Crazies on the loose -- New York Sun says war with Iraq "imminent"

The New York Sun, a reliable neoconservative outlet that has advocated
for a *** Cheney presidential campaign, declares today: "Attack on
Iran Said To Be Imminent." The article's lead states:

In a sign that U.N. Security Council-based diplomacy is losing steam,
a number of sources are reporting that a military strike against
Iran's nuclear facilities may be imminent. France and America also are
pushing for tighter economic sanctions against Tehran, without U.N.
approval.

Yesterday's edition of Le Canard Enchaîné, a French weekly known for
its investigative journalism, reported details of an alleged Israeli-
American plan to attack Iran's nuclear facilities. The frontpage
headline read: "A report sent to the Elysée - Putin tells Tehran:
They're going to bomb you!"

Ironically, the right-wing clamor for war is becoming a self-
fulfilling prophecy. Here's why:

- The success of the right-wing's push for military action hinges on
establishing that the U.N. Security Council can't stop Iran's nuclear
program. As the Sun notes, the U.S. and French are already considering
an effort to proceed "without U.N. approval," in essence forming a
"coalition of the willing" that ignores the U.N. (It wouldn't be the
first time.)

- Russia and China, both members of the permanent five, have rebuffed
efforts to increase sanctions on Iran, fearing that they "will be
exploited to support a U.S. policy of regime change or military
action."

- That fear, precipitated by right-wing rhetoric, then inhibits the
U.N.'s ability to agree on sanctions that could be used "to increase
the pressure on Tehran to comply with the Security Council's demand to
suspend uranium enrichment." The failure to instill a new sanctions
regime then allows the administration to push for confrontation.

Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said this week:
"Definitely what we are seeing is a confrontation in the making."

And if the Bush administration can't establish the need to go to war
based on the threat of a nuclear Iran, it appears appears ready to
claim that Iran's cross-border activity in Iraq may justify military
action. On that front, Congress - not wanting to appear weak - is
facilitating the administration's case.

Glenn Greenwald writes the "virtual refusal of senior military
officials to permit a war with Iran" may be all that stands in the
Bush administration's way.

UPDATE: The AP writes today, "In a setback for the United States, Iran
won a two-month reprieve from new U.N. sanctions over its nuclear
program on Friday. The Bush administration and its European allies
ceded to Russian and Chinese demands to give Tehran more time to
address international concerns. ... The decision marks another blow for
Washington in its diplomatic struggle to toughen existing U.N.
sanctions on Iran."


http://www.progressivedailybeacon.com/morenews.php?id=3122

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