President Obama and the republican candidates running for the right to be the GOP's (pretend) contender for the crown to not bomb Iran. You can see the petition here: Don't attack Iran. I did not sign it. Why? Not because I want to see Iran attacked--I think attacking Iran would be evil, filthy and insane. There is no good reason to do it, and enough with the bullshit excuse of helping our crazed likkud "friends" in Israel--it's about oil. It always is. That said, why didn't I sign the petition? Because: 1) if you sign the peitions, then they know you are still engaged. When you stop signing, no one knows what the fuck you will do, and 2) while I'm assume the people at Credo are earnest, do they really think there is any value in asking me to sign a petition begging the President (and pretend possible future presidents) to not be a war criminal? If the leadership of Credo really thinks the U.S. is going to help Israel start WWIII, they should be calling for general strikes, boycotts, and other acts of civil disobedience. Fuck this noise.
Have to add: How many years have we heard that Israel or the U.S. or both would have to act and blow something up in Iran otherwise they will have the bomb in ten or five or three years? Long and short, I don't know why the volume was raised on Iran. Is it going to happen? Is Israel pressuring the Obama administration? Or is Israel providing cover? Is this just talk? I don't know. But I know this--I don't trust a fucking thing that comes out of this president's mouth, nor the mouths' of any of the republican whores in DC, nor anyone associated with the Israeli government. Or the media, for that matter. Does anyone have a clue as to what the reasonable people think is going on?
U.S. is gonna bomb Iran thru its Likkud proxy. We want that oil for the big international oilcomoanies.
Posted by: JDM | February 10, 2012 at 07:05 AM
JDM: You know that I can't stand Obama b/c he lied his way to the White House, promising desperate people that he was going to "change Washington," etc. I didn't believe it, but a lot of people did and many of them may never vote or get involved in a campaign again. Fool me once, blah, blah, blah. That said, my gut says that the Obama admin. is trying to stymie an attack on Iran because they know that it would get out of hand very quickly. I don't know why I think this, but I do. Hell, I recall reading that Condi fucking Rice put the kabash on an attack on Iran when she was pretending to be SoS. GMB
Posted by: gmb | February 10, 2012 at 08:42 PM
I get the same sense: that the Obama admin is, to some degree at least, trying to slow the roll of the Likudniks on this. But there could be a few warmongers in the woodwork. It seems like every presidential administration going back at least to Reagan has had a mix of neocon hawks and more cautious types battling for control of foreign policy. The war faction sometimes gets the upper hand, and sometimes gets beat back.
Posted by: MDC | February 13, 2012 at 11:46 AM
Oh, also: I almost never sign online petitions any more. I think they're mostly email-address-gathering mechanisms. I'm already on plenty of email lists for left/liberal groups... and when you sign up for one group (or campaign), your address tends to get passed around.
If I truly want to make my voice heard, I generally call an elected official's office. I don't think online petitions carry much weight.
Posted by: MDC | February 13, 2012 at 11:50 AM
MDC: I think that not signing petitions is better because it keeps them guessing. Have you given up? Joined another party? Have you decided "fuck it, I'm going to don a mask and set something on fire?" Keep them guessing.
And I hope that someone in the Obama admin is smart and decent enough to keep the U.S. out of Israel very unexcellent Iranian adventure. As I noted, I recall reading that Condilezza Rice was the brake that kept Iran off the table during the Bush administration. I mean, even Condi fucking Rice knew better. GMB
Posted by: gmb | February 13, 2012 at 10:17 PM