Page 1 of 2

Iran not a threat

Posted: December 11th, 2008, 5:40 am
by one love
I thought he said Iran was not a threat...

U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's administration will offer Israel a "nuclear umbrella" against the threat of a nuclear attack by Iran, a well-placed American source said earlier this week. The source, who is close to the new administration, said the U.S. will declare that an attack on Israel by Tehran would result in a devastating U.S. nuclear response against Iran.

But America's nuclear guarantee to Israel could also be interpreted as a sign the U.S. believes Iran will eventually acquire nuclear arms.


http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1045687.html

Posted: December 11th, 2008, 5:59 am
by Mike Vande
If you blow them up, we'll blow you up. Welcome back to the Cold War era, folks.
I'm gonna giggle if Obama has to reopen the missile silos...

Posted: December 11th, 2008, 6:03 am
by crispfin
When did he say Iran wasn't a threat?

Posted: December 11th, 2008, 6:28 am
by dolfan
In May, 2008, Obama said that Iran is not a serious threat, said they wouldn't stand a chance against us because we're big, they're little, we spend more than they do on defense, etc.

The point is that he's wrong. They may not strike us directly with a missile, but they pose a grave threat to Israel and our policy is if you do it to them, you've done it to us. NOW, he knows they are a serious threat .... TO us.

Becoming president has a way of opening your eyes to the realities that a candidate who needs to lie for votes must deny for a time.

Posted: December 11th, 2008, 6:43 am
by DeWayneTN
dolfan wrote:Becoming president has a way of opening your eyes to the realities that a candidate who needs to lie for votes must deny for a time.


Good quote - it bears repeating.

Posted: December 11th, 2008, 6:49 am
by Full Quiver
When did he say Iran wasn't a threat?


He said they were a tiny country.

Obama wrote:I mean, think about it. Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, these countries are tiny compared to the Soviet Union. They don’t pose a serious threat to us the way the Soviet Union posed a threat to us.

Posted: December 11th, 2008, 6:50 am
by crispfin
dolfan wrote:In May, 2008, Obama said that Iran is not a serious threat, said they wouldn't stand a chance against us because we're big, they're little, we spend more than they do on defense, etc.

The point is that he's wrong. They may not strike us directly with a missile, but they pose a grave threat to Israel and our policy is if you do it to them, you've done it to us. NOW, he knows they are a serious threat .... TO us.

Becoming president has a way of opening your eyes to the realities that a candidate who needs to lie for votes must deny for a time.

I found what he said:

“They don’t pose a serious threat to us in the way the Soviet Union posed a threat to us"

And in that sense it is true. Iran does not pose a threat to us on the scale that the Soviet Union did. Iran does not have the means to make the earth a wasteland and kill us all. They would potentially have the means to strike against Israel and that would involve us in a greater Middle Eastern war. I would personally hope that we could avoid such a thing by reconsidering our policy with Israel and take a more balanced approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which is now and continue to be the match that will light the fuse.

And I would see his stance as one that has changed with further intelligence and a greater knowledge of the situation, which I would expect from any person who became president. I'm not gung-ho for any kind of "foolish consistency which is the hobgoblin of little minds". We've seen enough of that for the past eight years.

Posted: December 11th, 2008, 6:54 am
by forestwalker
Obama wrote:I mean, think about it. Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, these countries are tiny compared to the Soviet Union. They don’t pose a serious threat to us the way the Soviet Union posed a threat to us.

Ah, yes. Context.

Posted: December 11th, 2008, 6:56 am
by Full Quiver
Come on Crispfin, Iran is allied with Russia, aka the bulk of the USSR. Russians built and are building the Iranian nuclear facilities and my bet is that if Iran were to attack Israel and we counterattack that Russia would be very much inclined to attack us. So yes, Iran is a huge threat!

How's that for context forestwalker?


You want to talk size? Ask China about Japan in WW2 and ask those survivors from Pearl Harbor about little ole Japan. Ask the Soviets about the Afghanis, ask half the world about Germany, ....shall I continue.

All it takes is one nuke or don't you guys get that?

Iran not a threat

Posted: December 11th, 2008, 7:02 am
by Dr. Ron
Tell em FQ!!!

But they have already had a full belly of the cool aid. They think Bush is a murderer.

Help us Lord.......protect us from our own stupidity.

Posted: December 11th, 2008, 7:12 am
by crispfin
Full Quiver wrote:Come on Crispfin, Iran is allied with Russia, aka the bulk of the USSR. Russians built and are building the Iranian nuclear facilities and my bet is that if Iran were to attack Israel and we counterattack that Russia would be very much inclined to attack us. So yes, Iran is a huge threat!

How's that for context forestwalker?


You want to talk size? Ask China about Japan in WW2 and ask those survivors from Pearl Harbor about little ole Japan. Ask the Soviets about the Afghanis, ask half the world about Germany, ....shall I continue.

All it takes is one nuke or don't you guys get that?

Both Japan and Germany and the Soviet Union had massive militaries and the means to be worldwide threats. Iran does not. However, they could set off a chain. In that way, they would become a global threat. Afghanistan was invaded by the USSR, and became their Vietnam. Afghanistan itself was not a threat to the world.

I have no illusions as to what a massive Middle Eastern war would lead to, which only reinforces my point that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must be dealt with in a new way. That war can be prevented, even if it messes up God's plans and sets the second coming back for a few decades. It is unfortunate that America's policy of not speaking to Iran or doing much of anything about their nuclear ambitions will probably lead them to develop nuclear weapons. I would hope the president elect would follow a different path.

Posted: December 11th, 2008, 7:30 am
by Tim Elston
Full Quiver wrote:Iran is allied with Russia, aka the bulk of the USSR. Russians built and are building the Iranian nuclear facilities and my bet is that if Iran were to attack Israel and we counterattack that Russia would be very much inclined to attack us. So yes, Iran is a huge threat!


Actually, we are more of a threat to Iran than they are to us or Israel. We just camped out on both sides of their country. That motivated them to put whatever desire they had to get nuclear weapons on the fast track. We are also encouraging nations that are on Russia's border to join NATO, which asserts our will to ally ourselves against Russia within its own sphere of influence.

Under these circumstances--the circumstances of our neoconservative policy of aggression, aka the Bush Doctrine--we would be partly responsible for escalating the tensions between us and Russia or Iran, provoking them, invading their space, threatening their national security. Obama will do well, if he is successful, not to allow neoconservative pressure to define his foreign policy.

Here is Pat Buchanan's article, Is Not Western Hypocrisy Astonishing? with which I agree.

Re: Iran not a threat

Posted: December 11th, 2008, 7:33 am
by crispfin
Dr. Ron wrote:Tell em FQ!!!

But they have already had a full belly of the cool aid. They think Bush is a murderer.

Help us Lord.......protect us from our own stupidity.

Why is it that when someone disagrees with a certain political view they are considered "full of kool-aid" and stupid to boot? I don't think any one of you are stupid or under some kind of influence.

Lord, I wish your people could disagree without insulting each other.

Iran not a threat

Posted: December 11th, 2008, 7:36 am
by Dr. Ron
Tim.....you must live in the "outback" of Alaska where you don't get any news.

The idiot in control of Iran is only interested in attacking Israel and the US. He believes he is the chosen IMAM to take down the countries of the infidel.
What part of this ideology are you and Crispfin not getting.

I can't bellieve Crispfin is really saying these off the wall things.

WAKE UP! You are not going to set God's time table back......He will do as HE wills.

Re: Iran not a threat

Posted: December 11th, 2008, 7:42 am
by crispfin
Dr. Ron wrote:Tim.....you must live in the "outback" of Alaska where you don't get any news.

The idiot in control of Iran is only interested in attacking Israel and the US. He believes he is the chosen IMAM to take down the countries of the infidel.
What part of this ideology are you and Crispfin not getting.

I can't bellieve Crispfin is really saying these off the wall things.

WAKE UP! You are not going to set God's time table back......He will do as HE wills.

Actually the Imams run the country, and who knows what they really want? The president is an unpopular man who talks big, but does not really have the means to back it up.

And maybe it doesn't translate well on the forum, but I use a heavy dose of sarcasm and good natured mockery of some Christian political beliefs from time to time. I was doing so a bit in my last long post. I don't literally believe we can set God's time table back.