Pentagon Plans To Bomb Iran

Sat Feb 24, 7:52 PM ET



NEW YORK (Reuters) - Despite the Bush administration's insistence it has no plans to go to war with Iran, a Pentagon panel has been created to plan a bombing attack that could be implemented within 24 hours of getting the go-ahead from President George W. Bush, The New Yorker magazine reported in its latest issue.


The special planning group was established within the office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in recent months, according to an unidentified former U.S. intelligence official cited in the article by investigative reporter Seymour Hersh in the March 4 issue.

The panel initially focused on destroying Iran's nuclear facilities and on regime change but has more recently been directed to identify targets in Iran that may be involved in supplying or aiding militants in Iraq, according to an Air Force adviser and a Pentagon consultant, who were not identified.

The consultant and a former senior intelligence official both said that U.S. military and special-operations teams had crossed the border from Iraq into Iran in pursuit of Iranian operatives, according to the article.

In response to the report, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said: "The United States is not planning to go to war with Iran. To suggest anything to the contrary is simply wrong, misleading and mischievous.

"The United States has been very clear with respect to its concerns regarding specific Iranian government activities. The president has repeatedly stated publicly that this country is going to work with allies in the region to address those concerns through diplomatic efforts," Whitman said.

Pentagon officials say they maintain contingency plans for literally dozens of potential conflicts around the world and that all plans are subject to regular and ongoing review.

The article, citing unnamed current and former U.S. officials, also said the Bush administration received intelligence from Israel that Iran had developed an intercontinental missile capable of delivering several small warheads that could reach Europe. It added the validity of that intelligence was still being debated.

The article also included an interview conducted in December with Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who said that while he had no interest in initiating another war with Israel, he was anticipating and preparing for another Israeli attack sometime this year.

Israel launched a cross-border offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon last July.

Nasrallah also said he was open to talks with Washington if such discussions "can be useful and influential in determining American policy in the region," but they would be waste of time if the purpose was to impose policy.

**********************************************************************************
Had your morning cup of coffee yet?

Ok Rip Van Winkle, if you thought I was merely ranting before, the aforementioned new article give credibility to my rant.

How many countries my we attack before we begin to realize that George Bush is behaving like Alexander The Great. People, this war is no longer about Terrorism, and I truly believe it never was. This war is about a presidential administration that is hell bent on taking over the world.

Our nation has taken a broad step toward World War III. Iran has done nothing to the United States, and their military is defensive. If Iran was as aggressive as the Bush Administration is trying to make them out to be, the Iran would have tried to invade Afghanistan, or even Iraq by now.

Iran was simply minding their business, and refraining from getting involved in the action that America initiated in Afghanistan, and Iraq. Iran builds a nuclear power plant, and because of that, George Bush is insisting that Iran is building nuclear weapons. Even if Iran was in the process of enriching Uranium, they would be nearly a decade away from developing any kind of legitimate nuclear weapon.

People, George Bush wants Iran because they are the only nation still standing in the way of America building the nature gas pipeline that Michael Moore spoke about. America has no real justification for attacking Iran, just as we had no real justification for attacking Iraq. Bush is sending our soldiers and contractors to die for a ficticious cause. The bad thing is, Bush is using the United Nations as the extended voice of America. It is hard to believe that the member states of the United Nations are nothing more than puppets who's strings are pulled by the United States.

People, the world and history will judge America by virtue of our actions in this our present day. With that thought in mind, it is important to note that all it took was one small boy and five smooth stones.