War with Iran this year?

[tuvor]

[chicagojoe]

1. Sept./Oct. maybe.

[purduejake]

2. Earlier if we can get Israel to start it...

by dropping a bunch of weapons we gave them last year. (I think it was last year). They'll start it and we'll go in to finish it. When they sink a few of our carriers with anti-ship missles, people will be screaming to draft other peoples' kids.

[chicagojoe]

3. You know it, p-jake.

[Vladimir]

4. I am sceptical

not about the intentions, but the military feasibility. Maybe that is wishful thinking, but I can't see the US army engaging Iran with a hostile Iraq at its back...

[purduejake]

5. See my post above (#4)...

Screwing with somebody and putting ourselves in a position for a major ass-kicking is a great way to get people to support a draft. Imagine if they take out a symbol of our military might with anti-ship missiles... the carrier. How many billions of dollars does that cost and how many people does it hold? The dumbass (majority) of Americans would be screaming for more blood at any cost and would support a draft and massive expansion of the military.

[Vladimir]

7. The conscripts would end up like the

national guard in Iraq - cannon fodder. I really can't see it happening, although I do find the idea of sanctions and maybe no-fly zones quite plausible...

[The Magistrate]

11. Not This Year, Mr. Vladimir

The domestic political schedule is the key to analysis of what these people do elsewhere. The running up to war will be conducted during the summer of 2006, so that it can have the maximum effect on the Congressional elections, enabling criticism of Republicans to be "rebutted" as simple "anti-patriotism." This year will be spent laying predicate for the thrust in the year to come. By the time it does, the charges will certainly include Iranian interference in "Free Iraq" along with the weapons programs, and oddly enough, though it hardly matters, both of these will be largely true....

[Vladimir]

12. The timeline certainly sounds plausible,

though I must say I find it hard to fathom how they will pull that campaign off, unless they manage to 'stabilize' Iraq first. Unless of course they can somehow persuade the then Iraqi government to fight alongside them, which seems to me on the surreal side of the impossible.

Besides, there are so many more exotic targets out there. What about Belarus, or dare I mention the Transnistrian republic? :P

[Swamp Rat]

6. If they don't roll out the new product this September, then they'll do it

Spring of 2006. I'm betting on the latter, though Sept. 2006 seems even more likely to me.

[Mojambo]

8. Iran, Iraq and North Korea

The neo-cons are going to have to pick and choose.

[radfringe]

9. my bet is for next year -- they need it for mid-term elections

if the bushies invade Iran this year -- they will have no drum to beat for the 2006 mid-term elections

considering the Mess-o-Potamia in Iraq -- I don't believe they would make the mistake of invading another country and risk it becoming another Iraq-mire and have that mess be the issue during 2006 mid-terms

better to wait until 2006 -- and then accuse those who oppose invading Iran as being traitors and/or unpatriotic

[izzie]

10. Polls will tell, as they will have to get the GOP in once more.

I do not think it counts if the service can do it or not with this group in power, as they do not seem to live in the real world.