President Bush made some very important points yesterday. First off, reviewing the improvements over the past five years:
Some of the changes in the Middle East are happening gradually, but they are real. Algeria has held its first competitive presidential election, and the military remained neutral. The United Arab Emirates recently announced that half of the seats in its Federal National Council will be chosen by elections. Kuwait held elections in which women were allowed to vote and run for office for the first time. Citizens have voted in municipal elections in Saudi Arabia, in parliamentary elections in Jordan and Bahrain, and in multiparty presidential elections in Yemen and Egypt.
He also pointed out the fundamental fallacy of the critics of our effort:
Some have argued that the democratic changes we're seeing in the Middle East are destabilizing the region. This argument rests on a false assumption, that the Middle East was stable to begin with. The reality is that the stability we thought we saw in the Middle East was a mirage. For decades, millions of men and women in the region have been trapped in oppression and hopelessness. And these conditions left a generation disillusioned, and made this region a breeding ground for extremism.
Things could not remain the same - had we done so, all we would have done is slightly put off the final day or reckoning. The festering sore of Islamo-fascism had to be lanced and drained. And that brings us to Iran:
To the people of Iran: The United States respects you; we respect your country. We admire your rich history, your vibrant culture, and your many contributions to civilization. You deserve an opportunity to determine your own future, an economy that rewards your intelligence and your talents, and a society that allows you to fulfill your tremendous potential. The greatest obstacle to this future is that your rulers have chosen to deny you liberty and to use your nation's resources to fund terrorism, and fuel extremism, and pursue nuclear weapons. The United Nations has passed a clear resolution requiring that the regime in Tehran meet its international obligations. Iran must abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions. Despite what the regime tells you, we have no objection to Iran's pursuit of a truly peaceful nuclear power program. We're working toward a diplomatic solution to this crisis. And as we do, we look to the day when you can live in freedom -- and America and Iran can be good friends and close partners in the cause of peace. (emphasis added)
What we have here is a clear statement - we are on your side, people of Iran and our only problem is with your hated regime...and Iran must abandon its nuclear weapons program. The President did say we are working towards a diplomatic solution, but I think the operational part of the statement is the part I highlighted - once again, just in case anyone thought we were softening our position, we have stated with clarity that Iran must not have nuclear weapons.
The next phase of the War on Terrorism is how we deal with Iran, and I think that the timeline for action on Iran will be dictated by our understanding of how far they've come with the nuclear program coupled with our ability to serioiusly degrade the nuclear program at one blow. I'm sure our intelligence agencies are working hard to determine how far along the Iranians are, while our R&D people are busy at work making the weapons which can reach deep in to the ground to get at Iran's nuclear program. Unless Iran gets an attack of common sense - or has a revolution - then I believe we can rest assured that when the two things come together, we will act decisively.
Posted by Mark Noonan at September 20, 2006 09:07 AM
Comments
First off, It is Iran's right to have nuclear technology. The IAEA has not found any proof that Iran is enriching enough uranium for a nuclear bomb.
Second of all, If you can stop Iran, the do it. The United States is losing it's allies on this issue left and right. China, Russia, France...all three members of the security council are now NOT in favor of sanctions. go ahead, try and stop Iran by yourself you conservative prick.
Bottom line is this, Iran will get nuclear technology. Its as simple as that. And might I remind you that the Regime in Iran was brought on by a POPULAR revolution. It was not imposed on them by anyone.
Posted by: billy at September 20, 2006 12:48 PM
I think that the timeline for action on Iran will be dictated by the upcoming November elections....namley, can we scare people enough into voting Republican again?
Posted by: aric at September 20, 2006 01:26 PM
Once Iran gets the nuclear technology up and running, it will shift the balance of power in the Middle East. This will also i think pave the way for countries like Turkey and Egypt to get nuclear technology too. The funny thing is, the US cannot stop ANY of them from doing it.
I can't wait to see what happens in the next year with this nuclear issue.
Posted by: billy at September 20, 2006 05:12 PM
Look, two cohorts of Hugo and Mahmoud. How ya doin', ladies? Did'ya enjoy your comrade's speeches at the U.N.? They sounded so much like the talking points we hear from your messiah, Howierd Dean, and his evil twins, Harry Reid-tard and Nancy Piglosi.
Watch who you're calling "prick," Billy-boy. When my prez becomes dictator, he's gonna hire me to round up the dissidents. Since he's into warrantless wiretapping, he already knows where you are. It's only a matter of time, Billy-boy. Be afraid; be very afraid. Wanker...
Posted by: keefer at September 20, 2006 10:11 PM
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First off, It is Iran's right to have nuclear technology. The IAEA has not found any proof that Iran is enriching enough uranium for a nuclear bomb.
Second of all, If you can stop Iran, the do it. The United States is losing it's allies on this issue left and right. China, Russia, France...all three members of the security council are now NOT in favor of sanctions. go ahead, try and stop Iran by yourself you conservative prick.
Bottom line is this, Iran will get nuclear technology. Its as simple as that. And might I remind you that the Regime in Iran was brought on by a POPULAR revolution. It was not imposed on them by anyone.
I think that the timeline for action on Iran will be dictated by the upcoming November elections....namley, can we scare people enough into voting Republican again?
Once Iran gets the nuclear technology up and running, it will shift the balance of power in the Middle East. This will also i think pave the way for countries like Turkey and Egypt to get nuclear technology too. The funny thing is, the US cannot stop ANY of them from doing it.
I can't wait to see what happens in the next year with this nuclear issue.
Look, two cohorts of Hugo and Mahmoud. How ya doin', ladies? Did'ya enjoy your comrade's speeches at the U.N.? They sounded so much like the talking points we hear from your messiah, Howierd Dean, and his evil twins, Harry Reid-tard and Nancy Piglosi.
Watch who you're calling "prick," Billy-boy. When my prez becomes dictator, he's gonna hire me to round up the dissidents. Since he's into warrantless wiretapping, he already knows where you are. It's only a matter of time, Billy-boy. Be afraid; be very afraid. Wanker...