In an appearence Friday at the CFR, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld admitted that the current administration has no clue how to win the hearts and minds of Muslims.
"Our enemies have skillfully adapted to fighting wars in today's media age, but for the most part we-our country, our government has not adapted."
He then went on to state that the battle for public opinion is at least as important as the battles on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq.
"In some cases military public affairs officials have had little communications training and little, if any training in the timing of rapid response, and the realities of digital or broadcast media."
In other words, these guys are clowns with no fucking clue as to what they're doing. Hey let me give you a clue Dumsfeld, since you seem to be seriously lacking one, stop bombing the fuck out of their countries. I think that's a good way to sway Muslim public opinion towards America. Bombing the shit out of their countries and sending troops in to point guns at their families is like a backward step.
Another good idea is stop abusing "detainees". Rendition is still torture and it doesn't matter who we send them to do it, they are still doing it for us! Also, when you say that detainees are being trained to lie about mistreatment and torture, remember that these people have family back in Afghanistan and Iraq or where ever we snatched them from. When you call these prisoners of war, or, in Gonzalese, "enemy detainees", liars, you are saying all Muslims are liars. Remember how upset they were by those Danish cartoons (plus the three pictures the US threw in as a psyop to get support for our upcoming war in Iran)?
And another thing, when you tell lies, such as Saddam had WMD, or Saddam moved all his WMD to Syria, or Iran is building chemical weapons, while the average beer swilling brain damaged NASCAR watching Rush listening chemically imbalanced jackanape might believe, these people live there and know this just isn't true.Syria fought against Iraq in the first Gulf War, now all of a sudden we're supposed to believe that Saddam gave them his WMD to hold on to? Only the most deluded unthinking brainwashed Bush supporter believes that nonsense, and any reasoning mind knows this is bunk.
Of course, all of this is asking too much, and you know it. And I hardly think that you are too concerned with swaying the Muslim opinion. If you were, you wouldn't be building four new permanent bases in Iraq because there'd be no need for them. You would give those prisoners in Camp Delta at Guantanamo the benefit of a trial guaranteed under the Constitution. But mostly, you wouldn't be drawing up plans for invading Iran because they plan on switching to the euro (the real reason for the invasion)and try to work out a diplomatic solution. If only Bush hadn't appointed a bunch of incompetents to those positions.
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If changing to the euro is the real reason for the upcoming invasion(which I know is going to happen) then why does a good portion of Europe, even France, seem to agree with the USA on this one? This is going to be WWIII is a very real way. I don't look forward to it, and here comes the draft. I predict the air campaign will begin in january or febuary.
Yes, a draft will be necessary to do what Rummy has in mind.
The whole point of the Danish cartoons was a psyop on the part of the US, according to Russia. Three pictures were inserted in to them, one photo showed a bearded man in a turban with a pig's nose; the other was a photo of a Muslim at prayer with a picture of a dog superimposed over the top to give the impression of the dog humping the Muslim; the last one referred to Mohammed as a pedophile. Like the Black Panthers coloring book of the sixties, which was a FBI operation used to dicredit the Panthers, the whole purpose of this was to turn people against the Muslim nations.
Also, Condaleeza Rice has spent the past few months in Europe threatening European leaders (and possibly to avoid being subpeoaned in either the Abramoff or the Libby case)to back this war. But Russia, who is building the power plant at Bushehr, and China, who is looking to close a deal for Iranian oil, are defending Iran. But you are right, this will be WWIII. But instead of being the protectors, this time the US are the aggressors.
This was also the reason that we invaded Iraq. We used the WMD ruse when in fact we knew that Saddam had none. Everytime weapon inspectors reported not finding anything, we'd suggest looking somewhere else we knew Saddam would object to, (like his palace)claim he was hindering inspections,until he caved in and allowed inspections, until we finally ordered inspectors out. But the real reason was because Saddam had started trading his oil in euros exclusively. Economic sanctions from the first Gulf War were due to be lifted and there wasn't a snowball's chance American companies would have been able to get any contracts for the new sanction-free Iraq.
Bush and company are using the same WMD story they used for Iraq, because there are people out there who still think WMDs (as well as links to alQaeda) were found in Iraq.
I argree with you for the most part, but i am still confused as to why Europe would agree with the USA when all they stand to do is profit( dollar to euro).
I wrote a friend earlier telling him how I thought the upcoming war of the worlds would put China is a much higher position of power then they have earned. I am not so concerned with Russia as I suspect once actions begin they will move closer to the US/Europe side as I don't feel that China will initally inject opinion as long as they don't see there profit margin drop.
I think in this world war it will be tough to brand one individual country the agressor. Many countries see the Islam conservative Iran as the aggressors, and with due reason. From another prospective the Muslim middle east will see US/Europe as the aggressors. It will be interesting for our children's children to read an accept how history reports it.
How is Iran being the aggressor? they haven't made plans to nuke the US, which we have already made against them? All they are doing is a) building a nuclear power plant, b)creating an oil bourse trading ineuros as opposed to dollars, and c) questioning the claims made about the changing number of Jews killed during th Holocaust. Holocaust denial is a thought crime.
The reasons France and the rest of Europe may support this action are,a)the collapse of the dollar brought on by an oil bourse trading in euros will bring an economic collapse upon the world,and b)while Iran may be at least ten years away from having nuclear weapons, it does have conventional weapons that can reach not only Israel, but most of Eastern Europe if need be.
I'm not sure the conspiracy runs that deep. Those in Europe who are siding with the United States are doing so because they believe(or have been made to) that a nuclear Iran will be a threat to their interests. I don't believe that Iran's current weapons are of any pertinent threat to Europe, and I don't agree that the threat of there use is of any importance in most of Europes decision to side with the USA.
When I implied that iran was an aggressor I was refering to there intent to try and develop nuclear weapons. I am not fooled or convinced that a country of there eternal oil wealth would have any need or inclination to build a nuclear power plant. it makes no logical sense. I can't believe that they are doing so inorder to cut down on polution, as they have no enviromental laws that i could find. It is my belief that it only makes sense to preclude that there intent is other then power production. It is easy to spin an argument to disagree with the facts inorder to oppose a political party, but I believe this situation is much more serious then one we have dealt with to date, and should be given such respect. We are standing at the gates of a war that could easily last for 25 years. This will mean that not only we will be involved in it, perhaps activly, but our children, and potentially there children will also play a roll. I am not concerned with finger pointing. I am concerned with the unpleasant realities that this will surely show us.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has inspected the site and found no evidence of a weapons program. These are the same people who said Saddam had no WMD.
What we are seeing now is exactly what we saw before Iraq. Washington is pushing Iran, make claims it knows to be false, in order to provoke a reaction to justify an invasion.
Enriching uranium for nuclear power is different than enriching uranium for nuclear weapons, they are two entirely different processes. Washington is relying on people's ignorance and playing upon their fears to get support for the war they have been planning on since 9/11. This is not about fighting terrorism or stopping Iran nuclear capabilities. It is about controlling the world's remaining oil supply. The American way of life relies so heavily on the use of oil that should our supply be cut off, the economic implications would be staggering.
Iran is not building a nuclear power plant to cut down on pollution, it is building it to leave them more oil for export. Oil is their only asset, and can give them more power on the international market than it can generating electricity at home.This has nothing to do with opposition to a political party or politician, (one that has been proven to have lied in the past about such matters)it is about examining the facts calmly and rationally and not letting fear mongers cloud our judgement. Once again, if we are trying to stop the so-called "axis of evil", then why have we not gone after North Korea, which not only has nuclear capabilities, but also the capability to strike the United States using their weapons?
Dear Mike,
I'm really concerned that we are going to invade Iran. I think it would be a good country to have on our target list, but I am afraid that we are going to start WWIII with this one, and if you look at the current international feel for this situation, we are going to have a lot of support. So far we have France, England, Australia, Poland, Italy, Israel, Japan, South Korea, and a few smaller countries agreeing with us about Iran's nuclear program.
I see things from a different perspective as most traditional conservative or liberal types do. I think this one will blow up into an all out, international blood bath, and it will no doubt leave China with way more international bully power then they deserve to have. If our military and those of the top ten countries was stretched thin and fighting all over the world, China could pose a very real threat.
I don't care who is to blame at this point, for that will be for history to decide. I'm not sure there is any realistic way to back out of the impending invasion either. if I had to predict a timeline of events I would guess that the air campaign will start sometime in February or March of next year. In the months around August and September look for a major turn in the amount of troops in Iraq.
In my opinion this one is going to be the key turn for a draft, and actually having international support is going to make it passable.
The reason that it will be WWIII is because as soon as there is an international effort against a single Muslim country, all other Muslim countries will have no other option other then to support the country(Iran) that has been attacked. This has not happened with any true insurgents are like contractors) in Iraq because the regim that was overthrown was not one that was founded in Islam, Iran's leadership is hard-line Islam.
So, in closing, I predict that the hippies who were warning everyone that there would be a draft were correct, but they had just picked the wrong conflict.
Have a great night,
Paul
Of course, you forgot to add that Russia, who is building the nuclear power plant at Bushehr will also take the side of Iran, as it is their equipment and workers that will be killed in the attack.
Also, you neglect the director of Middle east Studies at brown University called the State Department's claims against Iran demonstrably false. Also, a report from US intelligence agencies said that Iran is at least ten years away from developing nuclear weapons.
And Iran has lived up to it's obligations under the NPT, allowing inspectors to go anywhere and see anything, something that neither the US or Israel will allow.
So you see Bubba, once again we have the Bush administration making wild accusations against a country, cherry picking and possibly forging evidence against Iran, while the one intelligence agaency that could have monitored the situation, Brewster Jennings, was exposed as a CIA front company on the orders of Deferment Dick "Trigger" Cheney in retaliation for Joseph Wilson exposing the Niger documents as forgeries.
Other than that, you are right, this will be WWIII, and leave China with more international bully power. As to whether they deserve it or not, hopefully they won't be as arrogant and abusive with it as the Bush administration was.
(and also to note, that why we may have the backing of France, Italy, the UK, Australia,Israel, Japan, Poland and South Korea, and other small countries, it will be American soldiers whose blood will be spilt)
Rumsfeld. What a fucking idiot. Our enemies have adapted to the media war better than us? WTF?!! We OWN the fucking media, shithead! Does Osama have his own 'Lincoln Group' then, planting billions of dollars of fake stories in the NYT and WAPO, on FOX and CNN?
Or could it be that you guys have so fucked up the good opinion the world had of us after 9/11 into such a stinking shithole that no amount of money of 'media-ops' will ever get us out?
Neil,
BINGO!
Russia is a player, but no one takes them seriously, they are a wounded soldier, of much as a threat as the guy occupying bed #206 at Walter Reed hospital.
As far as "Russians" being killed during the inital air strike, none will be. All the workers will be Iranian, as the contractor philosophy is not owned by the USA.
To go into the argument of College instructors would be a different blog post, the majority of them are mainstream liberals, and protected from any need to act outside there campus community. I take the opinion of a campus dwelling 40 something year old with as much importance as I do that of a 15 yearolds, another words none.
Your points on the NPT are valid, but you can never know the realities of corruption that humans are capable of...it is best not to trust any human as they will normally lie or cheat(now who's the nileist).
Whats the date on that US intelligence report saying Iran is ten years away from workable nuclear weapons?
Brewster Jennings is a subject i know little of: I Googled it and came up with a few dozen conspiracacy sites, but nothing I would considier accurate or authentic.
YOU SAY" (and also to note, that why we may have the backing of France, Italy, the UK, Australia,Israel, Japan, Poland and South Korea, and other small countries, it will be American soldiers whose blood will be spilt)".
I am quite sure that the blood of many nations will be spilled, and to assume that the USA will lose the most is ethno and geocentric.
Bubba,
I know the realities of the level of corruption that humans are capable of, I have the Bush administration as a good role model.They have lied and cheated about this sort of thing before (remember their claims about Iraq? All false)AS for the intelligence report I referred to, it was from November 2005.
As for the word of a forty something campus dwelling person who is studying the region and has no stake in the war, I'd take their word over the Bush administration (again, the whole lying thing. Ever read the story of the boy who cried wolf?)who have political stake (they're hoping another war will boost their ratings before the 2006 elecions)as well as financial (more no-bid contracts for Cheney's Halliburton)in starting another unwinnable war.Brewster Jennings was the CIA front company that Valerie Plame worked for. their job was to monitor weapons of mass destruction throughout the region. When the Bush administration exposed Ms. Plame as an operative (google Scooter Libby), it effectively shut down the whole operation.What you have done is exposed your hypocrisy. You say you don't trust a liberal college professor, yet because you can find nothing of Brewster Jennings in the "liberal" media, it is not authentic or accurate. I don't consider it ethno or geocentric to say only American blood will spilled, I consider it patriotic. This is not an act of defense, it is another war of conquest, in the name of an Imperial America, which is not what our founding fathers had in mind when they created this great nation I call home.
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