Lew, I think that is why so many warbots, neocons and nationalists and hyperventilating over Iran, and why so many made such hay out of Aug. 22 as the date that Iran’s 12er Shia believed the world needed to come to an end. Or somesuch. Gotta keep the threat in front of enough people, so they will be anxious, panicked and fearful, and willing to support any sufficiently barbarous government action.
We have The Jerusalem Post quoting a “high-level” Israel gummint source as saying Israel may have to “go it alone” in dealing with Iran’s nuclear weapons program (in other words, attack Iran). Given that Israel couldn’t wage war effectively across its northern border, I’m not sure how Tel Aviv would effectively attack a country many hundreds of miles away. Without U.S. help, that is. Yes, the Israeli Air Force was able to completely destroy the Egyptian air force on the ground in 1967, but that was next door and 40 years ago and the air force had been practicing for that specific operation for more than five years prior and had crystal clear intelligence on just about every aspect of Egyptian military operations. I doubt the IDF has good intelligence about Iran. I doubt anyone does.
The report, however, is probably more eye wash than anything else. The Likudniks and the neocons (forgive me, I repeat myself) would love the administration of Bush Jong Il to (continue?) to do their dirty work for them, and there may be some anxiety that, given the fact that the Lebanon war (designed in Washington, according to Seymour Hersch) went very badly and that Iraq and Afghanistan are lost causes awaiting only an American withdrawal, the Bush folks might be inclined to “go all wobbly” and give up on the efforts to bully and bludgeon — oops, sorry, reform — the Muslim Middle East. And what better way to presure all involved to “do something” than the threat of an Israeli attack?
We, after all, cannot have peace break out. Or at least a lack of interest in war. There are still big things to do, a world to save, evil to confront and eliminate, and history to drag kicking and screaming to its final, ignominious end!
1:07 pm on August 24, 2006
