WASHINGTON - President Bush said Monday that force is not necessarily required to stop Iran from having a nuclear weapon, and he dismissed reports of plans for a military attack against Tehran as "“wild speculation."
Bush said his goal is to keep the Iranians from having the capability or the knowledge to have a nuclear weapon.
"“I know we'’re here in Washington (where) prevention means force," Bush said during an appearance at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. "“It doesnÂ't mean force necessarily. In this case it means diplomacy."”
Wait a minute--force means diplomacy? If force means diplomacy, per Bush's definition, what does war mean--appeasement?
The political spin on this is so incredible, that it doesn't even make any sense. The Bush White House is trying to lie, deflect, delay, spin--anything they can to shift the American public's attention away from their ideological plans for imperialism. George Orwell would probably be astounded by this administration's constant spin. His vision of 1984 came true--it just came 22 years late.
But there is more:
Bush and other administration officials have said repeatedly that the military option is on the table, and White House officials acknowledge "“normal" military planning is under way. Several reports published over the weekend said the administration was studying options for military strikes, and an account in The New Yorker magazine raised the possibility of using nuclear bombs against Iran'’s underground nuclear sites.
Bush did not directly respond to that report but said, "“What you'’re reading is just wild speculation.Â"
But Bush said he was correct to include Iran in the '“axis of evil' with Iraq and North Korea and that he's glad to see other countries taking the threat from Iran seriously, too.
"“I got out a little early on the issue by saying '‘axis of evil,'"’ Bush said. "“But I meant it. I saw it as a problem. And now many others have come to the conclusion that the Iranians should not have a nuclear weapon."
Bush has said Iran may pose the greatest challenge to the United States of any other country in the world. And while he has stressed that diplomacy is always preferable, he has defended his administrationÂ’s strike-first policy against terrorists and other enemies.
"“The threat from Iran is, of course, their stated objective to destroy our strong ally Israel,"” the president said last month in Cleveland. "“That'’s a threat, a serious threat. It'’s a threat to world peace; it'’s a threat, in essence, to a strong alliance. I made it clear, I'’ll make it clear again, that we will use military might to protect our ally."
So President Bush is saying that the nuclear option against Iran is not on the table, but is rather "wild speculation," on Seymour Hesh's part. And yet, he continues to not only include Iran as a part of the 'axis of evil,' but also reiterates the administration's first-strike policy against terrorism--which includes Iran. Bush has spun himself around by first saying a strike against Iran is wild speculation, before claiming that the U.S. is still considering the option of attacking Iran. Which makes the prospects of a U.S. nuclear attack on Iran even more frightening, is that Iran's main centerfrifuge plant, at Natanz, is protected under 75 feet of earth, rock, and possibly reinforced concrete, per toHesh's article. Conventional American munitions may not be able to completely destroy Natanz. So if the Bush administration wants to destroy the Iranian facility at Natanz, they are probably going to have to use nuclear weapons.
Hesh also points this out in his article:
Some operations, apparently aimed in part at intimidating Iran, are already under way. American Naval tactical aircraft, operating from carriers in the Arabian Sea, have been flying simulated nuclear-weapons delivery missions--—rapid ascending maneuvers known as "“over the shoulder"” bombing--—since last summer, the former official said, within range of Iranian coastal radars.
So while Bush may be telling the American public that a nuclear strike against Iran is wild speculation, his neoconservative minions have been happily planning for such an attack. The question here is we can't be certain if or when President Bush will order such an attack against Iran.
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