Money Quote On The Iran Deal
From Moshe Yaalon, the Israeli defense minister, in a piece at Free Beacon by Abraham Rabinovich in which he calls the Iran nuclear deal "an historic mistake":
"They still use cranes to hang people in the marketplaces. There is not going to be any Iranian Spring."
It's a choice decision.
Obama chooses to decide that this is okay, 'cause you know he can not think of another way other than TOTAL WAR and climate change will do 'em in before they nuke anyone anyway.
Bob in Texas at August 10, 2015 5:52 AM
Obama is taking a very large set of gambles with his Iran deal.
He's gambling that by bringing Iran in to the world community, the mullahs will have an incentive to clean up their behavior and conform to world behavior standards.
And Obama's also gambling that Saudi Arabia won't pursue a bomb of its own in response to Iran's potential bomb, no matter how deferred.
Finally, he's taking a gamble that bypassing the Senate ratification process by handing it to the world first won't result in the next president or Senate nullifying it.
Seems like an awfully big gamble for a small payoff.
Conan the Grammarian at August 10, 2015 9:15 AM
The Saudis will buy a bomb (or several) from their friends in Pakistan. They've already got a deal in the works with a South Korean firm to deliver and install nuclear reactors. I can't imagine they'd want to stay dependent on foreign nations for their nuclear fuel. I see an opportunity for Putin to increase his influence in the ME by giving the House of Saud a similar deal as Iran. The Chinese, too.
The other Gulf principalities? they'll probably want their own, as well, or some sort of accord that an attack them is an attack on all.
And I can't imagine that this gives either Jordan or Egypt warm, fuzzy feelings. Yeah, sure, maybe the mullahs will nuke the Jews in Israel, but the fallout will land in Jordan (very likely) and possible parts of Egypt.
This business will get out of control. It'll get out of control and we'll be lucky to live through it.
I R A Darth Aggie at August 10, 2015 10:00 AM
Seems like an awfully big gamble for a small payoff.
I don't see any payoff. We're about to hand them back billions in frozen assets, relieve trade sanctions against them, and they're currently about 6 months away from a functioning bomb, they're not going to allow inspectors near anything important and we're going to do jack about any of that except grumble at the teleprompter.
And in 6 months or a year or however long it takes (January 21, 2017?), when they have a functioning device and repatriated their money back home, they'll tell us to sod off.
Smart power, baby!
I R A Darth Aggie at August 10, 2015 10:06 AM
A scholarly paper Nuclear war between Israel and Iran: lethality beyond the pale written from the point of view of mass trauma health care issues.
I R A Darth Aggie at August 10, 2015 10:15 AM
But the Dems and Libs are so HAPPY!
We are giving PEACE a chance!
I always think it's funny listening to people so far from danger proselytizing about the EVILS of _____________.
Although, I think history shows that these types continue to refrain from EVIL even while under the tyrant's boot.
Nothing can be worse than EVIL.
Guess that's why Hillary is so important to so many. (It surely is not something she's done on her own.)
Bob in Texas at August 10, 2015 11:26 AM
"Seems like an awfully big gamble for a small payoff.
I don't see any payoff. We're about to hand them back billions in frozen assets, relieve trade sanctions against them, and they're currently about 6 months away from a functioning bomb, they're not going to allow inspectors near anything important and we're going to do jack about any of that except grumble at the teleprompter.
And in 6 months or a year or however long it takes (January 21, 2017?), when they have a functioning device and repatriated their money back home, they'll tell us to sod off.
Smart power, baby!"
The only possible payoff is a *legacy* for the Obama presidency. He want to be able to say that he made *peace* with Iran.
When, instead, it results in World War III (much as Woodrow Wilsons *smart* diplomacy" brought on World War II).
Obama hopes to be far enough removed when this deal turns to shit, like all the rest of his *so called* foreign policy, that the idiots who pen the high school history books, will give him credit for good intentions.
It will only get worse folks. The U.S. Is getting ready to completely withdraw from Afghanistan, which will further destabilize the entire region, and send everyone scrambling for nukes.
Isab at August 10, 2015 11:38 AM
They'll blame Bush.
A very large, long, and bloody war is coming to the Middle East as various rival groups seek to settle their centuries-long differences.
And, because of terrorism tactics, it will suck in other countries as suicide bombers hiding among refugees blow up landmarks in the West in the name of Allah.
Kinda like the US was drawn into World War I due to Germany's unrestricted submarine warfare, which was considered terrorism in 1917. The Lusitania's sinking was the straw that broke the camel's back.
The Kaiser's Germany justified unrestricted submarine warfare as a legitimate response to Britain's blockade starving German children. Islamist terrorists justify their brutal tactics with Palestinian children.
Conan the Grammarian at August 10, 2015 11:52 AM
If this doesn't convince American Jews to stop voting Democrat, nothing ever will.
Cousin Dave at August 10, 2015 12:04 PM
If this doesn't convince American Jews to stop voting Democrat, nothing ever will.
Posted by: Cousin Dave at August 10, 2015 12:04 PM
I think the Jews, as a rule, fall into the same trap that a lot of other intelligent and well educated people do.
As a group they lack street smarts, having spent way too much time earnestly listening to what politicians say as opposed to watching what they do.
Isab at August 10, 2015 12:32 PM
"As a group they lack street smarts"
And yet conservative cranks frequently whine about "the Jooz" running Hollywood and the banking industry.
Two industries that require zero street smarts.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at August 10, 2015 6:06 PM
Two industries that require zero street smarts.
Posted by: Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at August 10, 2015 6:06 PM
Pretty much, yes.
The Israeli Jews, on the other hand, have had a lot of street smarts beat into them.
Reality slaps them in the face every damn day.
Isab at August 10, 2015 9:46 PM
Given how well the Arab Springs turned out... I should hope not.
NicoleK at August 12, 2015 7:46 AM
My guess is this is less about Iran's nukes and more about bringing them into the fold because we need to have at least a tenuous truce with the few remaining stable powers in the region, due to the ISIS threat.
This is also about preventing them from forming a strong alliance with Russia or China. If we have sanctions against them, and Russia and China don't, obviously a natural alliance is formed, especially given their geographic proximity to Russia (yeah I know they don't share a border, but the countries between them are small). With Russia's recent saber-rattling, this is a concern.
NicoleK at August 12, 2015 7:50 AM
Then the Obama Administration should say that, not tell us we have a choice only between this agreement and a horrific war.
Still, as I said earlier, it's a big gamble for a little payoff. Even if Iran does go over to the Russians (whom the mullahs hate as much as they hate us), what have we lost?
Our main ally is the other big player in that sandbox, Saudi Arabia, whom we've now pissed of with the Iran deal. Sunnis outnumber Shi'ites, so the Saudis have a bigger audience.
With this deal, we're getting a non-friend in Iran (who's getting a nuclear bomb) and losing our barely-friend in Saudi Arabia (who will shortly start their own search for a nuclear bomb). That's not a good deal.
Conan the Grammarian at August 12, 2015 11:00 AM
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