Neocons on the run

Failure of a Doctrine


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by Ardeshir Ommani
14-Feb-2008
 

In the post-cold war period, after the collapse of the U.S.S.R when the United States claimed the status of the only superpower and acted as one by unilaterally invading the countries of Afghanistan and Iraq, the neocons who were schooled in the art of campaigns against socialism, national liberation and working class struggle in Europe and Asia, found fertile ground in two commanding posts: the administration of George W. Bush and the vast media channels of communication. The primary goals and cause celebre of these hard-core conservatives, who “numbered fewer than 100”, according to Joshua Muravchik, an ideologue in the American Enterprise Institute, was to produce all the justifications and plans for the U.S. war on Iraq and the feasibility of a fast victory to serve as a stepping stone for a U.S. war against Iran.

At the pinnacle of this shock troop stood all those who served in the Republican administrations of Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush and in the conservative media. To lay bare the system of beliefs of U.S. neoconservatism, it is essential to examine the ideas held and the official positions occupied by some of the ringleaders of the group. Among them is Charles Krauthammer, a psychiatrist-turned politician who has served as a member of the board of advisors of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a contributing editor of the New Republic and Weekly Standard, a conservative magazine, a co-signer of the 1998 open letter to President Clinton by the Project for a New American Century and a former editorial board member of the publication The National Interest, founded by Irving Kristol, another neocon ideologue.

The letter raised the specter of Iraq’s possession of “Weapons of Mass Destruction” and drew the conclusion that the “only acceptable strategy” was “removing Saddam Hussein and his regime from power. That now needs to become the aim of American foreign policy.” It also argued that in the absence of that, the security of “our friends and allies like Israel, and a significant portion of the world’s oil supply” would be threatened. Charles Krauthammer has held various positions in the administrations of Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush.

False Prophets

This phenomena cannot be over-stated that neocons received their training during the decades of cold war, supporting corporate domination over laboring classes and the third world countries. After the fall of the Soviet Union when the neoconservative movement lost its core-enemy and fell in disarray, Charles Krauthammer wrote an essay in 1990 Foreign Affairs magazine advocating the direction that U.S. foreign policy must take. That article later on came to serve as a guideline for the neocons’ agenda, which ultimately became an ideological cornerstone for the Iraq war and George W. Bush’s “war on terror.” The article, dubbed as the “Unipolar Moment” put forth the idea that the U.S. should seize the opportunity and unilaterally impose a new world order by imposing its agenda on the world. He argued that in the period following the collapse of socialism in the Soviet Union, the main enemies of the U.S. consist of “small aggressive states armed with weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and possessing the means to deliver them.” (Foreign Affairs, Winter 1990-1991).

After 9/11, Krauthammer’s agenda served as the basis of a program for the neoconservative ideologues who gathered around the Project for a New American Century (PNAC), which in turn was used as a directive for writing a series of letters to the White House, including the one on September 20, 2001 to President Bush that along with Krauthammer was signed by a group of neocons such as Elliot Cohen, Francis Fukuyama, Robert Kagan, Richard Perle, Jeane Kirkpatrick, William Kristol and a host of other social conservatives and religious right personalities. Charles Krauthammer, who is currently a regular commentator on Fox News and other right wing channels, this false prophet of the American Century, does not only enjoy war on smaller nations, but he also appreciates torture of defenseless individuals captive in the American dungeons.

In his Dec. 5, 2005 cover story in the Weekly Standard, Krauthammer argued that torture of the foreign detainees in U.S. prisons is not only defensible, but in fact necessary and morally acceptable.

Following the events of 9/11 and prior to the invasion of Iraq, the neocons positioned in the White House, in the State and Defense Department were all on the offense, repeating exuberantly the half-truth catchword that the best defense lies in the pursuit of an offensive strategy, which became the cornerstone of the pre-emptive doctrine. The former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld went as far as saying that the U.S. military machine with the backing of an ever larger defense budget is capable of fighting and winning wars not only in one country, but in two or even three simultaneously. The dimming trace of such a grand-standing could be observed today in Senator McCain’s posturing that “we are winning in Iraq”, and advocating that the U.S. must maintain permanent military bases in that country, even when it goes against the will of the people of Iraq. We must assume that is a lesson in American democracy and its sense of international justice.

The glorious though short-lived days of the neocons came fast to an end with the U.S. invasion of Iraq on March 19, 2003. Soon after the aerial carpet-bombing, the U.S. military machine was met not with a bouquet of flowers, but with an armed resistance, which resulted in high rates of U.S. troop casualties. This encounter was unexpected by the ordinary soldiers who had been lectured by their officers about the just cause of their “mission.” The ever-increasing U.S. troop casualties and the lack of its control over Iraq’s geo-politics, soon gave rise to sharp criticism of Donald Rumsfeld’s military doctrine of a smaller but fast moving army equipped with superior technology. By then there was enough blame to go around between the neo-con officers in the White House, the State and the Defense Departments.

Failure of a Doctrine

Since October 7, 2001, the day the U.S. air force bombarded Afghanistan, about seven years ago, and since March 19, 2003, the horrible day Washington violated the sovereignty of Iraq and bombed the historical city of Baghdad, soon to be five years of brutal occupation, the U.S. policies and their neoconservative architects have come under sharp criticism by the people at home and those abroad. In the process these agents of imperial domination have lost credibility, if they had any, and their lucrative positions in the highest governmental offices and in the corporate media that so enthusiastically supported the annihilation of a 5000-year old civilization in Mesopotamia.

The first and most influential neo-conservative who became a casualty of this doctrine was Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld who was disgracefully booted by George W. Bush and asked to fade into oblivion, while carrying away tens of millions of dollars which were received as kickbacks from the arms and mercenary contractors. The White House announcement that Rumsfeld was leaving Bush’s cabinet came only one day after the Republican Party suffered major loses in the mid-term election of November 8, 2006.

Less than a month later, the outspoken neocon, John R. Bolton, U.S. ambassador to the U.N. was told to evacuate the post and look for a new job. He was more of a slave-driver than a country’s diplomat in dealing with Russia, China and the European community in connection with Iran’s nuclear issue. Bolton became more of a liability to the U.S., which was preparing to shift gears and be more accommodating to the European politics.

The third, but not the least significant, fall of a neoconservative was the ousting of Paul Wolfowitz, another architect of the war in Iraq, from his position as President of the World Bank, for authorizing a $60,000 salary increase for his girl friend, working under his supervision. As deputy secretary of defense from 2000 to 2005, working under Donald Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz helped develop the plan and public rationale for the invasion and occupation of Iraq. He was neither liked by the European statesmen who opposed the U.S. war in Iraq, nor by some Republicans who attributed the U.S. loss of credibility to the mischievous plans of the neo-cons. After Wolfowitz lost his job as head of the World Bank, Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., once said “that maybe we give Paul Wolfowitz a new job and send him over [to Iraq] as mayor, since the neocons got us in over there.” Wolfowitz is a long-term advocate of “pre-emption” – a military policy to strike first to eliminate a presumed threat, even if the evidence cannot be proven objectively.

During the last year, especially since the U.S. decided to join the European dialogue with Iran on its nuclear program, and almost at the same time gave the signal to Iraq’s government to invite Iran to a tripartite discussion over Iraq’s security and finally the appearance of the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) report admitting that Iran had suspended its (non-existent) nuclear weapons program in Fall 2003, all in all made the overall atmosphere hostile for the political habitat of the U.S. and the European neo-conservatives. Therefore, this group of reactionary politicians had to either migrate or return to hibernation.

Absolutely there is no doubt among the U.S. political class that the neoconservatives are in disarray, though not yet defeated, and furthermore, the U.S. policies with regard to the Middle East in general and Iran in particular are either in retreat or undergoing deep re-examination. It is not hard to see that Washington’s old plans for a new Middle East – drawn before 2000 with the aim of “regime change” to suit U.S. hegemonic interests – have badly failed.

Neocons on the Exit Ramp

The latest neocon on line to exit the pressure chambers of George W. Bush’s administration was Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs, R. Nicholas Burns, who on January 18, 2008, just 16 days following the publication of the NIE Report, resigned from the third highest-ranking post at the U.S. State Department. Burns, representing U.S. imperialist interests in relation to Iran, made every effort to bring pressure on Russia, China and the major European countries to impose heavy economic, trade and diplomatic sanctions on Iran. But fortunately he was unsuccessful in that regard. Burns, by some mainstream press, is painted as a dove standing up to Vice President Cheney, who dreams of attacking Iran before the end of President George W. Bush’s term. Steve Clemons on www.huffingtonpost.com writes that among many political subjects, “…except perhaps Afghanistan, Nick Burns and Co. have been on one side of constructive efforts to stabilize global affairs and push forward positive ‘American global engagement’- and Cheney’s acolytes have been on another.” So much for good cop-bad cop.

In her piece in the Times on Line, entitled “Decline and Fall of the Neocons”, Sara Baxter writes “If Bush and Dick Cheney, his vice-president, are the last men standing with responsibility for the Iraq war it is only because they are protected by their four-year terms of office. One former Bush stalwart told me: “If we had a parliamentary system, Bush would have lost a vote of confidence and have resigned by now.”

As we all know there are only 10 months left to George W. Bush’s tenancy in the White House and a great majority of Americans, with the exception of a delusional minority symbolized by such militants as John McCain and Joseph Lieberman, are convinced that there is very little chance for the U.S. to win the war in Iraq. “On North Korea, and Iran, with no real options at hand,” writes Charles Krauthammer, an old neo-conservative, “the Bush administration heads to the finish line doing what Senator George Aiken once suggested for Vietnam: Declare victory and go home. With no good options available, those decisions are entirely understandable.”

Now that the neo-cons have been ousted, one by one, from their positions of power, influence and easy kickbacks, the Democratic Party has an easy ride and the base of the Republican Party is left with two unexciting and mediocre figures - McCain and Huckabee - to represent it in 2008. This should be a lesson to the Democratic Party leadership that if it drags its feet, continuing the war and adding to the pain of the American society, next time the people may decide to trash both parties into the dustbin of history and create a non-corporate party.

About the author: Ardeshir Ommani is a writer and an activist in the anti-war and anti-imperialist struggle for many years, including against the Vietnam War. Ardeshir is a co-founder of the American-Iranian Friendship Committee (AIFC) which strives to build a movement promoting peace and preventing a U.S.-led war on Iran. See www.progressiveportals.com/aifc, where news and analysis of U.S.-Iran’s relations can be found, along with observations of life in Iran based on recent visits to Iran. Ardeshir helped launch the successful www.StopWarOnIran.org campaign, the very first Iran internet anti-war campaign. In the 1960's, he was a co-founder of the Iranian Students Association (ISA), which contributed to the struggle against the Shah of Iran, a U.S. puppet. Two of his recent articles: “Emergence of a United Front Against Bush" can be viewed at www.mathaba.net and “U.S. Hawks Dive for Cover” at www.payvand.com.


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masoudA

To Programmer

by masoudA on

The mullahs PR fund in USA alone is $1 million / week.   Almost all of it is spent on propaganda in American media and on forums like this.  It is a well know fact that payrolled telephone callers get $25/call if they can spread IRI propaganda on Iranian sattelite talkshows.    I bet Bill clinton had no idea the Alavi funds (alavifoundation.org), which he unfroze and released to the mullahs, would one day finance their anti USA propaganda in USA !! This PR money can produce many like Joe L.   

To Joe L.  

Let me assure you - Iranians who live in USA, chose this country as their new home - only because of the mullah takeover of our country.   We all hate everything the mullahs stand for and Love and accept the American way of life.  We realize there are problems in America and will do our share to fix them without destroying the country.   After losing one country - we are certainly smart enough now, not to lose another one to leftist fools such as yourself.    

 


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ex-pasdar: DO you have some

by Question (not verified) on

ex-pasdar: DO you have some inside info. that Hillary is going to win? Has she already announced her loyalties to the mullahs?


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Iran: best democracy

by ex-pasdar (not verified) on

Hey Dude

IRAN has the best democracy. It is getting better every single day. These Gulf Arab States including Turkey have the worst human rights violations. When Hillary Clinton shows up, these bullshits will be released into public. IRAN has changed for good and we need to partner up with them.


programmer craig

M&M

by programmer craig on

I think Joe L. should write articles so more people would benefit from his knowledge.

His knowledge of what? The man?

I don't know if you've been paying attention, but he hasn't actually expressed opinions about anything except how awful white people are. Even Malcolm X was more "pro-active" than Joe L is.

Note also, his criticisms of America are all based on class and ethnicity. Not on politics.


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While the Islamic Republic

by Anonymous44 (not verified) on

While the Islamic Republic tries to immerse IRan ever further into a swamp of Middle Ages' brutality and subjugation, the Arab countries move forward and building The world's first carbon-neutral city will be built in Abu Dhabi, the largest of seven states comprising the oil-rich United Arab Emirates (UAE). A car-free, zero-waste metropolis, Masdar--Arabic for source--will house up to 50,000 people. It will run entirely on renewable energy, especially solar power, and save the equivalent of $2 billion in oil over 25 years.
The Masdar Institute is a non-profit, independent entity established with the assistance of the world- renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), under a cooperative agreement signed in December 2006. MIT is assisting the Masdar Institute to emulate its own standards of excellence in Abu Dhabi, and to become a regional engine for technology-driven growth by combining local cutting-edge research with high-caliber graduate education.

//www.masdaruae.com/text/institute.aspx

//www.masdaruae.com/index.aspx


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Is Obama a neocon too? Hit

by Not Anonymous (not verified) on

Is Obama a neocon too?

Hit Iran where it hurts

Democratic presidential hopeful takes a get-tough stance against tyrant of Tehran

By BARACK OBAMA

Americans need to come together to confront the challenge posed by Iran. Yet the Bush administration and an anonymous senator are blocking a bill with bipartisan support that would ratchet up the pressure on the Iranian regime. It's time for this obstructionism to stop.

The decision to wage a misguided war in Iraq has substantially strengthened Iran, which now poses the greatest strategic challenge to U.S. interests in the Middle East in a generation. Iran supports violent groups and sectarian politics in Iraq, fuels terror and extremism across the Middle East and continues to make progress on its nuclear program in defiance of the international community. Meanwhile, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has declared that Israel must be "wiped off the map."
In response, the Bush administration's policy has been tough talk with little action and even fewer results. While conventional Washington thinking says we can only talk to people who agree with us, I believe that strong countries and strong Presidents shouldn't be afraid to talk directly to our adversaries to tell them where America stands. The Bush-Cheney diplomacy of not talking to Iran has not worked. As President, I will use all elements of American power to pressure the Iranian regime, including the power of tough, smart and principled diplomacy.

For diplomacy to work, we need to dial up our political and economic pressure - not just our tough talk. Iran's troubling behavior depends in large part on access to billions of dollars in oil and gas revenue. That is why I introduced the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act last May, to build on a movement across the country to divest from companies that do significant business with Iran. This would send a clear message about where America stands, increasing Iran's isolation and hitting the Iranian regime where it hurts.

The bill works in three ways. First, it would educate investors and pressure foreign companies to reconsider doing business with Iran by requiring the U.S. government to publish - every six months - a list of companies that invest more than $20 million in Iran's energy sector. Second, it would give explicit congressional authorization to state and local governments to divest the assets of their pension funds and other funds under their control from any company on the list. Third, it would give private fund managers who divest protection from lawsuits, while urging the government's own 401(k) fund to create "terror-free" and "genocide-free" investment options for government employees.

This common-sense approach enjoys broad support. Sam Brownback, a Republican senator and presidential candidate, joined me in introducing this bill. A companion bill passed the House of Representatives 408 to 6. The only obstacle now is a single senator who placed an anonymous "hold" on the bill, blocking it from coming to a vote.

This is exactly the kind of unaccountable obstruction that needs to change in Washington. Instead of having a debate in the open, a Bush administration ally is blocking the bill through a secret Washington maneuver - a maneuver that would be banned if a sweeping bipartisan ethics reform bill that I led the fight to pass is signed into law.

Talking tough and keeping our troops in the middle of Iraq's civil war has only served to strengthen Iran's position. It's time to turn the page on a failed foreign policy. It's time for strong diplomacy backed by common-sense measures that pressure the Iranian regime.

Obama, U.S. senator from Illinois, is running for the Democratic nomination for President

//www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2007/08/30/200...


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Islamists supports the

by Darfur Awareness (not verified) on

Islamists supports the Darfur massacres because "the Yahood are against them." For Jihadist/Islamists, 1) opposition to the Yahood is the highest form of virtue, and so 2)anti-semitic agitation is routinely used by Jihadist to distract from the kind of problems that don't disturb the mafia clergies and their military junta, the IRGC.


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Trita Parsi, Bob Ney, and

by Anonymous9 (not verified) on

Trita Parsi, Bob Ney, and Iran’s Oil Mafia: Penetrating the US Political System
//iranianlobby.com/index.php?lang=en&page=art...


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Iranian lobby: Exposing

by IR's lobby (not verified) on

Iranian lobby:

Exposing Iranian regime's lobby in U.S.
2003 Grand Bargain and Trita Parsi
Dec 20, 2007
The Iranian Regime's Lobby in US and the Israeli Decoy
Oct 18, 2007
Columbia president honored by Iranians
Oct 01, 2007
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Sep 21, 2007
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Sep 20, 2007
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Aug 24, 2007
Ray Takeyh and the Council on Foreign Relations
Aug 23, 2007
Trita Parsi, Bob Ney, and Iran’s Oil Mafia: Penetrating the US Political System
Aug 23, 2007
Ayatollahs' Lobby In Washington Offering Human Rights as a Negotiating Item

//iranianlobby.com/index.phppagearticles
Jul 12, 2007


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Isn't America great. We even

by God Bless America (not verified) on

Isn't America great. We even let our deadliest enemies to have a voice. God Bless America.


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Joe L.

by M&M (not verified) on

Joe don't pay attention to some of these people. You obviously are saying something that has made them nervous. These Warmongers and fearful. They are full of hate and fear since they don't know any better. They are ignorant. And the other commenter is right, times have changed. I am happy to have people who are intelligent and bright Americans, rather than the usual warmongers and Neocons who are just, well you know, stupid and backward. I think Joe L. should write articles so more people would benefit from his knowledge.
By the way so what Joe L. he has left 100's of comments saying the same thing, as if the complainer leaves messages that are "so" different from one another.
I love your comments Joe, please go one.


programmer craig

Anonymous-2

by programmer craig on

Joe L is not talking about peace. He's talking about being put down by the (white) man. He's talkin' revolution, baby!

And it is all you anononymous 1 - 547 that made the discussion an Iran vs US one. I tried talking about neocons but gave up when it became apparrent that thatw asn't really what we were talking about at all, and that most the people on this blog don't even know what a neocon is. Nobody here is talking about neocons. Joe L and some other anon is talkinga bout evil white people and how they have to be stopped, others are talking about evil Iranians and how they have to be stopped.

JoeL created his ID on this cite 3 days ago. And he's already left dozens if not hundreds of comments, and they all say pretty much the same stuff - insults.


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Wow, So now when people speak of peace, no war and unity..

by Anonymous-2 (not verified) on

they are called IRI agents. That's the first coming from warmongers and anti-Iran opposition groups.

If individuals like Joe L., R., Azaraksh and others who have the same mentality and belief are IRI agents, then IRI has already started its CHANGE - that's pretty damn good progress, might I say!!

The rest of you are even further behind than the mainstream Americans who are rallying behind Obama.

Yes, change is coming, the train has left the station, and there is no stopping it. Sorry, for those who didn't make it on time.

By the way, I see what you guys (CP, Rashidian, Kashani, God Bless America et all) are trying to do, as always turn the subject of a discussion toward IRI.

This article had nothing do with IRI, your favorite subject, but about the U.S. and neocons.

Dear Joe L., R., Abarmard, Anonymous8 etc. please continue your discussion. Your conversations are quite refreshing and for once not the same old subject which we read about.


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Psst Psst .....

by . (not verified) on

Hey people,

Methinks these suspicious pro-Islamists comments under black and white-American or other non-Iranian disguises are none other than your every day IRI goons lurking around this site. Hiding behind foreign disguises will make them a little less likely attacked by angry Iranians.

Just watch their attack and denial!


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Craig: times are a changin my friend...

by Anonymous8 (not verified) on

times are changing...


programmer craig

Azaraksh

by programmer craig on

Finally some American who is real and not a Zionist agent.

Real? I doubt he's even American at all. He seems like he's doing a put-on of the old Black Panthers party line from teh 1960s and 1970s. "Black Power" and all that.

//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Power

So charming that after all the racist comments he made against whites in this thread, you feel he's a good example of somebody who isn't a racist, though :O


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To Jahanshah Rashidian

by Andy2 (not verified) on

Jahanshah Rashidian,

Why do you keep lying? Where do you get this crap?

Ommani is not a founder of CASMII. CASMII and NIAC are not any "lobby" for IRI. What the hell are you talking about? Do you have any source besides the pro-Rajavi websites?

Please, stop these lies.


programmer craig

Nation of Islam, Joe? Or is

by programmer craig on

Nation of Islam, Joe? Or is it Black Panthers? Or both? Or are you just faking it all? Enquiring minds want to know! lol


Private Pilot

Still amusing :):):)

by Private Pilot on

I still get amused by those who NOOSHKHAAR the crap they hear on cable channels or read on the blogs and mesh them together as their own genuine "PROPHETIC VIEWS of HISTORICAL TRENDS"!!!!

Beapaah Nachaee Dadash!!

Private Pilot


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wow Joe

by Mitra Yasin (not verified) on

You are great! I love reading your comments:)
Do you think that these Neocons should be taken to international court for crimes against humanity? I mean now we know that they killed all these innocent people for no reason at all.


Joe L.

Dear Azarakhsh

by Joe L. on

Azarakhsh I tell you why these guys try so hard to protect what’s lost already: They are scared. They are warmongers because they live in fear. They fear what they don’t know, and that’s a whole lot of world out there. They fear different races, they fear a true competition while preaching it, they fear browns and blacks and yellows and reds. They are weak and see America weak, so they have to pull their guns and act like a western cowboy, ask you to duel them. They do all that to make sure you know that they are strong, because they doubt.
They even doubt their sexuality and are afraid that if gays are free, they might get tempted. So they are so in fear that they live like cowards and are willing to kill innocent civilians in order to feel they have huge penises. Now what’s their real logic to remain in Iraq? Because the world would see “them” as woos once they leave. THAT’s IT. No real reason other than that.
They think that’s what makes America strong, being a dickhead and stubborn bastards regardless who gets killed and loses their livelihood in the process. They are weak and live in fear of you and me and everything else that they don’t know about. We will take America back from them, we certainly had enough. We are strong because we got you and me and rest of the world right here in America, the biggest asset any country could ask for. You get my drift dear, don’t you?


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Finally

by Azarakhsh (not verified) on

Finally some American who is real and not a Zionist agent. It's refreshing. Mr. Joe L, it's great hearing a voice of reason. I just can't understand why these Bushies still protecting what has ruined America. They are just fools, I agree. things are about to change here in America. These guys know that the majority here in America don't care for their school of thought. Just like the small percentage that are Neocons in Iran and people hate them (Sorry to use such strong word, but it's true).
Please post more, we like to hear more of your opinion and see the other America. It's tiering to feel that America is a close minded, racist, small town mentality that is ruled by thugs of military. America vote these guys out and let's have a laugh at their old fashion "values" that they can take to grave with them.
America means new and modern, we are back :)
(Hell if these dudes could we would only have River dance as our entertainment, lol)


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Hit Iran where it by

by OBAMARAMA (not verified) on

Hit Iran where it
by OBAMARAMA (not verified) on Fri Feb 15, 2008 05:57 PM CST

//www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2007/08/30/200...
Hit Iran where it hurts
//www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2007/08/30/200...
Democratic presidential hopeful takes a get-tough stance against tyrant of Tehran

By BARACK OBAMA

Americans need to come together to confront the challenge posed by Iran. Yet the Bush administration and an anonymous senator are blocking a bill with bipartisan support that would ratchet up the pressure on the Iranian regime. It's time for this obstructionism to stop.

The decision to wage a misguided war in Iraq has substantially strengthened Iran, which now poses the greatest strategic challenge to U.S. interests in the Middle East in a generation. Iran supports violent groups and sectarian politics in Iraq, fuels terror and extremism across the Middle East and continues to make progress on its nuclear program in defiance of the international community. Meanwhile, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has declared that Israel must be "wiped off the map."In response, the Bush administration's policy has been tough talk with little action and even fewer results. While conventional Washington thinking says we can only talk to people who agree with us, I believe that strong countries and strong Presidents shouldn't be afraid to talk directly to our adversaries to tell them where America stands. The Bush-Cheney diplomacy of not talking to Iran has not worked. As President, I will use all elements of American power to pressure the Iranian regime, including the power of tough, smart and principled diplomacy.

For diplomacy to work, we need to dial up our political and economic pressure - not just our tough talk. Iran's troubling behavior depends in large part on access to billions of dollars in oil and gas revenue. That is why I introduced the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act last May, to build on a movement across the country to divest from companies that do significant business with Iran. This would send a clear message about where America stands, increasing Iran's isolation and hitting the Iranian regime where it hurts.

The bill works in three ways. First, it would educate investors and pressure foreign companies to reconsider doing business with Iran by requiring the U.S. government to publish - every six months - a list of companies that invest more than $20 million in Iran's energy sector. Second, it would give explicit congressional authorization to state and local governments to divest the assets of their pension funds and other funds under their control from any company on the list. Third, it would give private fund managers who divest protection from lawsuits, while urging the government's own 401(k) fund to create "terror-free" and "genocide-free" investment options for government employees.

This common-sense approach enjoys broad support. Sam Brownback, a Republican senator and presidential candidate, joined me in introducing this bill. A companion bill passed the House of Representatives 408 to 6. The only obstacle now is a single senator who placed an anonymous "hold" on the bill, blocking it from coming to a vote.

This is exactly the kind of unaccountable obstruction that needs to change in Washington. Instead of having a debate in the open, a Bush administration ally is blocking the bill through a secret Washington maneuver - a maneuver that would be banned if a sweeping bipartisan ethics reform bill that I led the fight to pass is signed into law.

Talking tough and keeping our troops in the middle of Iraq's civil war has only served to strengthen Iran's position. It's time to turn the page on a failed foreign policy. It's time for strong diplomacy backed by common-sense measures that pressure the Iranian regime.

Obama, U.S. senator from Illinois, is running for the Democratic nomination for President

//www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2007/08/30/200...


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The Islamic republic of Mullahs

by More American Than Americans (not verified) on

must be destroyed at all costs. The Islamic Republic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGCs) must be given the same treatment as the Saddam's Republican Guard was annihilated. In other words, America must treat the mullahs system the same way Mullahs have treated Iranian and the whole world for the past 30 years.

Death, Devastation, and Destruction must be brought upon Mullahs, their families, supporters, and all those who stood aside and turned the blind eyes on the crimes of the mullahs.


programmer craig

To: ex-U.S. Marine

by programmer craig on

What unit were you in? What years? What was your MOS? Where did you go to bootcamp?

Yes, I am challenging your credentials.

 


programmer craig

Joe L

by programmer craig on

Why are you posting as a black man here under two different handles? I find it difficult to believe that not one but two black racists would be posting in this thread. You probably aren't even black, are you? Why do trolls like you always have to show up and piss all over everything while people are trying to have serious discussions? Hmmmm?

If you are black, you seem to have some major issues with white Americans. Shouldn't you be on some American blogs if you want to make fun of white people? I mean, don't you want them to see your insults?

 


programmer craig

To: friend

by programmer craig on

PC: Great rebuttle. BTW, Congratualtion are in order for you! The scumbag is dead...hahaha

Thanks! I know, happiest day I've had in a while! He deserved worse but we take what we can get, right :)

 


Joe L.

RE:God Bless America

by Joe L. on

Freaking using the God Bless America in vain but it's OK. I am not your brother and my religion is none of your business. What are you freaking KKK or Gestapo talking to people like that? Someone should remind you that this is America, it's not UTT (United Trailer Trash). Man, stop showing your stupidity with empty patriotic slogans. Checkout your town, I bet there is a library there. Before talking trash go and read a bit.
Sorry my friends, as you can see we let anyone into this country and sometimes they are fools. What an embarrassment.


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"Holding pictures of Iranian

by God Bless America (not verified) on

"Holding pictures of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, top in poster, and Lebanese Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, and a poster of the Hezbollah emblem, Iranian protestors chant slogan during a demonstration in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Feb. 15, 2008, condemning the assassination of Lebanese Hezbollah top commander Imad Mughniyeh, who was killed in a car bomb in Syria late Tuesday. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)"
//news.yahoo.com/nphotos/slideshow/photo//080...

Hundreds of Iranians held a protest after Friday prayers today condemning the death of terrorist Imad Mughniyeh.
//www2.irna.ir/en/news/view/menu-236/08021539...


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Just out of curiosity

by mama (not verified) on

Why are all these so called Neocons Jewish?
And why do all their patriotic polices happen to be in the best interest of Israel? I think everybody agrees that going to war with Iraq was not in the best interest of the US.
And why do the Neocene policies always involve shipping the US tax dollars to Israel in various forms?

And why the real American conservatives such Pat Buchanan, Scott McConnell and others are dead against these deceitful 5th columners?