Truthdig - Ear to the Ground - Was Bush’s Offer to Iran Designed to Fail?

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$19.11

Was Bush’s Offer to Iran Designed to Fail?

Posted on Jun 1, 2006

That’s the provocative question posed by this N.Y. Times article. “It became obvious to Mr. Bush that he could not ... consider military strikes on Iranian nuclear sites unless he first showed a willingness to engage Iran’s leadership directly over its nuclear program and exhaust every nonmilitary option.”
Has a decision to hit Iran already been made? Are we seeing a charade like the one before the Iraq war?

N.Y. Times:

WASHINGTON, May 31 After 27 years in which the United States has refused substantive talks with Iran, President Bush reversed course on Wednesday because it was made clear to him by his allies, by the Russians, by the Chinese, and eventually by some of his advisers that he no longer had a choice.

During the past month, according to European officials and some current and former members of the Bush administration, it became obvious to Mr. Bush that he could not hope to hold together a fractious coalition of nations to enforce sanctions or consider military strikes on Iranian nuclear sites unless he first showed a willingness to engage Iran’s leadership directly over its nuclear program and exhaust every nonmilitary option.

Few of his aides expect that Iran’s leaders will meet Mr. Bush’s main condition: that Iran first re-suspend all of its nuclear activities, including shutting down every centrifuge that could add to its small stockpile of enriched uranium. Administration officials characterized their offer as a test of whether the Iranians want engagement with the West more than they want the option to build a nuclear bomb some day.

Link

TAGS: direct iran nuclear program talk

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By Debra Keasal, June 2, 2006 at 8:32 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

War with Iran? I could only support it if the Bush/Cheney/Bolton coalition lead the troops and provide the cash for it.

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By albiegf13, June 2, 2006 at 8:08 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

DUHhhhhhhh.....! This is so, so dangerous. This whole war on “terror” is really turning into a nightmare of significant proportions. There is chronic and severe collective insanity working here for us. The Chinese and the Russians must be delighted. The Germans and the French as well, we are walking into the lion’s den with a piece of bacon wrapped around our necks. I can not possibly believe that the American people are willing to consider any more military actions, anywhere, for any reason… But it’s going to happen, I think that we all know that. We seem to be snarled in a spider web what are we going to do...? Take a swim in some quicksand… This is truly insanity… Please someone, WAKE ME UP...!

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By Druthers, June 2, 2006 at 12:03 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

You can bet your bottom dollar on it and they want that too. Our dollars that are paying for the tax cuts are just like the oil fields under the Middle East sand--if they won’t give it--Bush-Cheney and Co. will take it, with their “all options are on the table.”
If the press and citizens swallow this again we will be joining this gang of thugs and their real God who lives on Wall Street.
This is probably the fork in the road.

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By Jonathan Lundell, June 1, 2006 at 4:01 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Provocative question? More like stating the obvious.

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By david Barnes, June 1, 2006 at 3:15 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Bush sure will hit Iran,no question of if ,only when.
Its Bush thats the sponser of state terror by threatening a sovereign nation with military action.
Remove bush and the world will sleep a lot better,maybe we could all move along to solve other global issues.

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By felicity smith, June 1, 2006 at 11:37 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

The NPT guarantees Iran’s inalienable right to produce and use fissile materials. The Decider, or course, has the inalienable right to ignore all treaties. (Remember, he referred to UN resolutions as “those stinking resolutions.") Rice’s latest proclamation is merely a re-wording of what Bush has been threatening all along.

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