State Dept. rules out guarantee on Iran (of not attacking)

[sabra]

http://www.sacbee.com/24hour/politics/story/2972778p-11651224c.html

State Dept. rules out guarantee on Iran

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration is ruling out a guarantee not to attack Iran to induce it to halt development of nuclear weapons.
Iran must first act like a responsible member of the international community and stop violating its agreements, State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said Monday.

"That would represent a sea change in its behavior," Ereli said. "Then maybe other kinds of notions might be more palatable."

"But right now, I don't think people should be asking the United States, 'Why don't you do this or why don't you do that?'" the U.S. official said.

Ereli's remarks appeared to dismiss a suggestion by Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency, who said Monday in Stockholm that he believed the United States would need to give Iran a security guarantee before a final agreement could be reached on Iran's atomic programs.

[Demeter]

1. Attack? With What?

Are they gonna send Condi with her Imelda Marcos Memorial collection of expensive shoes? Rumsfeld with his persipacity? Rummy with his defibrillator? Bush is a bomb in and of himself, so that would be immoral.

[VegasWolf]

2. I guess those pod people Bush has. nt

[leftchick]

3. rummy has a lot of nukes he is itching to use

and if he is truly leaving in 2006 look for nukage of Iran sooner. :nuke:

[daleo]

4. And Bush has proved how crazy he is

Sadly, anything is possible.

[Barrett808]

8. Hope the Secret Service has a protocol for a drunken, crazy president

...who's trying to launch the nuclear arsenal.

"No, Mr. President, we won't be doing that today. Why don't you take a nap?" <sleep gas administered/>

[teryang]

5. Iran is definitely a target of imperial conquest

When it occurs is another matter. The American financial and the energy corporate rich are dying to knock sovereign Iran down.

Are these plans sane? No but after getting away with a coup d'etat of the United States, and invading Iraq, these egos know no limit.

Rhodesians think they can conquer the world with limited forces. The CFR where chimp finds a welcoming audience is a product of Rhodesian colonial impulses.

It's all just a great game. This is why Rumsfeld is such a sporting chap.

[bemildred]

6. Iran rules out guarantee on Iraq (of not attacking) ... nt

[Journeyman]

7. What if Iran claims they've got irrefutable proof from a drunkard. . .

that Turkey is set to attack them with WMD? And they can tie Turkey to al Qaeda based on wishful thinking by a disgruntled Turk with a bad attitude? While mysterious metal tubes and funny shaped trucks are detected outside Istanbul, and it looks like terror camps have been set up near the border at Hakkari?

Will Iran be justified then to launch a pre-emptive attack, only to sheepishly say, "My bad" when the war reveals the paucity of their intelligence? In such an -- admittedly far fetched and highly unlikely eventuality (who could possibly find such a dilemma in the annals of history?) -- won't the Iranians need nuclear weapons to give weight to their hubris?

Just asking.

[kineneb]

9. beware of ancient curses

"be careful what you ask for..."
Iran is not Iraq or Afghanistan. There will be no cake-walk, no flowers, no welcome. And I can't blame them. Our poor troops will have their asses handed back to them. Iran is a big country and they won't be able to bomb it into oblivion; that strategy failed in Vietnam as well.

[shanti]

10. so they ARE planning to attack iran

mmmmm-k. :eyes: