Austin Bay has a link to a Defense News article that should prick the Radioactive Mullah’s interest in Iran:
Turkey is planning to accept “very soon†a U.S. request to use the critical air base at Incirlik in southern Turkey as a logistical hub for operations east of the country, a Turkish official said late March 23.(HT. Instapundit)“I expect a Turkish government decision on Incirlik very soon. I don’t know exactly when, but very soon,†said Murat Mercan, deputy chairman of Turkey’s ruling party. He spoke at a panel of the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington.
Mercan did not elaborate, but other Turkish officials in Washington said that Ankara was preparing to accept Incirlik’s use as a logistical hub for U.S. missions in Iraq and Afghanistan…
“Operations east” of Turkey could include Iraq and Afghanistan…as well as Iran, Syria, and perhaps even Kyrgyzstan as Mr. Bay points out.
But I think there’s little doubt that Iran is setting itself up for a huge fall. While we’ve heard many good reasons for not trying to take out the Iranian’s nuclear bomb building capability, someone is going to do it and soon. If not us, then certainly the Israeli’s. The introduction of a true “Islamic Bomb” would be just as destablizing and dangerous in the middle east as Kruschev’s placing medium range nuclear missiles in Cuba. Israel has already purchased the ordinance necessary to do the job; 500 ‘bunker busting” bombs from the United States.
If you’re dusting off your war scenarios, try this one. The Israeli’s bombs Iranian nuke facilities but don’t take out their entire capability. For that, you need boots on the ground. And a commando raid won’t suffice because the Iranians have turned their facilities into armed fortresses guarded by elite shock troops supplied by the Revolutionary Guard. Who you gonna call? We just happen to have 135,000 troops a stone’s throw away in Iraq.
While it would be unprecedented for Israel and the United States to work together militarily, it would make sense from that standpoint only. Strategically, it would be a colossal mistake, a blunder that would set back our mid east diplomacy for the forseeable future. Not to mention that we’d probably have to face an oil embargo from the Arab states that would truly be frightening for the economy.
All in all, not a good idea…unless the idea of Iran having nuclear weapons is worse.
2:30 pm
I agree it is scary to allow Iran nuclear capabilities. My argument in this area is that we CAN’T go around invading every country who tries to develop nuclear weapons. It’s not right and we are not strong enough.
5:48 pm
Whether or military is in good shape or not, if you Steve or you Joseph don’t believe that a nuclear Iran will not become a threat to its neighbors who are putative American allies like Saudi Arabi, the Emerite Iraq, and any nascent democracies that might emerge in a Palestinian state and Lebanon, then you haven’t been following events there very closely.
A nuclear Iran would be a catastrophe for the US and Israel for different reasons.
Perhpas Joseph is right and we can’t invade every nuclear capable nation. But looking at a nuclear armed Iran with ties to Hizballah Islamic Jihad, and other known terrorist outfits, I think a case can be made that everything possible must be done to prevent the mullahs from becoming that much of a regional powerhouse.
6:09 pm
Iran has at least 12 cruise missles that can be nuclear tipped. I think is why they can make threatening statements against the U.S. and Israel.
Russian president Putin is going to Israel in April in an attempt to lull them into a false sense of security along with the EU, while Russia continues to sell weapons to Syria and Iran and the EU starts selling them to China, all against the U.S..
Is this the set up for Armegeddon? Sure looks like it to me!