB theory on Whittington… Has anyone checked it for Ladeens fingerprints?
Steve
You could be right, although I’m sure everyone knows I wouldn’t have to venture far out into the right-wing blogosphere to find advocates of tactical nukes, not to mention the Tancredo Solution.
Conventional wisdom seems to be that Iran has learned their lesson from being whacked by the Israelis and that their program is no longer vulnerable to a surgical strike, but it’s not like I have any idea. I’m not surprised that the same right-wing blog commentors who magically know exactly what is involved in the NSA spying program also know exactly what stage the Iran nuclear program is at.
Pb
Heh, a ‘magic laptop’. Reminds me of the 9/11 ‘magic passport’ (brother of the magic Arabic flight manual).
The Other Steve
Ah ha! danish pastries are now Roses of the Prohphet! Funny! BWAAHAHAHA!
We aren’t the only country with idiots. FREEDOM FRIES AWAY!
Richard Bottoms
Our glorious liberation has claimed yet another innocent Iraqi, blown apart by a .50 machine gun outside his own home.
You voted for it, I didn’t.
Have a nice day.
skip
So, I see the French, who are cowardly weasels when they contest us, become philosopher kings when they agree with us.
I wouldn’t believe this administration if they claimed seeing the sun rise in the east.