Holding our Breath on Iran Mr. Bolton

There is great comfort in knowing John Bolton is the point man on "the Iranian situation." Things would not have gotten so hot if attention was paid earlier to Ahmadjihad. Mr. Bolton advocated for action against Iran in the past— he opposed the postponement of a council referral in 2003

The New York Sun reports a committee led by the French, which includes America and other European powers, is drawing up a list of sanction options likely to influence any resolution put before the U.N. Security Council next month.

A committee led by the fwench is not encouraging, considering they have already said TALK OF SANCTIONS AGAINST IRAN IS PREMATURE: FRANCE. 

The list includes limiting the travel of Iranian diplomats; restricting their membership in international organizations; expelling known intelligence officers attached toIranian embassies; limiting Iran’s import of dual-use items that could be diverted to its nuclear program, and — at its most punitive — banning the export of refined petroleum to the country, which imports 40% of the refined petroleum it uses.

The travel ban is bullshit, the ban on the export of refined oil into the country is the ticket. The  government heavily subsidizes the oil  industry in Iran. It's a huge government stipend and they could ill afford a wild spike in refined oil prices. It would break the fiscal back of that regime and cause great civil disobedience.

The meeting of the big 5 is scheduled one day after Iran’s Foreign Ministry announced plans to hold an international conference to examine the Holocaust, an event Iran’s president has said is a myth perpetrated by Zionists.

argh.............Why God chose the Jews

   These diplomatic developments portend a confrontation next month between Iran and America’s ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, who will hold the rotating presidency of the Security Council in February. Mr. Bolton has been one of the toughest critics of Iran inside the Bush administration since he oversaw the nonproliferation and arms control file for the State Department in President Bush’s first term. Mr. Bolton’s advocacy for action against Iran — he opposed the postponement of a council referral in 2003 — has prompted the regime in Tehran to attack him personally in the state-run press.

Iran is badmouthing Bolton? Wow, he is mightier than thought........I love that Bolton has been one of the toughest critics of these madmen. REMEMBER the RINOS that voted against him when you go to the polls in November.

Bolton is going to need all the support the sphere can muster. It won't be easy. Last week Annan practically declared he is ready to do business with President Ahmadinejad. Annan would love another oil for food slush fund, eh? All kidding aside, Iran believes the West is on the decline and that the time has come for world domination.

Iran is not omnipotent.It's a minority regime, they are vulnerable. They are highly dependent  on the world for trade, for legitimacy, for popularity at home. Their economy is a basket case as it is. If you start shutting down their ability to import, they don't even have refining capabilities. So nothing can run in Iran without imported oil from Europe so there's enough leverage to make them stop. Most of their imports are from the West are industrial goods. They need those imports to operate their factories. They already have very high unemployment. What would happen if somebody got up and said NO MORE FACTORY PIECES, NO MORE MACHINERY FOR YOU? Think of the implications of  that would have inside Iran.

They are not all powerful, they are highly vulnerable. They make it appear that they are all powerful........and everyone believes them, but they are an empty shell.

Take them before the security council,  impose sanctions,  this is the way to make them stop. WITH OR WITHOUT CHINA AND RUSSIA,  pressure must be brought to bear. They were stopped before when they were faced with censure, with a challenge  from the world.  But they continue when they feel they can call our bluff. 
They may be Radical Islamists but they understand power.

UPDATE: Apparently Iran banned CNN over nuclear translation (a government official said CNN mistakenly quoted President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as saying his country is seeking nuclear weapons) - Whaaaaaat? Only Ahmadjihadman can say it? I don't get it. [scratches head, moves on]

Does this include Aljazeera? CNN owns al jizz.............just askin'.

Radioactive Republic of Iran, WSJ Hat tip Rick - Here's the money quote;

Diplomacy can only work when both sides are sincere. Like an abused spouse, Western policy makers blame themselves rather than understand the fault is not theirs. There is no magic formula waiting to be discovered. To Tehran, the West is naïve. More diplomacy will only give the Islamic Republic time to achieve its nuclear goal. The only solutions that can rectify the problem are those that deny the Islamic Republic its nuclear arsenal or those that enable Iranians to cast aside theocracy and its aggressive ideology and instead embrace freedom.

The way I see it.
What is the left gonna do now? They have based their whole
'BUSH LIED PEOPLE DIED!" platform on the quicksand of imperfect intel. Well what would they have us do in Iran? There will never be perfect intel with these deceiving regimes until they drop the bomb. That's what the despots do, they lie, cheat and steal. And with a President like Clinton that cut our defense and intel off at the knees, what did they expect? Perfect intel? BLAME BUSH!

What the left would have us do?Nothing?  No preemption? What then? Wait until what?
Iran is calling out you punks on left. Whatcha gonna do punks?

UPDATE: My favorite shrink thinks (as I do) that a nuclear Iran is inevitable. Here is his  psychoanalysis of the ahmadjidad man -- its a must read ( I would think the good doctor  needed a proctologist just to gain access).

Comments

[Eg]

Oh for Christ’s sakes….NewsWeak:

What if the Iranians are just buying time for their bomb building?

ElBaradei:

That's why I said we are coming to the litmus test in the next few weeks. Diplomacy is not just talking. Diplomacy has to be backed by pressure and, in extreme cases, by force. We have rules.

NewsWeak: You're angry.

ElBaradei: No, I'm not angry, but.....

Well ElBaradei but might not be pissed-off but I sure am! Imagine the mess we'd be in if we hadn't gone into Iraq?

...and no damnit we can't sit around and wait another 6 friggin months while the bedwetting UN & Euro's suck their thumbs.

Shut down that fornicating UN...NOW!!!

Diplomacy and Force

[Stieu]

Hey Pamela, great blog. Did you hear Iran just got banned from Iran?

Check out the link:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1558955/posts

CNN banned from Iran.

[Dan Patterson]

Iran and the nuclear issue will be resolved by a big, orange ball. Unless someone blinks. If it's the Iranians that blink and dismantle, big orange ball deployment is postponed. If it's the west that blinks, then the big orange ball will appear above one of the west's favorite friends.

Dan Patterson
Arrogant Infidel
The Holy City of Winston-Salem

[Thomas Carney]

This whole deal proves that lily-livered weaklings like Neville Chamberlain, Jacques Chirac, Gerhard Schroeder were and are the norm in Europe and guys with cajones like Winston Churchill are the exceptions.

Kofi Enema is just another Third World crook who feels the world owes him something.

I truly believe that if a candidate for president promises to kick the UN out of New York, and pull out of that whorehouse known as the United Nations will be elected by a large margin.

The UN is as useful as udders on a prize bull and they have proven it time and time again. Darfur anyone???

[Iceman 1955]

The UN will never do anything, as usual. There will be all sorts of posturing by the UN but we know that if sanctions are imposed on Iran in a few years we will hear all about countries that ignored them. Just as we saw with the Oil for Food in Iraq.

What is really needed is a leader who will do a Clint Eastwood. Grit his teeth, squint his eyes and ask President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad... "Are you feeling lucky punk?... Well, are you?". Then be willing to do what must be done if needed.

[Thomas Carney]

Iceman: Agreed.

Let's see... who would have the cajones to back that up if in the White House?? W.?? Not sure. Jesse Ventura??? Probably.

Maybe Ventura was right. He shook up Minnesota real good and MN needed it. Maybe we do need a wrestler in the White House.

I miss President Reagan. I really miss him. There was a prez with cajones.