Analyze This: The Message That Fallon's Farewell And Cheney's Arrival Sends To Teheran

[Purveyor]

The timing of US Vice President Dick Cheney's visit here next week, coming right after Tuesday's resignation by Adm. William J. Fallon as America's chief military commander in the Middle East, may simply be coincidence.
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Fallon had to go, and to go before Cheney arrived here on Sunday; that's how some commentators are interpreting his resignation.

"This was George Bush's going-away present to his vice president on the eve of Cheney's tour of the Middle East... Cheney just did not want this Fox around his Middle East henhouse," wrote former US ambassador Marc Ginsberg on The Huffington Post on-line news site.

Others are reading even more significance into the vice president's trip. After leaving Israel, Cheney journeys to Saudi Arabia and Oman - the latter the site of four air force bases strategically situated on the Straits of Hormuz, right across from Iran, and regularly used by the US military for refueling, supply storage and logistics. Both nations would play key roles in the run-up to any military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, and the timing of Cheney's visits there, combined with Fallon's farewell, has raised red flags in Washington and elsewhere that they may be signs Bush has taken a strategic decision to move against Teheran before leaving office.
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Writing in US News & World Report this week, Terry Atlas linked the two events conspiratorially with last September's Israel Air Force strike on an alleged Syrian nuclear facility ("to force Syria to switch on the targeting electronics for newly received Russian anti-aircraft defenses") and even to the Second Lebanon War ("while this seems a bit old, Israel's July 2006 war in Lebanon against Iranian-backed Hizbullah forces was seen at the time as a step that Israel would want to take if it anticipated a clash with Iran") as among a number of signs that the US - with Israel's help - is indeed heading for war with Iran.

---EOE---

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1205261316352&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[bemildred]

1. Gotta keep beating the war drums. Time is running out. nt

[LakeSamish706]

2. This is so not good... I can see a major war on the horizon if they hit Iran! n/t

[AndyA]

3. There's another aspect to be considered.

There has been a rather abrupt drop in coverage on the M$M regarding the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I guess they think, just like no images of dead soldier's coffins returning home, if we don't see it it will go away. And they'll no doubt want to bury Iraq news if they've set their target for Iran.

Anyone suppose Bush starting another war with Iran would be enough for this Congress to do something about it? Especially in an election year?

[global1]

4. Can *Co Do This Without Congressional Authorization?.......nt

[Karenina]

5. If Cheney is not impeached and removed from office

Iran WILL BE BOMBED before he leaves. Bank on it.