Pushing For IRAN WAR, Joe LIEberman Is Hoping We DON'T Remember Iraq

[Segami]

How many of Joe LIEberman's children or grandchildren are currently serving in the military?....:shrug:



"..As I predicted with the formation of the neoconservative Foreign Policy Initiative last year, the neocons have been hard at work to repair their reputations and position themselves to push America into all kinds of new, staggeringly expensive and disastrously counterproductive military adventures. Yes, the people who brought us the Iraq debacle — and, by under-resourcing Afghanistan for years as a result of Iraq, the Afghanistan crisis too — are trying to get America into yet another war in the Middle East, this time in Iran.


Speaking before the Council on Foreign Relations yesterday, leading Congressional neocon Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) declared “It is time to retire our ambiguous mantra about all options remaining on the table”:


" It is time for our message to our friends and enemies in the region to become clearer: namely, that we will prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability — by peaceful means if we possibly can, but with MILITARY FORCE if we absolutely must.."


Leaving aside the other reasons, which I’ll get to in a second, why it’s important for Americans to reject Joe Lieberman’s warmongering, there’s the rather significant fact that his central proposition is an exercise in question begging. It’s entirely unclear that the U.S. can, even if it decides to do so, stop Iran’s nuclear program through military means.


As Joint Chiefs Vice Chairman General James Cartwright stated in testimony to the Senate Armed Services committee in April, strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities would, at best, only delay the Iranian nuclear program for a few years, while at the same time solidifying Iranian domestic support for the regime and removing any hesitancy that may have existed over the necessity of obtaining a nuclear weapon.


- Which brings us to Iraq and Afghanistan, two disasters for which Joe Lieberman bears as much responsibility as any American politician. As Eli Clifton helpfully points out, Lieberman is now simply repurposing his Iraq arguments for Iran. Which is, of course, what all the neocons are doing. (No, these are not particularly imaginative people.)


cont'


<http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2010/09/30/joe-lieberman-is-hoping-we-dont-remember-iraq/>

[Larkspur]

1. None of Lieberman's kids serve or have served in the military

And Lieberman got 8 deferments from service in Vietnam.

He's as chickenhawk as you can get.

[Segami]

5. The ' deferment ' stench is always the same with these ' chicken-hawks '.

They are always the first to start pounding their war chests and quickly begin gambling the children of other families as long as its NOT THEM or one of THEIR own family members. They believe that ' Sacrifice for Country ' is a concept that is best served warm to OTHERS and never them!

[MurrayDelph]

11. As another famous Jew once said

"We're going to fight to the last drop of --your blood."

[Behind the Aegis]

12. And, pray tell, which "famous" Jew was this?

:eyes:

[Segami]

13. " In one of the famous 3 Stooges shorts

when the Stooges are confronted by a gang of scary outlaws, Moe gives a pep talk to Curly telling him, "We're going to fight to the last drop of --your blood."

[Behind the Aegis]

14. Thank you for that information.

I always enjoy learning where an anti-Semitic slur orginates.

[MurrayDelph]

15. What anti-Semitic slur?

Moe Howard of the Three Stooges was the first actor to portray and lampoon Hitler. And he was proud that not only was he the first actor to do so, but that the first actor was a Jew.

Or are you somehow thinking that pointing out that Lieberman, who makes a point of his piety, is acting in the form of a character parodied by someone making fun of someone who is very brave with other people's lives is anti-Semitic?

Or do you automatically assume that anytime someone who is Jewish is called "a Jew" it is a slur? If so, one of us needs to restudy their Yiddish, since the phrase I was taught for "How are you?" actually translates as "How's the Jew?"

[Behind the Aegis]

17. It is very simple.

There was no reason to mention Lieberman's religion...none! You could have simply said another "famous stooge" and that would have been acceptable and even accurate, but there was absolutely no reason to bring in religion, even via your convoluted "explanation." (BTW, your comment wasn't about his "piety" now was it?) It was just another cheap, anti-Semitic comment often seen on threads about Lieberman.

You need to re-learn Yiddish. The Yiddish phrase for "how are you?" is "vi gehts es?" or "how goes it?" almost identical to the borrowed German. "Yiddish" means "Jewish." "Jew" is "yid" (pronounced like deed).

[MurrayDelph]

18. We read different books on Yiddish

The ones I have read used the phrase "Voos makht a Yeed?." Then again, Yiddish, like the people who use it, are not a monolithic lot.

Ironically, the reason I mentioned that Moe Howard was Jewish when quoting the "fight to the last drop of ... your blood" was to try to preempt any claims of anti-Semitism.

I guess that just shows there are some of us who have their indignation sensors set tighter than others.

Gay Gezinterhayt

[Behind the Aegis]

20. Goes to show some don't really care who they offend or how they do so.

Spin it any way you like, it still doesn't disguise the rancid smell of bigotry.

Gornisht helfn

[MurrayDelph]

21. To paraphrase Lewis Carroll

(whom, I point out only because too much has been made of a quick aside, was not Jewish)

"I wish I had your vision. To see nothing, and at such distance."

Humor has always been God's gift to the Jews. The ability to laugh at ourselves has always been a hallmark of that gift. It is a shame some of us choose not to partake. So, my advice is to either get down off the cross or start singing "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life."

And, before I killfile you (and I suggest you do likewise, since our very presence seems to annoy and/or disgust each other), let me leave you with the words that modern America's greatest comedian/philosopher gave to Fox News.

[Behind the Aegis]

22. It is fun watching people excuse their anti-Semitic remarks...

...can't wait for the CNN asshole's excuse. I doubt it will be as clever as yours.

[MurrayDelph]

19. Oh, and I am very aware that

"'Yiddish means 'Jewish'" as my first lessons in the language were taught to me by my grandmother, who came to this country from Czechoslovakia in 1921.

[burnsei sensei]

2. War with Iran?

No.
Just no.
Why is it these neocons have so much trouble with the word, "no"?

[Chulanowa]

3. Because they're a variety of rapist. n/t

[RZM]

4. Not gonna happen, IMO

From what I can tell with the right, neocon is out, paleocon is in (not in government of course, but they usually lag far behind the trends anyway). I'd say a US attack against Iran will never happen under a democratic administration and is only marginally more likely under a republican one. The 'energy on the right' that we hear about now doesn't seem to come as much from social issues and foreign policy as it used to, but now seems to be all about domestic issues relating to $$. People still care about those things on the right, but I just don't see a consensus developing over there for spending tons on a new war.

[zipplewrath]

6. The DoD

The DoD is very cool on the subject. The war plans are supposedly very uninviting and apparently include issues like having to draft people. Iran is a very big place, and they won't be seeing us as "liberators".

[RZM]

7. Agreed

It's pure fantasy. I think this is one of the cases where the rhetoric really shouldn't be taken that seriously. I'll bet very few hard-liners on Iran themselves take it seriously -- they know they don't have much more they can do other than threats and rather mild sanctions. Israel's threshold for aggression on this matter is far lower and even they aren't there yet.

[zipplewrath]

8. Disruption

Any attempt by Israel will be focused on disruption. They won't put "boots on the ground". I'm dubious that The US will be willing to put that much effort into merely "disrupting" the process.

[RZM]

9. Oh I absolutely agree

Iran has I think 10 times the population of Israel and no common border. If they do something it'll be ranged. I doubt anything else is being seriously discussed there.

I saw this story this morning:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/30/world/middleeast/30worm.html

It's not hard evidence but certainly interesting.

[gratuitous]

10. How are you gonna pay for that, Joe?

Or did you forget that we bought two shiny wars a few years ago? Funny thing about wars: As shiny and attractive as they are when you see them in the store, they quickly get dingey and dirty, and require a helluva lot of maintenance and upkeep. We're still running the last two wars you bought, and we can't really afford another. Besides, I hear from you and your blood-thirsty, war-mongering ilk that we can't afford nice things like universal health care or taking care of our own citizens because we have to pay for your wars. Now you want to buy another one? Fuck you.

[spanone]

16. he never met a war he didn't promote