Two GOP Senators Openly Call for Regime Change in Iran
By Heather Monday Sep 28, 2009 12:00pm
Considering how well some of our other efforts at "regime change" have gone, does anyone else think it's not such a great idea for two GOP senators to be openly advocating for it on national television?
First up we had Jon Kyl on Meet the Press.
GREGORY: Well, Senator Kyl, is there any doubt in your mind that they're building weapons?
KYL: No. I, I--well, they're trying to build a nuclear weapon. They first of all have to get he fuel to do it. And that's--it's very clear that they are trying to make that fuel. And it's also clear that they are getting closer to the delivery capability, putting that nuclear weapon on top of a missile that could either reach Europe or eventually a place like the United States.
It's clear what their intention is. And the question is, how do you get in there to see fully what they're doing and find a way to stop it? Without international support, it's very hard. But we haven't even exhausted the possibilities for unilateral U.S. sanctions that could also squeeze that leadership to the point that they might--I mean, what we're trying to do here eventually is to get a regime change with a group of people in there that are more representative of the Iranian people, who we really can talk with in a way that might end up with a good result. I think it's very difficult to do that with the current leadership and especially the elected president.
And then Kit Bond on Fox News Sunday.
WALLACE: Let me follow up on that, if I can, with you, Senator Bond, because just this morning the Iranians have test-fired two short-range missiles, which seems to be another provocation.
Now, the U.S. -- as Senator Feinstein said, the U.S. and our allies are going to meet with the Iranians Thursday to try to get them to stop their nuclear program or face economic sanctions.
How confident are you that even if we can get the Russians and the Chinese on board for sanctions that the Iranians will stand down, that they'll stop their nuclear program, especially in light of this new provocation?
BOND: First, I -- we have seen now Iran three times lied to us about what they were doing. They've been caught in bald-faced lies.
Now, the facility they've set up potentially could be for peaceful purposes. But why was it so heavily guarded? Why was it surrounded by the elite Iranian Republican Guard? Why did they deny its existence?
Today's action in firing the missiles is really a poke in the eye to those who think that diplomatic efforts and agreements and inspections are going to change the way that Iran is going.
I think, as the "Show-Me State" senator, they've shown us enough, much of it through speeches by Ahmadinejad saying, "We're going to wipe Israel off the face of the earth." He has launched the missiles to show that they are taking seriously their threat.
WALLACE: So are you saying you don't think sanctions are going to work?
BOND: Oh, I think sanctions -- we have to have sanctions, and we have to have sanctions -- strong sanctions, economic sanctions that can force either regime change or the ayatollahs to change their policy.
I'm a co-sponsor of a measure by Senator Lieberman to give the power to the president to impose sanctions on company -- on tankers taking refined petroleum to Iran. That's something we can do, along with Treasury sanctions. But we need Russia and China -- real question whether they will actually go along.
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republicanism is a mental illness!
to say the least - republicans are different
Thank God most of them are stupid.
about 'thanking god' that most of em are stupid. If they could smarten up a bit, the whole damned world would be a safer place.
That's for sure - but if they could smarten up they wouldn't be Republicans any more...
we.......must.......control.....all.....the.....world's.....oil........must.....bomb bomb bomb.....bomb bomb Iran......
"Republicans" - it's their way...
always wrong republicans...
Must engage in 200 front war.
The USA's foreign policy has been a better object lesson than the tidal shift between our Political Parties regarding just who is in charge of this country's REAL government -- the Military Industrial Complex. And no facets of the USA's foreign policy better illustrate this than either (1) our relationship with Cuba, or (2) our relationship with Iran. While our chilly relationship with Cuba has been in existence far longer than our chilly relationship with Iran, the USA has had far less failure to rally its Western allies against Iran since 1979. Of course Cuba merely represents the USA's desired geopolitical hegemony, while Iran represents the USA-based international cabal of Oil and Natural Gas interests. Therein lies the major difference, and the MIC rationale for forced regime change, including by either direct USA force or by that of the USA's surrogates like Israel.
Make no mistake -- the USA has led an international economic boycott of Iran since 1979. Was it the Revolutionary Guard overrunning the USA embassy there that so hurt the USA's feelings, or was it the loss of a military and economic client state with vast Oil and Natural Gas reserves under our control? The USA was using our embassy in Teheran as the CIA's base of operations against the people of Iran in support of the Shah, who we installed there when we overthrew the Iranians democratic government. This has neither been the first nor the last time that the CIA has been used to train fascist government forces in domestic counter-intelligence, as well as torture techniques. In point of fact, the USA has nearly continuously behaved extremely hypocritically regarding our public abhorrence of torture as a method of control, versus our quasi-private position of promulgating torture. Just how many nations military and police forces have undergone training in methods of torture via the CIA and the MIC "School of the Americas"?
The USA Congress just 2 years ago (both Republican and Democratic Parties) voted in favor of a 400 Million USD earmark for the destabilization of Iran's government -- and that represents only the publicly revealed expenditures, and not the hidden "black-ops" budget of the Pentagon, CIA, and NSA. Regime change is our goal in Iran, and the 40 year stranglehold of our economic embargo has not been entirely unsuccessful. Iran, as one of the top petroleum exporters in the world, has been forced to import refined petroleum fuels such as gasoline and diesel because they have been unable to upgrade and expand their domestic refining capacity. Iran is now engaged in a crash program of converting many facets of their energy and transportation infrastructure over to the use of Natural Gas, which requires very little refinement straight out of the ground.
Is it any wonder then, that the Iranian government is loathe to rely upon Western (read USA) control over any portion of their civilian nuclear power program -- a program designed to shift a large portion of their electric production capacity from petroleum products, freed up for use by their private sector?
Iran is a signatory to the UN's Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and has largely abided by that treaty. They have domestic sources of uranium ore perfectly suitable for refinement for use as nuclear fuel rods for civilian electric power plants -- 5% refinement is really all that is needed. But their uranium ore has rather high concentrations of the mineral molybdenum (as reported by Scott Ritter), which makes it impossible to refine via gas centrifuge to concentrations high enough for weapons-grade uranium. As an aside here, the less refined the nuclear fuel is the harder it is to transport as a weapon of war -- nuclear warheads such as the USA's at the close of WW-II would have required rockets as powerful as used in our NASA Mercury project. Would USA citizens be happy about a foreign power (with demonstrated designs on our mineral wealth) to hold a virtual stranglehold on our domestic economic development regarding civilian nuclear power, considering their 40 year history of economic stranglehold they have already demonstrated regarding domestic petroleum refining capacity? I think not!
The UN Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty allows for signatories to have complete control over their domestic civilian nuclear fuel cycle, from initial refinement to casting fuel rods to recycling the spent fuel. This is what the Iranian government is seeking. This is a matter of national pride, as well as independence from outside government control over their economy. The USA's imperialistic economic interests and international policies appear to have been adopted in whole from the Imperial Japanese Economic Co-Prosperity Sphere of 70 years ago. As a side note, the Israeli government has adopted a similar policy of using an economic stranglehold to force regime change in Gaza. The source of such economic imperialism, whether applied to Cuba, Iran, or Gaza does not by any measure make such methods justifiable -- it is still economic imperialism, and it is a horrifically fascistic trait.
A dose of reality is refreshing.
Thank you!
Show me evidence of a weapons grade program. Show me. Otherwise, it's all bullshit. CNN, FOX, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, CBS. They are all shilling for propagandist liars. Don't believe me? Prove it! Because the IAEA has never shown it. My rationale? It's one four letter word:
I-R-A-Q
Nice post David. We are getting the same old same old. Long range missiles! Secret buildings! (that we've known about for "some time") Centrifuges! Republican Guard!
All just bullshit buzzwords, with some video footage added to scare us into another worthless, unnecessary, violent military action.
Nice post David.
Also, I want to SEE the nuclear weapons. I don't want to HEAR about them, I want to SEE them. The lies are so thick I don't believe any of it.
~
For a country whose capital city had sewage flowing above ground in their streets as little as 30 years ago, affordable electricity is certainly a good goal. Nuclear is not the way to do it.
to the insane wingnuts Kyl and Bond calling for all out war because of nuclear weapons that don't exist how??? Are you suggesting we do 'regime change' in all the nations with nuclear power??? Or just the ones that had sewage flowing above ground 30 years ago? Been to the bad parts of DC lately?
Tehran hostage situation because Reagan's election team, headed by GHW Bush, arranged with the Iranian leaders that the hostages would be held until the election. Sure enough, six minutes after Reagan was sworn in as president, the hostages were released. It was all just politics, and the Reagan admin went on to work with the Iranian regime to help their cocaine-smuggling and arms-dealing operations.
.............the rampaging predators are on the loose and unfortunately Iran is the next target for BLOODYISRAEL. Too chicken shit, a rogue, apartide, non-state to do it's own dirty work, it just sigs the big, bad ol' USofBLOODYISRAEL to do it for them.
Why not? We already did it once, and it worked out really well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_Iranian_cou...
After we get embroiled in a war there, we can move on to invading Russia in the winter.
PSHAW?
A REAL man would invade China! };p>
Isn't that who we have in mind for Iran?
I thought all them Czars were getting ready for regime change in Russia.
We don't have to invade China, just declare Chapter 11.
We need breathing room!
or are incapable of learning from our past mistakes.
They are responsible for past mistakes. Imagine where we could be without them. they are strange...
Not at all, they know that there is a lot of profit in very long wars, it's what the US is practically built itself on in the last 50 years.
It's all about profit, living the american dream. Hating profit is like hating the troops.
I'm sure the enthusiasts for this operation will offer up their children to man the tanks and APCs.
After all, they all managed to sit out Iraq and must now be itching for some hands-on regime change.
Now surely you jest....none of them would EVER 'offer' up one of their kids...unless their kids are those 'go to jail or the Middle East' kids...but I'm sure they can figure out how to get them out of either senario!
I'm still waiting to see all those 'rah-rah-RAH...YoooHAAAAAAAA' college kids to sign up . (Yeah, and monkeys or rhinos will fly out my you-know-what too!!!)
How about we stay the hell out of at least one country's business and get our own house back in shape. Not every person in every country is going to want to do what we tell them to do. Who died and made us sheriff of the universe?
Exactly pop....we spend so much time and treasure on 'teaching' everyone else how to be, that our own country is an almost non-correcting mess.
Jack A. Smith here
Thank you for that link because he confirmed some of the things I thought I understood but was not sure.
Compliance with the NPT Means nothing. India, Israel, Pakistan and North Korea are not parties to the treaty yet are treated very differently. Just look how differently they are treated by the US.
Iran is a signatory AND in compliance yet they get more heat than Pakistan and NK (both notorious for spreading weapons grade material).
This is simply politically expedient US / ISRAELI bullshit designed to continue the arms race and benefit purveyors of military technology and massive "defense" budgets.
Guardian UK
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifam...
"In March 2007, Iran suspended the implementation of the modified text of Code 3.1 of the Subsidiary Arrangements General Part concerning the early provisions of design information. As such, Iran was reverting back to its legally-binding requirements of the original safeguards agreement, which did not require early declaration of nuclear-capable facilities prior to the introduction of nuclear material.
While this action is understandably vexing for the IAEA and those member states who are desirous of full transparency on the part of Iran, one cannot speak in absolute terms about Iran violating its obligations under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. So when Obama announced that "Iran is breaking rules that all nations must follow", he is technically and legally wrong.
"Never forget that sports odds makers were laying 2:1 odds that either Israel or the US would bomb Iran's nuclear facilities by March 2007. Since leaving office, former vice-president Dick Cheney has acknowledged that he was pushing heavily for a military attack against Iran during the time of the Bush administration. And the level of rhetoric coming from Israel concerning its plans to launch a pre-emptive military strike against Iran have been alarming."
Conclusion:
The Western leaches want badly IRAN'S Oil and the Zionists don't want a strong Iran for their Expansionist agenda.
EXACTLY, nb....that needs to be brought up to that dastardly 'librul' media for sure...
even if it is...I'm not holding my breath until it is actually ON the news... (that DAMN 'librul' media is always bringing up stuff to embarrass the Right..........)
every 'crisis' that's occurred in my lifetime has been the result of
our meddling - by that I mean the CIA, MIC and the 'shadow' government that really runs this country + the international financial cabal.
It's a conspiracy!
Unless Israel is willing to do more than talk--like, say, listen--nobody's going to get anywhere with Iran. http://www.newsy.com/videos/voice_or_noise_at...
Iran is less of a problem than Israel.
Indeed.
Israel's Dimona Nuclear Weapons Factory
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYeJ7uIPEbE&fe...
But nobody speaks about this ISRAEL'S Atomic Bombs Factory.
...........has been a 'problem' since day ONE. BLOODYISRAEL is a whore for the MIC who have such a deal, we slaves pay for BLOODYISRAEL's universal health plan, and much much, much more.
Israel has had nuclear bombs since the eighties...some guy went to prison there for a loooonnnnnng time, when he tried to reveal that. I wish I could remember his name, but he was released just a couple of years ago. Saw an amazing documentary on that years ago...before he was released.
Don't see anyone crawling up Israel's butt for that having that weaponry..and not mentioning it.
can we parachute Kyl and Bond into Iran to get to work on that?
Just looking for new ways to save taxpayer dollars.
Lets keep their mission deficit neutral!
..on the GOP & anyone who supports them.
for regime change in Israel to get rid of their nukes? Which are very real and not some future possibility.
How are they going to pay for it? We don't have money for heath care we sure as hell don't have it for regime change.
Too bad these two jokers weren't asked that question. I'm guessing the tea bagger folks would be all for regime change in Iran even though they cry they are concerned about their children's financial future after the bailouts and the possible health care reform costs.
Prime Minister Mosaddeq ?
I knew you could.
See my comment below.
This guy is a piece of work. Republicans are 'different' to say the least...
Regime change? What the hell does that mean?
It means we cause all hell to break out in a country. People die and hell opens its gates upon them. Then we hang around until all the people say they love us.
.
Why is it that these guys can't chill out? They have to beat the snot out the people they can't understand. Relax.
their natural resources.
I should say, their corporate owners want them. Bond and Kyl are just tools. In every way.
Yippee. Back to the Future!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1a5TAepYXs
We don't always do well when we start fixin' things, especially in other countries.
The Shah was installed by CIA coup in 1953 when the (democratically elected!) Iranian prime minister and parliament nationalized oil.
The people of Iran remember ...
The people of Iran remember ...
That's a good thing because we can't remember what happened 5 minutes ago.
That was when we got dropped on our head. Before we were just stupid. You remember, don't you?
I do remember asking TeaEyeIs that. So what?
the last time that Iran INVADED another country?????
Just asking.
Who the hell is Menenajad? Why would anyone give this Christopher Bond fool an opportunity to speak on the subject when he doesn't even know the name of the President of the country????
Have you ever heard Pat Buchanan pronounce the name of the president of Iran? He mangles it differently each time he tries. In fact he doesn't really try to get it right. I think he doesn't bother to try to get it right just to show his unconcern and distaste for him.
Buchanan also pronounces Sotomayor Sodameyer.
Then there's that idiot Bill Maher with his stupid "I'minadinnerjacket".
The GOP has the unique ability to think that war equals peace. How else do they suppose regime change is going to occur under a dictator? Having not yet learned the lesson that guns are not the solution, they seek to "democratize" any nation that makes them feel threatened.
While sanctions are needed and Iran is definitely in the wrong, I can never ever believe that a preemptive war will ever be right. They have never worked and I don't believe they ever will. Let Iran take care of Iran, and help our Allies as needed. Otherwise, it's not our business at all.
Sanctions are needed? Iran is definitely in the wrong? Have you read any of the articles linked too above? Have you seen the parts where they say that Iran is being totally upfront and open with everything that they've done so far? If you want to know who's in the wrong in this little episode, look no further than the US and Israel. The ONLY TWO TERRORIST NATIONS ON EARTH. Ok, end of rant, go back to what you were doing.
Slam dunk... again.
to the UN. Do we have any more satellite photos of those latrines on wheels?
Do they have helium weather balloon inflater trucks?
Do we have recordings of someone in Iran telling someone else to move something from one place to another? If so, we are good to go for some shockin' and awein'.
insert US or Israel everywhere the word Iran appears, and you can see the giant balls swinging beneath Messrs Kyl and Bond, who FYI is not the VICE CHAIR of anything, he is at best the ranking minority party member of that so very esteemed Finance Committee
we hold the rest of the world to a standard we are willing to tread upon ourselves for no reason other than... we can
shameful
Only this time is coming from the asses of Kyl & Bond:
Farts Of Insanity!
Wonder if these Regime Changers remember back to July 3rd 1988...
and Iran Air Flight 655?
and G.H.W. Bush saying he will not apologize for the USA under any circumstances.
Now if Iran had shot down an American passenger airliner....
More US terrorism.
If we stir up some shit in Iran and their soldiers come over the border into Iraq, our soldiers there are so fu*ked.
This is a prime example of why we CANNOT ALLOW GOP TO GOVERN THIS NATION ever again! These hillbillies foist their views upon everyone who do not agree with them. If they do not have a war, then they cause problems at home.
... examples of neocon power over the MSM and the neocons' complete confidence in that power.
The exact same lies which got us to Iraq are being employed by essentially the same group of characters - yet they know they won't be called on it. Every "bad" thing alleged about Iran (I've yet to hear of an actual IAEA violation) can be indisputably said of Israel - yet these slime know that Israel will never be allowed into the conversation except as a whining "victim."
Without such complete media power, there is no way they would even attempt this.
Your post is accurate. Watch everything from Morning Joe to the evening news and you will not see one anti-war spokesperson. No one to say...Wait a minute..The IAEA and our own intelligence is saying that Iran is not building a bomb. Several weeks ago I read an article at Anti-war .com that said the neocons were readying their fall campaign to bomb Iran, and it started last week...right on time. The bloodthirsty Likudites in this country have our politicians and control the media...it's tough, but not impossible to get the word out we're being had. For instance, write an article in your local newspaper to let your fellow citizens know what is happening.
I was just thinking....I don't much like the look of the new Prime Minister of Japan....he looks too bookish, so...let's change his regime. And Donald Tusk, Poland's leader since 2007, he just bothers the hell out of me. Get rid of him. And half....no, ALL the leaders in Africa, they're all corrupt and they probably have B.O. so they gotta go....regime change right there!
And the Mayor of Albuquerque....whoa! flipped me off after a city council meeting..regime change his ass. Imperial America....maybe that's what Republicans will ultimately devolve into...the New Imperialist Party
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.....
And remember kids
You'll Be OK.......
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_6xlfP9mXQ&fe...
Just put Iran in there in place of Vietnam. Still true today.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBdeCxJmcAo
that any dealings with Iran are "bipartisan"? Both parties spun the same BS on Iraq and Afghanistan. Go for it Senators, go for it. If you are going to destroy what is left of your nation, you might as well do it with guns blazin' like an ol' Texas western.
With the 53 coup....and the US supporting Iraq in the 80-88 war....and the USS Vincennes shooting down Flight 655...
then it would not be a stretch to say that America is responsible for quite a few more deaths of Iranians than vice versa....
That greatest nation definition is ever so elusive...
Russian Sunburn Missles? Google them bad boys. They got hundreds of them. If we attack Iran, the Persian Gulf shuts down.
Sure is easier than having real responsibility, isn't it?
Israel has at least 150 undeclared nuclear weapons, perpetrates terrorism on half its population, viewing them as not even human, never mind citizens with rights, and views its neighbors as trargets for practice and places with resources and land to steal.
And that's without mentioning the rightwing media's constant regurgitation of a lie: Ahmadinejad said wipe the Israeli regime from the face of time, and he used the Soviet Union as the example of "wiped out". Were the Russians mass murdered, or was the corrupt regime overthrown? That's what Ahmadinejad is advocating, not mass murder.
............face of BLOODYISRAEL OFF THE MAP!!
Senators Bond and Kyl are nothing more than warmongering pussies who avoided military service during Vietnam.
Ahmadinejad is a wimp like G W Bush. He has no power. The power in Iran is in the hands of the mullahs and they don't want military heat brought down on their heads.
Ya, only the honest MSM shows talk about that fact.
Bond has a bill co-sponsored by Lieberman? Oh that's fucking rich.
Yes, let us impose more economic sanctions onto the economic sanctions that we are already have imposed on Iran. Great idea Senator Bond, and when those economic sanctions fail we can add more on top of those.....and more....and more...
Get something straight Bond, this is OUR country that WE shall carry forward and YOU are a pimple on the buttocks of history. Retire already will yah.
Yes the Gutless Spineless wonder of America crying for war as long as they or anyone they know doesn't have to participate. Why do these TRAITORS and Cowards get to say so much, isn't there a Flag they can wrap themselves in or go for a Photo Op I mean that is what they do best. Yeah the COWARDS and SLIME BALLS of America crawl out from under their rocks to call for WAR yet these same SPINELESS PIGS NEVER ever served. They are ALWAYS Gutless, Spineless republicans little COWARDS just like little letters used to describe them.
send the unaborted to fight another war, promise them healthcare in lieu of a soldier's salary. as an early signing bonus, give their family medical coverage as well.
I can see Kyl being on this, but I didn't realize Kit Bond was in the batshit insane wing of the Republican party. Maybe Bond was needed because Ensign was spending time with someone's family and Inhofe was torturing river dolphins.
Yes Bill Kristol and the neocons at AIPAC who, through campaign contributions, have managed to make our politicians dance on a string. Yet look at the names of the dead soldiers posted each week...You will not see names like Kristol, Goldberg, Podhoretz, Wolfowitz etc. No their sons and daughters are safely tucked away in universites and wall st firms.
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