Robert Gates: U.S. Lacks Policy to Curb Iran’s Nukes

While I pretty much suspected the Obama administration had no real plan for dealing with Iran’s nukes, it is kind of alarming to have those suspicions confirmed. Today in the New York Times there is a story about a leaked memo from Robert Gates. The memo is from January and it details his concerns that the administration has no backup plan should diplomatic means fail to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions. 

The New York Times: WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has warned in a secret three-page memorandum to top White House officials that the United States does not have an effective long-range policy for dealing with Iran’s steady progress toward nuclear capability, according to government officials familiar with the document. 

Several officials said the highly classified analysis, written in January to President Obama’s national security adviser, Gen. James L. Jones, came in the midst of an intensifying effort inside the Pentagon, the White House and the intelligence agencies to develop new options for Mr. Obama. They include a set of military alternatives, still under development, to be considered should diplomacy and sanctions fail to force Iran to change course. […] 

Mr. Gates’s memo appears to reflect concerns in the upper echelons of the Pentagon and the military that the White House did not have a well-prepared series of alternatives in place in case all the diplomatic steps finally failed. 

After reading the article, I am immediately reminded of what Sarah Palin said in response to Obama’s glib remark about her nuclear expertise. 

In foreign policy, we’ve got the makings of the Obama Doctrine: coddling our enemies while alienating allies.

The administration eased sanctions on Cuba and sided with Chavez against Honduran democracy. They won’t bring up human rights with China because, quote, ‘we know what they are going to say.’ They offer tepid sanctions on North Korea and ‘gold stars and cookies’ for the Sudanese President. They send letters to Iranian mullahs but can barely muster a word of support for the Green Movement seeking freedom and women’s rights in Iran!

And President Obama, with all that vast nuclear expertise he acquired as a community organizer, a part-time senator, and a candidate for president, has accomplished nothing to date with Iran or North Korea.

Meanwhile, this administration alienates our friends. They treated Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai poorly and acted surprised when he reacted in kind. And they escalated a minor zoning decision into a major breach with Israel, our closest ally in the Middle East.

Folks, someone needs to remind the President: Jerusalem is not a settlement. Israel is our friend. And the critical nuclear concerns of our time are North Korea, who has nuclear weapons, and Iran, who wants them. 

I am sure we will all be talking about Gates’ memo for the rest of the week. I also have a feeling that Robert Gates maybe making an early exit from this administration. I am also pretty sure that the administration will be out in full force fighting the political ramifications of this story. Too bad they don’t employ the same zeal when it comes to handling the nations true enemies. 

Via: Memeorandum

Via: The New York Times

Via: Michelle Malkin 

Well it’s about time: IAEA thinks Iran is working on a nuke

Practically anyone with two eyes and half a brain can figure out that Iran working toward developing a nuclear bomb. Iran has been less than coy with their actions. Last week, Iran’s admission that they can enrich uranium to purity greater than 20% is more than a tip off.

Finally, the United Nation’s International Atomic Energy Agency has caught up to speed after denying Iran’s actions under Mohamed ElBaradei’s leadership: 

In unusually blunt language, an International Atomic Energy Agency report for the first time suggested Iran was actively pursuing nuclear weapons capability, throwing independent weight behind similar Western suspicions.

The IAEA seemed to be cautiously going public with concerns arising from a classified agency analysis leaked in part last year which concluded that Iran has already honed explosives expertise relevant to a workable nuclear weapon.

The report also confirmed Iran had produced its first small batch of uranium enriched to a higher purity -- 20 percent.

Both developments will intensify pressure on Iran to prove it is not covertly bent on "weaponizing" enrichment by allowing unfettered access for IAEA inspectors and investigators, something it rejects in protest at U.N. sanctions. 

Watching Iran saunter on its way to getting a bomb is like watching Hiroshima unfold in slow motion. It is painful to watch western leaders dither, deny and sit back as such a dangerous nation moves to acquire the bomb.

Thankfully there are signs that the administration is finally moving from its useless rhetoric about “engagement” and are talking more about sanctions. The big question is, is it too late for sanctions?

Via: Memeorandum

Via: Reuters

Ahmadinejad: Iran is now a “Nuclear State”

Well today is February 11^th, the 31^st anniversary of the Iranian Revolution and the day that Ahmadinejad and the Ayatollah said they would deliver a “telling blow” or “punch” to the western world. Today Ahmadinejad announced their big news; they are now a “nuclear state”: 

'We have the capability to enrich uranium more than 20 percent or 80 percent (the level needed to create an atomic bomb),' he said in a speech broadcast live on state television.

'But we don't enrich (to this level) because we don't need it...

'When we say we do not manufacture the bomb, we mean it, and we do not believe in manufacturing a bomb,' he told the crowd. 'If we wanted to manufacture a bomb we would announce it.'

Oh, how very reassuring Mr. Ahmadinejad.  Watching Iran saunter on its way to getting nuclear weapons as the western world dithers is like watch Hiroshima unfold in slow motion. We all know exactly what Ahmadinejad and the Mullahs are up to, we all know their true purpose and we all know the danger we will face if they succeed, yet everyone sits around pretending that there is another option other than a military strike against Iran.

Iran knows that the west loathes taking military action and is using that fact to reach their goal. The only true threat to their plan is Israel and poor Israel is pretty much out there all by itself when it comes to taking action.

It is pure insanity when world governments fail to do their number one true job, protect their people.

Via: Memeorandum

Via: UK Daily Mail

Iran's Ayatollah issues new threat for February 11th, says anniversary “punch” will stun the west

Looks like Iran may very well have something up its sleeve.  This is the second threat made by Iran concerning the upcoming anniversary of the Iranian revolution.  This time the threat comes from the Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

From Breitbart:

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday that Iran is set to deliver a "punch" that will stun world powers during this week's 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution.

"The Iranian nation, with its unity and God's grace, will punch the arrogance (Western powers) on the 22nd of Bahman (February 11) in a way that will leave them stunned," Khamenei, who is also Iran's commander-in-chief, told a gathering of air force personnel.

The country's top cleric was marking the occasion when Iran's air force gave its support to revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a key event which led to the toppling of the US-backed shah on February 11, 1979.

His comments came as Iran said it would begin to produce higher enriched uranium from Tuesday, in defiance of Western powers trying to ensure the country's nuclear drive is peaceful. [MORE]

It seems like Iran maybe doing more than just boasting. It was one thing when Ahmadinejad made his threat, but now to have it echoed similarly by the Ayatollah seems like more of a certainty.  I would not be surprised if they test a nuke on that day. This would certainly stun the world because nobody thinks they are that far along in development. It would also mean the world has entered a very dangerous phase in history. 

Via: Drudge Report

Via: Breitbart

Ahmadinejad issues threat: Iran will deliver telling blow to global powers on Feb. 11

OK, this is a little scary.

From Press TV:

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the nation will deliver a harsh blow to the "global arrogance" on this year's anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. 

"The Islamic Revolution opened a window to liberty for the human race, which was trapped in the dead ends of materialism," Ahmadinejad said during a cabinet meeting on Sunday. 

"If the Islamic Revolution had not occurred, liberalism and Marxism would have crushed all human dignity in their power-seeking and money-grubbing claws. Nothing would have remained of human and spiritual principles," he added. 

Ahmadinejad said that in the three decades of its history, the Islamic Revolution had inspired some great developments in the world. 

The Iranian president made the remarks as the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution approaches. 

Iranians are expected to pour into the streets on February 11 to celebrate the occasion in public rallies across the country, as they have done annually over the past three decades.  

Apparently the administration is taking the threat rather seriously and has deployed Patriot defense missiles to the area as well as keeping two ships in the region. I certainly would feel better about this if we had an administration that was more on the ball. Just thinking about the sloppy handling of the Panty Bomber isn’t very reassuring.

Also I wonder if Ahmadinejad’s threat has anything to do with the heighten terror activity (female suicide bombers, increased number of people from the No Fly list trying to board planes or UK’s raised terror level)?  Perhaps that is what Ahmadinejad meant rather than a standard military strike.

Better keep alert all the same.

Via: Memeorandum

Via: Press TV

Via: The UK Guardian

My notes on Obama’s speech regarding the Underpants Bomber and Iran

I just read Obama’s speech to the public on the Underpants Bomber and Iran (full transcript of Obama’s speech here).  Needless to say the speech is too little too late. Three days after what appears to be the grace of God saving us from another 9-11 and Janet Napolitano’s buffoonery, Obama pulls himself away from vacation to speak to the public. This has got to be the most inadequate response to terror yet. Keep in mind Obama could not get in front of the cameras fast enough of tout his shitty health care reform, but to address a act of terror, Obama gets all mañana about it! Furthermore, I found some of the things he said absolutely troubling.

Starting with the second paragraph: 

The investigation's ongoing. And I spoke again this morning with Attorney General Eric Holder, the secretary of homeland security, Janet Napolitano, and my counterterrorism and homeland security adviser, John Brennan. I asked them to keep -- continue monitoring the situation to keep the American people and members of Congress informed.

Notice he mentions Holder first and Napolitano second and no mention of the FBI or CIA.  Does this mean that Obama considers this a criminal justice matter?

The third and fourth paragraphs are troubling too [emphasis added, mine]: 

Here's what we know so far: On Christmas Day, Northwest Airlines Flight 253 was en route from Amsterdam, Netherlands, to Detroit. As the plane made its final approach to Detroit Metropolitan Airport, a passenger allegedly tried to ignite an explosive device on his body, setting off a fire.

Thanks to the quick and heroic actions of passengers and crew, the suspect was immediately subdued, the fire was put out, and the plane landed safely. The suspect is now in custody and has been charged with attempting to destroy an aircraft.

This is the language of a lawyer not a Commander in Chief. Does Obama think this guy is innocent?  The dude is nursing a charbroiled crotch, we have his toasted underwear and have identified the high explosive PETN, so what gives with the “allegedly” and “suspect” talk? This does not bode well for actually fighting terror.

Of course Obama does a lot of covering his ass in the speech as well, as seen here with the “I” statements:

Since I was first notified of this incident, I've ordered the following actions to be taken to protect the American people and to secure air travel.

First, I directed that we take immediate steps to ensure the safety of the traveling public. We made sure that all flights still in the air were secure and could land safely. We immediately enhanced screening and security procedures for all flights, domestic and international. We added federal air marshals to flights entering and leaving the United States. And we're working closely in this country, federal, state and local law enforcement, with our international partners.

Second, I've ordered two important reviews, because it's absolutely critical that we learn from this incident and take the necessary measures to prevent future acts of terrorism.

On Iran, Obama seems to mention it as an afterthought in the speech:

Before I leave, let me also briefly address the events that have taken place over the last few days in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States joins with the international community in strongly condemning the violent and unjust suppression of innocent Iranian citizens, which has apparently resulted in detentions, injuries, and even death.

In the entire six paragraphs devoted to Iran, Obama never once utters the word “Freedom”, instead he uses the term “universal rights”.  WTF are universal rights anyway and where were they ever defined?  It is a bit appalling that an American president cannot think to use or bring himself to utter the word “freedom” when speaking of the Iranian struggle.  Again this does not bode well for a successful outcome in Iran.

Via: Memeorandum

Via: The Washington Post

Iran’s dissident cleric Grand Ayatollah Montazeri dies

This could be another missed opportunity for America to effect regime change in Iran. Grand Ayatollah Montazeri was quite an outspoken critic against the Iranian government and even backed opposition’s claims that the 2009 elections were rigged. His death could easily provide another opportunity for the Iranian people to rise up against their government. Unfortunately, the Obama administration seems pretty allergic to freedom and will no doubt continue trying to “dialogue” with Ahmadinejad and his nutty crew rather than work with any dissidents.

From the BBC: 

One of Iran's most prominent dissident clerics, Grand Ayatollah Hoseyn Ali Montazeri, has died aged 87.

Hoseyn Ali Montazeri was a moving spirit in the 1979 revolution which created Iran's Islamic state, and was at one stage set to become its leader.

One of Shia Islam's most respected figures, he was also a leading critic of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The BBC's Jon Leyne says the death comes at a crucial time in a standoff between the government and opposition.

Iran's rulers will now fear the opposition may attempt a big turnout for his funeral and other ceremonies marking his death, especially in the run-up to the Shia Muslim festival of Ashura on 27 December, our correspondent says. 

It is reported that Grand Ayatollah Montazeri died of natural causes.

Via: Google Trends

Via: The BBC

Iranians seize Iraqi oil well

From Breitbart: 

BAGHDAD (AP) - Iranian troops have crossed into Iraqi territory and seized an oil well that lies in a disputed area along the two countries' southern border, Iraq's deputy foreign Minster said Friday.

The deputy minister, Mohammed Haj Mahmoud, said Iranian troops seized oil well No. 4 Thursday night in the al-Fakkah oil field, located about 200 miles (about 320 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad. The oil field is one of Iraq's largest.

Oil prices rose slightly after news of the incident.

"We are coordinating with the Oil Ministry regarding this issue. This is not the first time that the Iranians have tried to prevent Iraqis from investing in oil fields in border areas. Tomorrow, we might summon the Iranian ambassador to discuss this issue," Mahmoud told The Associated Press.

The al-Fakkah field is considered a shared field between Iran and Iraq, meaning both nations are able to pump oil from it, but the Iraqis consider oil well No. 4 theirs.

In Washington, a U.S. official said that although Iranians have crossed the border before, they had not previously ventured this far.

It appears that Iran and Iraq play a funny little game of tag with the oil fields on the border. This from Associated Press: 

The field is about 500 metres (yards) from an Iranian border fort and about 1 kilometre from an Iraqi border fort, US Colonel Peter Newell said, adding that it falls on the Iraqi side of a border agreed between the two countries.

There are five other similar fields that also fall into disputed territory, he said.

"What happens is, periodically, about every three or four months, the oil ministry guys from Iraq will go ... to fix something or do some maintenance. They'll paint it in Iraqi colours and throw an Iraqi flag up.

"They'll hang out there for a while, until they get tired, and as soon as they go away, the Iranians come down the hill and paint it Iranian colours and raise an Iranian flag. It happened about three months ago and it will probably happen again."

Whether this is just another game of tag or have the Iranians turned serious, remains to be seen. On thing for sure is a stronger hand in dealing with Iran is long over due.  Now that Obama has failed in Copenhagen, perhaps he will turn his attention to real dangers.

Via: Brietbart

Via: Associated Press 

UPDATED: Hillary Clinton “going rogue” on Obama’s Iran policy?

Oh my, Hillary admits what we have all seen and expected; talking your head off to Iran is an exercise in futility. She was kind enough to say their efforts have "produced little" rather than admitting that it has "produced the big goose egg".

I still believe that if Obama starts to permanently stink, Hillary will jump ship and run against him in 2012.  Just like Palin, Hillary could run on a campaign of “I told ya so”.

UPDATE: Hillary's approval rating soars


If this keeps up, you had better believe that Hillary is jumping ship.
From Politico:

A new poll of avid news watchers shows that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has a much higher approval rating than the man she once campaigned against and now works for, President Barack Obama.

In the poll of 800 registered voters who are self-identified “news watchers,” Clinton had a 75 percent approval rating and a 21 percent disapproval rating overall. Obama, in contrast, had a 51 percent approval and a 45 percent disapproval rating.

Via: Memeorandum

Via: Gateway Pundit
Via: Politico

Hello, Leader of the Free World, Iran Calling!

"It is not productive, given the history of US-Iranian relations to be seen as meddling - the US president, meddling in Iranian elections," - Obama

As Iranians risk life and limb for the tiniest bit of democracy, Barak Obama The LEADER of the FREE World, worries about meddling. Why does Obama have so much trouble with being a salesman for Democracy? Here is a man who roused (hoodwinked) this nation with soaring rhetoric of Hope and Change, yet has nothing but puny words like "meddling" for the Iranian people. What a let down.

Obama has this crazy notion that the Mullahs are dealing with clean deck. Obama thinks that by sitting on the sidelines, he will be preserving his chances for engagement. He thinks that through engagement, he can persuade Iran from seeking nukes. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The Iranian elections were rigged from the get go. The Mullahs’ agenda is set…they want nukes! It makes no difference who actually wins that election, the Mullahs are still going for the nukes, that is their goal. However, the unrest growing in Iran, could actually change things. It has grown way beyond the results of that election and could actually topple the ruling clerics and thus offer a real possibility of engagement.

So come on Obama, drop the moral equivalence, fire up the teleprompter and give some soaring rhetoric of Hope and Change for people of Iran. Freedom loving people expect that from the Leader of the Free World.

Freedom Denied

“You’re seeing people looking at new possibilities,” Obama said in response to a question at the White House today. “Whoever ends up winning the election in Iran, the fact that there’s been a robust debate hopefully will help advance our ability to engage them in new ways.’ -Obama June 12, 2009

Whoever ends up winning? You must be joking, am I the only person who thought that the only possible outcome would have been an Ahmadinejad victory? Free and fair elections in Iran under Ahmadinejad and the ruling clerics, methinks not!

As protesters take to the street and rooftops, I cannot help but wonder where all this will go? Will the protest force freedom to ring or will their voices be denied as we have seen in so many places? Hopefully, the world will come to support the Iranian protesters. It is in everyone’s best interest that they prevail or at least get a true and strong voice in the Iranian government.

Happy Fourth of July?

Do you remember when you were in school, how there was always that weird kid who tried to suck up to the bully? You know the kid, the one who offered to do all these nice things for the bully, so that the bully would stop kicking his or her ass? Remember how it never worked? That poor kid always ended up becoming the bully's bitch. I think Barak Obama is that kid.

In Obama's latest attempt at Kumbaya Diplomacy (i.e. Smart Power), he has invited Iranian Officials for Fourth of July celebrations at US embassies around the world. The administration claims that this is all part of trying to engage Iran. Here is my question; what has Iran done to deserve such rewards?

In the absence of any "good behavior" on Iran's part, are we not rewarding their bad behavior? In some corners of the world, rewarding bad behavior as a way of getting people to behave nicely is still called appeasement.

The Obama Administration whole soft power approach is rapidly departing failure and venturing into farce! Gerald Warner at the The Daily Telegraph, has an excellent piece titled: Barack Obama: all the bad guys are giving President Pantywaist the finger. Unlike American journalists, the Brits tell it like it is.

Hope and Change won't work on these two

Yesterday, North Korea tested a nuclear device equivalent to the bombs that obliterated Hiroshima and Nagasaki. North Korea gave the US less than one hour notice that they were going to conduct this test. Also yesterday, Iran sent six war ships into international waters including the Gulf of Aden. In addition, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad rejected a proposal to freeze his country's nuclear program. Clearly North Korea and Iran have not been moved by Hope and Change.

While the American media has done an excellent job, pulling he wool over Americans eyes in regards to Obama's capabilities, foreign nations have not been so easily duped. Obama's foreign policy has basically consisted of apology tours, kissing ass and ignoring growing treats. What is worse is that North Korea and Iran know this.

Obama's reaction has been to condemn North Korea's actions, call for international assistance and run to the UN (i.e. the same old song and dance). There has been no reaction to Iran as of yet that I could find. In the end, I suspect that North Korea is going to get us to submit to another useless and expensive "framework" and Iran will get their bomb. Why am I certain of this? Because, the only thing that will stop either of them is a military solution.

During the Bush Administration, with Bush's so called "cowboy diplomacy", his willingness to call them out as evil and his use of force on Iraq, neither North Korea or Iran were dissuaded from their goals. They may have tread a little slower but they certainly were not stopped. Obama's kinder gentler approach will certainly not stop them. Both North Korea and Iran know certain hard truths about Obama and America. Obama is an inexperienced executive. Obama and his party are more concerned about sticking their snouts in the trough of the treasury than dealing with foreign affairs. America is politically divided and will not fully back any military action. America is rapidly on its way to being broke and incapable of any prolong military campaigns.

North Korea and Iran know that the current situation is set at least until 2010 and if they are really lucky 2012. Therefore they will move with deliberate speed to achieve their nuclear ambitions, Hope and Change be damned.

Fantasy vs. Reality.

Barak Obama , Sunday April 5, 2009, Prague:

“…So today, I state clearly and with conviction America's commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons. I'm not naive. This goal will not be reached quickly -- perhaps not in my lifetime. It will take patience and persistence. But now we, too, must ignore the voices who tell us that the world cannot change. We have to insist, "Yes, we can."…”

I have one thing to say to Obama about that statement, “actions speak louder than words“! If this is Obama’s dream, one would imagine that some serious diplomacy is going to be needed to influence those nations that are rapidly trying to get or spread nuclear technology.

To date, the Obama Administration has not shown a very strong hand with diplomacy. Just this week, North Korea tested a long range missile capable of carrying a nuclear payload and hitting Alaska or Hawaii. What was the Obama Administration’s response? Obama’s official statement was; "Rules must be binding. Violations must be punished. Words must mean something," and then he promptly ran to the UN, like the teacher's pet snitching on the bad kids. To make matters worse the very next day Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announces that we are cutting spending on missile defense.

The one big stick we could possibly use against North Korea’s ambitions for long range missiles, has now been broken in half by Obama’s insane military spending cuts. Beefed up missile defense for our western most states or our allies (South Korea and Japan) who could be threatened by North Korea, has now been scaled back by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates as per Obama’s requested cuts.

Some argue that North Korea using long range nuclear weapons against us is highly unlikely. While this argument has some merit, it doesn’t answer another likely scenario. The scenario of North Korea selling it long range missile technology to a nation that would use it against us. Iran immediately comes to mind. Iran which is run by Islamic extremist, are racing toward getting nuclear technology. Their tactic of buying time by entering and exiting diplomatic talks have proven very successful for them.

The real threat comes from the fact that Islamic extremists are not deterred by the notion of MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction). This is because for the Islamic extremist, the survival of Islam takes precedence over the survival of their nation. Therefore losing Tehran in a nuclear exchange is acceptable so long as it advanced the causes of Islam as they see it. So to deter a nation with this kind of belief, the passive role of having a large nuclear stockpile will not do. Instead a more proactive approach is required (I.e. missile defense, aggressive diplomacy and stopping their plans early). Currently the Obama Administration is doing none of these.

So while Obama claims not to be naïve and dreams that “yes we can have a nuclear free world”, reality is taking a very different and dangerous tract.