Archives

WASHINGTON — President Bush deflected a secret request by Israel last year for specialized bunker-busting bombs it wanted for an attack on Iran’s main nuclear complex and told the Israelis that he had authorized new covert action intended to sabotage Iran’s suspected effort to develop nuclear weapons, according to senior American and foreign officials.



http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/11/washington/11iran.html?_r=2&hp=&pagewanted=all

This irritates me to no end...

Now the Iranians know about the covert action, so we might as well scrap it and let the Israelis bomb the place.

Yeah, This is one huge mess in the mideast.

I don't even want to think of GWB being President in 1962 or 1982 when we were uncomfortably close to war with the Soviets.

Hopefully he wont literally go out with a bang...:(

I don't even want to think of GWB being President in 1962 or 1982 when we were uncomfortably close to war with the Soviets.

There have been many times the media found out about covert operations before. However, they understand that these things need to be kept under wraps and they don't print them.

However, the media hates GWB so much that they won't hide this one.

I'm not going to say that GW is a great president or anything, but he does deserve to be defended on this one point. Heck, the media knew that Clinton had 4 opportunities to take out Bin Laden.

If this was a media leak, imprisionment would be appropiate as this is a national security issue. Back to my first post, Reagan was president in 1982 and the Soviets at the time took his rhetoric so seriously they thought we would consider a first strike (while taking a blind eye to like rhetoric of their own for decades). Things did deescalate, but not so sure this President would have handled it.

I see the Middle East in general and Gaza in particular as distractions to the new administration addressing the economy. Two weeks ago - none of this was on the radar but now it's something Obama will have to address right after he is sworn in as President.

Duh, how could the Iranians not know that we are trying "covert" ways to scuttle their nuclear enrichment and nuclear bomb program?? Of course we are trying, but we know it won't prevent them from building a nuke if they are really determined to do it.

Only some as yet not one bit obvious, nearly magical diplomacy OR a repeated nuclear attacks that would destroy the equipment and kill the Science guys and engineers will prevent Iran from getting the bomb-IF THEY REALLY WANT A NUKE!

Now living with a nuclear Iran might work-Israel has ~200-400 nukes-some H-bombs probably. They could probably set up some sort of doomsday missiles(on a sub maybe) that would destroy Iran even if Israel was destroyed. This might be adequate-worked with the USA/USSR? Bomb us and we will kill your 20 biggest cities and your oil facilities and your religious monuments?

No good solution in the ME for Israel/Arabs/muslims-that boat has sailed. They will continue to kill one another.

Charlie
PS Convincing the Iranians that they probably have a doomsday weapon system would be just about as good as having one-lot cheaper.

Duh, how could the Iranians not know that we are trying "covert" ways to scuttle their nuclear enrichment and nuclear bomb program?

Yes they do know (or expect) the covert ops, but too many details have now slipped (just my opinion).

Yes they do know (or expect) the covert ops, but too many details have now slipped (just my opinion).

I didn't see much in the way of useful intelligence in the article-no names or novel technologies were discussed. What's there may be disinformation. The media doesn't have much credibility in these kinds of topics since they bought into the WMD disinformation campaign ramping up to the Iraq war. To me this looks like a media sideshow intended to deflect criticism resulting from the current turmoil in Gaza (i.e. "See, we don't always give Israel what they want.")

I didn't see much in the way of useful intelligence in the article-no names or novel technologies were discussed. What's there may be disinformation. The media doesn't have much credibility in these kinds of topics since they bought into the WMD disinformation campaign ramping up to the Iraq war. To me this looks like a media sideshow intended to deflect criticism resulting from the current turmoil in Gaza (i.e. "See, we don't always give Israel what they want.")

That's another way of thinking about it, though it doesn't take much information to dredge useful intel. And it may be true as well.

I guess it's just going to have to be another "we'll wait and see" item.

A nuclear armed Iran is an existential threat to Israel, but not to the U.S.

In the old days, Israel would take action themselves against threats, real or perceived. See Osirak, 1981.

Over the past couple of decades though, the Israelis have gotten the U.S. to do a lot of their own dirty work. I hope those days are coming to an end.

Good for Bush for not giving away our weapons to be used for god knows what else in addition to bombing Natanz.

mparrish-the 1981 reactor bombing was done with our planes-F-16s-given to Israel, and almost certainly was done with a precision guided weapon-our technology. Israel always implied that they were soooo good that they could hit that tiny target, but that was BS.

In 1991 during the Gulf war we discovered the secret to the IDFs success-fight countries with poorly trained,poorly lead, poorly motivated armies with second rate technology.

Yes, the Iraq war is the latest episode- remaking the middle east was never essential for the survival of the USA. The neocons did think it was essential for Israel.

Charlie