Bill Kristol, pimping for a third war:
It’s great that the military is having success in capturing “affiliates” of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in
Iraq. But it’s also clear from this statement that the training of the terrorists is being done in Iran: “..the transportation of multiple Iraqis to Iran for terrorist training at IRGC-QF training camps.” A senior administration official last week discounted to me the importance of going after such targets in Iran–while not denying they exist and that we know where they are. The explanation wasn’t convincing at the time. In light of this fresh evidence, and in light of the fact that the Iranians have been shelling targets in Kurdistan, in northern Iraq, that they claim are supporting violence in Iran, one has to ask: “Why are terror training camps in Iran, camps that are directly training terrorists to attack U.S. troops, off limits?” After all, if Khameini (to whom the IRGC reports) has already established the principle of cross-border attacks against accelerators of violence, who are we to disagree with the wisdom of the Supreme Leader?
I now don’t care what the Petraeus report says next week. At this point, it is imperative we get out of Iraq before these crazy motherfuckers convince their friends in the White House to invade Iran.
cleek
You fasten all the triggers
For the others to fire
Then you set back and watch
While the death count gets higher
Then you hide in your mansion
While the young people’s blood
Flows out of their bodies
And is buried in the mud
You’ve thrown the worst fear
That can ever be hurled
Fear to bring children
Into the world
For threatening my baby
Unborn and unnamed
You ain’t worth the blood
That runs in your veins
How much do I know
To talk out of turn
You might say that I’m young
You might say I’m unlearned
But there’s one thing I know
Though I’m younger than you
Even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do
Let me ask you one question
Is your money that good
Will it buy you forgiveness
Do you think that it could
I think you will find
When your death takes its toll
All the money you made
Will never buy back your soul
And I hope that you die
And your death’ll come soon
I will follow your casket
In the pale afternoon
And I’ll watch while you’re lowered
Down to your deathbed
And I’ll stand o’er your grave
‘Til I’m sure that you’re dead
— Mr Bobbie D, Masters of War, of course
nothing ever fucking changes
jake
…[tries to make sense of BKs fractured syntax]… [takes aspirin]…
So, a SAO says the Iranian targets aren’t important but s/he didn’t triple-dog deny the existence or knowledge of the location of said targets so that means … we get to frag Iran!
This shit is so crazy I sometimes forget exactly what loons like BK really want and laugh. Then I realize it ain’t funny. Once upon a time it was Everything the Administration Says is Right and Only Traitors Ask Questions. But now that the war in Iraq hasn’t yielded ponies for all:
I can almost hear his lower lip pouching out because the Admin. isn’t revving up for Operation Iranian Pony Quest. BK thinks the Admin. is holding out on him, but maybe if he writes a few more hideously convoluted articles they’ll finally make with the bombs.
Could it be the average chicken hawk just likes bright shiny things and loud noises?
crayz
Pretty clear that the predicted coordinated right-wing campaign for this war is starting in earnest. Wonder how long we have until the bombing starts
crayz
Also, it’s a sad day when Ron Paul is the only guy on the stage making sense. War really is the only answer to diplomatic problems for most of these guys
The Mechanical Eye
War really is the only answer to diplomatic problems for most of these guys
Well, see, that proves you have a penis.
You do have a penis, right? Because you’ll need one for the Terrorrorrists War on Us.
Defeatocrat!
DU
Ryan S.
I know real player is the devil but this segment from CSPAN is a must watch, and a good prediction of what will happen with Iran
whippoorwill
I remember growing up in small southern town and always hearing that America doesn’t start wars, we finish them. You can call me a defeat-o-crat or a cut and runner, whatever insult your pea-sized brain can muster, but I like the idea of an America that doesn’t start wars but finishes them.
So, Mr. Mechanical Eye, you can kiss my hillbilly ass!
Dug Jay
I think you will really like how we are about to finish one in what used to be called “Persia.”
jake
Shorter M. Huckleberry: I challenge you suh, to a duel!
WHAT the flaming FUCK is wrong with these people? Countless dead and wounded, a treasury stripped down to the walls, a busted military, the Middle East in disarray for gods knows how long, international respect and credibility below Absolute Zero, all because some coke snorting frat boy wanted a war. But we must keep lubing up and continue the Operation Infinite Clusterfuck to maintain our “Ahnuh.”
Well fuck. I don’t like the idea of a two party system and now it looks like we’re down to one semi-functioning party and a bunch of crazy bastards who are thisclose to all-points restraints at the local loony bin.
whippoorwill
DUG JAY says;
War fever can often be cured by immediate enlistment and a one way ticket to the front.
jrg
George Bush knows that time is running out. Poll numbers are way down. We may never again elect another Christian a man like him. If he is going to bring back Jesus, he’s got to cause the apocalypse soon.
Good conservatives love Jesus, and understand George Bush’s meaning and destiny. Liberals hate Jesus, and will use any excuse, even “trying to prevent a global catastrophe” in order to keep Jesus from coming back with presents and candy.
Shame on you, John Cole. Why are you trying to deny us an opportunity to see Jesus, open presents, and eat candy?
alphie
Considering that a wingnut airstrike against Iran would result in quite a few American P.O.W.s sitting in Iranian jails…ya gotta wonder what these freaks are up to.
Probably just trying to keep the price of oil up is my bet.
TenguPhule
Bill Kristol needs to be kicked in the nuts a few dozen times. Pimping ‘evidence’ presented by this administration is a Darwin Level Offense.
Don’t keep reminding us, we know that already. But its not happening because the ‘serious’ people who should have been lined up against a wall and shot already are still running things.
Quiddity
I’m tired of waiting. I don’t want a war with Iran, but if it’s going to happen, I want it now. Let’s see Bush put all his cards on the table. All of them. Then let the nation and world decide what to do with him.
Enough of this slow-motion insanity.
TenguPhule
There are 3 ways to deal with attacking Iran.
1. Overwhelming Frontal Assault with forces we don’t have.
2. Superior tactics from people too stupid to breathe without consulting teh base.
3. Shooting the idiots who suggested the attack in the first place.
I suspect we will see all three soon enough.
Davis X. Machina
Countless dead and wounded, a treasury stripped down to the walls, a busted military, the Middle East in disarray for gods knows how long, international respect and credibility below Absolute Zero,…
They’re in Spengler Mode: Remember Ghostbusters?
There’s definitely a very slim chance we’ll survive.
Fledermaus
Strangely a part of me is hoping for this as well. Might as well take the empire down in a blaze of glory
Rick Taylor
“I now don’t care what the Petraeus report says next week. At this point, it is imperative we get out of Iraq before these crazy motherfuckers convince their friends in the White House to invade Iran.”
Yup.
Ryan S.
I find this sentiment very disturbing. Along the lines of the “cut the baby in half” fable. What I can’t understand is, where are the people (Hello Democrats?!) yelling, howling, and standing up in disagreement to this crap. Has anyone even considered that Iran has significantly more defenses than Iraq did, and how many POWs that even air strikes might create.
The Mechanical Eye
Enough of this slow-motion insanity.
What I hope (oh how I hope) is that it’ll take too long for Bush to act — if he does it during or after the primaries he’ll look even more blatantly political than usual, and maybe (maybe!) the Democrats will find the balls to grandstand against it and emphatically say no at any attempt at congressional approval.
But that’s just hope.
DU
josephdietrich
It is too late for that. Everyone involved there is convinced. They are now just trying to create enough smoke and noise to cover them when they go in.
The thing is, this is not going to stop with this Administration. There is a general consensus among the ruling class in the United States that Iran needs to be destroyed. This is because they represent something that America can’t abide: a nation that defies American hegemony without the power to actually defend itself against that hegemony. It is a modern-day Melian Dialogue situation, and it will continue if any of the frontrunners on either side of the presidential race wins.
The only way the Iranian regime could satisfy the fears of the ruling class is to both self-destruct and to somehow ensure that the following regime is a client-state to the US. There is no way in which they could give up their nuclear program in which the Michael Ledeens of the world would believe them. There is no way for them to convince the Dick Cheneys of the world that they are not helping Iraqi insurgents. There is no way for them to convince the Rudy Gulianis of the world that they are cooperating with al-Qaeda.
The only way out of this is a change in the mindset of those who are running this country. Since they seem immune to the will of the People (see Elections, November 2006), there is little reason to be optimistic.
Stooleo
Jeebus
Yeah, I’d really like to get off the bus now, an insane guy is driving and the guys in the first three seats are just egging him on.
Honestly, how bad does it have to get???
Rick Taylor
I’m nervous, but I’m still not convinced we’re going to war with Iran. I remember what it was like before we went into Iraq; despite Hillary revisionism, almost everyone knew we were going in. They’d obviously made a decision. I just don’t feel that right now; there’s lots of saber rattling, but they always mention economic sanctions and pressuring the UN before anything else. Of course that could change suddenly with a PR blitz, but I haven’t seen it yet.
–Rick Taylor
crayz
Right. Why can people not accept that we have a hostile, fairly powerful regime that is already at an advanced stage of developing nuclear weapons. We seem to have been willing to accept this reality with North Korea(and other countries in the past), but with Iran its simply beyond the pale
Somehow the only option left on the table is a series of air strikes almost guaranteed to turn out very badly for everyone involved. The fact that even Democrats seem unwilling to strongly challenge this course of action makes me wonder what sort of ulterior motives are in play here – the rationale being offered up to the public is hardly plausible
surrenderer monkey
On the contrary. The US military must stay boged down in the sands of Iraq, bleeding, or some crazy motherfuckers might try to actually invade Iran and Syria. This tool is too powerful and dangerous, children should not be allowed to play with it.
And since, as far as i can see, all Democratic contenders with a remote chance to win the party nomination is advocating “bombing Iran back to the stone age”, you should not be allowed to GTFO of Iraq.
Richard Bottoms
“Bet you’ll vote next time, won’t you hippie?”
— Bumper Sticker
Ned R.
Mr. Dylan is apropos but for volume and impact, gotta go with Sabbath:
Dennis-SGMM
If it was 1876 Kristol would be writing about the obvious necessity of Custer attacking the hostile Indians camped along the Little Bighorn River.
alphie
Contemplating a war with Iran does make Iraq seem slightly less fiascoy.
Maybe that’s why the wingnuts threaten to attack Iran whenever it looks like their war welfare is gonna get cut?
merlallen
What does Bill Kristol stand to gain from another war?
Does he own a lot of Halliburton stock or something?
I’d really like to know.
anon
crayz:
It’s not clear to me that Iran really intends to be hostile. They made us a reasonable diplomatic offer in 2003, and thinking about geopolitics, it’s not obvious to me why the US and Iran are fated to be enemies.
The reason the Democrats aren’t strongly against an attack on Iran is because there are many prominent Democrats who think that, if an attack on Iran is in Israel’s interest, it’s in our interest. (Not that I myself think that it’s actually in Israel’s interest, of course.)
grumpy realist
Nah, he’s just being a water-carrier for Israel. Or at least he thinks he is. (The fact that Israel does NOT want the US to do an attack on Iran because they can predict all the problems down the road is something that Kristol is totally oblivious to.)
Incidentally, after the Iranians close the Straits of Hormuz, oil shoots up to $200/bbl, the US economy collapses, I don’t think that Bill Kristol and the rest of his clown car posse will be very much liked in the US.
Also, if the US goes under, how long will it be before Israel goes under as well? Something else the neocons have not put into their equations.
Unholy combination of Religious Rapture idiots (who don’t care if the entire world goes up in flames) and the neo-cons (who think that somehow everything will all work out.)
The epitaph of this incestuous band of idiots is going to be: “…but no one would have DREAMED….!” Yeah, no one with less than two brain cells, you twits.
Ah well, stupidity will hurt. Too bad it’s going to take the rest of us with us. A hearty welcome to our new Chinese overlords.
MBL
Pure evil is its own reward.
Ugh
I always liked Eddie Vedder’s version of Masters of War.
Pb
Bill Kristol takes his marching orders from Tehran…
sparky
What I like is BK’s pretending that the WH is somehow hanging back–not warmongering. Pay no attention to that Vice behind the curtain. Dunno why they bother with that move, unless they think that the 70% matters.
Iran is the new Cuba. Apparently ‘the Americas’ now includes all of the planet. Who knew?
sparky
Clarification to my unclear post: Iran is like Cuba in that it’s a persistent irritant to the US in what we apparently think is our backyard; consequently the US is always itchin’ to “do something.” Otherwise not a good comparison. My rhetoric got the better of me.
Bob In Pacifica
Third war? What about the War on Drugs. That’s going swimmingly. What about the war against the working class? They keep sinking. Lots of wars.
zzyzx
There’s one question which qualifies if you’re fit to run for President – if you knew then what you know now, would you have supported invading Iraq. Anyone who answers yes to that doesn’t have the judgment to run a 7-11.
Zifnab
It’s a game of bad cop, badder cop. Cheney gets in and says “We need to deal with the Iranians with the gloves off” and Kristol says, “Yeah! And tear off their nuts with a pair of pliers!”
Cheney says, “We think the Iraq insurgency is in its last throes”, and Kristol says, “Unmitigated Success! I can already taste candy!”
Cheney says, “Using nuclear weapons would, of course, be a last resort. But we should not discount using full military force”, and Kristol says, “*click* *fweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee* *BOOOOM!* Hahahaha! *claps hands*”
Welcome to the neo-conservative movement.
Z
OK. So before, I was saying we should tar and feather Bill Kristol. I have changed my mind. Instead, I think we should drop him in the middle or southern part of Iraq, in nothing but his skivies. If he makes it out alive, I expect his glorious dreams of empire will have lost a bit of their shine.
The Other Steve
Don’t worry everybody!
Fred Thompson is now a Presidential Candidate. He’s going to call up a crack team with Jack Ryan and Lennie Briscoe, and they’re going to take down those Iranian fools like no tomorrow!
Let’s just see the Iranians take on the USS Enterprise, commanded by a New York District Attorney!
Hoooahh!
r4d20
You forgot Jack Bauer.
Jake
Too fucking funny.
tBone
Bill Kristol, April 2003.
How has this guy not been laughed out of public life by now? Seriously.
Dreggas
As crazy as this all sounds, part of me is doing the same thing. I mean if you plan to open the gates of hell quit building tension and just open them already. At least then we can start preparing the torches and pitchforks.
Dreggas
Oh and in case anyone thinks bush will really wait for proof see here
Jake
Fixed.
We know the Deciderator doesn’t need silly things like proof, especially not from Daddykins’ former servants. He’s got his gut and his God. I suspect the behind-the-scenes debate goes a little like this:
Bush: I wanna invade Iran!
Admin: Mr. President –
B: King President!
A: Yes, we don’t have enough soldiers.
B: Bomb ’em!
A: But Mr. – King President, if we do that Iran will block the Straits of Hormuz –
B: What’s that? Iran will block straight people? I don’t like that, you’d better bomb ’em!
demimondian
But 9-11 changed everything.
Gus
As long as we’re quoting great war poetry/lyrics, I’ve been thinking of this lately:
These fought, in any case,
and some believing, pro domo, in any case ..
Some quick to arm,
some for adventure,
some from fear of weakness,
some from fear of censure,
some for love of slaughter, in imagination,
learning later …
some in fear, learning love of slaughter;
Died some pro patria, non dulce non et decor” ..
walked eye-deep in hell
believing in old men’s lies, then unbelieving
came home, home to a lie,
home to many deceits,
home to old lies and new infamy
ATS
Clipping to mail to General Odierno:
“US Weapons Found In Iraq. Porous Borders Blamed.”
Dreggas
The Dogs of War
– Pink Floyd
Dogs of war and men of hate
With no cause, we don’t discriminate
Discovery is to be disowned
Our currency is flesh and bone
Hell opened up and put on sale
Gather ’round and haggle
For hard cash, we will lie and deceive
Even our masters don’t know the web we weave
One world, it’s a battleground
One world, and we will smash it down
One world … one world
Invisible transfers, long distance calls,
Hollow laughter in marble halls
Steps have been taken, a silent uproar
Has unleashed the dogs of war
You can’t stop what has begun
Signed, sealed, they deliver oblivion
We all have a dark side, to say the least
And dealing in death is the nature of the beast
One world, it’s a battleground
One world, and we will smash it down
One world … one world
The dogs of war don’t negotiate
The dogs of war won’t capitulate,
They will take and you will give,
And you must die so that they may live
You can knock at any door,
But wherever you go, you know they’ve been there before
Well winners can lose and things can get strained
But whatever you change, you know the dogs remain.
One world, it’s a battleground
One world, and we will smash it down
One world … one world