U.S. tries to save its Iran plan

[rodeodance]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_iran
U.S. tries to save its Iran plan

By ANNE GEARAN, AP Diplomatic Writer 1 hour, 56 minutes ago

NEW YORK - The United States tried Tuesday to salvage its plan to punish
Iran with sanctions if it won't back down in a nuclear standoff with the West, even as President Bush told Iranians he hopes that one day "America and Iran can be good friends."


Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice convened nations that have offered Iran a bargain to head off what the United States and others fear is a drive to build a bomb. The United States had hoped to use the gathering to move decisively toward political and economic sanctions on Iran now that it has missed a U.N. deadline to shelve disputed nuclear activities, but cold feet among allies this month has made that possibility remote.

Rice warned that the world will have a credibility problem if it does not act. She also acknowledged that talks are already under way between the
European Union and Tehran without preconditions.

That is a concession for the United States, which has led a drive to force Iran to choose between looming U.N. sanctions or talks that could reward it for scaling back its nuclear program.

[Matilda]

1. Perhaps the "cold feet" of US allies is just the realization

that Iran's "nuclear bomb" equals Iraq's "weapons of mass destruction".

All in the head of the deluded US president.

[Supersedeas]

11. Do you doubt that Condi would make the UN powerpoint presentation if

called upon to do so??

[struggle4progress]

2. Gotta love the "Holy sh!t are we ever screwed" look on Condi's face

http://d.yimg.com.nyud.net:8090/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20060918/capt.08268b20d85c4778969d974c56ed7ca2.un_iraq_unma119.jpg?x=180&y=119&sig=KRjwxye66_b31O5HSqcJKg--

[Smithson]

3. The world will have a credibility problem???

Pretend I posted those smilies ROTFLMAO.

Have they no shame at all?

[rodeodance]

4. "That is a concession for the United States," love it.

[teryang]

5. The US "plan" is a joke constructed by ideological fanatics....

...who have no idea what they are dealing with.

The US assisted Saddam Hussein in the killing of hundreds of thousands of Iranians. In their war for survival Iran understood exactly who their enemies were. So they have developed a "hybrid" strategy of defense for the expected US attack in the future. Hezbollah's successful defense of its position in south Lebanon is only a foreshadowing of the new Iranian capabilities to wage an unconventional offensive against US forces and interests. The Iranians insist that their strategy is defensive and will not in any instance be used offensively. However in the event of a strike, they plan to survive and go on the offensive.

The Iranians have developed within the limits of their resource base an independent arms industry, effective tactics, and respectable military technology. Attacking this country would be insane. I now know why any US plan contemplates using "tactical nukes." Iran is virtually self sufficient in a military sense, the decades long embargo has strengthened rather than weakened them. They are not dependent on outside nations for their military capabilities.

The Iranians are a significant "regional power" on the way to becoming a formidable military power in the future. Their proximity to the vital infrastructure of the Gulf region, gives them the ability to project harm around the world economically. They have assembled and outfitted and trained probably the largest and most effective unconventional forces seen since Vietnam. Trying to intimidate and coerce this regime is a foolish and wasted effort.

Check out this 89 page analysis of Iran's military structure, OOB, and the likely scenarios to be played out in US v. Iran, Hybrid war.

http://www.payvand.com/news/06/sep/Scenarios-of-War.pdf

[Drum]

6. Uh, Condi...it's the US war machine that has the credibility problem....nt

[bemildred]

7. Gee, who could have predicted this? nt

[tanyev]

8. Certainly not Condi. She seems to have a prediction disability.

[jayfish]

9. "The world will have a credibility problem if it does not act".

With who? The Sun? Mars? Their rhetorical language is so childish.

Jay

[Javaman]

10. Once bolton was pulled from concideration for the UN

this time around, morons* plans fell like the house of cards that it is. This is why, I think he's going to go completely apeshit crazy and bomb Iran without the UN.