Bolton suggests nuclear attack on Iran

[laststeamtrain]

Bolton suggests nuclear attack on Iran

By Daniel Luban

This Friday, the American Enterprise Institute will host an event addressing the question “Should Israel attack Iran?” The event includes, among others, Iran uberhawk Michael Rubin and infamous “torture lawyer” John Yoo, but the real star is likely to be John Bolton, the former U.N. ambassador whose right-of-Attila views left him an outcast even within the second Bush administration. (Bolton was eventually forced out when it became clear that he would be unable to win Senate confirmation for the U.N. post.)

If Bolton’s recent rhetoric is any indication, his AEI appearance may accomplish the formidable feat of making Michael Rubin sound like a dove. Discussing Iran during a Tuesday speech at the University of Chicago, Bolton appeared to call for nothing less than an Israeli nuclear first strike against the Islamic Republic. (The speech, sponsored by the University Young Republicans and Chicago Friends of Israel, was titled, apparently without a trace of irony, “Ensuring Peace.”)

“Negotiations have failed, and so too have sanctions,” Bolton said, echoing his previously-stated belief that sanctions will prove ineffectual in changing Tehran’s behavior. “So we’re at a very unhappy point — a very unhappy point — where unless Israel is prepared to use nuclear weapons against Iran’s program, Iran will have nuclear weapons in the very near future.”

<snip>

Of course, it is nothing new for Bolton and his neoconservative allies to threaten an Israeli strike against Iran. But Bolton’s use of the “n-word” is, I believe, new for him, and marks a significant rhetorical escalation from the hawks. An Israeli strike, nuclear or otherwise, without U.S. permission remains unlikely. But as it often the case, I suspect that Bolton’s intention is less to give an accurate description of reality than it is to stake out positions extreme enough to shift the boundaries of debate as a whole to the right. ... http://www.ips.org/blog/jimlobe/?p=300

[Buzz Clik]

1. Whatever. Bolton is irrelevant now.

[laststeamtrain]

9. Not so fast. Frederick & Beverly Kagan are in the thick of the Af/Pak discussion.

They are every bit as hawkish as Bolton.

[old mark]

2. And people wonder why Obama got the Peace prize.....

Bolton has always been a first rate asshole,and has never changed.

mark

[Diclotican]

3. laststeamtrain

laststeamtrain

Then it is good to know, that this man never wil be in the halls of power again.. Hopefully

To more or less public tell the world, IAE can't belive that a meeting like this wil not be known outside the room.. that if Israel want to attack Iran by nuclear weapon, then go ahead to do it.. Wel then Im hopefully the same mn is ready to take the consequenses when the nuclear fallout is going over and the grim pictures of what is the reality of nuclear weapon faces home too.. When your media really is waking up to its duty, to show what nuclear weapon is all about, then mr Bolton, and the american enteprize wil have a chance in hell...

Even under the high of the cold war, when the super powers of the day was ready to luch weapon who would destroy sivilisation as we know it in 15 minutes, maybe 30 of we was lucky.. Even then most leders bolted over the consept.. No american president ordered that nuclear weapon to be used from 1949 to 1991 and it was not before Bush jr was "elected" into office that the nuclear option was there again.. Now the right wing and I say the REALLY RIGHT WING is back, and is more or less traying their best to play hardball, with nuclear weapon that is....

And then we have both Russia and China, who is sort of friends with Iran, and have nuclear weapon too.. DO mr Bolton really for a second belive that they would not do something, if Iran was attaced by either US or Israel, specially by nuclear weapon?.. I would say it is 99.99 chance that a nuclear attac against Iran wil cost both the US and Israel far more than anyone on the american enteprise have counted in.. Just the IDEA of using nuclear weapon are in my mind madness.. Now this want to provoce and to it posible by a proxy.. If Israel are to lob a nuclear weapon against Iran, no defence force in the world wil surive the angry mobs of the arab world... Or if US are to use nuclear weapon against Iran, then I would not be in that area of the world, becouse of the deep anger that wil blow up as hell... No government in the arabic world wil surive a attack like that if they dosen't turn on their friends from US.. Not even Saudi-Arabia wil be parts of the friendship and allianse after a attack like that.. And the west and specially US can say byebye to petrol from the middle east for the next 50-100 year

Diclotican

[unhappycamper]

4. I have a perfect use for Bolton:

Make that a 500-lb bomb and it solves the problem about this fucker wasting our air.

[hobbit709]

7. That was my idea too.

Warped minds think alike.

[SergeStorms]

5. I think there should be a nuclear strike.........

on the American Enterprise Institute. :shrug: That would do more for world peace than anything else I can think of.

[closeupready]

6. Rhetoric like this likely persuades observers that nuclear weapons are vital to sovereignty.

Which they effectively are, even though I wish they weren't.

Or else bigger powers will inevitably destroy you.

[Canuckistanian]

8. I think we're well aware of his desire to nuke anyone he doesn't like

No big surprise here.

But' it's surprising that anyone takes him seriously on any subject.

[IDemo]

10. IDemo suggests padded room, meds, elevator music for Bolton

[saltpoint]

11. God love John Bolton, but why only Iran? I think multiple

targets for nuclear assault are in order, to include but not limited to, Denmark and other of the Scandinavian socialist regimes, any nation where there are more people with darker skin than lighter skin, nations and regions that have oil, and Massachusetts, long a robbers' nest of liberals.

[spanone]

12. of course he does....he never met a war plan he didn't like

[MilesColtrane]

13. Captain Kanga-rage strikes again!

Unbelievable that a lunatic like this even was even in sniffing distance of the halls of Government.