Iran: Kristol is Wrong, IMAO

This was a depressing piece by William Kristol on Iran and the Bush Doctrine in the Weekly Standard.

Iran is not Iraq

[...] As for the statement, "The Security Council is the primary and most important institution for the maintenance of peace and stability and security"--of course that's not true. But what's the harm in saying it? It creates goodwill as the United States goes through the Security Council process. Sure, that process won't lead anywhere. But then the Europeans will finally see that they've got to join us in serious sanctions. They will be very targeted sanctions, which won't affect ordinary Iranians, because that would be counterproductive. But a signal of resolve will have been sent to Tehran, nonetheless. They will know that if they don't change, we and the Europeans will remain united behind these targeted sanctions. And you can't argue with this: Our relations with the Europeans are much better than they were during that nightmarish first term.

* * *

Yes, that's the view from Foggy Bottom. And it's true the Europeans don't fear the Bush administration any more. Nor, unfortunately, do others. One might also note that, despite all the goodwill built up by our outreach to the capitals of Europe,     President Bush seems much weaker today than he was in the bad old days of unilateralism and bellicosity, and so does the United States. But the State Department is popular, and at least we don't look like Neanderthals in the drawing rooms of Europe and Georgetown.

Condi and her colleagues may come home and say, privately, it ain't so. But it is so. Much of the U.S. government no longer believes in, and is no longer acting to enforce, the Bush Doctrine. "The United States of America understands and believes that Iran is not Iraq." That's a diplomatic way of saying that the United States of America is in retreat.

Despite the tongue-in-cheek approach, there is a good deal of truth to what Mr. Kristol says here. But I don't believe we have lost our will. I do believe we are doing the diplomatic dance, much the way we did the diplomatic cha cha cha prior to the Iraqi invasion. The left wing in America demands it. But there comes that moment of truth -- when all diplomatic roads have been exhausted and it's time to put up or shut up, we put up.

And who is to say we did not have a hand in the surprise revolt against the mullahs today?

The Iranian people came out in force to express their anger at the Iranian regime's failure to listen to their needs. The regime fears its own people more than a sanctions or military strikes. It knows well the overwhelming anger people have towards the regime and how quickly regimes can change.

Therefore the regime organized its own May Day or International Workers Day march at the former US Embassy in Tehran hoping to control the event. This move angered workers and student groups who called this a bogus event.

But things did not turn out as the regime hoped. Angry workers went to the regime's march and hijacked it instead. The Iranian people used this government sponsored opportunity to come out in force and make their voices heard.

Go over to Regime Change Iran for the complete round up. Incredible photos of the demonstrations here. These are very encouraging signs of serious internal dissent.

Comments

[rocketsbrain]

Gee - Super Babe your really burning the midnight oil tonight.

Thought you might like my post in your thread below that I posted over at Winds of Change in a very lively discussion.

Read the whole thread.

RBT

*****

LOOSE THE ARMY OF DAVIDS

[...]

As RBT said over at Atlas:

It's 1938 all over again!

For those of us in the Blogos who know the truth -

IT'S TIME TO ROLL!

[...]

Read More

[Eg]

From Mao’s ‘Yu Chi Chan’ (Guerrilla Warfare) chapter: The Relation of Guerrilla Hostilities to Regular Operations(selected excerpts).

If we consider both types of warfare as a single subject, or if we confuse guerrilla warfare with the mobile operations of orthodox warfare, we fall into this error: We exaggerate the function of guerrillas and minimize that of regular armies.

Then, not only would those that oppose us take advantage of our varying opinions to turn them to their own uses to undermine us, but guerrillas would be led to assume responsibilities they could not successfully discharge and that should be carried out by orthodox forces. In the meantime, the important guerrilla function of coordinating with regular forces would be neglected.

The concept that guerrilla warfare is an end in itself and that guerrilla activities can be divorced from those of regular forces is incorrect.

What we’ve almost certainly been witnessing, as illustrated in the following articles, is a linking 'unconventional forces' with both Iran's regular an irregular forces for the purpose of coordinating operations in prepartion for full-scale war. The Mad Mullah's appear certain they’ve got their Quran pieces of crap lined-up-in-a-row.

Iran’s president recruits terror master

Iran's Secret Plan if Attacked by US Codenamed "Judgement Day"

Is Iran preparing for war?

Zarqawi, al Qaeda are heading out, U.S. general says

Hezbollah, Illegal Immigration, and the Next 9/11

More troubling yet is a combination of three stories. The first comes from the Counterterrorism Blog‘s , Zawahiri Tape Transcript: "To the People of Pakistan".
Followed closely by, India part of gas pipeline project(Iran-Pakistan-India) and Iran wants “new solution” to nuclear standoff: top official.

If the Iranian’s can stall long enough while al-Q along with various groups inside and outside of Pakistan put into effect an operation which take’s down Musharraf…needless to say, we’re going to be in a very tough position.

But I think the real question remains, ‘how much risk are the Chinese and Russian’s willing to take before this develops into a full-scale shooting match?’

[Debbie]

You are absolutely correct. We are going through the motion, through the process, knowing full well that the UN is useless for action.

When the time comes WE, the USA will defend right, freedom and democracy (and Israel) against the obvious looming threat that is Iran.