Say No To War With Iran: Former CIA Deputy Director under Bush: Take military option off the table on Iran

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Former CIA Deputy Director under Bush: Take military option off the table on Iran

As the fifth consecutive day of protests in Iran drew to a close, one of the chief members of President Bush's intelligence apparatus warned that the United States should forgo the military option no matter what the outcome of the contested elections.

"I would argue against any military option. I just don't think it will work, and it will have consequences that will be severe," said John McLaughlin, former Deputy Director of the CIA under President George W. Bush.

...a growing majority of thinkers and opinion makers are urging the United States to adopt a less confrontational approach when it comes to Iran, cognizant that a popular movement exists within that country for greater international engagement.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/18/bush-cia-honcho-military_n_217297.html

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"Israel is strong. I don't see anyone who could pose an existential threat."

"I don't buy the relevance of comparing the situation with that of Europe in 1938. Then, the hope for a normal Jew looking into the future was to flee. We are not in such a situation. We can defend ourselves against any kind of threat. I don't think we are on the brink of a new Holocaust."

- Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak

Iran "is radical, but radical does not mean irrational. They want to change the world, not commit suicide."

- Uzi Rubin, Israeli defense consultant who ran Israel's missile shield program in the 1990s, hinting at Israel's ability to retaliate against an Iranian nuclear attack with numerousnuclear weapons launched from Israeli submarines, intermediate-range missiles and fighter bombers.

Myth: If Obama denies Israel the option of attacking Iran, it would weaken Israel's security.

“If the Obama administration were to shift toward learning to live with a nuclear Iran and attempt to deny Israel the painful option of attacking its nuclear targets as a last resort, that would…weaken the security of the Jewish state.”
-Alan Dershowitz, Has Obama Turned on Israel?, Wall Street Journal

An attack on Iran “could have grave consequences and would be very destabilizing.”
-Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

“The consequences of” an attack on Iran “are completely unpredictable, and likely [to be] very bad.”
-U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates

President Obama on Iran, June 23, 2009

President Obama’s Opening Remarks On Iran, June 23, 2009

First, I'd like to say a few words about the situation in Iran. The United States and the international community have been appalled and outraged by the threats, the beatings, and imprisonments of the last few days. I strongly condemn these unjust actions, and I join with the American people in mourning each and every innocent life that is lost.

I've made it clear that the United States respects the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and is not interfering with Iran's affairs. But we must also bear witness to the courage and the dignity of the Iranian people, and to a remarkable opening within Iranian society. And we deplore the violence against innocent civilians anywhere that it takes place.

…The Iranian people can speak for themselves. That's precisely what's happened in the last few days. In 2009, no iron fist is strong enough to shut off the world from bearing witness to peaceful protests [sic] of justice. Despite the Iranian government's efforts to expel journalists and isolate itself, powerful images and poignant words have made their way to us through cell phones and computers, and so we've watched what the Iranian people are doing.

This is what we've witnessed. We've seen the timeless dignity of tens of thousands of Iranians marching in silence. We've seen people of all ages risk everything to insist that their votes are counted and that their voices are heard. Above all, we've seen courageous women stand up to the brutality and threats, and we've experienced the searing image of a woman bleeding to death on the streets. While this loss is raw and extraordinarily painful, we also know this: Those who stand up for justice are always on the right side of history.

As I said in Cairo, suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. The Iranian people have a universal right to assembly and free speech. If the Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect those rights and heed the will of its own people. It must govern through consent and not coercion. That's what Iran's own people are calling for, and the Iranian people will ultimately judge the actions of their own government.

Say No To War With Iran

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Former CIA Deputy Director under Bush: Take military option off the table on Iran

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Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak

"Israel is strong. I don't see anyone who could pose an existential threat."

Major-General Aharon Zeevi-Farkash, Israel's former chief of Military Intelligence

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates & Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen

Myth: If Obama denies Israel the option of attacking Iran, it would weaken Israel's security.

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President Obama on Iran, June 23, 2009

End Violence Against Peaceful Protests in Iran!