07.30.08
How official do you need the response to be, Secretary Rice?
In Iran, you can’t get more supreme than the Ayatollah Khameini. Three days ahead of the deadline for Iran to say how it’s going to respond to the West’s latest offer – something called “freeze for freeze” – he once again, for the gazillionth time reiterates his regime’s determination to keep enriching uranium.
Does anyone still doubt where this is headed?
Mr. Dings said,
July 30, 2008 at 8:23 pm
Many thanks, bloggie, for referencing a NYT article. See, we’re all watching and perhaps waiting too much indeed:
According to separate news agency reports from Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei was also quoted by state television as saying in a sermon: “Taking one step back against arrogant (powers) will lead to them to take one step forward.”
Gee, who knew that we know that they know? These crazies can and will be check-mated, short of conflagration, it seems to me. Let’s not get too frisky like we did with Iraq.
Administrator said,
July 31, 2008 at 2:48 am
How do you envision this checkmate working out, my mideast-watching hombre? What do we have left in the way of leverage, options and such?
Bentnotesmanhisself said,
July 31, 2008 at 1:04 pm
In today’s news I see that Foreign Minister Mottaki has seconded – actually, gazillionthed – The Supreme Ayatollah’s pronouncement that enrichment will proceed apace.
Oh, and that Non-Aligned Nations gathering – in Tehran – went on record supporting Iran’s right to uranium enrichment.
Again, this “checkmating” of which you speak. How does it work?
Mr. Dings said,
July 31, 2008 at 4:09 pm
These are rooks and pawns. Some complicated wins require more than 60 moves.
Mr. Dings said,
July 31, 2008 at 4:34 pm
I think we can win India over with rationality, actually, and the Venezuelan people are not exactly thrilled with their neo-Commie leadership. The entire alliance would “fall” (so to speak) without India, actually. These countries have endured colonialism and worse and it is quite understandable that they would not trust the bigger powers. What have they ever done for them and their cultures, actually, but try to make them into us, if not actually obliterate them. You will counter that the West is superior and that cultures, say, like the American Indians deserved to be obliterated by the superior culture, and likely even come up with divine rationales for same. Too bad God ain’t talking directly and worse that some here think he is. To them only. That’s the true madness, the disease, so to speak, and there are many here and in the past that have thought so and that has indeed been the crux of the problem. Silly human race.
Mr. Dings said,
July 31, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Do you want Condi to give up, ask Bush to push the button before we get Kerry or Biden? 150 days to go. Countdown! Are you feeling anxious now? Lame ducks. Aint nothin’ gonna happen dude, nothin’. And nothin’ should. Yet. In my book.
Mr. Dings said,
July 31, 2008 at 5:04 pm
I truly believe the American people want to see this all resolved without war and without bloodshed. What’s a democracy, anyhow, but the will of the people in action? Bang the drums of destruction, hell no, we’re not going. Yet. Your premature and poorly planned actions in Iraq made this situation. We ain’t buying it again, Chicken Littles.
Bentnotesmanhisself said,
July 31, 2008 at 5:43 pm
Once again, you’ve dispensed many paragraphs of verbiage, but failed to directly answer my question. Our relations with India or whatever are pretty secondary to the moment of reckoning that is only months away.
“Nothin’s gonna happen” except for Iran getting nukes and long-range missiles.
Sure, the American peoplewant to see this resoved without bloodshed. Again, I return the floor to you and give you yet another opportunity to lay out your vision for how that might come about.
Mr. Dings said,
July 31, 2008 at 5:49 pm
No more once agains, then. Blog yourself silly. One word: statecraft.
Bentnotesmanhisself said,
July 31, 2008 at 5:50 pm
I want to be fair here. You asked me a question as well. I reply “yes” to the first part of it (”Do you want Condi to give up?”) and “No” to the second part. Not that it may not come to “pushing the button,” which, I presume, is your shorthand for excalation of a conflict to use of nuclear warheads, but for right now, we need to drop all talk of incentives, press uncompromisingly at the UN Security Council for the stongest sanctions and other punitive measures (blockade, closing off of airspace) short of using military force. Then if we don’t get suspension of uranium enrichment – well, it’s time to be blunt. yes, then we go to war.
Bentnotesmanhisself said,
July 31, 2008 at 5:55 pm
A word like “Statecraft” doesn’t tell us much. If that’s not what we’ve been employing in this situation for the last five years, then what do you call it?
Re-read the facts cited above. The Supreme Ayatollah and the Foreign Minister and President Ahmadinejad have all said in the last few days that enrichment – now with 6000 centrifuges – will continue.