Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday centered his talks with Vice President Joe Biden around Iran, insisting that the US absolutely has to threaten to attack Iran a lot more often, and Iran has to believe that each one of those threats is credible.
But Defense Secretary Robert Gates rejected those calls today. Speaking as part of his trip to Australia, Gates insisted that the existing UN sanctions and the current number of US threats are in fact “having an impact” on Iran.
The debate over policy and the comparative number of times the US needs to threaten to attack Iran in a given month comes just weeks ahead of the high profile P5+1 talks with the Iranian government, an effort to come to some sort of deal that would, ideally, end these threats.
But reports in the lead up to the talks suggest that he US is going to demand that Iran agree to an even worse deal than they demanded last year. Given that last year’s deal took months for Iran to accept (and then was reneged on by the US) it seems the talks are poised to fail before they even begin.
What is up with Gates lately? Is he starting to realize that history will judge him harshly or something? I mean, lately he's been sounding a lot less chickenhawkish than he ever did before.
This is pure GoodCopBadCop theater. The Right Wing screams for more threats, which gives Obama the perfect political cover, so he can claim to the Left (with the help of the legions of alternapundits) that he's the peace option. But in fact, he's clearly already conducting an economic war, and a covert war, and is moving steadily towards an open war.
Here are some fascinating words from Dennis Ross:
"ennis Ross, Obama’s senior Middle East advisor, sounded a similar note in an October 25 address to a conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the principal US pro-Israel lobby.
After bragging that US sanctions had produced mounting economic crisis, inflation and unemployment in Iran, Ross raised the implicit threat of war: “Ultimately, we hope that the severe pressure Iran faces today will compel a change in behavior. The door for diplomacy is still open and we certainly seek a peaceful resolution to our conflict with Iran. But should Iran continue its defiance, despite its growing isolation and the damage to its economy, its leaders should listen carefully to President Obama, who has said many times, ‘we are determined to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.’”"
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va…
That's a typical Obamian stance; anyone who reads those words and DOESN'T hear/see it as a threat of war just doesn't want to see it.
i guess daily is about enough.
Good for Gates…at least someone has some brains in this government.
I think if the US actually started talking and being somewhat civilised towards Iran…they would reciprcate…
Iran has a lot to offer the US…oil gas 75 million consumers just for starters..
what does israel have to offer….NOTHING…they spy and spy,, steal and manilulate all they can
and demand that the US destory all of THEIR so-called enemies….screw israel