Well I’m sorry about that RV. I’m so used to dodging neocons I get a little squirrely!

Peter RV. Redundant you say? Who for the most part finances political campaigns and virtually owns our politicians, then dictates policies they must enact lest they loose that funding? It ain’t, “We the People!” Hell they even choose our candidates! All we have is a choice from the same two sided coin.

Corporatism is precisely what’s going on here whether some might call admitting that as verbose or not. Actually since for the most part people believe such things could never happen here (with special thanks to the corporately controlled media), it is generally ignored or laughed upon, never openly admitted, promoted, suggested or discussed! The only people it is redundant to are the very people who are either privately espousing it and profiting by it or by those who simply have no clue!

Corporatism is a term that has not yet seen it’s end, although it’s creator has long since turned to dust. It is alive and well in the USA. Failing to admit that, I would say is being rather obtuse!

This nation is ruled by energy corporations and defense contractors(no small secret) and has been since 1960. Before MIC, government told business what to do about war and defense. After MIC, MIC told government what to do concerning these matters. It’s been a defense contract/corporate oil hayride ever since! Hell the neo-conservatives and the so called Reagan Democrats are the MIC and look where they’ve taken us!

No my friend discussing the powers who are have nothing whatsoever to do with redundancy, but in not mentioning them, who they are and what this truly is, it has everything to do with hiding that which is inimical to our own best interests. That is where the true redundancy lies, ignoring the truth, calling it a lie and playing along with the corporate inspired fantasy.

Hey Leefellar, I’m glad you liked the post and frankly I do not consider you to be a ranting lunatic as others might. If you trace the history of Karl Rove(as I’m sure you have) you would discover that the McKinley Era was his favorite time in history. No small wonder! Those were the days of child labor, no unions, the 14 hour work day and as I mentioned earlier the most corrupt government in US history until now. When we see how this administration has made it easier for average people and small businesses to go bankrupt while at the same time making it harder to declare a bankruptcy, then remembering how this administration actually suggested bringing back debtors prison! Well I think that says it all really. This nation has always had pressures placed upon it by corporations in one way or another. Today however, not only do they own those who legislate, they literally are the government thanks to the robber baron’s of old who no doubt gave the idea to Bush and his canard of corporate cronies. Look what they’ve done to the market system!  Yes it’s free all right, free for the wealthiest people on earth to rip off the rest of the world! Meanwhile real jobs are outsourced while the trade deficit grows beyond reason but as DOW Jones says, business couldn’t be better. 9/11 enabled these corporate fascists(I don’t know what else you could call them)to undermine civil liberty and declare Bush king. Meanwhile our defense spending(even before 9/11 or the war in Iraq) has gone up and up and up with no end in sight while social programs have gone down and yet with virtually all of our economy at stake, what do they do but borrow more money at the highest possible interest from Japan and China to give tax cuts to the very rich! For them it’s a Trifecta! They now own the government thanks to the privatization of such, they’re getting trillions handed over to them in tax cuts and they’re getting billions if not trillions more handed over to them via defense contractors and energy lords. Meanwhile nearly all of the laws and regulations that once governed these “monster” corporations are gone!

As for what Jefferson would do today I can’t say for sure, but I know what he wanted to do while the Constitution was being written. He wanted an 11th Amendment added to the original Bill of Rights.

This comes from an article called, “Now Corporations Claim the Right to Lie!” By none other than your Thom Hartman:

“Both Jefferson and Madison proposed an 11th Amendment to the Constitution that would “ban monopolies in commerce,” making it illegal for corporations to own other corporations, banning them from giving money to politicians or trying to influence elections in any way, restricting corporations to a single business purpose, limiting the lifetime of a corporation to something roughly similar to that of productive humans (20 to 40 years back then), and requiring that the first purpose for which all corporations were created be “to serve the public good.”

The amendment didn’t pass because many argued it was unnecessary: Virtually all states already had such laws on the books from the founding of this nation until the Age of the Robber Barons.

Thus my point. Actually I found the Hartmann article by mistake. I was searching for the Santa Clara vs South Western Railroad case, looking for an article a friend of mine delivered a long time ago. I couldn’t find that original but was fortunate enough to come across Hartmann who was talking about NIKE. Here’s a link to the article:
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0101-07.htm

And cheerio old chap!

Michael Shaw your post makes good sense to me. “Corporate Fascism” is right on the money, Mussolini coined the phrase,  look what happened to him.

Though my opinion may be tainted, It has been brought to my attention by a fellow poster that my posts are (the pontifications of an ignorant person twit, who believes he is wise and does not know what he is talking about. It would have been easier if he had said that I did not know my ass from a hole in the ground. However I do agree, with him on one point,  I may occasionally rant rhetoric.. 

“What Would Jefferson DO?” by Thom Hartmann describes what you talk about and covers your premise quite clearly.  What we got here is “Corporate Fascism’ in a hand basket and our name is “Little Red Riding Hood”. 

What ever happened to not allowing lobbyists to run through the halls of Congress?

“The first step in going to war is to demonize the potential enemy.” How true! It comes straight out of the jail cell in Nuremberg that housed Herman Goering at the end of World War 2. Concerning Iran and just as Iraq, that is exactly what this current administration is doing, the same way they demonized the term “liberal” as if in being one it meant you were either a Bolshevik or an aid to terror!

A friend of mine had written me about how the democrats didn’t really have anyone inspirational running for president and that got me thinking about Dennis Kucinich. Here’s a guy who was against this war from the start, is pro labor, wants the rich to actually pay taxes, wants universal health care, wants real campaign finance reforms, wants to impeach Bush and do practically everything most of us would like to see done in Washington. Yet this guy is a pariah, not only to the neocon right, but to his own DNC and every corporate media outlet in the nation. The reason? Because he is liberal and the media has been telling us since Reagan that “liberal” is a bad word. They tell us guys like Kucinich are fringe members to the extreme left and too radical to be given an opportunity to have power. They aren’t mainstream enough, blah, blah, blah! Well what about Bush and company? Are they not fringe members of the republican party? Are they not radicals themselves? They sure as hell aren’t mainstream! This new world order crap comes right out of the Nazi play book!

The democrats have completely lost focus on exactly what made them a great party. Liberalism! The party of FDR is long gone although politicians from both sides love to quote him at every opportunity. Even Dick Cheney in the last Republican convention! The reason guys like Kucinich will never have a chance is because of one thing. Money! That and perhaps for the greatest reason on earth. He’s the best man for the job!

This country today is governed by corporate fascism. They can call it what they wish but basically that’s what it boils down to. It began when railroad robber barons in the 1880’s argued corporate entities are as living entities and should thus have the same rights as the individual(Santa Clara vs. Southern Pacific Railroad). They used the 14th amendment ironically to prove their point. After the US Supreme Court ruled otherwise and sided with a lower court decision that upheld constitutional law, they patiently waited until their major obstacle, Chief Justice Waite died. Waite had said, “we avoided meeting the Constitutional question in the decision.” And nowhere in the decision itself does the Court say corporations are persons. But a few years later and in total disregard to the truth, they took an old court documenta court reporter, a former railroad president himself, J.C. Bancroft Davis who had scribbled on it’s head note saying, “The defendant Corporations are persons within the intent of the clause in section 1 of the Fourteen Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which forbids a State to deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” and spattered it in every newspaper across the nation. By the time Grover Cleveland took office it was accepted as reality. To this day it has yet to be realistically challenged.

From there we went to the McKinley era, till now, the most corporate corrupt period in US history. Then came The Great Depression. Then Eisenhower and the creation of the military industrial complex and today here we are with the new world order and perpetual warfare. 

The fact is, today corporations have all the rights(they’ve always had privilege) while our own rights are being trampled! No small wonder as to why the term liberal is like a Satan to them! Just as the devil once offered Jesus vast kingdoms of wealth on earth, so today do the vast kingdoms of wealth offer themselves unprecedented and legally unwarranted status.

Vern Arnold, the people of Iran are more like us then we know.  On Link T. V. I remember seeing a documentary about a women who helped drive a bus for her husband on long drives, because he had a bad heart and would need to rest.  If I recall the main point of the documentary was the plight of women in Iran.  It was extraordinary how we got to know this couple as they drove across Iran.  I found them to be good people and they could easily be friends of mine.  The first step of going to war is to demonize the potential enemy.

I want to believe Scherr was not intending to demonize the people of Iran, however thorough our special interest controlled mass media we are programed to suspect Iran’s people and it’s leaders.  From what little I know,  Iran’s leaders are fanatics.  Over the years because of our governments constant meddling in Iran,  I can not blame Iran not tusting us.  We set the stage,  I have to agree with Congressman Paul on this one.  People in Iran are pawns of the powers that be,  just like we are, under the good old boy’s in the U.S.A. 

It is my hope that Scherr was actually trying to provoke us into this discussion.

Re #70989 by Leefeller on 5/18 at 10:35 pm

Well, I took another look at the article after your comment. 
What bothers me is the language Scheer uses when speaking about Iran.  “Religious Fanatics” stands out as one.  Everything I’ve been able to distill about Iran is; the people are not “Fanatics” and are taking the rap for their leaders.  Iran is a very complex society and we have certainly had a hand in their government more than once.  If I were them I would be very upset with us for blowing it “Big Time”.  Sort of like us here in America with the shrub in charge.
Then there is the comment by Robert Chaney about nukes.  Not being an expert on the making of a bomb, I don’t know but he does make a case.  If he’s right then we (our government) are really in a major dis-information campaign (duh) and and and and…..
If you are correct, and you may be, then it would be nice if Scheer would clarify his article.

A little food for thought, my perception of Robert Sheer’s article is slightly different from what some of the posts have been saying. 
The main point in Sheer’s article is Bush screwed up. Look at the title.  “Iran Calls Bushes Bluff”
Sheer’s other points seem to be correct and I agree with most of them, I believe it was the way he stated those points is what really bothers most of you. 

In one of my earlier posts for this article,  I went on one of my short tirades about the definition of Democracy, which has always been a red flag for me.  Others of you must have seen your own red flags.

The fact that you disagree with Sheer on some points is a healthy sign.  We can agree to disagree. As it has been said before do not attack the messenger, attack the message.

Well, although I applaud Paul for his courage in expressing the reasons why 9/11 happened, IE our large military presence in Mecca and our military support of Israel, for him to say the republican party has traditionally been anti-war is a hoot! Arguably, even it’s first president led us to the bloodiest conflict in US history and he ignored states rights to do it. Moving further along one might ask who created the military industrial complex? Was that a democrat? No it was Dwight D. Eisenhower who warned us about what a mistake it was after the fact! Eisenhower was also the first president to get us involved in Vietnam although Kennedy got us further involved, then had doubts prior to his assassination. Even though Johnson escalated the war, which no doubt helped lead to a republican victory, what did Nixon do but escalate it even further by first bombing then invading Laos and Cambodia? What about Ronald Reagan and his war on Grenada? His involving us in Israel’s Lebanese invasion? His support of death squads in Honduras and Chile? His Iran\Contra scandal which supplied Iran with weapons in one hand while he and Bush 1 were giving weapons of mass destruction to Saddam Hussein with the other? How about Bush 1’s invasion of Panama to shake off a wimpy image or Operation Desert Storm, a war we need not of involved ourselves in but did so strictly for oil?

As for Ron Paul, it is obvious he ruined any chance at a nomination to run for president. But in reality he had no real chance anyway. Though his actions could be construed as bold, in another scenario they might just as well be a vehicle in saving his Texas seat while the rest of the gang lose theirs.

Re #70706 by Robert Chaney on 5/17 at 7:42 pm

If DN! or “truthdig” is really interested in “truth”, which is questionable, why do they not simply print it ?

Now that is a very good question given the information that followed.

I must say that I have always admired what I thought was Mr. Robert’s “digging for truth”, if I may put it that way. However, it now appears to me that the only reason why he has been talking antagonistic to the generally held view of the US administration on certain past occurrences and contemporary events is because these things have either already taken place or have lapsed too far in its process of taking place   and thus cannot exactly be overturned or stopped.

His speak on Cuba, as an example, is a matter which isn’t exactly of importance in that it isn’t current or topical neither on the neo-cons agenda nor on the conglomerate media channels. However, the current issue on Iran is, hence his stance towards Iran.

It seems however that most people on this forum have the desire to see a democratic Iran but not at the barrel of a gun since it in itself is a contradiction of terms. Although I realize that many people are afraid of a peaceful nuclear Iran, I am sure that the Iranian mullahs aren’t ignorant enough to bring about their own decay if they ever pursue the path of acquiring nuclear weapons by using such weaponry on any nation (even Israel). Iranian nuclear arms would never be an imminent threat to US mainland security only to the aspiration of the plutocratic government of the US.

In my political view, I believe that Iran has the right to acquire even nuclear weapons and should because, after all, she is surrounded by nuclear weapon states such as Israel, Russia, Pakistan, India and US war machines in the region which are equipped with such capabilities and have threatened to use them (ponder on this: how come Iran is not aloud to preempt?)

Where did my last comment go?

Inherit the wind, I agree with most of what you’re saying but I would like to point out a few things.

For one, Israel had been lobbying the US to hit Iran for a long time now. We shouldn’t be taking them off the hook. Also verbal threats of attacks on Iran have often come from Israel too. It’s been a two way street!

Israel has the most powerful lobby in Washington.

Israel obtained it’s nuclear arsenal illegally according to international law and currently Israel is the only nation in the Middle East with nuclear weapons, weapons according to some, they have threatened to use on more than one occasion.

George Bush is giving bunker busters to Israel. That’s a big help to both Israel and US oil interests, especially when you’re gobbling up lands that aren’t yours and going for control of the oil in that entire region. Clearly those bunker busters are meant for one thing, hitting Iranian underground facilities.

Our worst troubles in the Middle East began when the US stopped being legitimate peace brokers and began openly supporting the Sharon government and if the truth be told, that government seized power through assassination. Yitzchak Rabin was murdered by a member of the same right wing group who propelled Sharon into office. Just Google Shimon Perez, who accused the Sharon government of destroying the entire Middle Eastern peace process by calling on the assassination of Yassar Arafat. Look what happened next. They bulldozed him in his compound and then a short time later he died.

Israel has been killing Palestinians with American aircraft and tanks and knocking down Palestinian homes using US made bulldozers for many years now and this has not gone unnoticed by Arab Palestinians or other Arab nations, though I suspect a lot of the folks living right here had no idea.

I’d like to add an American girl with the UN in Palestine was blatantly killed by an Israeli soldier with a Caterpillar bulldozer. Her crime was standing in front of a Palestinian home that was about to be leveled and was still occupied by the Palestinian family who owned it. Her name was Rachel Cory. Just a college kid from Oregon, she was wearing a red coat and waving a flag (yelling stop) when she was crushed, not once but twice. To date neither the current Israeli government nor the US has bothered to judicially pursue or even investigate this matter.

I would like to further add Iran’s nuclear program was actually fostered by Gerald Ford prior to the deposing of the Shah.

Israels insisting on blowing up the Bushehr reactor was completely unfounded. The idea in attacking that is ludicrous since it is a light water reactor and no nation on earth has ever developed nuclear weapons from such a reactor. So Israel’s argument to hit it because it poses an imminent threat is absurd. Perhaps the real threat Iran may pose to Israel is the fact their conventional missiles can hit Israel’s own nuclear facility at Dimona which uses heavy water and can readily produce nuclear weapons.

The bottom line is both Israel and the United States are partners in crime when it comes to hitting Iran and controlling the entire oil region for the west. Of course in both cases we are talking about government leadership rather than our respective communities. Like here, Israel also has a peace movement and should be applauded for their efforts. So should the 50 odd Israeli pilots who refused to attack unarmed civilians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip who were court marshaled and jailed for their efforts.

#70623 by Reza Fazli on 5/17 at 12:51 pm: “...When it comes to Nukes, well I am against these horrifing arms but if Blair and Bush got them why not Ahmadinejad should not get them!? ....Beam me up scotty from this crazy planet…!”

No, Reza Fazli, we are all stuck here together and we have to do something - each and every one of us - if this thing is to improve at all. If not Iran, then Pakistan or Syria. Better to win before it goes any further towards total insanity.

Any oil-producing country such as Iran, menaced by the U.S. and expansionist Israel, would have to be nuts not to pursue a nuclear deterent.

The empty promises of Bush to the people of mid east, to promote democracy would be quite amusing if people were not being killed as a result of his lies. 

Bush is promoting his version of democracy, which is pure and simple corporate democracy?  While stripping the people of the USA of freedoms and rights, and passing on a free pass to big business. 

Corruption from the White House seems to be a bottomless pit. Integrity and truth are absent. We have a president who seeks a personal agenda, which he believes was sent by God who told him to attack Iraq?

If God told Bush to attack Iraq, when does God tell him to stop, or was that not a part of the plan? 

Swallowing the fact or fiction, that God has told Bush to attack Iraq is very hard indeed, one only needs to ask, why would God talk to a person who never speaks the truth?  Is it possible Bush lied about that too?

Did God give Bush a voucher for Iraq’s Oil?

If Congress does not have the fortitude to impeach Bush, maybe God will.

Mr. Scheer,
I am having a very big problem with your article.  For someone who usually hits the nail on the head, your statements regarding Iran are confounding.  To wit;

“The big losers in all this are the ordinary citizens in Iraq and throughout the Mideast who were promised an infusion of democratic ideals in the wake of the invasion.  Instead, they have been left with a widespread resurgence of religious fanaticism.  Never have those fundamentalist forces, which produced 9/11, been more popular in the Mideast—particularly in Iraq, where al-Qaida was ruthlessly suppressed by Saddam Hussein.”

We’ve been over this ad infinitum; this is not Iran’s fault.  Al-qaida is not popular in Iraq…at least not according to everything from the “experts”.
My point is; I think you really dropped the ball on this one.
One of us is off mark: Care to comment or clarify?

Quote: “.....Mr Bolton conceded that military action had many disadvantages and might not succeed. “It’s very risky for the price of oil, risky because you could, let’s say, take out their enrichment capabilities at Natanz, and they may have enrichment capabilities elsewhere you don’t know about.”

Such a strike would only be a “last option” after economic sanctions and attempts to foment a popular revolution had failed but the risks of using military force, he indicated, would be less than those of tolerating a nuclear Iran. “Imagine what it would be like with a nuclear Iran. Imagine the influence Iran could have over the entire region. It’s already pushing its influence in Iraq through the financing of terrorist groups like Hamas and Hizbollah.”........” -  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=PWIBPXU2BZARZQFIQMGSFFOAVCBQWIV0?xml=/news/2007/05/16/wbolton16.xml

Perhaps the last statement should be paraphrased to reflect the real truth more accurately: .......“Imagine what it would be like with a nuclear ISRAEL. Imagine the influence ISRAEL could have over the entire region. It’s already pushing its influence in THE USA and in Iraq through the financing of terrorist groups like MOSSAD and THE CIA.”!!!

Well it’s my understanding that the population of Iran, though controlled by the “spiritual” guidance of the ayatollahs, have basically a secular mentality. When we discuss brands of fanatical religious control, perhaps we should also include the fanatics we have right here in the good old USA!

The Christian Right, who have rather immorally heightened the idea of preemptive war on one hand, while calling themselves pro-lifers on the other have had a major impact on our society. When a group with political clout sees warfare, pollution and drastic climate change as a way and means to seeing the second coming of Christ, we all need look out!

That said, the people of Iran, particularly their youth, are far more secular by nature then their overseers and in fact, Iran as a nation was once completely secular before Kermit Roosevelt and the CIA toppled a US friendly, democratically elected government there!

Even while under the yoke of Islamic Fundamentalism, Iran has never invaded another country, though they themselves were invaded by Iraq under Saddam Hussein, who was backed by Britain and the US on one hand while illegal Iran/Contra funding from the Reagan/Bush 1 White house was funneled into Iran on the other. The fact Iranians are enemies to al-Qaida as much as Saddam was, is also not emphasized. Lest we forget they helped us round them up in Afghanistan just prior to being denoted as a cog in the Axis of Evil!

What we’re also ignoring is that under international law, Iran has every right to produce nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. They signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferations Treaty, a law that says they can!

I’d like to add that calling Iran major harborer’s of terror organizations might be true, but no more true than terrorists being harbored in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Jordan, Egypt, Kurdistan and many other countries. Yet because we’re friendly to them, have economic ties and consider them allies, we ignore them. Hell! We call Pakistan our great allies in the war on terror even when their major nuclear scientist, Abdul Qadeer Khan admitted he gave information for nuclear enrichment to Iran, Libya and even North Korea!

I’ll admit it unnerves me to think what any religious fanatic might do with a nuclear arsenal. What might a Pat Robertson do if he had control of our nukes? Now we have George W. Bush(his friend and ally) creating a whole new brand of tactical nukes that alarms the rest of the world, particularly Russia, into what might possibly to a new nuclear arms race! Frankly I see that kind of ideology as posing a greater threat to world peace than Iran’s comparably meager nuclear enrichment program. 

As for bombs rolling out of Iran into Iraq goes, perhaps that’s true. I don’t know for certain. But I do know that it seems like a parroting of White House rhetoric in establishing their goal in finding any excuse to attack Iran, rendering the same kinds of false intelligence that got us in this mess in Iraq in the first place! The revelations from the White House that car bombs in Iraq are coming from Iran were greatly dispelled when basement “factories” in Baghdad were discovered and their makers established as Sunni and elements of al-qaida. The fact this enlightening detail received little to no coverage from major media says it all in respect to our posturing with Iran.

Have they called our bluff? Well that remains to be seen and as you pointed out, with Bush in command, God knows what will happen!

Geez, there is just so much here in the article and in comments.  What a fantastic bunch of viewpoints and opinions.

I only want to add my own personal nugget and it isn’t related to the main thrust of this article, but to the last paragraph.

Isn’t Cheney the same person who told America how great and wonderful (best Sec. of Defense EVER) was Mr. Rumsfeld in his position of Secretary of Defence?  Good God; is it possible that the current administration becomes dumber with each passing day?

A country with thousands of nuclear weapons, a country that has used nuclear weapons….

attacking another country for developing those same weapons?

The hypocrisy here is amazing.

Some interesting points on this:

“Speaking of Iran”
http://www.populistamerica.com/speaking_of_iran

Who can blame Iran in their pursuit of nukes when Israel, which already has over 200 warheads, threatens the Islamic nation at every opportunity, and America, already surrounding it on all sides, with no intention of ever leaving Iraq or Afghanistan, constantly threatens to bomb it back to the stone age?

For a compelling read which explains why Iran wants nukes please read “Operation Iraq Forever,” a great essay on the real intent of the US in the region. Link below.

An excerpt:

“As such, to purposefully give up such a prize as the oil fields of Iraq, along with its perfect strategic location, would be tantamount to giving up on a burgeoning empire, something the elite and the corporatists of the nation are not yet ready to do. Controlling the oil markets of the world, along with the spigots, pipelines and oil fields of Iraq, dictating supply and demand to the globe, possessing the power to control the amount of oil a rival or rising superpower is allowed to have, and establishing a beachhead for further attempts at acquiring yet more oil and gas, this time in Iran and Central Asia, is too tempting a proposition for America’s elite to extricate their armies from Mesopotamia. In truth, to leave Iraq would be to leave behind all delusions of a New American Century. It would be akin to declaring defeat to Russia and China, in essence granting these rising powers Iraq’s oil fields on a silver platter and cementing the precipitous fall of the American Empire itself.

Iraq is too valuable, in the minds of America’s elite and her corporatists, to simply walk away from. For all intents and purposes, therefore, Iraq has become America’s 51st state, a colony that will act as America’s gas station for decades to come. Iraq is destined to become the grease that provides the lubrication needed to run the great American engine. It will act as America’s aircraft carrier, the easier to patrol the world’s most strategic region. In time, Iraq will be used to invade, threaten, hold hostage and/or conquer the oil fields of Iran and those of the central Asian basin. From Iraq America’s new national security infrastructure, such as pipelines and refineries, can best be defended from any barbarian horde. Iraq is today the gateway towards attaining the Empire the elite and the delusional have always envisioned. It is the gateway towards power, control and untold wealth.”

Link:  http://www.valenzuelasveritas.blogspot.com

Every time someone says the United States is a democracy, I get into a semantic Frenzy.  We do not have a democracy, we have what is supposed to be a Republic.  Supreme power is supposed to held by the people and their elected officials and (using the term loosely here) its elected president.

If one steps back and looks, really looks at what is going on in Washington makes sense in a surreal way.  All of Washington or most of it, is being run lock stock and barrel by special interests, big money, the corporations, 
For example Cheney’s old company is licking it’s chops, getting ready and planning to do business with Iran, hopefully before the French.  They may go in an destroy Iran like Iraq so special interests can rebuild it with our money, (I am looking forward to that one). Or Rice goes in, bats her eyes at the Mulla and negotiates a deal for Corporate interests . 

People, the slobs on the street like me are nothing but vassals of the folks in charge. We are cannon fodder for their special wars.  Shoppers at their company stores. We are   labor when necessary, unless they can hire someone for less.

Our country is no longer our country; a country of the people, by the people and for the people. My respect for Iran stems from the simple fact Iran has been a past recipient of the old corporate USA high colonic, It remans to be seen if they will bend over.

My vote is they will not.

Mr. Scheer,
  Iran is a member of the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty).  Pakistan and India are not.  North Korea is not.
  With all due respect, just what is your point?  We, as you have said, created this catastrophe.  Frankly with all of the rhetoric from this moronic regime, if I were Iran I would also want nukes.  In spite of this there is still no evidence they have violated this treaty.  They have after-all seen us completely destroy a country (their neighbor) in the name of democratization and lies… and then back off completely from any direct confrontation with North Korea…why…because they have nukes!!!
We have taught them, might makes right!
Our duplicity with all sides in this ongoing debacle should leave us with no friends.  We should be thankful anyone is even willing to talk to us.  And, I know the only reason is, our huge power and our willingness to use it. 
We are at a point in history where we can direct the course of events; either force rules, or diplomacy and reason rule the future.
  The bottom line is; we have gotten ourselves into a morass so deep we may never see the light of day again and possibly relegated ourselves to a second rate loud mouth bully with only cursory legitimacy.  Great powers come and great powers go.  The average is about 200 years give or take.
  Our destiny is in our own hands…but only for a short time and then the world will decide with or without us.
  Do we truly have the intelligence to make the right decision?
  I for one do not know….

Why the hell should we believe any “news” from Iran about weapons, unless it comes from the NYT or the Post?  What we can believe is that it doesn’t matter what they have; Bush and DC insiders have their sights set on Iran.  We don’t need the rhetoric.  The other thing we know is that we’re paying dearly to secure Big Oil’s financial designs on Iraqi oil, both there and here, at the pump.  And Beinart wonders why democracy is losing footing around the world?

With our past performances of the CIA, under Tenet and Bush on top of Weapons of mass Destruction why would we be surprised at his error of judgment on Iran? With our new “War Czar” we have nothing to fear….cept ourselves. This is the gang that can’t shoot straight nor tell the truth. I do hand it to Bush, he can pick the DUMest of the DUM and never runs out of personnel to pick from. Anyone else by simple luck would choose at least one bright individual..not Bush. Iraq had WMD and Iran, nothing to fear. How can Bush get everything so wrong?

Quote: “...Cheney described Wolfowitz, the leader in hyping regime change in Iraq as the avenue to democratization, as “one of the most able public servants I’ve ever known.” Takes one to know one in that strange alchemy of Bush ideologues, where stunning success is the inevitable product of abysmal failure…..”

D’ya mean then, that the CIA has really taken over in the Whitehouse?

Quote: “...The serious subtext here, rarely noticed by pundits, is that the United States created a vacuum for the vast expansion of Iranian influence throughout the Mideast.  In the creation of a new hegemony, the fervid goal of the neoconservatives led by now-disgraced World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz, our nation appears en route to becoming Tehran’s junior partner….”

I can hear the chants of those Iraqis present at the execution of Saddam - ‘Moq - ta -da, Moq - ta -da, Moq - ta -da”!