President Obama spoke to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee today about the growing chorus of war rhetoric concerning Iran and the consequences of such talk.
President Obama: Already, there is too much loose talk of war. Over the last few weeks, such talk has only benefited the Iranian government, by driving up the price of oil, which they depend on to fund their nuclear program.
A proper policy towards Iran would be to place missile cruisers and submarines with three to four hundred Tomahawk cruise missiles off of their coast AS A DETERRENT. The U.S. Navy and its carrier task force groups have a significant number of these long range cruise missiles with them. We continue to bolster the missile defenses, air forces, and other military forces of our Arab allies in the Persian Gulf region by military sales. We work with our allies let the sanctions and the diplomatic actions that isolate the Iranian regime while weakening their economy. In all honesty, President Obama has done all of these steps. Could he do more? Sure but its all a matter of how much you wish to spend. Time is not Iran's friend. We can contain a nuclear armed Iran but the wildcard is Israel. The problem is that Israel does not have the right kind of firepower to knock out the Iranian nuclear program that is vast, dispersed, robustly defended and underground. Only America could truly knockout Iran's nuclear program. We need to contain Iran. We should sell and build lots of ballistic missiles with GPS precision guidance and sell them to our allies in the region if Iran builds a nuclear bomb. All Arab governments should beef up their security forces to counter any terrorist threats sponsored by Iran.
Note that I am talking about a responsible defense policy that is sustainable and combines military preparations to counter the Iranian missile and terrorist threats WITH DIPLOMACY. When you face a threat you build a security firewall around it to contain that threat. Then you let economic sanctions and diplomacy do their work. I doubt anyone will want to pay $200 per barrel of oil in the Republican party. How does $8 per gallon fuel grab your wallet? There is nothing that America can do to stop a first round of Iranian retaliation from a bombing. This Iranian retaliation would destroy much of the Persian Gulf's oil infrastructure, especially if Iran shot off many of its short ranged ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. America has the ability to hit back very hard but we simply can not stop Iran from throwing a heavy punch or two if they want too. Iran is a large country with a large military. They will fight back and America will take casualties. Diplomacy can mostly solve this Iranian problem. Don't forget those pesky $1 trillion budget deficits brought about by the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and those GOP tax cuts for millionaires.
Again if $8 per gallon gasoline makes you happy go vote Republican. In the meantime President Obama's actions have greatly beefed up the missile defense systems and counter striking abilities from our Navy and Air Force. We need to let the diplomats do their work and have patience. There is no other sensible strategy other than President Obama's on Iran. We also need a national energy policy that gets us off of imported OPEC oil, not more GOP warmongering. The GOP should immediately support a 50% tax rate on all millionaires and billionaires to help pay for this new war they want with Iran. I just bet you a new 50% tax rate on the wealthy would shut the GOP up pretty quickly because patriotism only runs as deep as the green in their wallets not the red blood in their veins.
Eugenie, Seattle
3/5/2012 6:00:23 AM
Even though the credible advertising left Limbaugh's show, he will still be there! He has pver 20 million listeners, who like what he does, and who agree with everything he says!
He is not going anywhere, and conservative advertising will show up for him, you can bet on that! Hats off to those companies who left. At least they all have shown some integrity.
Limbaugh, and others just like him are just sorry, misinformed, fear mongering, racist, old fools, who cannot handle a changing country, in which their white majority, is almost gone, now. That is eating them all alive! The GOP thinks that by turning back the clock to 1050-something, and having that to hide behind, by passing backward Legislation, they won't have to face a changing world, where they won't be able to call the shots anymore. I think those are some of the reasons, why they don't want to acknowledge, Science, or Climate Change, or any of the rest of it! Some of it is the Evangalistic state that they are in, but some of it is other things too! It is much easier to hide behind something like a simpler time, and not face, "REALITY"! PERIOD"! Some of it is just plain selfishness, and GREED for POWER!
Bob Bobonde, Minto ND.
3/4/2012 8:38:12 PM
The republican war mongers aren't worried about our security, they only worry about their war-contractor buddies profits! last decade they had america looking like a international bully!
linda, virginia
3/4/2012 7:35:41 PM
The repubs want war. They are warmongering all over the place. They have no one and nothing to run on, they are willing to sacricice us all for the presidency I heard Romney bragging about what he would do about Iran if he were president, my first thought was send your boys in first...........
Linda S Houston
3/4/2012 7:21:35 PM
*****BREAKING NEWS*****
ProFlowers has dropped it's advertising on the Rush Limbaugh program!!! Folks, this is it, this was the last major advertiser----He lost SEVEN advertisers!
The number of protest posts had gotten up to 7500+ So these folks learned how to do the math. I think they were waiting though to see what the other advertisers were going to do. When they realized they were the lone holdout they knew it reflected badly on them.
The people UNITED will never be DEFEATED! Thanks everyone for all your efforts. It paid off in a huge way. Can't wait to see what happens next.
Linda S Houston
3/4/2012 3:59:20 PM
Absolutely no one has any right to be calling any military shots but the President of the United States, and the top military leaders that answer to him. Presidential wannabes are just that----wannabes, and not even in the least qualified to talk because they don't know what is going on behind the scenes. It is absolutely criminally irresponsible for anyone else to be speaking of attacking Iran.
Linda S Houston
3/4/2012 3:54:07 PM
Newt Gingrich is insane. He has put the soldiers already over there in danger just with running on at the mouth. They would not have tolerated such a thing under Bush. Anybody that didn't pledge allegiance to him and Cheney got branded a traitor. How is this any different? We are still at war.
ron mariposa
3/4/2012 3:52:06 PM
Maybe we should start posting on the gop=tea baggers blogs and put the song WAR on there. The say
WAR WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!
just my humble view
Rob, Oregon
3/4/2012 1:28:23 PM
This President has shown to me his resolve on terrorism, and foreign policy in the crazed middle east. The right wing blowhards would like to pretend Iran can take out the U.S. next week unless we commence carpet bombing now. All the bomb bomb Iran talk is more nonsense from the righties obsessed with making Obama look weak, when he has already proven quite the contrary. It also serves to make Iran look the victim. They just will not quit with the Cheney card that we would be 'safer' with them in there. Just do a body count under Bush and compare that with Obama. That should answer that question.
The economy may just accelerate it's recovery if we quit starting WARS. The right just can't stand that thought. They have sat on their collective asses for over three years trying to thwart anything and everything Obama proposes in attempts to make him fail. I've never heard a party openly state over and over, they want the President to fail like these useless repubs of the last three years. I really think we will be looking at another tea party rebellion next election. Only this one will be dumping these useless tea sacs down the tube in an attempt to clean up one of the worst cases of buyers remorse in our history.
