Remind me what we're actually fighting with Iran over, again?

[coti]

Yeah, yeah, Iran's an "enemy" of the US and all- not, uh...Russian and Putin, who continue to attack our democracy- but I'm just not sure exactly what fundamental problem we're supposed to have with the Iranians. Even before the embassy issue, I mean.

Some shit from 40 years ago?

That we pulled out of a treaty with them? No idea, really.

[former9thward]

1. They support terrorist groups world wide.

People who kill Americans.

[Ferrets are Cool]

3. And you think a fucking war is going to stop that,

even IF true?????? We do the same fucking thing only 1000 times worse. We have more blood on our hands as a country than any other.

[former9thward]

8. What war?

And no we don't have more "blood on our hands than any other". Many countries lead us in that contest.

[Loki Liesmith]

35. Utter nonsense.

We don’t have “more blood on our hands...”

[coti]

7. How many Americans have been killed by Iranian terrorists recently?

Where is this shit coming from, in RECENT terms? Not shit from 40 years ago.

[former9thward]

11. So "shit from 40 years ago" does't count?

But we need not go back 40 years. In 2011 a federal judge ruled that Iran was behind the 1998 embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania which killed Americans. In 2015 a federal judge ruled Iran was behind the attack on the U.S.S. Cole in 2000 which killed sailors. I could go on but nothing will cause Iran apologists to stop blaming the U.S.

[UniteFightBack]

15. "Iran apologists"....LOL. nt

[coti]

17. No, it doesn't. It's irrelevant to whether one is to start a war PRESENTLY.

Same with 20 years ago, as in the Cole. Which wasn't terrorism (but an act of war regardless). But yeah, 20 years ago.

The fact is that there isn't shit going on worth fighting over, unless someone STARTS a fight. Which it looks like is exactly the idea for Trump.

[uponit7771]

36. NO !!!

[Maru Kitteh]

16. The problem with Americans is that they think "40 years ago" is a long time.

So much of the world takes a much, much longer view.

[coti]

18. It IS a long time ago, for purposes of starting a war.

In fact, reasoned people would say that it's completely irrelevant to the idea of killing people now.

[Maru Kitteh]

20. What ever would lead you to think killing between Iran and the US ever stopped?

[uponit7771]

37. 2 generations .. IS ... a long time ago

[UniteFightBack]

14. Yes they are bad men to say the least, but we have an inept corrupt asshole at the helm. nt

[RandiFan1290]

38. Confused with Saudi Arabia, again

Funny how you guys always do that

[Drahthaardogs]

40. Do does Assad, but Trump liked him

Because Putin does.

[Ferrets are Cool]

2. We are going to war for even less than we went to war with Iraq for.

At least that was to fill cheneys pockets with money and to fulfill a daddy fetish for jr.

[Marie Marie]

4. Because it was the Obama administration that got the Nuclear deal with Iran.

Trump just had to undo it because.... you know.

[sheshe2]

9. Nailed it.

That and try to avoid impeachment.

[sprinkleeninow]

29. Looks like it's Obama all day every day. eom

[handmade34]

5. trump's ego

that's it

[GETPLANING]

6. Iran is the enemy of ISRAEL

Should be obvious to everyone

[former9thward]

12. And Iran and Russia are close allies.

What is your point?

[Volaris]

24. The government, maybe...not necessarily the Iranian people.

Insofar as the govt supports Hezbollah, that's about keeping the power on and the water clean inside Israel's open air concentration camp of the west bank, as much as it is about tossing RPGs over the fence line..

Its nuanced. We need better than a trump to be able to manage that nuance effectively.

[Sewa]

10. Because Iran is filling the vacuum created

by the Cheney-Bush wars

[Volaris]

25. And also that.

While we hold trump in impeachment status, let's not forget that Obama got himself elected president on the idea that 'even the smart black man was better than the dumb white guys who fucked up Iraqi democracy.. and when that sort of worked, the Haters all decided that was just not gonna be acceptable AT ALL...hence, trump.

[TomSlick]

13. Because that's how tails wag dogs.

[2naSalit]

30. ++++++++++++

[Generic Brad]

19. He's trying to get us kicked out of the Middle East

Then Russia fills the vacancy we leave and Putin takes control of all the oil there. And he finally gets the southern sea access the Soviets never secured.

[2naSalit]

31. ++++++++++++++

[muriel_volestrangler]

21. Oil.

It's the basis for it all. The US overthrew the Iranian government in the 1950s to install the Shah as the absolute power in the country, for control over their oil. The people overthrew the Shah in the 70s, and took the US diplomats hostage, because the US supported him. The US supported Saddam in the Iran-Iraq war, for oil. Iran's power in the region stems from its ability to disrupt the flow of oil through the Straits of Hormuz. US sanctions on Iran are based around stopping its major export, oil.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

23. K&R. Bottom line - you nailed it.

That and control of territory for freely running pipelines anywhere they please.......

[2naSalit]

33. And one of the prime reasons why we need to wean ourselves off

of oil immediately. We have spent my entire adult life fighting about this.

[Hortensis]

22. Armageddon. 21 posts and no mention of the Christian zionist right?

Yes, oil's part of it, but Christian zionists, evangelicals primarily, have a stranglehold on Trump. Trump could not have gotten elected without them and can't get reelected without them. Pence and Pompeo are just two of the agents they've planted in the Trump administration. They believe Satan operates out of Iran and that ultimately a final war with Iran is God's will. And that any treaties with Iran are the work of the devil and fools.

The Guardian a year ago: In his speech at the American University in Cairo, Pompeo said that in his state department office: “I keep a Bible open on my desk to remind me of God and his word, and the truth.” The secretary of state’s primary message in Cairo was that the US was ready once more to embrace conservative Middle Eastern regimes, no matter how repressive, if they made common cause against Iran.

His second message was religious. In his visit to Egypt, he came across as much as a preacher as a diplomat. He talked about “America’s innate goodness” and marveled at a newly built cathedral as “a stunning testament to the Lord’s hand”. ...

“We will continue to fight these battles,” the then congressman said at the Summit church in Wichita. “It is a never-ending struggle … until the rapture. Be part of it. Be in the fight.” ..

[Skidmore]

26. This. We are witnessing

what happens when a nihilist cult gains access to power and then is used by an enemy to gain long sought-after goals.

[Hortensis]

32. I think so. The evangelical right is only one of our

power factions, of course, and not the biggest, but...

It seems likely the impeachment excited the evangelicals into action. Trump would want this as a distraction, but they would be worried that Satan working through us (or just we for the more sane) might somehow remove God's (their) instrument from power. So the stepped-up aggression toward Iran might well be a result of that.

Wonder what McConnell's doing tonight. Well, of course, he's worried about how this could affect his hold on power and plotting how to turn it to his advantage. But what form would that take?

[2naSalit]

34. +1

[Skittles]

27. ask Putin

Trump's puppeteer

[duforsure]

28. Putins helping trump redirect attention away

From his impeachment by instigating this conflict.

[Jamastiene]

39. Trump needed a distraction.

Oh look, shiny thing. Meanwhile, did you know That Lieu just opened up an investigation into securities and stock fraud into Trump? Most will never learn that little factoid, because we cannot criticize or even look into what a "president at war" is doing at home. Cheers.

[BuffaloJackalope]

41. Trump doing Putin's biding, distracting from his impeachment, and oil, of course.