“There is no room for hysteria. Israel’s home front is prepared as never before,” Matan Vilnai, a former general who is about to leave his cabinet post to become ambassador to China, told the Maariv daily.

Above:  Matan Vilnai

The interview coincided with Israeli media reports over the past week suggesting that Israel might attack Iran’s nuclear facilities before the U.S. presidential election in November.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Tuesday that Washington does not believe Israel has made a decision on whether to strike.

“I don’t want to be dragged into the debate,” Vilnai said, when asked if Israel should go to war against Iran. “But the United States is our greatest friend and we will always have to coordinate such moves with it.”

Echoing an assessment already voiced by Defence Minister Ehud Barak, Vilnai was quoted as saying hundreds of missiles could hit Israeli cities daily and kill some 500 people in a war with Iran, which has promised strong retaliation if attacked.

“There might be fewer dead, or more, perhaps … but this is the scenario for which we are preparing, in accordance with the best expert advice,” Vilnai said.

“The assessments are for a war that will last 30 days on several fronts,” he said, alluding to the possibility Iranian-backed Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon and Palestinian militants in Gaza would also launch rockets at Israel.

Israel has built a sophisticated missile shield likely to stop some of the salvoes and regularly holds civil defence drills to prepare for rocket strikes.

Vilnai made no mention in the interview of the impact a month of conflict would have on Israel’s economy should Tel Aviv, Israel’s commercial center, be hit by long-range missiles.

Tel Aviv was not struck by missiles during Israel’s three-week war in the Gaza Strip in late 2008 and early 2009 and in a 34-day conflict with Hezbollah in 2006. But it came under Scud rocket fire from Iraq during the 1991 Gulf war.

Above: Defence Minister Ehud Barak

War jitters with Iran, which denies accusations that it is striving to develop nuclear weapons, caused steep declines in Israeli financial markets on Monday although some of those losses were recovered on Tuesday.

“Just as the citizens of Japan have to understand they are likely to be hit by an earthquake, Israelis must realize that anyone who lives here has to be prepared for missiles striking the home front,” Vilnai said.

Vilnai is set to leave office by the end of August. Netanyahu announced on Tuesday that he will be replaced by Avraham Dichter, a previous head of the Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic intelligence agency.

(Writing by Jeffrey Heller; editing by Crispian Balmer)

Wiki: “Florida is mostly Protestant, but Roman Catholicism is the single largest denomination in the state. There is also a sizable Jewish community, located mainly in South Florida; this is the largest Jewish population in the South and the third largest in the country behind New York and California”. Source

You will find that the majority of the Zionists and their Gentile Cattle are from California, New York and Florida. The three states in the Union that are home to the wealthiest and most powerful Jewish populations. You can bet that the Florida and California Goy’s listed below are purebred “Shabbos Goy” of the finest stock. Bought and paid for by Florida’s and California’s top 1% which, needless to say, are both nearly 80% Jewish.  New York is no surprise since the empire state has historically bred the most vile and degenerate politicians America has ever seen.  I didn’t feel it was necessary to list where they are from or what party they belong to. Does it really matter anymore? The Buyers can sample their cattle at the main bar in D.C.  Another disturbing fact I found is the disproportionate amount of these Jews being children of Russian Immigrants. These apocalyptic psychopaths know full well that a war with Iran will inevitably involve a war with Russia. So what’s the agenda? Cause Nuclear World War 3 which will subsequently destroy America, Canada, Russia, China, N.Korea, Japan and other Eurasian nations. It is checkmate on the most powerful Asian and White nations. Leaving Zionist’s to fulfill their dream of world ownership.

See Resolution

Ted Deutch (Jewish)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Deutch

Mike Turner (Shabbos Goy Christian)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Turner

Howard Berman (Jewish)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Berman

Alcee Hastings (Shabbos Goy Christian)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcee_Hastings

Gary Ackerman (Jewish)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Ackerman

Steve Chabot (Shabbos Goy Christian)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Chabot

Brad Sherman (Jewish)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brad_Sherman

Ed Royce (Shabbos Goy Christian)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Royce

Tim Scott (Shabbos Goy Christian)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Scott_(politician)

Ileana Lehtinen

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ileana_Ros-Lehtinen

What did you think of this entry? Let me know by leavinga  comment. Don’t forget to like and share.

You can find me on Twitter. https://twitter.com/nickasatourian

Sounds eerily like Richard Nixon’s secret plan to end the Vietnam War that may have helped get him elected but turned out to be nothing more than dragging the lost cause on for another five years or so and then finally quitting.

I don’t trust secret plans

(Romney is already being referred to as “Tricky Mitt”.)

And what else is there to say? Nothing, except what follows are some of my observations over the last several days:

You almost have to feel sorry for the rich guy — almost — it seems GOP presidential nominee to be Mitt Romney can’t catch a  break, with a new poll out showing he is behind President Obama among voters in Florida, and it is figured he has to win the key swing state to win the presidency.

If he could only get more people than himself, and his family one would suppose, to like him. He can’t seem to even get his own political party excited.

I’m wondering if he is not the 2012 Republican sacrificial lamb, like John McCain and Bob Dole before him.

I wrote before and I still say again he reminds me of a lot of people in power, particularly a Mormon boss I once had (who, God rest his soul, is in Mormon Heaven now): smart, good looking, and knows it, gives off a smile that almost scares you because you know one wrong word or move and he will explode, quite thin skinned.

Is the press piling on when it comes to Mitt Romney? I don’t know, but it seems every day Romney has managed to insult someone else. The latest, in today’s news, is that he insulted the Palestinians while in Israel by saying that the reason Israel has a larger gross national product is the superiority of the culture. He reportedly had previously made similar observations quoting or referring to writings that analyzed the economic differences of nations such as the U.S. vs. Mexico. Again Culture. Well he is probably right, although in the case of the Palestinians they are hampered by security measures taken by Israel that interfere with trade and even hamper people getting to work (of course Palestinians have a bad habit of throwing bombs at Israelis).

While I agree with Romney that we should not let Iran get the nuclear bomb, I don’t see his publicly telegraphing his notion to go to war with that nation or support an Israeli strike as wise. But he has now declared in public that is his intention if elected president.

Doesn’t leave much room to bargain or bluff, and what if our bluff is called?

Let the enemy know via private channels. Keep them guessing, off balance as to what we would really do. Give them an opportuntiy to back down but save face in doing so.

Now we just look belligerent and will look the fool if we don’t carry out the threat.

One thing we now know about presidential contender Mitt Romney is that he is not a born diplomat.

Yankee Doodle went to London it seems and questioned Great Britain’s security precautions for the now ongoing Olympics.

Yes it was all over the news that there were concerns about the security preparations, but was it wise for Mr. Romney, a guest in the country (he could have stayed home), to chime in?

The first thing, well almost, I thought of when I heard that the prime minister and the mayor of London, among others, were offended was the legendary encounter between LBJ and then Prime Minister of Canada Lester Pearson.

At the height of the Vietnam War Pearson visited the U.S. and made a speech deemed critical of LBJ’s Vietnam policy. LBJ purportedly later grabbed Pearson by the lapels in his earthy style and said: “Don’t come into my home and piss on my rug”.

You might say Romney pissed on the Royal rug.

(But, I also read that overall we had good relations with Canada then and continued to and that LBJ met further with Pearson in cordial manner).

I saw the clip of what Romney said in an interview. He was just being candid. But sometimes candor is not called for in international relations.

England or Great Britain or whatever I am supposed to call the Mother Country, the one we fought a war with to be free, has been our best ally. And they speak English. That helps.

I’m sure Romney could learn diplomacy. But why do we always have to settle for candidates who need on-the-job training?

While I winced a little at what some called President Obama’s “Apology Tour” in the Middle East when he first took office — you know, hey folks we were mean and nasty and arrogant in the past, but we are going to be nicer now — overall Obama seems more naturally diplomatic.

We need friends and we need to maintain friendships. We don’t need any more enemies.

—————————————————–

NOTE: My spell checker still wants to change Obama to Osama (must have been programmed by right wing nuts) and does not recognize the word “blog”, go figure.

Christ said to understand the book of Daniel. It supports a double application because Gabriel told Daniel that his vision of a ram with two horns represented the Medes and Persians “at the time of the end” when those nations are Iraq and Iran, Daniel 8:17,20. Daniel’s book was sealed “until the time of the end,” Daniel 12:4. This implies an impending war with Iran.

But Daniel 8 is linked to Daniel 9 where “70 weeks are determined [cut off, chawthak] upon [God's] people ..and from a decree to restore and build Jerusalem to the Messiah [anointing] will be 69 weeks.” Daniel 9:24,25.

Christians believe that in the historic application, there were 69 weeks of years from Artaxerxes’ decree to restore and build Jerusalem to the Messiah [when Christ was anointed by the Holy Spirit at his baptism]. Artaxerxes decree was in 457 BC when Ezra headed a group of Jews who returned then.

We should expect thousands of Jews to return as in 457 BC, and the signal to return should be a decree to restore and build Jerusalem, suggesting an impending calamity as a basis for rebuilding the city.

For thousands of years, the Jews have fasted in memory of when Solomon’s and Herod’s Temples both burned on the 10^th day of the 5^th month (Jeremiah 52:12,13) which is July 30. If, indeed, we are approaching an end-time period, we might expect something ominous.

This is Part I of a series on Bible prophecy by Dr. Richard Ruhling.

Is it overkill to add that the President of Argentina condemned the investigations as a “national disgrace”? I don’t think so. Overkill would be noting the source of that quotation: The New York Times. 

[Editors notes (EN) inserted by the Common Constitutionalist]

Donald Trump is again predicting President Obama will start a war with Iran solely to help his chances of getting re-elected this November.

The billionaire developer made his forecast both on the Internet and television Tuesday, initially tweeting: “Just as I predicted, Barack Obama is preparing a possible attack on Iran right before November.” 

(EN: Not much of a prediction. I predict the world will possibly end this year, or possibly not.)

He then spoke via phone to Greta Van Susteren of Fox News, confirming: “Yes, I believe that we will end up in a war with Iran because I think Obama views that as politically good for him. … I have said for a year and a half that in the end, somewhere before the election we will end up in a form of war with Iran, and I think he’s doing it for political reasons.

(EN: I’ve never been a fan of The Donald. I believe he just likes the spotlight. That being said, I wouldn’t put it past this administration to do anything to secure this election. And up until the Bush’s, all modern wars, for good or bad, have been while democrats were in the Whitehouse. Woodrow Wilson, WWI; Franklin Roosevelt, WWII; Harry Truman, Korean War; John Kennedy / LBJ, Vietnam.)

Appearing somewhat incredulous at his sentiment, Van Susteren said, “You’re saying that the president is really thinking about doing the unthinkable for political advantage for himself, taking us to war. I think most people would say that’s beyond, that’s beyond fair.”

Trump responded, “I don’t think it’s beyond. That’s my opinion, and let’s see what happens. I hope that doesn’t happen.” (EN: Nothing is beyond, when you’re a radical.)

“What should happen is Iran has to be – despite their bravado – they have to be scared stiff right now because, I mean, they’ve just looked at what’s happened to other countries because we are the most powerful, and what we’ve done to others, whether we should have been there or shouldn’t have been there, is unbelievable. So what should happen is the right person should negotiate a phenomenal deal. Everything. We should get 100 percent of everything. I have predicted that I think it’s not going to go that way. We don’t negotiate. We don’t know how to negotiate.”

(EN: This is where The Donald falls off the rails. The old saying, “You don’t negotiate with terrorists”, is true. Especially Islamic terrorists. Why? Because you can’t. There is nothing you can offer that will be acceptable to them. Maybe we can negotiate that they kill us last.)

Trump personally labeled Obama as a “lousy negotiator,” and insisted progress could be made if the right person were chosen to hold talks with the Islamic republic.

(EN: Agreed. It is hard to negotiate, when you’re too busy apologizing.)

“We have all the cards,” said Trump. “Iran is crazy if they don’t sit down and negotiate because the same thing’s gonna happen to them as happened to Iraq and so many other places. And it’ll be long and nasty, but ultimately it’s the end of Iran as you know it today.”

(EN: Really Donald? What cards do we have? What happened to Iraq? Iran is loving what we did to Iraq. We did all the heavy lifting to create the vacuum for Iran to fill. After all, Iraq is central to Iran’s plan for the great Caliphate.)

Trump cited new polls that show Obama struggling in battleground states, increasing the chance of a military conflict with Iran:

“I see the polls that just came out [Tuesday] morning, where he’s actually losing, really for the first time, and he’s losing in swing states most importantly, and he’s losing fairly substantially. Now maybe that’s accurate and maybe it’s not. And polls are often times wrong.”

The danger for our economy is the inability of the Federal Reserve to influence outcomes.  With interest rates at or near zero, the Fed is unable to goose the economy.  Printing money in a liquidity trap has almost no effect so it’s up to Congress to give us a fiscal boost either through middle-class tax cuts or targeted spending increases.  However, this is an election year and the monkeys running the circus believe we need to cut spending, not increase it.  As for a tax cut for the middle-class, as they say in New York, forget about it.  That means President Obama is going to try and beat lackluster Romney during a full-blown recession as unemployment goes up.  That is pretty much a statistical impossibility, unless…President Obama becomes a war President.

America is addicted to militaristic Keynesianism, or better known as war economics.  War presidents tend to get reelected regardless of the economy and President Obama knows this.  With Syria on fire and Iran threatening to close the Straits because of our bullying and bellicosity, it seems inevitable that President Obama will take the conflict option.  This is far worse than the B movie called ‘Wag the Dog,” this will cause untold numbers of death simply to improve the reelection prospects of a weak president.  No wonder people globally hold America in derision.  Only someone choosing to be blind cannot see the obvious hypocrisy of our foreign policy and the ridiculous notion of pre-emptive strikes that violate international law and common decency.

American CIA officers are supplying the rebels in Syria with arms fomenting that rebellion.  Then Europeans call for intervention to stop the tragedy that unfolds because we supplied the weapons. This duplicity might be called statecraft by some but only foments anger and hatred throughout the developing world.  Further, we placed sanctions on Iran to appease our fair-weather friend Israel presently holding its Arab population in virtual imprisonment behind their wall.  Our nation heads inexorably to war without the support of the American people, without sufficient funds to pay for it, and without the moral authority of the United Nations.  It does this for two reasons, corporate profits and the reelection of Barack Obama.  And, they awarded him the Nobel Peace Prize.

Hold on to your hats because the next 4 months will be a wild ride as recession grips our nation, state and local governments raise taxes, and our troops go off to fight another unwinnable war for profit.  You can stop this stupidity and nonsense by making a choice.  It’s really a simple choice, choose Justice, choose Rocky Anderson and return the people to our government.

Analysts generally offer up best-case predictions for policies of deterrence and containment (some commentators even go so far as to welcome an Iranian nuclear capability) while forecasting worst-case results from a strike. They foresee Tehran doing everything possible to retaliate, such as kidnapping, terrorism, missile attacks, naval combat and closing the Strait of Hormuz. This, despite two facts: neither of Israel’s prior strikes against enemy states building nuclear weapons, Iraq in 1981 and Syria in 2007, prompted retaliation; and a review the Islamic Republic of Iran’s history since 1979 points to “a more measured and less apocalyptic — if still sobering — assessment of the likely aftermath of a preventive strike.”

[np-related]

Those are the words of Michael Eisenstadt and Michael Knights of the Washington Institute for Near Eastern Policy, who provide an excellent guide to possible scenarios in Beyond Worst-Case Analysis: Iran’s Likely Responses to an Israeli Preventive Strike. Their survey of Iranian behaviour over the past three decades leads them to anticipate that three main principles would likely shape and limit Tehran’s response to an Israeli strike: an insistence on reciprocity, a caution not to gratuitously make enemies, and a wish to deter further Israeli (or American) strikes.

The mullahs face serious limits on their ability to retaliate, including military weakness and a pressing need not to make yet more external enemies. These guidelines in place, Eisenstadt and Knights consider eight possible Iranian actions, which must be assessed while keeping in mind the alternative — namely, apocalyptic Islamists controlling nuclear weapons:

• Terrorist attacks on Israeli, Jewish and U.S. targets: Likely, but inflicting limited destruction.
• Kidnapping U.S. citizens, especially in Iraq: Likely, useful but limited in impact, as in the 1980s in Lebanon.
• Attacks on Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan: Very likely, especially via proxies, but inflicting limited destruction.
• Missile strikes on Israel. Likely: A few missiles from Iran get through Israeli defences, leading to casualties likely in the low hundreds; missiles from Hezbollah limited in number due to domestic Lebanese considerations. Unlikely: Hamas getting involved, having already distanced itself from Tehran. Overall, missile attacks are unlikely to do devastating damage.
• Attacks on other neighbouring states: Likely: terrorism, because deniable. Unlikely: missile strikes, for Tehran does not want to make more enemies.
• Clashes with the U.S. Navy: Likely: but, given the balance of power, does limited damage.
• Covertly mining the Strait of Hormuz: Likely, causing a run-up in energy prices.
• Attempted closing of the Strait of Hormuz: Unlikely: difficult to achieve and potentially too damaging to Iranian interests, for the country needs that same strait for commerce.

The authors also consider three potential side effects of an Israeli strike. Yes, Iranians might rally to their government in the immediate aftermath of a strike. But in the longer term, Tehran “could be criticized for handling the nuclear dossier in a way that led to military confrontation.” The so-called Arab street is perpetually predicted to rise up in response to outside military attack, but it never does; likely unrest among the Shi’a of the Persian Gulf would be counterbalanced by the many Arabs quietly cheering the Israelis. As for leaving the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and starting an overt crash nuclear weapons program, while “a very real possibility,” the more the Iranians retaliate, the harder they will find it to obtain the parts for such a program.

In all, these dangers are unpleasant but not cataclysmic, manageable not devastating. Eisenstadt and Knights expect a short phase of high-intensity Iranian response, to be followed by a “protracted low intensity conflict that could last for months or even years” — much as already exists between Iran and Israel. An Israeli preventive strike, they conclude, while a “high-risk endeavor carrying a potential for escalation in the Levant or the Gulf … would not be the apocalyptic event some foresee.”

This convincing analysis confirms that the danger of nuclear weapons in Iranian hands far exceeds the danger of eliminating those weapons before they come into existence.

National Post

Daniel Pipes is president of the Middle East Forum and Taube distinguished visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University. © 2012 by Daniel Pipes. All rights reserved.

He says,

I can assure you if I’m president, the Iranians will have no question but that I will be willing to take military action if necessary to prevent them from becoming a nuclear threat to the world. I don’t believe at this stage, therefore, if I’m president that we need to have a war powers approval or special authorization for military force. The president has that capacity now. I understand that some in the Senate for instance have written letters to the president indicating you should know that a containment strategy is unacceptable. We cannot survive a course of action which would include a nuclear Iran we must be willing to take any and all actions.

All those actions must be on the table.

No one is putting words in Mitt’s mouth. These are his expressed thoughts. He has every intention of violating his oath of office before he takes it.”

http://freedomoutpost.com/2012/06/romney-i-dont-need-approval-or-special-authorization-for-military-force/

Remarks from the Peanut Gallery

“One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.”

Plato

Mitt Romney has absolutely no geopolitical grasp, as evidenced by his absurd statement to the effect that he would attack Iran as a “Custer decision.”

The American people have resolved that our Zionist-occupied government shall not embroil America in World War III.

Christian Russia is NOT the enemy of America, but a model for emulation, as that nation–under the superior leadership of Vladimir Putin–expelled the Rothschild oligarchs from Russia.

Both Russia and Red China ( PRC )have stated unequivocally that any attack on Iran will trigger World War III, for those nations have business interests with that nation which borders Russian territory.

It is past time that this great nation reject politicians who comport themselves as stooges for the  Council on Foreign Relations, by doing Israel’s bidding without question.

Mr. Romney should be discussing a viable plan which will free America from the Zionist yoke of usury, thereby removing the Ghost of Christmas Want from our shores.

Dissolution of the Federal Reserve banking cartel is the number one priority of the American people, not attacking Iran and triggering World War III.   This is something Mr. Romney has failed to fathom.

Mitt Romney has NO rapport with the American people and his unwise decision to verbally provoke The Russian Federation, speaks volumes as to his fitness for good stewardship of our country.

The American people are NOT interested in expending any more American blood and treasure on behalf of treacherous Israel, which attacked the U.S.S. Liberty and destroyed the World Trade Center, in simulation of the destruction of the Reichstag, as a false flag operation.

International Zionist Jewry is the greatest enemy of the human race.

This glaring fact of history is lost on the “empty suit” and perfect coiffure who dares to imagine that he will be America’s next dictator.

We the People, owe allegiance to no crown and we have “had it” with reckless politicians.

The American people have NOT heard Mitt Romney articulate a plan for ending the Federal Reserve central molesting  bank, because he cannot perceive the cause of our national misfortune but would only compound it with his on-the-job training aspirations.

There can be no honest presidential election which reflects the will of the American people, until the den of vipers infesting Capitol Hill is toppled by U.S. military power.

What is best for America at this juncture is a military coup and interregnum, to sort out and restructure the massive malfunction our nation has become.

Patrick J. Buchanan should serve as interim president of the United States by direct military appointment, until the Zionist influence over our national life is utterly destroyed.

Only then will presidential candidates come to the fore, who represent the direct will of the American people.

Mitt Romney “reporting for duty?”   Not on your national life and future existence as a republic!

“Beware the leader who beats the drums of war, in order to whip the citizenry into patriotic fervor, for patriotism is a double-edged sword.

It emboldens the blood and narrows the mind and when the drums of war have reached fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed,  the leader will have no need to seize the rights of the citizenry.  Rather, the citizenry—infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so.

How do I know?

For this is what I have done and I am Caesar.”

Suggested sites:

http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/ussliberty.html

http://www.iamthewitness.com/DarylBradfordSmith_Rothschild.htm

http://politicalvelcraft.org/american-revolution/

http://www.realjewnews.com/?p=585#comments

But did you know that the NDAA also paves the way for war with Iran?

From Dennis Kucinich:

Section (6) rejects any United States policy that would rely on efforts to contain a nuclear weapons-capable Iran. Section (7) urges the President to reaffirm the unacceptability of an Iran with nuclear-weapons capability and opposition to any policy that would rely on containment as an option in response to Iranian enrichment.

This language represents a significant shift in U.S. policy and would guarantee that talks with Iran, currently scheduled for May 23, would fail. Current U.S. policy is that Iran cannot acquire nuclear weapons. Instead, H. Res. 568 draws the “redline” for military action at Iran achieving a nuclear weapons “capability,” a nebulous and undefined term that could include a civilian nuclear program. Indeed, it is likely that a negotiated deal to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran and to prevent war would provide for Iranian enrichment for peaceful purposes under the framework of the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty with strict safeguards and inspections. This language makes such a negotiated solution impossible.

At the same time, the language lowers the threshold for attacking Iran. Countries with nuclear weapons “capability” could include many other countries like Japan or Brazil. It is an unrealistic threshold.

The Former Chief of Staff of Secretary of State Colin Powell has stated that this resolution “reads like the same sheet of music that got us into the Iraq war.”

The notion of a “nuclear weapons capability” seems like a dangerously low standard. Let us not forget that Mossad, the CIA and the IAEA agree that Iran does not have a bomb, is not building one and has no plans to build one.

But the bill clearly spells out its intent:

SEC. 1222. UNITED STATES MILITARY PREPAREDNESS IN THE MIDDLE EAST.

Section 2 (A) pre-positioning sufficient supplies of aircraft, munitions, fuel, and other materials for both air- and sea-based missions at key forward locations in the Middle East and Indian Ocean;

(B) maintaining sufficient naval assets in the region necessary to signal United States resolve and to bolster United States capabilities to launch a sustained sea and air campaign against a range of Iranian nuclear and military targets, to protect seaborne shipping, and to deny Iranian retaliation against United States interests in the region;

(D) conducting naval fleet exercises similar to the United States Fifth Fleet’s major exercise in the region in March 2007 to demonstrate ability to keep the Strait of Hormuz open and to counter the use of anti-ship missiles and swarming high-speed boats.

As Kucinich notes:

This is an authorization for the use of military force against Iran. It ignores the warnings of both current and former U.S. top military brass who have spoken in opposition to the use of military force against Iran, including former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and current Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. A February 2012 poll demonstrated that less than 20% of the Israeli public supports an Israeli strike on Iran if approved by the United States. Congress must avoid the same mistakes it made in the Iraq war and reject any language that can be construed as authorizing war against Iran.

It seems like the framers of the bill are exceptionally keen on striking Iran as quickly as possible. Maybe they are receiving lots of money from defence contractors?

Unsurprisingly, the biggest Congressional recipient of donations from defence contractors was Howard “Buck” McKeon, the chairman of the armed services committee who also happens to be the sponsor of the NDAA:

The fact that Ron Paul is the number two recipient is a sign that not all defence contractors are keen to hit Iran. But some are.

Still, even though the bill hints very strongly toward it, it doesn’t mean that it is going to happen. Congressmen might be hungry for a war but the military — already overstretched — isn’t. Admiral Fallon was reportedly the force that kept Bush from hitting Iran, and it would not be surprising to see the Pentagon put up fierce opposition to a future war with Iran. It would be a long, expensive war, with the potential of massive negative side-effects, like dragging in other regional powers, disrupting global trade, and squeezing the US economy by spiking the oil price.

Ginter Park Presbyterian Church, 3601 Seminary Ave., Richmond, 23227

* David Swanson, Peace Activist and Author
* Majid Amini, Professor of Philosophy at Virginia State University
* Michael Fischbach, Professor of History at Randolph-Macon College

The discussion will be moderated by Richmond Peace Education Center director Adria Scharf. Free and open to the public.

Ginter Park Presbyterian Church, 3601 Seminary Ave., Richmond, 23227, on Thursday, May 24, 7:15 p.m.

Questions? Contact rpec@rpec.org or 232-1002.

Daniel Shaprio (center) sat on the NSC as senior director for the Middle East before Obama appointed him ambassador to Israel.

“It would be preferable to resolve this diplomatically, and through the use of pressure, than to use military force,” Shapiro said. “But that does not mean that option isn’t available. Not just available, it’s ready. The necessary planning has been done to ensure that it’s ready.”

Shaprio’s comments were not intended for public consumption, the Times of Israel reports.

The finalized attack plan arrives as Israel and the United States prepare for joint military exercises in the United States. “The exercises, to be held in the coming months, will strengthen the relationship between the IAF and the US Air Force as they practice carrying out joint operations,” the Jerusalem-based online newspaper reported. “Israeli and US air defense forces are also to take part in a major joint drill later this summer in Israel to simulate a massive attack. Thousands of US soldiers are expected to arrive in Israel for the drills.”

In January, the Stars and Stripes reported that the exercise in Israel – billed as the largest ever conducted by the two countries – is not related to tensions with Iran, according to the U.S. European Command. The long-planned exercise is “part of a routine training cycle designed to improve the interoperability of our air defense systems, and not in response to any real-world event,” said EUCOM spokesman Air Force Capt. John Ross.

“It’s a classified exercise, and we can’t release even small details about it,” Ross explained in an email to the Department of Defense newspaper.

“Austere Challenge ’12″ was originally scheduled for April, but postponed by Obama.

“U.S. participation in such an exercise, obviously geared to a scenario involving an Iranian retaliation against an Israeli attack on its nuclear facilities, would have made the United States out to be a partner of Israel in any war that would follow an Israeli attack on Iran,” Gareth Porter and Jim Lobe reported in January.

“Obama and U.S. military leaders apparently decided that the United States could not participate in such an exercise so long as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to give the administration any assurance that he will not attack Iran without prior approval from Washington.”

On March 8, the Israel Insider reported that Netanyahu had struck a deal with the United States.

“The US will supply Israel with bunker-busting bombs and refueling planes in return for delaying a strike against Iran until at least the end of the year,” the website reported, citing Maariv, a Hebrew language daily newspaper published in Israel. In short, the long planned strike on Iran will occur after the November election in the United States.

Pakalert Press