IRAN launches a rocket

[JerrySeinfeld]

While Obama "talks" the talk...Iran walks the walk.

Clearly the pre-election rhetoric suggesting that if we all just sing cumbaya together...if only we're a little nicer to those who hate us, then everyone will love us - is proving to be a load of crap.

The inevitable conclusion is one of two:

1. Iran blows up another country

or

2. Obama grows a backbone and - more than he already has - again flip flops on his pre election language and reaffirms the correctness of his predecessor in the tough backbone approach.

[Oleg Bach]

Some one should go to Iran and whisper in the ear of their gangsters pretending to be holy men.. and say - wit seriousness - "YOU have a missle - you may have a nuke or eventually have one - IF you so much as even threatend or posture - we will turn the old empire of Persia into a sheet of glass...Iran will never catch up to the west as far as striking power - we are masters..and are ahead by fifty years- They will never catch up - as for Israel - tell them to stop being such self centred racists bastards - and let them make friend with their shemite brothers....It is wrong to have this small state - this American out post..contain so much wealth - and weaponry - IF Israel had a different attitude...50 years ago - instead of being the baby brother with America standing in support - things would have been different - Israels existance is artifical - they should have takent the natural route and assimulated - with the other semites instead of acting like gods that decended from heaven to rule.

[bush_cheney2004]

While Obama "talks" the talk...Iran walks the walk.

.....2. Obama grows a backbone and - more than he already has - again flip flops on his pre election language and reaffirms the correctness of his predecessor in the tough backbone approach.

He needs more cards, mostly from Russia, by ironically trading Missile Defence away for pressure on Iran.

[Oleg Bach]

He needs more cards, mostly from Russia, by ironically trading Missile Defence away for pressure on Iran.

How can one potential international hooligan - confide with Putin and his bunch - who are professional hooligans? This "back bone" stuff is high school talk.. Back bone or toughness is not the solution - telling the truth is the solution...real treaties between crooks...instead Obama will do what the others did - act like they are the moral superiour and America is some new Jerusalem drifted down from heaven - and a light of the world...the reality is _ America and all nations are scoundrels - crooks and killers ....about time that plain talk ruled instead of this damned theatre.

[bush_cheney2004]

...instead Obama will do what the others did - act like they are the moral superiour and America is some new Jerusalem drifted down from heaven - and a light of the world...the reality is _ America and all nations are scoundrels - crooks and killers ....about time that plain talk ruled instead of this damned theatre.

Well, they better do something soon because the new Prime Minister of Israel is not known for kissing anyone's ass.

[Oleg Bach]

Well, they better do something soon because the new Prime Minister of Israel is not known for kissing anyone's ass.

Yah I saw that.....I know the type of evolved and hybred new Jew - they are large - tough and brutal - and no push over - when dealing with them you usually see only the passive ones - but in the back ground are the heros...and this PM is one that has stepped out of the back to the fore ground....Obama better realize that you have to behave like a man with these guys - and even if you do - they will out man you...they have had 50 years to develope a few super men - met one high ranker at an art opening - he was as scarey as a huge muscled black gang banger on steriods - tough....and killing directly or indirectly does not bother them - America helped create this monster - and if they were smart they would strave them into submission...cut off funding - these are brazen priates.

[bush_cheney2004]

.... America helped create this monster - and if they were smart they would strave them into submission...cut off funding - these are brazen priates.

No way dude.....girly man Obama will have to "pump it up" if he wants to run with the big dogs.

[Oleg Bach]

No way dude.....girly man Obama will have to "pump it up" if he wants to run with the big dogs.

First time you spoke - it was of big dogs.... I guess because we are a bit older and good obserers all of our lives we learned one thing ---------------------- a pack of little dogs do the biting and nipping - the big dogs are like alfa lions - they are the only ones that can exert enough pressure to snap the head hyennas neck....and by the way people - big dogs do not run for office..that's for the little ones..

[bush_cheney2004]

First time you spoke - it was of big dogs.... I guess because we are a bit older and good obserers all of our lives we learned one thing ---------------------- a pack of little dogs do the biting and nipping -

That's right...the Big Dogs get to father puppies!

[Borg]

Iran will eventually use that system and it will be a very bad part of the world to be in.

Borg

[waldo]

While Obama "talks" the talk...Iran walks the walk.

Clearly the pre-election rhetoric suggesting that if we all just sing cumbaya together...if only we're a little nicer to those who hate us, then everyone will love us - is proving to be a load of crap.

The inevitable conclusion is one of two:

1. Iran blows up another country

or

2. Obama grows a backbone and - more than he already has - again flip flops on his pre election language and reaffirms the correctness of his predecessor in the tough backbone approach.

nothing to see here... move along now... just a bit of ole pomp & circumstance

ya see Jerry - for some time now, Iran has had missiles with the range to reach Israel. Your speaking of pre-election rhetoric is most timely as Iran is in the midst of its own election campaign... this was nothing more than Ahmadinejad exercising for his (presumed) internal benefit. At this point in the campaign, several polls have Ahmadinejad behind a more moderate opponent.

that "correctness of his predecessor" you speak of reflects your ignorance of the generally accepted understanding that a series of Bush administration diplomatic blunders has put the Iranian hardliners in the driver's seat... most notable being the U.S. unilateral sanctions that only acted to boost the hardliners position and embolden them in the face of a Bush administration that offered no diplomatic alternatives.

so Obama offers suggestion of a new day - a new approach... however... apparently, this shift towards diplomacy first (away from the Bush doctrine) does not sit well with many of the knuckle-draggers in the U.S (and apparently here at MLW, as well)

[JerrySeinfeld]

nothing to see here... move along now... just a bit of ole pomp & circumstance

ya see Jerry - for some time now, Iran has had missiles with the range to reach Israel. Your speaking of pre-election rhetoric is most timely as Iran is in the midst of its own election campaign... this was nothing more than Ahmadinejad exercising for his (presumed) internal benefit. At this point in the campaign, several polls have Ahmadinejad behind a more moderate opponent.

that "correctness of his predecessor" you speak of reflects your ignorance of the generally accepted understanding that a series of Bush administration diplomatic blunders has put the Iranian hardliners in the driver's seat... most notable being the U.S. unilateral sanctions that only acted to boost the hardliners position and embolden them in the face of a Bush administration that offered no diplomatic alternatives.

so Obama offers suggestion of a new day - a new approach... however... apparently, this shift towards diplomacy first (away from the Bush doctrine) does not sit well with many of the knuckle-draggers in the U.S (and apparently here at MLW, as well)

Filed in the |major understatement" category even your beloved administration has said this is "a step in the wrong direction".

Indeed your theory of sitting in the oval office closing ones eyes and playing "Imagine" over and over again on the record player is being floated by the current administration.

While the idea of doing nothing but talking alot certainly fits in with Obama's aspirations of ultra "eurocool" - I guess we're all about to find out how it works out.

[waldo]

Jerry - not my beloved administration... I ain't mercan

I also filed your OP in the over zealous fear-mongering category..... "imagine" if there was a "revolution" and you could just "give peace a chance"

[JerrySeinfeld]

Jerry - not my beloved administration... I ain't mercan

I also filed your OP in the over zealous fear-mongering category..... "imagine" if there was a "revolution" and you could just "give peace a chance"

A fundamentalist islamic president who is on record as wanting to wipe Israel off the map, has an ongoing nuclear program of enriching uranium, refuses to curtail said program in the face of international pressure, and now Obama "extends a hand" offering his country "full membership" in the interbnational community - and he responds by firing off a long range missile.

And you imagine that I'm "fear mongering?" What colour is the sky in your world, buddy.

As I said - we'll all soon find out how Obama's approach works out for the world.

[waldo]

A fundamentalist islamic president who is on record as wanting to wipe Israel off the map, has an ongoing nuclear program of enriching uranium, refuses to curtail said program in the face of international pressure, and now Obama "extends a hand" offering his country "full membership" in the interbnational community - and he responds by firing off a long range missile.

And you imagine that I'm "fear mongering?" What colour is the sky in your world, buddy.

yes – fear mongering… on your part. Your “scoop”… “launches a rocket - can reach Israel” is hardly – a scoop. As I stated, Iran has had missiles capable of reaching Israel for some time. Of course, your hook was to disparage Obama and the, uhhh… novel concept (to some) that opening up a diplomatic channel might actually be the precursor to dramatic change.

speculation abounds that Ahmadinejad is on his way out come the June election – please make sure to resurrect this thread if/when that occurs – we will need to know who your next boogeyman will be. Just for your “fair and balanced” nourishment: Iranian Presidential Candidates Vow to Bring Change

Mir Hossein Mousavi, (the former Prime Minister of Iran, 1981-to-1989), the leading reformist candidate in the June 12 vote, said he will improve Iran's economy and relations with the international community that suffered under Ahmadinejad's hard-line rule.

"I've come to be a means of restoring Iranian power, dignity and identity," Mousavi told reporters after formally registering as a candidate Saturday.

as it stands, the (known) Iranian uranium enrichment at the Natanz facility… that which apparently has you wetting your pants… is being continuously monitored by the UN’s IAEA. To get to the next levels, to understand whether other “covert” enrichment sites exist in Iran… to have Iran open up and provide details/accountability in regards it’s past nuclear program initiatives requires diplomatic efforts – something that didn’t exist in the Bush vocabulary!

U.S. May Drop Key Condition for Talks With Iran

[sharkman]

A fundamentalist islamic president who is on record as wanting to wipe Israel off the map, has an ongoing nuclear program of enriching uranium, refuses to curtail said program in the face of international pressure, and now Obama "extends a hand" offering his country "full membership" in the interbnational community - and he responds by firing off a long range missile.

And you imagine that I'm "fear mongering?" What colour is the sky in your world, buddy.

As I said - we'll all soon find out how Obama's approach works out for the world.

You know, I bet Obama is much more concerned about this privately than he is letting on. Too bad the analytical skills of the left are such that they can't connect the dots that occur in their blind spots.

[JerrySeinfeld]

yes – fear mongering… on your part. Your “scoop”… “launches a rocket - can reach Israel” is hardly – a scoop. As I stated, Iran has had missiles capable of reaching Israel for some time. Of course, your hook was to disparage Obama and the, uhhh… novel concept (to some) that opening up a diplomatic channel might actually be the precursor to dramatic change.

speculation abounds that Ahmadinejad is on his way out come the June election – please make sure to resurrect this thread if/when that occurs – we will need to know who your next boogeyman will be. Just for your “fair and balanced” nourishment: Iranian Presidential Candidates Vow to Bring Change

Mir Hossein Mousavi, (the former Prime Minister of Iran, 1981-to-1989), the leading reformist candidate in the June 12 vote, said he will improve Iran's economy and relations with the international community that suffered under Ahmadinejad's hard-line rule.

"I've come to be a means of restoring Iranian power, dignity and identity," Mousavi told reporters after formally registering as a candidate Saturday.

as it stands, the (known) Iranian uranium enrichment at the Natanz facility… that which apparently has you wetting your pants… is being continuously monitored by the UN’s IAEA. To get to the next levels, to understand whether other “covert” enrichment sites exist in Iran… to have Iran open up and provide details/accountability in regards it’s past nuclear program initiatives requires diplomatic efforts – something that didn’t exist in the Bush vocabulary!

U.S. May Drop Key Condition for Talks With Iran

Hahaha. That tells me how much you know about Iranian politics. Ahmedinejad or not doesn't really matter - he is just the puppet of the Mullahs and Ayatollahs in that country who truly ocntrol the strings of power.

As I said - we'll find out how ell Obama's "strategy" works.

But in reality - I think Sharkman's post above is closer to reality: when it comes down to brass tax Obama will behave much as Bush did - along with the military tribunals, the "closing" of guantanamo, the release of pictures and others. It's obvious now that he's in office, that Obama is seeing reality as clearly as Bush once did.

"Walk softly and carry a big stick"

I guess we'll see if Obama has a stick at all.

[bush_cheney2004]

....But in reality - I think Sharkman's post above is closer to reality: when it comes down to brass tax Obama will behave much as Bush did - along with the military tribunals, the "closing" of guantanamo, the release of pictures and others. It's obvious now that he's in office, that Obama is seeing reality as clearly as Bush once did....

That's right....Obama is no longer on the campaign trail. He is now responsible for the duties of his office. The ghost of Jimmy Carter looms large.

[waldo]

Hahaha. That tells me how much you know about Iranian politics. Ahmedinejad or not doesn't really matter - he is just the puppet of the Mullahs and Ayatollahs in that country who truly ocntrol the strings of power.

As I said - we'll find out how ell Obama's "strategy" works.

But in reality - I think Sharkman's post above is closer to reality: when it comes down to brass tax Obama will behave much as Bush did - along with the military tribunals, the "closing" of guantanamo, the release of pictures and others. It's obvious now that he's in office, that Obama is seeing reality as clearly as Bush once did.

"Walk softly and carry a big stick"

I guess we'll see if Obama has a stick at all.

and you're a simpleton... Khamenei is not the face of Iran presented to the outside world... reformist Khatami was allowed to project from the left (1997-2005), just as Ahmadinejad has from the right. To the point that Ahmadinejad is perceived, at times, to be working beyond the tights reigns of Khamenei... to the point that Ahmadinejad is being viewed extremist (increasingly) within Iran's own populace... to the point that Iran's economy is tanked and Ahmadinejad is taking targeted blame... change is anticipated within Iran.

contrary to most Republican/Conservative wet dreams, Obama is not "Bush-lite". If you listened to Obama's speech yesterday you would have heard him clearly define the changes/protections introduced into the "new" military tribunals and you would have heard his reinforced commitment to closing Quantanamo.

[Oleg Bach]

Maybe Bush extra light? Bush was a light weight ( dem serians had betta stop doing dat shit).....where are the heavies?

[Moonlight Graham]

Iran will eventually use that system and it will be a very bad part of the world to be in.

Borg

Why would Iran use their nukes without severe provocation? Religion and racism is not enough for Iran to launch nukes, they would have to be clinically insane to do so because they know the moment they launched them they would be nuked to ashes by Isreal/U.S.

Seriously, can anyone blame Iran for wanting the nukes? The U.S. has invaded & occupied both Arab countries flanking either side of Iran & has nukes pointed at them, and Israel obviously has nukes also (even though they don't admit it). I'm sure Iran is quite eager to defend itself in any way possible.

The only huge threat i see from Iran is giving nuclear material to terrorist groups, but if that was ever traced back to Iran...KABOOM bye bye Iran. But of course, it also sucks when their are more nukes in this world.

What have we learned in the last 60 years about a country having nukes? It's that having nukes is a deterrent from being invaded militarily and being nuked yourself. If Japan had nukes in 1945 they would not have been nuked. The West was very worried when Pakistan and India acquired nukes also, but was the result? Mostly just sabre-rattling, plus we're seeing reluctance by the U.S. to enter/occupy Pakistan to get terrorists/Taliban. If Pakistan didn't have nukes the U.S. would years ago have had boots on the ground searching Bin Laden.

[Oleg Bach]

Persia is not likely to start nuking indiscrimately or in a knee jerk manner - where as If the west did not have the pain of poverty hanging over Israels head - they would nuke their neighbours if the wind was blowing in the right direction.

[Moonlight Graham]

"Walk softly and carry a big stick"

I guess we'll see if Obama has a stick at all.

Speak softly and carry a big stick. Wonderful proverb. Problem with Bush was that he spoke loudly and brashly...and carried a big stick (which he used foolishly).

What is the best way to keep other people from hating you and wanting to attack you? It's to give them as little reasons as possible to WANT to hate you and attack you...within reason of course.

[Oleg Bach]

Walk with diginty and grace - and class - and leave the stick carrying to the peasants. Like I said - if you are truely a faithful thinking man - you do not need a weapon..For instance the most successsful negotiators and diplomats are those that can enter any nation - or group - and carry themselves like honourable men - they get results and respect - those with sticks get the stick!

[sharkman]

That sounds good Oleg, but in the end it depends on whether those on the other side of the table are negotiating in good faith. North Korea is one such example of those who were not, and now Kim has what he was scheming for all along as he satisfied his nuclear envy.(Done during the Clinton years with Jimmy Carter as the emissary)

And of course who can forget Chamberlain.