{"id":5118,"date":"2012-07-31T02:34:22","date_gmt":"2012-07-31T06:34:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/buchanan.org\/blog\/?p=5118"},"modified":"2015-02-13T00:08:49","modified_gmt":"2015-02-13T05:08:49","slug":"is-mitt-being-neoconned-into-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buchanan.org\/blog\/is-mitt-being-neoconned-into-war-5118","title":{"rendered":"Is Mitt Being Neoconned Into War?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Has Mitt Romney given Israel<\/strong> a blank check for war?<\/p>\n

So it seemed from the declaration in Jerusalem by his adviser Dan Senor, who all but flashed Israel<\/strong> a green light for war, signaling the Israelis that, if you go, Mitt’s got your back:<\/p>\n

“If Israel<\/strong> has to take action on its own in order to stop Iran<\/strong> from developing that capability, the governor would respect that decision.”<\/p>\n

“No option would be excluded. Gov. Romney recognizes Israel<\/strong>‘s right to defend itself and that it is right for America to stand with it.”<\/p>\n

What does “stand with” Israel<\/strong>, if she launches a surprise attack on Iran<\/strong>, mean? Does it mean the United States<\/strong> will guide Israeli planes to their targets and provide bases on their return? Does it mean U.S. air cover while Israeli planes strike Iran<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

This would make America complicit in a pre-emptive strike and a co-belligerent in the war to follow.<\/p>\n

What Senor said comes close to being a U.S. war guarantee for Israel<\/strong>, while leaving the decision as to when the war begins to them.<\/p>\n

This country has never done that before.<\/p>\n

And what does Senor mean by Israel<\/strong>‘s need to act “to stop Iran<\/strong> from developing (the) capability” to acquire nuclear weapons?<\/p>\n

The collective decision of 16 U.S. intelligence agencies in 2007 — that Iran<\/strong> is not pursuing a nuclear weapon — reportedly reaffirmed in 2011 — has never been rescinded. Nor has the White House produced any hard evidence Iran<\/strong> is building a bomb.<\/p>\n

Moreover, Iran<\/strong>‘s known nuclear facilities are under inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency.<\/p>\n

Does the government know something the American people are not being told?<\/p>\n

Undeniably, Iran<\/strong>, by enriching uranium to 3.5 percent, then up to 20 percent, has a greater “capability” than five years ago of building a nuclear weapon. But Japan, South Korea and Brazil also have that capability — and none has decided to build a nuclear weapon.<\/p>\n

Gov. Romney did not go as far as Senor, but he, too, seems to be saying that not only is Iran<\/strong>‘s possession of a nuclear weapon a casus belli for the United States<\/strong>, even an Iran<\/strong> that is capable of building such a weapon is intolerable.<\/p>\n

“The regime in Iran<\/strong> is five years closer to developing nuclear weapons capability,” said Romney. “Preventing that outcome must be our highest national security priority.”<\/p>\n

Preventing what outcome is “our highest national security priority”?<\/p>\n

Stopping Iran<\/strong> from building a bomb? Or stopping Iran<\/strong> from being able to build a bomb years from now?<\/p>\n

The governor seems to be aligning himself with Israel<\/strong>‘s hawks who are demanding that not only must Iran<\/strong> swear off nuclear weapons forever, Iran<\/strong> must cease all enrichment of uranium, and dismantle the facilities at Natanz and Fordow.<\/p>\n

Romney’s policy is zero enrichment, said Senor. Tehran must understand that “the alternative to zero enrichment is severe, and that’s why the threat of military force has to be critical.”<\/p>\n

This is tantamount to an ultimatum to Tehran: Either give up all enrichment of uranium and any right to enrich, or face war.<\/p>\n

Here we come to the heart of the issue, which may be impossible to resolve short of war.<\/p>\n

Unlike its neighbors Israel<\/strong> and Pakistan, Iran<\/strong> has signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and has no nuclear weapons. The ayatollah has said they are immoral and Iran<\/strong> will not acquire them.<\/p>\n

But under the NPT, Iran<\/strong> claims the right to enrich uranium and seek the benefits of nuclear technology. And in that decision, the people of Iran<\/strong> stand behind their government.<\/p>\n

Is denying Iran<\/strong> the right to enrich uranium a reason for America to plunge into its fifth war in that region in a generation?<\/p>\n

That appears where we are headed. Reportedly, Obama’s national security adviser recently briefed Bibi Netanyahu on the specifics of U.S. contingency plans to attack Iran<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Has Congress been briefed? Have the American people been consulted? Or are we simply irrelevant?<\/p>\n

A decade ago, this country sent an army up to Baghdad to overthrow Saddam and strip Iraq<\/strong> of a vast arsenal of chemical and biological weapons we were told it had and was preparing to use.<\/p>\n

We were misled; we were deceived; we were lied to.<\/p>\n

Before we outsource to Bibi and Ehud Barak the decision to take us to war with a country three times the size of Iraq<\/strong>, we need to know:<\/p>\n

Was the U.S. intelligence community wrong in 2007 and 2011? Is Iran<\/strong> hell-bent on building nuclear weapons? If so, where are they constructing and testing these weapons?<\/p>\n

Finally, if Iran<\/strong> is willing to permit intrusive inspections of its actual and suspected nuclear sites, but insists on its right to enrich uranium, should we go to war to deny them that right?<\/p>\n

But if we are going to go to war again, this time with Iran<\/strong>, the decision should be made in America, according to our Constitution, not by any other country. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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Has Mitt Romney given Israel a blank check for war? So it seemed from the declaration in Jerusalem by his adviser Dan Senor, who all but flashed Israel a green light for war, signaling the Israelis that, if you go, Mitt’s got your back: “If Israel has to take action … <\/p>\n

Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n

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