Booman Tribune

Why is Bush Meeting With Dobson?

by Steven D
Tue May 15th, 2007 at 12:08:04 AM EST

Bush met with James Dobson and other so-called "leaders" of the family values crowd last week. So why was the topic of discussion big, bad Iran (via Raw Story)?

“I was invited to go to Washington DC to meet with President Bush in the White House along with 12 or 13 other leaders of the pro-family movement," Dobson disclosed on his radio program Monday. “And the topic of the discussion that day was Iraq, Iran and international terrorism. And we were together for 90 minutes and it was very enlightening and in some ways disturbing too." [...]

Dobson went on to enumerate a series of meetings convened by Christian right leaders in Washington to discuss the supposedly existential threat to the United States from a nuclear Iran.

“I heard about this danger [from Iran] not only at the White House but from other pro-family leaders that I met during that week in Washington," he said. “Many people in a position to know are talking about the possibility of losing a city to nuclear or biological or chemical attack. And if we can lose one we can lose ten.

"If we can lose ten we can lose a hundred," he added, “especially if North Korea and Russia and China pile on.”

This is deeply disturbing on so many levels I don't know what to say, other than I am more convinced than ever that Bush desperately wants to pull the trigger on his war plan to strike at Iran. The only people still likely to be on board with such an atrocity are the "Armageddon is coming!" people. And so he's holding special meetings to rally his "spiritual troops" as it were for what comes next.

Dear God, please let me be wrong. Let this just be another in a long line of fear mongering and religious right base pandering. Because otherwise we are in for a world of shit:

"We'll stand with others to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons and dominating the region," he said, speaking from a cavernous hangar bay. Stennis officials said 3,500 to 4,000 of the 5,000 personnel aboard were on hand. [....]

Cheney ... said Iran would top his talks with Arab leaders during his regional visit [last week].

"The (Iranians) are obviously a major source of concern not only for the United States but also for most of our friends in the area, who are worried when they see an Iranian government that appears to be operating in a threatening manner... So Iran is a big area of concern," Cheney told Fox News on Thursday.

A big world of shit.



Display:
I first heard of this back in September
He also mentioned that Rod Parsley one of a group of ministers that is pushing the White House to take military action against Iran. Apparently that will help make Jesus come back sooner. (Shudder.)
by Renee in Ohio on Tue May 15th, 2007 at 12:12:43 AM EST
What does "pro-family" have to do with blowing families up?  Why is our "commander-in-chief" discussing sensitive foreign policy with a group of "pro-family" ministers?  Isn't that like treason or something?  

This drive towards bringing The Second Coming(tm) is really scary.  

ITMFA!

by Kamakhya (onyx at earthlink dot net) on Tue May 15th, 2007 at 12:39:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]
It's just a matter of time.

Before Jan. 20, 2009.  

by Sandy on Tue May 15th, 2007 at 12:22:05 AM EST
"I wish the American people could have sat in on that meeting we had."

So do a lot of the American people. We love to hear how Armageddon is discussed by some clowns.

by Miss Devore (Miss Devore AT Gee Male dot commie) on Tue May 15th, 2007 at 12:38:45 AM EST
While Cheney visited certain Mideast "allies" this past week, I wondered if he was telling them to get ready for the next blast.
by rosej on Tue May 15th, 2007 at 12:42:32 AM EST
by Sandy on Tue May 15th, 2007 at 01:11:09 AM EST
How many Aircraft Carriers have reach the area off the coast of Iran?
by billjpa (billjpa@aol.com) on Tue May 15th, 2007 at 07:27:49 AM EST
It's a little unclear.  Two or three.  News of the third carrier en route for the Gulf (the Nimitz) was silent for the past month until May 8th.  We know there are at least two. The USS Nimitz (which supposedly relieved the USS Eisenhower) and the USS Stennis.  The Eisenhower is officially heading home.  No news yet on when it is expected to reach its home port or where it is exactly right now.  There's also a French carrier off the coast of India/Pakistan in support of the NATO force there.

A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned how to walk forward. Franklin D. Roosevelt
by Steven D on Tue May 15th, 2007 at 07:48:46 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Just like Cheney's Energy Task Force, you can count on questions asked about this meeting being deflected in the name of executive privilege and national security.  How do you expect them to stage a theocratic coup with all you dang liberals snooping around?  SHEESH!
by Bugboy on Tue May 15th, 2007 at 10:29:26 AM EST
l would posit that the truly disturbing part of all of this is not whether or not BushCo™ wants to nuke Iran, but rather the issue of a nuclear, bilogical or chemical attack in this country:

[...]... "And the topic of the discussion that day was Iraq, Iran and international terrorism. And we were together for 90 minutes and it was very enlightening and in some ways disturbing too."
 [...]

"I heard about this danger [from Iran] not only at the White House but from other pro-family leaders that I met during that week in Washington," he said. "Many people in a position to know are talking about the possibility of losing a city to nuclear or biological or chemical attack.'

[...]

lt's unlikely, imo, that Bush has the political capital, let alone the military support/capacity, to start a new war with Iran without a very serious casus belli...ergo: a major "attack" on the homeland.

especially troubling when you factor in this information:

Bush Changes Continuity Plan
Administration, Not DHS, Would Run Shadow Government

By Spencer S. Hsu
Washington Post Staff Writer

Thursday, May 10, 2007; A12

President Bush issued a formal national security directive yesterday ordering agencies to prepare contingency plans for a surprise, "decapitating" attack on the federal government, and assigned responsibility for coordinating such plans to the White House.

The prospect of a nuclear bomb being detonated in Washington without warning, whether smuggled in by terrorists or a foreign government, has been cited by many security analysts as a rising concern since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

The order makes explicit that the focus of federal worst-case planning involves a covert nuclear attack against the nation's capital, in contrast with Cold War assumptions that a long-range strike would be preceded by a notice of minutes or hours as missiles were fueled and launched.

"As a result of the asymmetric threat environment, adequate warning of potential emergencies that could pose a significant risk to the homeland might not be available, and therefore all continuity planning shall be based on the assumption that no such warning will be received," states the 72-paragraph order. It is designated National Security Presidential Directive 51 and Homeland Security Presidential Directive 20.

The statement added, "Emphasis will be placed upon geographic dispersion of leadership, staff, and infrastructure in order to increase survivability and maintain uninterrupted Government Functions."

[...]

The new directive gives the job of coordinating policy to the president's assistant for homeland security and counterterrorism -- Frances Fragos Townsend, who will assume the title of national continuity coordinator -- in consultation with Bush's national security adviser, Stephen J. Hadley, with the support of the White House's Homeland Security Council staff. Townsend is to produce an implementation plan within 90 days. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff will continue to coordinate operations and activities, the directive said.

[...]

wapo

Given the disdain for the constitution and the obsession with executive authority that's already been shown by the WH...to think that this scenario is unlikely would be naive. After all the ineptitude that's been exhibited, nobody would question the inevitable cries of we didn't know, and all those draconian methods that we already know about, and the ones we don't, will become the norm...and gosh darn...elections just aren't doable  when we're under attack...

l know which scenario bothers me most.

A big world of shit....indeed.

/tinfoil

lTMF'sA



the revolution will not be televised...

by dada on Tue May 15th, 2007 at 11:20:49 AM EST


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