What Happens When Bush Unilaterally Starts A War With Iran?

[Yavin4]

Once the war starts, there will be no way of stopping it. Even if both Bush and Cheney were impeached and literally jailed, the war would continue because Iran would retaliate. It would be impossible for the Dems to cut off funding for a live war. Even if the Dems passed pre-emptive legislation to stop Bush from going to war with Iran, he and Cheney would just ignore it and launch the war any way.

Bottom line is that there's no way we can prevent Bush from going to war in Iran.

[Jackpine Radical]

1. Well, gee, we gotta support the troops, ya know.

Best invest in some of those yellow car ribbons; there's gonna be another rush on them.

[hedgehog]

2. You know, I realized this morning why I'm so far in the dumps.

Two things are very important to me; my country and my Church. I just realized this morning that both are in the hands of crazy old men. I know that these old guys are going to be gone, and soon, but not soon enough considering the incredible damage they're doing every single day. I don't see any good way to get rid of them any sooner. I just wish I could figure out a way to exert some damage control.

[leftofthedial]

3. new rash of propaganda

new rash of car stickers

new attacks on "liberals" on RW hate radio

new rash of Congressional Democratic hemming and hawing.

otherwise, pretty much nothing.

[GreenPartyVoter]

4. Well, it would be pretty bad for our military as they can

fight back and cause more damage to us than Iraq did. Then, too, Russia and China have ties with Iran and have warned us away from striking them. Hard telling what they might do. Retaliation might be more of an economic sort than military.

[Norquist Nemesis]

5. Halliburton stocks will go through the roof! n/t

[Jonathan50]

6. Iran may well try to block the straits of Hormuz

And there is certainly a chance they could succeed. Twenty percent of the world's oil passes through the straits and blocking them would precipitate a worldwide financial crisis as energy prices soared through the roof.

The straits are only eight miles wide and the shipping lanes considerably narrower than that.

[dkofos]

8. And they have the anti-ship missles to do it

[razors edge]

7. $10/gal gasoline

and the fall of the Republic.

[Virginia Dare]

9. The people will welcome us as liberators...

and throw roses at our feet! :crazy:

[TheBaldyMan]

10. your premise isn't valid - there will be no war in Iran

not enough money, not enough troops.

Besides the material impossibility there remains the facts that any attack on Iran has no political, diplomatic, economic or strategic advantage to the USA.

Sabre rattling is all that will be going on in the Persian Gulf. A dangerous and stupid game but still a game.

[Yavin4]

13. Your Post Supposes That Bush and Cheney Are Rational War Planners

"not enough money,"

Really? Remember there's billions of unnaccounted for money floating around Iraq. There's enough to get the war started.

"not enough troops."

When have they ever cared about the well-being of the military.

"Besides the material impossibility there remains the facts that any attack on Iran has no political, diplomatic, economic or strategic advantage to the USA."

USA? No. US Oil Companies? Hell Yes!

"Sabre rattling is all that will be going on in the Persian Gulf. A dangerous and stupid game but still a game."

Bush and his cronies want to control ME oil. That's the game that they're playing.

[TheBaldyMan]

14. my premises are still valid

Any fool can start a war but it takes an obscene amount of money to fight one, let alone sustain an offensive. The money isn't there.

The troop are spread too thin, they can only sit in barracks in Iraq, suddenly they are supposed to move through hostile territory, hundreds of miles into Iran and occupy that country as well? Impossible militarily. The USA can't keep order in Iraq - how is keeping order in both countries remotely possible. In short, it isn't.

You also claim that US oil companies' interests would be best served by a war, even if this were true you forget that while powerful they are not the only players in the game. Russia and China might have something to say about it. Russia as a major supplier and China as one of the thirstiest consumers of oil.

A war would weaken the US position and strengthen Russia's hand. It would alienate China.

I disagree that Big Oil has anything to gain by this, I consider your comment on this is based more in blind faith and scaremongering than fact. I'd need to see some hard evidence before you could persuade me over to your way of thinking.

In detail:
How would a diplomatic disaster in the Near East benefit Big Oil?

What economic benefit would Big Oil realise if the Iraq conflict was widened to include Iran?

How would the political collapse of the puppet regime in the Whitehouse benefit Big Oil when they have free reign to do whatever they feel like domestically?

A strategic position that has been seriously weakened already would become completely untenable, leaving Europe and China to take up the slack. How does this benefit Big Oil?

[Yavin4]

17. I'm Not Saying You're Wrong, But We're Dealing with Two Psychotics Here

They do not war plan. They do not care about long term consequences. They just care about their short term agenda. They want to start the war with Iran and force the country to support it with money and personnel. Once it's started, nothing will be able to stop it.

"How would a diplomatic disaster in the Near East benefit Big Oil?"

Whatever threatens worldwide supply benefits big oil. Today, Iraq barely produces any oil due to the war. Meanwhile big oil is recording the biggest quarterly profits in human history.

"What economic benefit would Big Oil realise if the Iraq conflict was widened to include Iran?"

Again see above.

"How would the political collapse of the puppet regime in the Whitehouse benefit Big Oil when they have free reign to do whatever they feel like domestically?"

The necon end game is for the U.S. to colonize the ME, control the oil, impose puppet regimes in Iran, Iraq, and Syria, and guarantee Israel's existence. That's what they want, and they do not care how they get there.


"A strategic position that has been seriously weakened already would become completely untenable, leaving Europe and China to take up the slack. How does this benefit Big Oil?"

Enter Russia. They could easily pick up the slack from the loss of Iranian oil production.

[TheBaldyMan]

20. everything you mentioned has been tried and failed repeatedly

the hegemony already existed, it has been weakened by the blowback.

The history of the West meddling in the area has resulted in repeated reverses.

There is also the question of the neighboring countries. Saudi Arabia should be nervous of the situation in Iraq. Turkey is the single biggest customer of Iranian natural gas and is dependant on Iran for a huge chunk of its energy needs. Russia has a deal with Iran, Iran imports refined oil products to it's northern territory then, in a form exchange, exports crude oil from it's southern ports on the Persian Gulf. No pipeline needed and benefits both parties. Iran is Russia's proxy oil exporting port in the Gulf. India is a major customer for LPG from Iran, a long term deal in anticipation of a pipeline being laid through Pakistan.

Any upset of status quo would not be in anybodies interests, further weakening a shaky military position.

I'm sorry but I remain unconvinced of anything but a show of sabre-rattling. Everybody has far too much to lose. Even Dubya won't do anything that foolhardy. Ahmedinajad knows this, he isn't going to start a war either.

[Yavin4]

22. "Even Dubya won't do anything that foolhardy. "

What evidence do you have of this? Do you not understand that this man is a psychotic? He enjoys death. He enjoys wars. He is not rational, and neither are the neocons. Even the British govt believes that we will attack Iran.

[TheBaldyMan]

23. then he would be impeached immediately, with full republican support

Bush may be a delusional Frat boy living in a bubble but no-one would stand for it in congress. He would also be acting unilaterally, abusing the powers of the office, he couldn't fob off responsibility onto someone else.

Let him try and his feet wouldn't touch the ground. He would be a psychotic ex-president. In fact congress would probably get rid of him beforehand if they thought there was a chance that he seriously wanted to widen the conflict.

Not only do you have a democratically controlled congress, there are enough Republicans with the political nous, they would limit damage to their party by removing the idiot from office.


The more I think about it the less convinced I am that Bush would attack Iran. You'll have to try something more substantial than scare stories to convince me.

[Golden Raisin]

11. It will be ugly on both fronts:

the entire Middle East, not just Iran, will erupt in flames and here at home watch out for a declaration of "national crisis" by Bush and the imposition of martial law.

[blues90]

12. An entire disaster

But with all their insistence on provoking Iran and with all in america already so very screwed up in all aspects I hate to say this but I am at the point where I am ready to say go ahead and just do it and let the cards fall where they may , lets have an end to it then just maybe we can find out the difficult way for once and for all that war is never the answer . After all these years we have not learned a thing yet .

One day a nuclear war is going to happen through this sort of provication or a mistake of some other form and as other nations build toward nuclear weapons something sooner of later is going to go horribly wrong .

I am tired and worn out living under these threats all my life .

[Mr. Ected]

15. I Am Inclined To Believe That the End of the World

Will be precipitated by some idiot in the US of A...and not by one of our enemies, or a rogue State.

[EFerrari]

16. We march on the White House and we camp there.

That's the bottom line.

[Yavin4]

21. That Won't Stop Them

They won't care.

[jayfish]

18. We'll Have Two Wars...

our representative can hand-wring over cutting the funds for. I don't really see a change.

Jay

[Initech]

19. Iran or one of its allies will retaliate. And it will be on a major US city.

And my guess is it will be Los Angeles . And what sucks is that people are too busy following the latest tirades of white female celebrities to take notice of the fact that we're on the eve of WWIII (which will be 100% our fault).

:scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared:
:scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared::scared:

[TheBaldyMan]

24. if they hit LA how could you tell, everybody looks like a burn victim anyway?