How Soon Before We Bomb Iran?

Bill Press nails it...

October 25, 2007

Having lived in both places, I can tell you: There is little difference between Washington and Hollywood. Neither is real. Both are filled with celebrity wannabes. And both thrive on sequels. Welcome to “War in Iraq II.”

If you liked the first one, you’ll love the second. Flush with “success” from the first War in Iraq — and even though it’s still far from over — George Bush and Dick Cheney have already launched their next production. This new war takes place in Iran, but it features the same characters and the same plot.

In fact, it has the same characters — Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice and George W. Bush — reading from the same script. In March 2003, making the case for Iraq War I, Dick Cheney asserted: “Saddam Hussein has been absolutely devoted to trying to acquire nuclear weapons.” In October 2007, he vowed: “We will not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.” In September 2002, Condi Rice warned: “We don’t want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud.” This week, she stated that Iran’s nuclear policies “constitute perhaps the single greatest challenge to America’s security interests in the Middle East and around the world.”

The starring role in both wars, of course, goes to President Bush. In March 2003, he told the American people: “The danger is clear. Using chemical, biological or, one day, nuclear weapons, obtained with the help of Iraq, the terrorists could kill thousands or hundreds of thousands of innocent people in our country.” On Oct. 23, 2007, he told the National Defense University: “Iran could develop an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States and all of Europe before 2015. We need to take it seriously — now.”

And, of course, every movie needs a villain. In Iraq, it was Saddam Hussein, whom Bush 41 called “Hitler revisited” and whom Bush 43 identified as “a threat to America.” In Iran, the black hat is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, vilified by Bush advisor Norman Podhoretz as “like Hitler . . . a revolutionary whose objective is to overturn the going international system and replace it with a new order ruled by Islamo-fascism.”

Now, add to the same characters and the same script, the same plot. Before sending in troops to topple Saddam Hussein, the United States imposed tough sanctions on Iraq. On Oct. 25, the Bush administration announced even tougher sanctions against Iran. In October 2002, Congress voted to give President Bush authority to use military force against Iraq. In September 2007, the Senate voted to declare Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization — a move which, under the rules of Bush’s war on terror, could easily be interpreted by a trigger-happy Bush administration as more than sufficient justification for using military force against Iran.

There are many reasons why “Iraq War II” need not end in another war. Iran, after all, is no more of a threat to the security of the United States than Iraq was. Its economy is about the size of Finland’s. Its annual defense budget is $4.8 billion (ours is 110 times greater). It hasn’t invaded another country since the late 18th century. And, more recently, Iran cooperated with the United States in staging the war in Afghanistan. Diplomacy with Iran worked then, and might work again, if only given a chance. And besides, why would the American people or members of Congress trust the Bush administration’s intelligence on Iran when they were so wrong about Iraq?

But it’s pretty clear where this plotline is heading. The same characters, same script and same plot will result in the same outcome. Just like they did with Iraq, Bush, Cheney and Rice will continue to accuse Iran of training terrorists, exporting missiles, and engaging in a nuclear weapons buildup. Pretty soon, forgetting any lessons they learned in Iraq, the mainstream media will pick up the drumbeat. The majority of Americans will fall for the same pro-war propaganda. And members of Congress, afraid of being painted soft on terror, will once again give George Bush whatever war-making powers he wants. Sadly, there’s no question where we’re headed.

The only question is when.

How soon before we bomb Iran? Not long. Certainly, before George Bush leaves office.

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