Booman Tribune ~ A Progressive Community

Blair Abandons the Coalition of the Duped over Iran

by Steven D
Sun Apr 16th, 2006 at 10:49:32 AM EST

That's right folks, the poodle has finally barked back at his master:

TONY Blair has told George Bush that Britain cannot offer military support to any strike on Iran, regardless of whether the move wins the backing of the international community, government sources claimed yesterday.
Amid increasing tension over Tehran's attempts to develop a military nuclear capacity, the Prime Minister has laid bare the limits of his support for President Bush, who is believed to be considering an assault on Iran, Foreign Office sources revealed.

Will wonders never cease? First the Generals revolt and now Tony Blair? What the hell is going on in BushWorld^TM these days?

More below the fold . . .

But, in the midst of international opposition to a pre-emptive strike on Tehran, and Britain's military commitments around the world, the government maintains it cannot contribute to a military assault. "We will support the diplomatic moves, at best," a Foreign Office source told Scotland on Sunday. "But we cannot commit our own resources to a military strike."
Meanwhile, a new report on the Iran crisis has warned that neo-conservatives in the Bush administration are on "collision course" with Tehran.
The Foreign Policy Centre (FPC), often referred to as Blair's "favourite think-tank", will appeal for a greater effort to find a diplomatic solution in a report to be published later this week. FPC director Stephen Twigg, formerly a Labour minister, explained: "It is essential UK policy on Iran is well informed... We want to engage with the various reformist elements in Iran, both inside and outside the structures of power.
"There is potential for political dialogue, economic ties and cultural contacts to act as catalysts for the strengthening of civil society in Iran."
While the sense of crisis over Iran has been escalated by the fiery rhetoric between Tehran and the West - particularly Washington - many within the British government are now convinced that the impasse can be resolved by repeating the same sort of painstaking diplomatic activity that returned Libya to the international fold.

Diplomacy. What a concept. Of course, you lose the personal thril of watching buildings and Axis-of-Evil people get all blowed up by one swift stroke of your mighty ~~penis~~ Air Force, but still, maybe it's worth a try, even if it is hard work.

Seriously, if we attack Iran we really will be going it alone. No Brits, no Israelis. No one except George Bush's massive, messianic ego to keep our troops company. And the blowback? Well, as some fictional movie general once said: "Mr. President, I'm not saying we wouldn't get our hair mussed . . . "

Iran Tony Blair United Kingdom Coalition of the Willing

Blair Abandons the Coalition of the Duped over Iran | 12 comments (12 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Blair Abandons the Coalition of the Duped over (4.00 / 4)

What the hell is going on in BushWorld™ these days?

I don't know but I think I like it.

I for one welcome our new Twitter overlords. @Omir55

by Omir the Storyteller (omir.the.storyteller -CAT- gmail -DOG- com) on Sun Apr 16th, 2006 at 11:22:27 AM EST

Re: Blair Abandons the Coalition of the Duped (4.00 / 2)

Not so fast. Not for a nano sec do I buy into anything these double-super-liars are offering. Fool me Once.

Here's the Guardian, UK "Pentagon planned for Tehran conflict with war game involving UK troops"

British officers took part in a US war game aimed at preparing for a possible invasion of Iran, despite repeated claims by the foreign secretary, Jack Straw, that a military strike against Iran is inconceivable.

And do you suppose the Brits will not be arm-twisted to join in? The Sunday Times, a Murdock asset, is already shilling.

40,000 Iran ('trained') suicide bombers ready to hit Britain and US

"IRAN has formed battalions of suicide bombers to strike at British and American targets if the nation's nuclear sites are attacked."[..]

In sync with, Let's go get them there so we won't have to fight them here.

Well, "You can't vote for war and disown the results"

by idredit on Sun Apr 16th, 2006 at 11:41:27 AM EST

Re: Blair Abandons the Coalition of the Duped over (4.00 / 3)

There is a madman at the helm.

Banned but hopefully not forgotten.

by Mattes on Sun Apr 16th, 2006 at 11:41:38 AM EST

Re: Blair Abandons the Coalition of the Duped over (4.00 / 3)

Exactly, as Billmon puts it, "when you've got nothing, you've got nothing to lose."

Go Read: "This is no drill," his analysis of an article 'Bombs that would Backfire' by Richard Clarke and Steven Simon...

[..]
Inset quote from Bombs that would Backfire
[.] "And there is a role for threats of force to back up diplomacy and help concentrate the minds of our allies. But the current level of activity in the Pentagon suggests more than just standard contingency planning or tactical saber-rattling.[.](Billmon's emphasis added)"
Billmon writes,
"The problem, which I'm sure Clarke and Simon fully understand, is that there isn't going to be a congressional resolution this time - in fact I'd be very surprised if the administration gives the leadership of either party more than 24 hours notice before the bombing begins. No marketing campaigns, no debates, no arms twisted in the Oval Office. Just a fait accompli. (That's French for: "Choke on it, suckers."
It's already obvious: This one's going to be a unitary executive special - right down the line. The administration's vanished political capital leaves it no other way. When you've got nothing, you've got nothing to lose.[..]..
This is what he [Col. Gardiner] told CNN Friday:
Inset CNN Quote]
GARDINER: "Actually, Jim, I would say - and this may shock some - I think the decision has been made and military operations are under way . . .[.]
I was in Berlin two weeks ago, sat next to the ambassador, the Iranian ambassador to the IAEA. And I said, "Hey, I hear you're accusing Americans of being in there operating with some of the units that have shot up revolution guard units."
He said, quite frankly, "Yes, we know they are. We've captured some of the units, and they've confessed to working with the Americans."
The evidence is mounting that that decision has already been made."

Well, "You can't vote for war and disown the results"

by idredit on Sun Apr 16th, 2006 at 01:44:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Blair Abandons the Coalition of the Duped over (4.00 / 2)

The telling lines in the Clarke editorial for me:

So how would bombing Iran serve American interests? In over a decade of looking at the question, no one has ever been able to provide a persuasive answer.

I posted this in Booman's diary, but it's worth repeating. In addition to the Editorial by DiFi that Lisa cited, Dennis Kucinich spoke out Friday in a letter to Bush:

Dear President Bush:
Recently, it has been reported that U.S. troops are conducting military operations in Iran. If true, it appears that you have already made the decision to commit U.S. military forces to a unilateral conflict with Iran, even before direct or indirect negotiations with the government of Iran had been attempted, without UN support and without authorization from the U.S. Congress.
The presence of U.S. troops in Iran constitutes a hostile act against that country. At a time when diplomacy is urgently needed, it escalates an international crisis. It undermines any attempt to negotiate with the government of Iran. And it will undermine U.S. diplomatic efforts at the U.N.
Furthermore, it places U.S. troops occupying neighboring Iraq in greater danger. The achievement of stability and a transition to Iraqi security control will be compromised, reversing any progress that has been cited by the Administration.
It would be hard to believe that such an imprudent decision had been taken, but for the number and variety of sources confirming it. In the last week, the national media have reported that you have in fact commenced a military operation in Iran. Today, retired Air Force Col. Sam Gardiner related on CNN that the Iranian Ambassador to the IAEA, Aliasghar Soltaniyeh, reported to him that the Iranians have captured dissident forces who have confessed to working with U.S. troops in Iran. Earlier in the week, Seymour Hersh reported that a U.S. source had told him that U.S. marines were operating in the Baluchi, Azeri and Kurdish regions of Iran.
Any military deployment to Iran would constitute an urgent matter of national significance. I urge you to report immediately to Congress on all activities involving American forces in Iran. I look forward to a prompt response.

Of course, as Billmon says & Rice made clear to the Seante last fall, they feel no compulsion to go back to congress for another resolution.

There's also an article in the New Yorker (Mar 6, 2006), "Exiles: How Iran's Expatriates are Gaming the Nuclear Threat" by Connie Bruck that deserves greater attention. She gives an account with great background material on the current activities of the Shah's son, Reza Pahlavi, the people & politics of the MEK terrorist group that we're currently running from Iraq into Iran, and a glimpse into the administration's inner deliberations on Iran policy for the past 6 years in pursuit on regime change (which again like Iraq is the #1 priority, not nukes). A diary could easily be constructed out this article alone.

". . . the more educated you are, the more indoctrinated you are. After all, propaganda is largely directed towards the privileged." -Noam Chomsky

by Arcturus on Sun Apr 16th, 2006 at 07:05:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Blair Abandons the Coalition of the Duped over (4.00 / 3)

Excellent catch Arcturus.

Again Kucinich, bless him, is one of few voices - way way in the desert.

This bunch, they're not searching for answers, facts or reconfirmation. Not required. The decision is made. Gotta have that strip of oil before China get too entrenched in Iran. Like the man thinks, this he'll not leave for future prez. Also

The boys have looked at the weapons inventory, it's getting old, need to have a turnover. Iraq war was not enough to do a complete refresh, recycling. The MIC needs new orders to continue war profits.

We're good to go. Time to move to Argentina.

Well, "You can't vote for war and disown the results"

by idredit on Sun Apr 16th, 2006 at 11:13:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]

What's Going On (4.00 / 5)

Britain is letting the world know, in a roundabout way, that the Bush Administration is very intent on -- and quite far down the road in planning -- an attack on Iran.

/Donny, you're out of your league./

by kaleidescope on Sun Apr 16th, 2006 at 12:46:43 PM EST

Good News (4.00 / 4)

If Blur wont support King George there cant be much chance of him getting any UN resolution, and barring ultra corrupt poodle boy Howard and some client states like Colombia Bush will not even be able to get a coalition of the wankers.

by observer393 on Sun Apr 16th, 2006 at 01:34:45 PM EST

8000 British troops in Iraq are in danger (4.00 / 3)

Blair's generals are probably telling him that, if Iran is attacked, the 8000 British troops stationed around Basra and in Southern Iraq will face millions of very angry Shiites.

The British troops will be in an untenable position even if the UK does not participate.

If I were the British I would be planning for a hasty retreat now.

by Shockwave (shockwave at inorbit dot com) on Sun Apr 16th, 2006 at 02:07:47 PM EST

Re: Sign of things to come (none / 1)

The Brits will know when the attack is to take place, and will take measures to get their troops out before it happens. That troop withdrawal is our canary in the mineshaft. When it happens, duck and take cover.

Knut

by Knut Wicksell (b_didnn@hotmail.ca) on Mon Apr 17th, 2006 at 04:15:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Blair has little choice in this (4.00 / 2)

Blair doesn't really have much choice in this.

Firstly, any attack on Iran without at least 2 prior Chapter 7 resolutions, the second of which explicitly authorises the use of force, will be unambiguously illegal and would constitute a crime of aggression; there is no history of prior UN resolutions which would permit the UK's attorney general to create a legal fudge thereby allowing the UK's armed forces to participate, or more broadly, permitting the UK to allow the use of facilities ( Fairford or Diego Garcia ) for such an attack.

The UK judicial system is obliged to prosecute war crimes and there is no statute of limitations - this is well understood by lawyers, the armed forces and the foreign office; no one is going to put themselves in legal jeapordy over this. It is becoming impossible, for example, for IDF commanders who have served in Gaza and the West Bank to travel to the UK these days, as they may be subject to arrest and prosecution over Israeli breaches of law ( there's also the issue over the unlawful killings, per recent inquests, of Tom Hurndall and James Miller in Gaza in 2003 in the background).

Secondly, Iran is a signatory to the NNPT, and the facilities that the US would be attacking are all "safeguarded", and subject to inspection, monitoring and verification by the IAEA. A by-product of a US attack - which would probably constitute a breach of US obligations under the treaty - would be the end of the NNPT; whilst some Washington exceptionalists might consider this a good thing, their enthusiasm is not replicated internationally.

Thirdly, as has been mentioned, there are 8,000 UK troops stationed in Basra and Amarah; their presence is not exactly popular, and UK military commanders know that they would be hostages to fortune in the event of a US attack on Iran - losing a substantial number of troops would be, to say the least, politically toxic for a generation.

Fourthly, Blair is unpopular and embattled over the ongoing Iraq fiasco and domestic corruption. He doesn't have the political capital to go with Bush on this - the prospect of a no-confidence motion would have the PLP scrambling to pre-empt with the Gordon Brown option.

by londanium on Mon Apr 17th, 2006 at 06:16:15 AM EST

Re: Blair Abandons the Coalition (none / 1)

Steven, he has not choice int his matter anymore. He has spent his political capital long time ago. The ppl have gotten tired of him and do not trust him anymore. He will leave soon, mind my word. He will leave and not soon enough, in my opinion.

by BrendaStewart (stormyweather1@hotmail.com) on Sun Apr 16th, 2006 at 11:12:28 AM EST

Blair Abandons the Coalition of the Duped over Iran | 12 comments (12 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Go to: [ Booman Tribune Homepage : Top of page : Top of comments ]

. Home
. About
. Contact
. Advertise
. FAQ
. Search

Username:
Password:

. Make a new account
. Reset password

Gift Cards * New Arrivals

NOTE: Overstock bests Amazon's prices and is "blue."

THE BOOKS WITH "BUZZ":
______________

Senator Edward M. Kennedy tells his extraordinary personal story:

True Compass: A Memoir
by Edward M. Kennedy.

Read Barack Obama's vision for America:

The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
by Barack Obama

Boran2 and maryb2004 recommend:

The Big Over Easy: A Nursery Crime
by Jasper Fforde

Must-have information for all presidents-and citizens-of the twenty-first century?

Physics for Future Presidents: The Science behind the Headlines
Richard A. Muller

rae recommends:

Dark Ages America: The Final Phase of Empire
by Morris Berman.

On BooMan’s shelf:

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
by Doris Kearns Goodwin

This looks interesting:

Adventure Divas
by Holly Morris

Here’s a good one from
Elizabeth Gilbert:

Eat Pray Love
by Elizabeth Gilbert

"Crash" * Best Motion Picture, Academy Awards * Only $11.79 at Overstock * 2006 SAG Winner, Best Ensemble

Check out
Powell's new section:
NEW FAVORITES
Selected new arrivals at 30% off

Recommended by Indianadem and ejmw:
The Conscience of a Liberal
by Paul Wellstone

From northcountry’s bookshelf:

The New Golden Age:
The Coming Revolution Against
Political Corruption and Economic Chaos by Ravi Batra

A novel about contractors in Iraq from the woman that runs The Spy That Billed Me:

Outsourced: A Novel
from RJ Hillhouse.

Great Deals
----- * ^ * -----

Find mystery novels by Nancy Pickard ("Kansas")

Challenging Empire: How People, Governments, and the UN Defy US Power by Phyllis Bennis (interviewed on DN!)

Featured by Keith Olbermann, New (Powell's Sale): Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower by William Blum (whose other books merit serious consideration)

"Explosive" State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration
by James Risen

The book the CIA doesn't want you to read: Jawbreaker: The Attack on Bin Laden and Al Qaeda: A Personal Account by the CIA's Key Field Commander
Larry Johnson's review

BT's all-time best seller:

PERMACULTURE:
A Designers' Manual
$79.95 * Sale: $59.95

Unequal Sisters: A Multicultural Reader in U.S. Women's History (Third Edition)

The Undercover Economist: Exposing Why the Rich Are Rich, the Poor Are Poor And Why You Can Never Buy a Decent Used Car!

The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl
by Timothy Egan

Green Press Initiative
----- * ^ * -----

Journalistas: 100 Years of the Best Writing and Reporting by Women Journalists by Eleanor Mills * NYT review

Bury Me Standing: the Gypsies & Their Journey

1491: New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus

Brokeback Mountain
by Annie Proulx
----- * ^ * -----
Check out Powell's
"At The Movies"

Imperial Ambitions: Conversations on the Post-9/11 World by Noam Chomsky (Power & Terror: Post 9-11 Talks)

The Price of Privilege:

How Parental Pressure and
Material Advantage Are Creating a Generation of
Disconnected and Unhappy Kids
by Madeline Levine

Save 35-70% on
name brand clothing,
footwear, and outdoor gear
at SierraTradingPost.com
:

We listened to PEN American Center's "State of Emergency" and found 1940s books by Curzio Malaparte only at Alibris. (Selection (MP3) excerpted from "The Skin.")

Banned Books * Are you a fan of Film Noir, Art House, Documentaries or Hong Kong Action? * Searching for a long-lost children's book or a first printing of Miles Davis' Kind of Blue on vinyl? Find it at Alibris!

:
: