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http://www.msnbc.com/news/822743.asp?0cl=c3
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Oct. 18 — The Bush administration has told Israel that it would deploy Special Operations forces in the western Iraqi desert at the start of any war against Iraq to destroy facilities that could be used to launch missiles at Israel, senior U.S. and Israeli officials said yesterday
now we are makin promises to attack..........
it's rather obvious that the US has every intention to attack, whether other countries promote it or not.
id just like to point out that "would deploy ...at the start of any war against Iraq " is not a promise to attack
I feel sure that there are many Israelis that will sleep better in their beds because of these assurances. I certainly wouldn't want a country like Iraq next door to me with their fingers on the launch control of some short range missile, containing lord alone knows what payload.
Iwould however agree with Ted that this is a long way from a promise to attack.
I concur that a promise to take out scud sites in the event of war does not mean the US has made up its mind to attack. Really, it would be quite foolish of the US to not do everything in its power to protect Israel should Sadaam decide to lob another 40 or so scuds at Israel if there is another go around. Should Israel decide to attack Iraq, things would get very very messy in the Middle East very fast. And if I was an Israeli, a promise to take out scud sites would not make me sleep any better at night, during Desert Shield/Storm there were survelliance planes everywhere and hundreds of attack craft in the air at any given time and a good number of scuds made it through, even a few made it past the patriot missiles significantly intact. and there is no garuntee that as a parting shot, Sadaam might tip those weapons with chemical or biological agents...Not so sure that the US could do much better of a job hunting down such a mobile target...
At least for me, this scenario (should the US go to war) is one of the bigger things that I would be holding my breath over...would Israel, under Ariel Sharon, have the composure and the self-control, to not ignite a larger war by retaliation against Sadaam, and would their attacks in and of themselves, put our men and women in the armed forces in grave danger; for example, by directly bombing an area where US troops are located or bombing a facility that would create chemical/biological fallout that could blow into US positions...
Scary stuff indeed...
/nebulus
Yeah, this isn't an attack promise. But to add to that, not only does the U.S disreguard other countries opinion on the matter, but some officials in the WhiteHouse are also against it. I mean, you have Allies, U.N, and even some of your own cabinet saying not to have a war with Iraq. But hey, watcha going to do. From this point, now that he signed the bill for able force to go in, a war with them is inevitable.
Nebulus, you may very well be right. The US has not made up their mind yet about an attack on Iraq. There are alot of skeptics. Unfortunatly its not up to the US, its all George's desision.
And he has made up his mind. I don't know if you know this or not, be we already have OVER 20,000 troops surrounding Iraq. With the number of troops over there increasing daily, its obviouse that he IS GOING to attack.
Dr. Toker: Umm, no? See, we have troops in many parts of the world for various reasons, some we don't know. I mean, we have troops in probably half the world. It doesn't mean much that troop's are there, although your most likely right.
Everyone agrees the world will be a better place without saddam. I don't think the question is if but when we are going to attack. Do we go in now or wait 10 years when he has nuclear weapons? With all the Reserve and National Guard activation's, it certainly looks like we are going to go in.
However is Iran really our friend? Aren't they the ones supporting the warlord Kahn who has tried to assassinate the new leader of Afghanistan 8 times.
Dude, Iran was on the Axis of Evil speach. So no, I dont think they are our freinds.
Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war
in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervour,
for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword.
It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind...
And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and
the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed,
the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry.
Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded with patriotism,
will offer up all of their rights unto the leader, and gladly so.
Do you honestly think Israel will sit around and wait to be attacked? As soon as the war starts, it will be all systems go for Israel's missiles. Lord knows I certainly wouldn't want a volatile nation like Israel next door to me. They destroyed Iraq's Osiraq reactor, simply because they had recieved information from 'sources of unquestioned reliability' that it was going to be used to build nuclear weapons. There was no actual aggravation from Iraq: it was a truly pre-emptive strike. Up until then the reactor had not actually been used to produce nuclear weapons. Regardless of whether or not this attack was justified, it shows the aggressive nature of Israel:Quote:
Originally posted here by ntsa
I certainly wouldn't want a country like Iraq next door to me with their fingers on the launch control of some short range missile, containing lord alone knows what payload.
IMHO: No.Quote:
Originally posted here by nebulus200
would Israel, under Ariel Sharon, have the composure and the self-control, to not ignite a larger war by retaliation against Sadaam
IMO iraq and isreal are both volatile nations and im glad i live far away from both of them. But if and when we march on iraq they will attack isreal knowing that isreal will enter the conflict. saddam's hope being that other arab nations will jump in out of hatred for isreal. So i kinda think some one said something like, "hey look, if we can keep iraqs scuds from doing you any damage...will you promise to stay out of it?" and some kind of an agreement was worked out.
IMHO, I think if Iraq started something with Israel, Israel wouldn't backdown or lose. Remember, Israel isn't the weakest country. They have some of our weapons, our troops, and we've helped train some of their troops. I think that if a war started they can definitely defend themselves from Iraq. Remember, ever since Israel became a country, they've had some sort of war or military-like conflict and they've long since been able to hold their own in the heat of battle. The only thing I'm worried about is if Iraq start's a war with Israel, that it could be the key for once Israel to attack, for other arabic countries who hate Israel, to attack them. It would be a brutal fight, and I'm glad I'm far from their, as Tedob1 said.
Just a little remark:
the shortest distance from Iraq to Israel is about 250 km. Iraq has had four versions of the Scud-missile. They could only get two of them to work. 250 km is a no go for an Iraqi Scud.
Neg > Yeah - but if you were an Israeli would you want to take the chance?
ntsa --> I'm Belgian... I'm taking the chance that the US hits me with one of their nukes EVERY DAY...
:) Not high on the list of probabilities however - unless the International court tries a US citizen for war crimes. Even in that unlikley situation an attack on the international court by the US would render them an international pariah, and no nation - not even the US - takes on the entire world lightly.
The bill, though it has incenced many Belgians (and rightly so), is mainly the rhetoric of a nation for whom happenstance has forced a sizable change in international outlook. In light of current events politicians believe they will look more electable to voters if they take a hard line on international issues.
I think that there is more politics than substance attached to this bill. We have a saying in the North of England - "All p1ss and wind" - I think that this is the case here.
Man, if you are really that worried, maybe you should move to France.Quote:
I'm Belgian... I'm taking the chance that the US hits me with one of their nukes EVERY DAY...
:cool: