How's This For Profiling?
 

It's a legimitate question. If someone gets into a cockpit and crashes a plane, you will likely blame bush for lack of security. So things that could affect security need to be looked at with a wary eye. If you have agent that could blind the stewardess allowing someone access tp the cockpit, how is that not legimate?

As a flier, I am concerned.

Slow PB day
 

I never said it was. You started this off by saying if the US said it was going to make a premptive strike against Togo - would you believe it - yes I would believe it.

Slow PB day
 

Global strike has become one of the core missions for the Omaha-based Strategic Command, or Stratcom. Once, Stratcom oversaw only the nation's nuclear forces; now it has responsibility for overseeing a global strike plan with both conventional and nuclear options. President Bush spelled out the definition of "full-spectrum" global strike in a January 2003 classified directive, describing it as "a capability to deliver rapid, extended range, precision kinetic (nuclear and conventional) and non-kinetic (elements of space and information operations) effects in support of theater and national objectives."


journalist Seymour Hersh, makes three main claims: US clandestine activities inside Iran have increased

Planning for a possible air attack has intensified

The option of using of tactical nuclear weapons to ensure the destruction of well-protected Iranian nuclear facilities is still on the table.

Slow PB day
 

You are right - nuking Iran never has been and never will be an option. Surgical strikes are out because the program is spread out. The only way to end the program would be to invade the country. However, the Iraq invasion has made that a lot easier. We conquered Iraq without even stubbing our toe. We could invade Iran, take out the nuclear stuff and leave. Because we are occupying Iraq, and know exactly what are capabilities are, this will be alot easier than it would have been if we were just sitting in Kuwait at the discretion of the Kuwaiti government.

However, even though it will be a lot easier now that we are in Iraq, that does not mean it will be easy. We could do it but the resources and manpower involved would involve major sacrifices by the American people. The war in Iraq has not effected the average American at all.

Because of the committment involved, I don't see it as an option unless Iran does something really, really agressive.

Slow PB day
 

What color is the sky in your world? With which troops would we do this?

Slow PB day
 

And sacrificing virgins to win the war is on the table (all options are being reviewed) but the chances of using Nukes in Iran are about the same chances as monkey flying out of my derriere.

Slow PB day
 

Do you know how many combat divisions we have? Do you know how many are deployed in Iraq?

We have the troops. It would just take sacrifices (strategic and personal) that we have not had to make since we invaded Iraq.

Slow PB day
 

When did Bush say the Iraq thing would be a six week proposition, start to finish? I thought he always said that the WoT would be hard work and would take years and Americans had to strap it on for the foreseeable future. No?

Personally I expected we would be in Iraq 5-10 years, and I imagine I will be right.

When are we pulling the troops out of Weurope? Korea? At 50 plus years, I would think its time....

Slow PB day
 

Fair point.

Let me put it this way, instead: The likelihood that our intelligence services (or Israel's, or anyone else's*) knows where the key installations are, with sufficient accuracy to allow for precision bombing that will significantly hinder or delay Iran's nuclear development without requiring the commitment of ground forces or a massive bombing campaign, strikes me as extremely exceedingly small.

Iran is not conducting this research in the open. This is a closed society and an issue of the utmost secrecy -- one likely to be buried in deep and remote bunkers.

OTOH, we knew where Saddam's WMD were and they didn't even exist, so I could be wrong.








*except for maybe Iran's, but they probably aren't talking to us.

Slow PB day
 

I wasn't referring to Nukes. I'm not sure what boots on the ground would do for us if our only goal was to hinder the nuke capacity. More likely would be a air bombing mission. Unless you are talking about regime change, in which case I agree with you.

Slow PB day
 

Sacrifices!!?!? that sounds hard. Could we just give them the keys and change the name to United Islamic Republics of America?

Slow PB day
 

Sorry -- I forgot your inability to read a post in anything but the most absolutely literal sense. I recognize that the US military could probably overthrow the Togolese government faster than most people could figure out where that is. So let me phrase this more carefully:

If Bush said that we were going to attack, say, Togo, in order to eliminate a terrorist threat, and that we were going to accomplish the same goals we set out to accomplish in Iraq -- transition to a new government, rebuilding, stability, etc. -- and that this would happen in a couple of months and wouldn't cost anything, would you believe that?

Of course, I suspect that you would. As they say, a neo-con is someone who has been mugged by reality (and, having thus determined that reality is not very nice, has decided to avoid it forevermore).

Slow PB day
 

I don't know, about the former. Or the latter, I suppose. I don't want to know about the latter.

I think if a US President, Bush or otherwise, is faced with the choice of an impending Second Holocaust or using nukes on Iran to prevent, the choice is hard, but one that history will dictate that he/she has the guts to make. Much like Truman did. The last Dem of any repute.

What would you advocate, letting Ahmadinejad wipe Israel off the map. while we petitioned the UN to intervene?

Slow PB day
 

Should the equation be based on a (1) quick in and out and a low cost or (2) what is necessary to ensure our security and win the GWoT?

Slow PB day
 

Rummy did -- six days, maybe six weeks, I doubt it'll last six months.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2738089.stm