It would be a real shame. Persian chicks are hot.

Contrabulous Flabtraption: Rapmaster2000: It would be a real shame. Persian chicks are hot.

Oh God yes. Like hot Arabs but without the stink and less hairy.

PLASS LARKING GOT!

/amidoin' it right?

Don't sweat it just because we have three carrier strike groups and a fourth a week away doesn't mean the US is going to hammer Iran into goo. It's hmm... routine rotation no wait, er... WAR GAMES that's it just a little exercise. Nothing to worry about.

I wish they would call the operation: Hammer Iran into goo.

pute kisses like a man: Contrabulous Flabtraption: Rapmaster2000: It would be a real shame. Persian chicks are hot.

Oh God yes. Like hot Arabs but without the stink and less hairy.

you know, it's weird. europeans were considered the stinkiest people on the face of the planet for the majority of the civilized world. now we, of european descent, culturally if not genetically, call the historically clean arabs stinkers.

I bet that if you suggested this to some arabs back in the days of the spice trade, they'd laugh in your face so hard they'd pee their pants.

And my aunt used to be my uncle.
shiat changes.

Oh Russia, you naughty, naughty person. You'd like that, wouldn't you.

You see folks, as much as Iran hates Israel, they really, really hate Saudi Arabia ( that whole Sunni verses shiate thingy). What Russia would love to see happen is this:

#1 Iran Attacks Saudi Arabia with a Nuke (knocking out one Oil Producer)

#2 USA/World Attack Iran (knocking out yet another Oil Producer)

#3 Russian Crude Oil sells for $500 a barrel. (Profit)

Iran just tried to kill the Saudi Ambassador and has long running plans to destabilize countries in the region. Forget about Israel. Iran would bomb Saudi Arabia today, if only they could ;)

Marcus Aurelius: If only we hadn't overthrown Iran's democratically elected government back in the 50's and installed the Shah as dictator.

OregonVet: If only an American President hadn't ushered Saddam into power in the summer of 1980.

This is the kind of "Failed history and doomed to repeat it" we're stuck in. The long-term consequences of U.S. meddling in foreign countries have seldom been good. (Some one prove me wrong on this, PLEASE.) We prop up communists, military dictators, and repressive regimes, then we get all indignant when they don't want our hand up their butt.

The list of mistakes is huge and impressive, and it includes the Bolsheviks, Castro, Saddam, and the current Iranian government. The U.S. has backed the rise to power of all these governments. How well has that worked out?

/I'm not saying the U.S. has sole responsibility. That's just absurd.

I think many are overstating the immediate consequences but understating the long-term consequences. The real tragedy would be that it would stymie any progress made by progressive elements within Iran and cement the control of the clerics for at least another ten years. They already blame anything that goes wrong on the West, and now they'd have more evidence to support their claims. It would also turn a lot of Iranians, who otherwise either like the West or are ambivalent, against us. We'd lose Iran for yet another generation.

Iran can be a modern force of progress and stability in the Middle East if we'd just let it. We've squandered every opportunity since the 50s; every time we get another chance to make progress we do the exact opposite of what we should have done, and play right into the hands of those who hate the West and want to hold Iran back. It pisses me off to no end.

Iran sucks but they're not the main enemy. Once again: China must be destroyed.

And Iran and Russia should be invited to help.

The geopolitical situation that led to the outbreak of the long-feared global nuclear war was prompted primarily by the onset of a worldwide energy crisis when the supplies of fossil-fuels, particularly petroleum, finally began to run out by the year 2050. (new window)

Ahead of schedule?

tinyarena: Iran just tried to kill the Saudi Ambassador

http://www.penguinpride.com/lulz/penguin/lolwut.jpg

tinyarena: Oh Russia, you naughty, naughty person. You'd like that, wouldn't you.

You see folks, as much as Iran hates Israel, they really, really hate Saudi Arabia ( that whole Sunni verses shiate thingy). What Russia would love to see happen is this:

#1 Iran Attacks Saudi Arabia with a Nuke (knocking out one Oil Producer)

#2 USA/World Attack Iran (knocking out yet another Oil Producer)

#3 Russian Crude Oil sells for $500 a barrel. (Profit)

Iran just tried to kill the Saudi Ambassador and has long running plans to destabilize countries in the region. Forget about Israel. Iran would bomb Saudi Arabia today, if only they could ;)

Citation Needed.jgp

tinyarena: "#3 Russian Crude Oil sells for $500 a barrel."

Which no-one can afford, plunging the world economy back into the shiatter, leaving no-one to buy Russia's exports for a good long damn time, obviating the advantage of having a sweet pile of resources in the first place.

*That's* what Russia is scared of. The world's teetering on a double-dip already. Anything that even modestly puts the brakes on China, the EU or the US would likely send everyone tumbling back toward worldwide depression. And as it wouldn't be a banking crisis, but a straight-up inability of anyone to afford shiat, handing the banks a bunch of free money wouldn't do a damn thing.

Captain_Ballbeard:
Hi Captain_Ballbeard,
It was in the newz
juniperwasting:
Hi juniperwasting,
From what I can tell, they would jump down the Saudi's throats in a heart-beat. Could be wrong but...
ringersol:
Hi ringersol,
The crazier it gets in the Gulf, the more Russia prospers, maybe not $500 a barrel, but a lot more than now.

I think Russia would love to impede any progress towards stopping Iran from getting Nukes. Peace in the Gulf is bad for business in Russia. Do I work for the State Department? Heck no!

Marcus Aurelius: If only we hadn't overthrown Iran's democratically elected government back in the 50's and installed the Shah as dictator.

Someone knows a very little something about Operation Ajax!

/Kermit Roosevelt himself said the only reason Ajax "worked" was because the military and the people wanted Mosaddegh gone
//whole operation was done for a couple hundred thousand dollars
///in other words, the CIA can no more take credit for the coup than a flea can take credit for the dog on which it's riding

tinyarena: Captain_Ballbeard:
Hi Captain_Ballbeard,
It was in the newz


Other items that were "in the newz":

Iraq did 9/11.
Iraq has WMDs.
GATT, NAFTA and bank deregulation will usher in a new era of prosperity for all Americans.

IDF preparing for major Gaza action within months

"Concern growing over anti-tank missile smuggling into Strip; senior officer says Hamas, Islamic Jihad have increased weaponry."

Those came from...

Smuggled Libyan weapons flood into Egypt

"Egyptian security officials have intercepted surface-to-air missiles, most of them shoulder-launched, on the road to Sinai and in the smuggling tunnels connecting Egypt to the Gaza Strip since Moammar Gaddafi fell from power"

As we all know Libya fell due to Redditors direct action tweeting of course they (the redditors) will blame Israeli.

China gets a great deal of its oil from Iran and Russia does a lot of trade with Iran so I am worried that a strike against Iran would result in retaliation from China and Russia. I am also concerned about the nature of the strike against Iran if Israel performs an airstrike the effects will be limited and Iran's response capability provides for a greater effect. A US airstrike bombing campaign would be more affective but Iran would create some problems for our aircraft and a bombing campaign wouldn't be enough to remove the threat of Iran unless it is followed up by an invasion. An invasion presents a lot of problems and though it would be successful assuming Russia doesn't enter land forces on the side of Iran and China doesn't get involved, we have a really hard time occupying countries and trying to form a better government.

I predict we will do little more than sanctions until we lose support from the international community or until Iran builds a nuclear warhead. Once Iran is nuclear capable they will use that fact to hold a better bargaining position in international matters. I don't think Iran would actually lunch a nuclear strike even though they have an insane president they are ruled by the 12 clerics and I don't feel they are stupid enough to order a strike when they know the counter strike would likely be nuclear in response. There is always the matter of a small device being detonated where Iran can fend ignorance, but I don't see that as likely due to the likelihood that they would be discovered as the perpetrators.

What we should do is discover how Russia and China would respond to an attack and if we do attack we should begin with airstrikes against aircraft, anti-aircraft weapons, anti-ship weapons, communications, and early warning systems followed by a bombing campaign of the cities and then a land invasion. Once we are done an assessment of the people's will and means to resist the formation of a new government should be performed and if it appears there will be a lasting difficultly we should leave.

Iraq needs more parking....