The odds of deploying more ground troops in another invasion I think are
practically nil. But my sense is that air power is being seriously
considered as a militarily "safe" option, especially if there is confidence
in the efficacy of tactical nuclear weapons. The big dilemma the Bush
administration will have to weigh up to the last is the political and
economic fallout from a bombing campaign.
Conservative first principles dictate cowing the restless masses into
submission by demonstrating overwhelming power against the most troublesome
opponent ("shock and awe") and they may see the massive destruction of
Iranian facilities as a means of reinstilling fear and recovering respect
they perceive they've lost in Iraq. On the other hand, military action will
stir up another political firestorm within the US and UN and among the
world's people's, raising the risk of further insurrectionary outbreaks in
the Middle East and elsewhere and threatening the oil supply.
As someone has already suggested, the stories are likely being circulated as
trial balloons to try and gauge how serious the reaction might be to air
strikes down the road. I would doubt anything has been decided at this point
one way or the other, as was the case with Iraq, which the Bushites saw as a
slam dunk, given mass Shia hostility to the Baathists and Iraq's weakened
military and economic situation.
==========================
----- Original Message -----
From: "bitchlab" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, April 10, 2006 9:55 AM
Subject: Re: [PEN-L] Seymour Hersh: Bush actively planning to Nuke Iran
At 09:27 AM 4/10/2006, Jim Devine wrote:
On 4/9/06, bitchlab <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> But didn't we learn that, with Iraq, their precision bombing wasn't all
> that precise?
yes, but the Bushmasters didn't learn that. Besides, their model is
the Israel bombing of the Iraqi "bomb factory" 20 or so years ago.
That "worked," so why not?
Well, as some of you know, I'm all about reading these things as
information warfare. But when one of my 'other sons' calls to tell me two
weeks ago, before this leak, that they're not just making plans, but
deploying units, telling 'em to get things in order with loved once, etc.
it sounds like they are and have been dedicated to doing something. And
then you gotta wonder if you can stop the juggernaut.
I suppose they have to make it look credible and lying to soldiers and
their families are hardly new. And man, do I want to believe this is
infowar.
"You know how it is, come for the animal porn,
stay for the cultural analysis." -- Michael Berube
Bitch | Lab
http://blog.pulpculture.org
