[aldo_14]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/04/09/wbush09.xml&sSheet=/portal/2006/04/09/ixportaltop.html

Albeit, check the headline at the bottom of the page.

[Mefustae]

They may be crazy, malevolent and downright rotten; but those in the US Administration are not going to order the first use of Nuclear Weapons offensively in more than half a century. That would mean having to reset that big-ass timer outside the UN that reads '[61] Years without a Nuclear War', and I doubt anyone wants that job...

[aldo_14]

They may be crazy, malevolent and downright rotten; but those in the US Administration are not going to order the first use of Nuclear Weapons offensively in more than half a century. That would mean having to reset that big-ass timer outside the UN that reads '[61] Years without a Nuclear War', and I doubt anyone wants that job...

I have a hasty feeling the current administration doesn't really class these bombs to be nuc-u-lur weapons, though.  After all, the development of a nuclear bunker-buster (or any new type of nuclear weapon) is banned under the NTP.

[Mefustae]

You mean they got around the Non-proliferation Treaty by argueing semantics?!

[Flipside]

So the hard-liner leader of Iran is 'The New Hitler' in a country which is working o building up a store of weapons of mass destruction to threaten the west.....

Haven't  I heard this before?

[Ghostavo]

So the hard-liner leader of Iraqn is 'The New Hitler' in a country which is working o building up a store of weapons of mass destruction to threaten the west.....

[aldo_14]

You mean they got around the Non-proliferation Treaty by argueing semantics?!

Got around or just plain ignored.

[Prophet]

Thats a huge load of cattle poo. Like Bush would bomb the oil fields to glass. When the oil fields happen to be the only reason he would want a war with Iran (should it still exist after said bombings). Thought you never know what radioactive oil might do to american economy.

US and European intelligence agencies are certain that Teheran is trying to develop atomic weapons. In contrast to the run-up to the Iraq invasion, there are no disagreements within Western intelligence about Iran's plans.

Like some newsagency would have a clue what national intelligence agencies are doing. The article doesn't even say where this particular piece of information is from.

Despite America's public commitment to diplomacy, there is a growing belief in Washington that the only solution to the crisis is regime change. A senior Pentagon consultant said that Mr Bush believes that he must do "what no Democrat or Republican, if elected in the future, would have the courage to do," and "that saving Iran is going to be his legacy".

I would be very scared of this, if I wouldn't be laughing my ass off.

[Sandwich]

I don't see why Bush is so concerned. He could just sit back, gain some points in the oh-so-important "world opinion" by pursuing diplomatic means of halting Iran's nuclear weapons program, and let us deal with Ahmedinejad. We would/will, after all - and probably more effectively than America could.

[aldo_14]

Thats a huge load of cattle poo. Like Bush would bomb the oil fields to glass. When the oil fields happen to be the only reason he would want a war with Iran (should it still exist after said bombings). Thought you never know what radioactive oil might do to american economy.

It's strange you quoted bits of the article but missed that key point - they're planning on using nuclear bunker busters.  That is, weapons that penetrate below the hardenened shell of a bunker and then detonate a (in this case low-yield nuclear) warhead.  The US believes that the bunker-aspect of it means fallout would be contained by the bunker structure, although AFAIK this has never been proven.

Insofar as intelligence agencies.... newspapers have sources.  People who give them information for various reasons, be it personal fear/disgust ala Deep Throat or the leaking of information that helps the government.  The sources may be actual working agents, 3rd party consultants, or former intelligence people with 'old boy' connections to the current setup.

[Prophet]

It's strange you quoted bits of the article but missed that key point...

I figured I didn't have to quote the "key point" because everyone can read it themselves. I quoted things that were just dumb. And made me not to belive the article. And nuke is a nuke no matter what it is designed to bust.

[aldo_14]

I figured I didn't have to quote the "key point" because everyone can read it themselves. I quoted things that were just dumb. And made me not to belive the article. And nuke is a nuke no matter what it is designed to bust.

[q]Like Bush would bomb the oil fields to glass. [/q]

Not that i'm arguing this is a nuke, but they're not actually being aimed at or anywhere near an oilfield, not would they turn it to 'glass' because that'd require a surface detonation to melt the surface sand (the consequences here would be more around fallout), so it's highly erroneous to judge the likelihood of such an attack based upon the conseqeunces of an ICBM style strike when the attack is planned around what is best termed a 'non-conventional' nuclear weapon, if no less of a nuclear weapon.

[Rictor]

From what I hear, Ahmadenijad isn't too popular in Iran, and might get booted out come next elections. That said, the support among the population for nuclear development is pretty much unanimous, which means it's going to go ahead regardless of who's in power.

And whatever I may think of the Bush administration, I don't think they're stupid enough to attack Iran, and especially not stupid enough to do it with nukes.

[IceFire]

Honestly...all they should have done in Iraq and in Iran is a small team...one sniper...and a single bullet.  Or just have a duel with swords.  Or send Chenney on a goodwill mission and go hunting for birds.

[vyper]

OT: Why are the adverts in this thread titled "Approaching Women Mastery"?

[aldo_14]

From what I hear, Ahmadenijad isn't too popular in Iran, and might get booted out come next elections. That said, the support among the population for nuclear development is pretty much unanimous, which means it's going to go ahead regardless of who's in power.

And whatever I may think of the Bush administration, I don't think they're stupid enough to attack Iran, and especially not stupid enough to do it with nukes.

Well, he is a raging nutbag.  Although it's contentious whether he was voted in or not in the first place.

[Rictor]

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HC30Ak01.html

WASHINGTON - The George W Bush administration failed to enter into negotiations with Iran on its nuclear program in May 2003 because neo-conservatives who advocated destabilization and regime change were able to block any serious diplomatic engagement with Tehran, according to former administration officials.

Ooops. Well, you reap what you sow. From what I understand, Iran hs been looking for increased diplomatic and economic engagement for a while now, as well as security guarantees in exchnage for nuclear talks, but you-know-who wasn't interested. Kind of hard to bargain in good faith with a nation who is openly calling for the overthrow of your government and refuses to commit to not attacking you. Oh, and also has troops sitting on two of your borders.

As for Ahmedinejad not being elected...look, I'm not going to expect every country on Earth to be Switzerland. They have regular elections and universal sufferage; a certain amount of institutional corruption is to be expected. The same thing applies to most of the world. In America, instead of the mullahs having some wink-wink nudge-nudge power over elections, you have the businessmen. From what I understand, Ahmedinejad was elected mostly on an anti-corruption and anti-poverty platform, and the ruling elites are getting a bit worried about him running his mouth.

[Black Wolf]

And whatever I may think of the Bush administration, I don't think they're stupid enough to attack Iran, and especially not stupid enough to do it with nukes.

They are more than stupid enough to do just that. The Bush Administration already invaded two countries that he shouldn't have in his first term when he had to worry about re-election. What does it matter to him if he pushes the big red button marked "Iran" two weeks before the end of his term? Either world opinion falls on his side, he eliminates a major threat and is remembered as a hero, or, more likely, he retires for the rest of his life on the millions of dollars his family already has confident he's going to heaven anyway.

He's a second term president with a supremem conviction that he's doing God's own work. It's a dangerous and ultimately unpredictable combination.

[aldo_14]

As for Ahmedinejad not being elected...look, I'm not going to expect every country on Earth to be Switzerland. They have regular elections and universal sufferage; a certain amount of institutional corruption is to be expected. The same thing applies to most of the world. In America, instead of the mullahs having some wink-wink nudge-nudge power over elections, you have the businessmen. From what I understand, Ahmedinejad was elected mostly on an anti-corruption and anti-poverty platform, and the ruling elites are getting a bit worried about him running his mouth.

Well, if you have a country where the council of clergy picks the candidates, it's very easy to fix elections.  My remembrance was that Ahmadinejads' election came as a big shock to most media observers, and that the expectation was for a more reformist (Even within the limited context available to them) candidate to be picked and that Ahmadinejad was very much an unknown and unexpected selection.

[Prophet]

He's a second term president with a supremem conviction that he's doing God's own work. It's a dangerous and ultimately unpredictable combination.

Kinda reminds me of the movie The Dead Zone. Where Martin Sheen is the crazy presidental candidate and acts like Bush. But then Christopher Walken saves the world by shooting him. Pretty good movie.

EDIT: Wait wait wait! Walken didn't shoot him! Sheen shot himself.