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© 2019 AFPBolton beats war drums in U.S.-Iran standoff
By Sebastian Smith WASHINGTON©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
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© 2019 AFP
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PTownsend
Wars for control of oil and gas are stupid. But given how frequently Trump's flip-flopped, who knows what he might think: today's stupid could be tomorrow's stable genius.
Trump has no principles. He cares nothing about the country and 99% of its people. He cares nothing about the lives of those outside his family, especially if they're people he's lumped in as 'others', i.e. them. He cares nothing about the lives of US military members forced to fight another war benefitting big oil, big war industries and Wall Street.
It would be interesting to see how much Trump's invested in big oil, big war industries, Wall Street and any other industries that would see increased profits from more stupid wars.
BertieWooster
You can see how militarily aggressive Iran is by the way they have their country right up against the US bases all around it!
dbsaiya
The chicken hawks are at it again, it's only a matter of time before they concoct a premise for a preemptive attack.
sf2k
Actually Trump's complete disinterest in the world might be a plus here as he lacks the warmonger ambitions of Bolton et al
bass4funk
You don’t have the intelligence that the CIA or the Pentagon has. It’s easy being on the outside screaming things and not have the slightest idea. None of us know, surprisingly, not even the media, although they think they do for some reason.
CrazyJoe
The sabotage to those ships being blamed on Iran seems like a set-up. I would not be surprised if Mossad forces were responsible.
It’s such child’s play, provoke and then look at the teacher “who me” they started it”. We have all seen this play out before, on the playground in elementary school. Such pathetic little men and their ego’s.
Kestrel
@CrazyJoe,
Right, blame the jews.
Goodlucktoyou
@kestrel. It is not blaming Jews, it is blaming right wing Zionists, which is kind of the same as right wing Neocons.
bass4funk
Here we go.....
Wow, just wow!
u_s__reamer
Much of the animus directed against Iran, a religilous regime of autocrats who have caused great suffering to their people, comes not from concern for the human rights of the Iranian people but from geopolitical considerations of controlling the oil and protecting the state of Israel. It is not anti-semitism to state the truth: Zionists and their enablers in America have a big hand in this murky business.
Eppee
Bolton has been on a personal vendetta against Iran forever. This is his war, its personal war, it's coming. The US has been preparing the world to it for a few months now, what's going on is very similar to what they did before the war in Iraq.
Deadforgood
You refuse to speculate what he knows and speculate that he knows a lot in the same sentence...lol
stormcrow
The hypocrisy never stops. Trump has been the #1 critic of going to war with Iraq and now here he is banging away on the war drums to attack Iran.
bass4funk
Afghanistan, ahh, the real war from where the terrorists are launching attacks as the previous administration claimed.
No, I’m not. You nor I know what was said to the President, his advisors or what plan or intelligence they have for taking this action.
Exactly! What his experience is compared to what was said privately we don’t know and those are two completely different topics.
bass4funk
And built up in increased under the previous administration.
You’re absolutely right because the trillions of dollars with still no progress.
Deadforgood
This is the same as saying you would agree with Trump even if he said we were going to drop a nuke over London tomorrow because you don't know what information they have but it must be valid. It demonstrates the inability to think for yourself and form your own opinion.
bass4funk
I’m Sorry, so you’re saying the British are in our state sponsored terrorists? You’re confusing me.
SuperLib
Doesn't this all seem to be happening really quickly and from out of nowhere? And no, I don't believe Iran has plans to attack US forces in the Middle East. I can't see what they could possibly gain, and they'd have everything to lose.
Maybe Bolton is hoping for a miscalculation by Iran? Maybe he knows the radicals in Iran are using this as propaganda which will help them gain power, and from there the chances for conflict and regime change increase? Who knows. We had a working nuclear deal and now Trump's advisors are drawing up plans in case 120,000 troops are needed. WTF.
And of course we don't trust Trump when he talks about intel because we both know that man lies through his teeth like it's nothing at all. It would be illogical to put any kind of trust in that type of person until they earn it back.
Raw Beer
And based on their previous statements, it appears that the CIA and Pentagon do not have any intelligence.
Anyway, Bolton works 100% for Israel. Trump about 50% for Israel...
Sneezy
No, they're saying your slavish devotion to Trump and deference to authority would excuse thoughtless, completely unreasonable actions that President Trump could, hypothetically, take.
bass4funk
That’s exactly what I’m not saying.
bass4funk
Precisely, so he intended on keeping our forces there because as he said it was the war that needed to be fired and not Iraq.
His policy had killed a lot of people, far too long.
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/some-2500-americans-have-died-in-afghanistan-and-iraq-under-obama-62022/
bass4funk
And you or I wouldn’t know that. But I’m sure Jim Acosta knows. Lol
And the problem is....
I personally believe that they could and would if given the chance especially now that the trumpet ministration dismantle that disastrous Iranian deal. And thank God he had to Coconuts to do the right thing, better for Israel color better for the Saudi’s in overall better for the region.
Maybe, maybe not.
Well we don’t trust most Democrats and especially the media because they also lie through your teeth constantly minute by minute that’s why people are tuning them off and that’s why the media is the best thing for Trump to help him get reelected again because people are drowning out the media in their constant Debunked lies.
Deadforgood
The problem is, they don't work for America.
bass4funk
Actually, not true.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/by-us-deaths-as-of-today_b_683441
total U.S. deaths in Afghanistan have doubled in Afghanistan under President Obama, and when the next U.S. soldier is reported dead, the majority of U.S. deaths in Afghanistan will have occurred under President Obama.
(HuffPost is not a conservative outfit)
Now, although Bush and Obama racked up a lot of causalities in both wars, there is absolutely no reason that Trump wants to start with, no, now if you want to make an argument about maybe the people around him that can be debatable, personally I don’t think so, but you never know.
Raw Beer
I do know that they have been wrong about all of the intelligence they provided in support of all of America's recent (and not so recent) wars. So they either all have extremely low IQ, or they are lying, or both.
Indeed, this is not a problem if you are an israeli; but Americans should expect their government to work for them. Everything the US has done in the ME has benefited only the israelis and has been very detrimental and costly for Americans.
bass4funk
Well that would depend on what your definition of wrong is and we all have different interpretations of whether the war was justified or not but that’s for a different debate and not the issue and also the real issue is how the intelligence is gathered from various sources through various countries and it is always a accumulated guess, it’s not science.
It doesn’t mean that we can not help one of our closest allies in the middle east.
Again that is something that is debatable to various degrees and something we don’t need to decipher right now because it would take too much unnecessary time.
Raw Beer
Israel is more a parasite than an ally to America. Despite Netenyahu constantly praising Israel's amazing economy, America gives them billions in aid every year. America get nothing in return, except for "faulty intelligence" (lies) that support US wars for Israel, costing American tax payers trillions. An ally would not have attacked the US on 9-11, USS Liberty; and they would not have stolen and sold to the Chinese (and others) military secrets.
smithinjapan
Bolton's a moustache-hair away from getting one of the wars he's always wanted. He won't go, so who cares? Get ready for more American dead for absolutely zero reason.
nandakandamanda
Quote: “With his bushy mustache and beloved yellow legal pad, Bolton cuts a colorful figure at the White House.”
Will we be witness to Bolton’s Last Stand?
bass4funk
1728 US troops have died in Afghanistan since October 7, 2001, with 1153 of those deaths having occurred since President Obama’s inauguration. 575 US troops died in Afghanistan during President Bush’s term in office.
Sure, both Presidents are at fault and I don’t think Trump is going down that road, but putting fear into the Iranians just might be a bigger solution rather than a problem.
Chip Star
Trumpophiles excorciate Obama for leaving our allies hanging in the wind (Crimea) and for getting us involved more heavily with our allies (Afghanistan). They're minds are twisted from Obama Obsession Syndrome.
Goodlucktoyou
Battle groups, nuclear bombers, amthipious launch patterns, Israeli false flag attacks, 120000 soldiers getting prepared, Americans told to get out of Iraq...nah, nothing is going to happen.
bass4funk
Says the people that obsess with hating Trump. Too, too funny!
I never did that, not once. I only just said that the war ended with Obama who increase the truth level and if you want to blame both of them you can for a multitude of reasons.
By the way I credit rob O’Neill who did us a service with OBL.
Which grew under the last administration which they underestimated as the president called them a JV team.
That may be, but it’s just really funny how everybody is panicking and nothing happened, that’s a serious problem with liberals come leave the emotional side and wait and see what happens.
Well, we have a difference of opinion
Chip Star
The difference is we base our hate on facts and logic.
Reminiscent of conservatives in 2002.
Chip Star
This clearly demonstrates the futility of engagement.
By the time Obama became president, Iraq and Afghanistan were crucial allies of the US in the War on Terror. Obama could not honestly be expected to abandon such necessary allies.
Too direct.
Chip Star
Translated: Obama = bad; Trump = good.
lostrune2
Bolton is the same hawk who advised Bush Jr. leading to the Iraq War
Yet Trump repeatedly takes Putin's words over the CIA or Pentagon
SuperLib
Who cares? The Dems aren't asking us to take their word on intel so your opinion of their trustworthiness is irrelevant this conversation. Trump is, and this man who constantly lies is asking us to take him at his word. It would be illogical for us to do that.
Can anyone here, even Trump fans, tell us what Trump's goal is with Iran? He threw away a working nuclear deal. He's causing a split between us and our allies. He moves hardware in into the region, says "trust me" on intel, then suddenly says he wants to work out a nuclear deal...again?
wtfjapan
The chicken hawks are at it again, it's only a matter of time before they concoct a premise for a preemptive attack.
"your either with us, or with the Iranians"
TheRat
Question is you neocons and conservatives, are you WILLING to pay 1000 yen for a liter of gas IF you can find it for this precious war. Also, looked at one war scenario with Iran, guess what the US loses. Yeah, considering that we lost to North Vietnam, and basically to Afghanistan (40 percent of that country is controlled by the Taliban), it is easy to see. Basically they would need a MILLION soldiers (just like North Vietnam) to hold the country and hold is used loosely here. They would need a draft. It gets more complicated as more Muslim countries join in the fight against the US, and it gets real nasty when some bombs go off in the US and they (we) start doing to all muslims like we did with the Japanese, internment camps or outright deportations, even if they are American citizens, which fuels more countries to fight. Get it? Thanks Bolton! Thanks conservatives.
wtfjapan
so the only people to make ground from it would be terrorist groups.
itll basically be another Iraq and Syria with others gaining controlling interests. The US stuck with the bill and another mess of their making, and the 100s thousand that die from it
wtfjapan
are you WILLING to pay 1000 yen for a liter of gas IF you can find it for this precious war.
a large spike in gas like before the GFC will unlikely happen again. Consumers can now purchase affordable electric vehicles and the solar panels to charge them. Also shale gas from the US Russia Australia countries not bound by OPEC can ramp up production should OPEC raise prices considerably. OPEC tried to kill of shale but failed now theyre struggling to make a profit
TheRat
There is no way for a society to switch to electric cars in a month or even in five years, and they make up only three percent of all cars. Solar is good but not enough homes are connected to it. So, just like last time, in the last energy crisis in the 80s, Japan’s economy TANKED, and tanked seriously. EFL might benefit as many people, unemployed will be looking abroad for work. Otherwise, this country will be toast.