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Title: U.S. Commander: U.S. not preparing strike on Iran (CENTCOM COMMANDER ADM. FALLON)
Source:
Xinhua (Financial Times)
URL Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-11/12/content_7058994.htm
Published: Nov 12, 2007
Author: Xinhua (Bi Mingxin)
Post Date: 2007-11-12 10:27:44 by aristeides
Keywords: None
Views: 112
Comments: 6
U.S. Commander: U.S. not preparing strike on Iran LONDON, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- The United States is not preparing a preemptive attack on Iran in spite of an increase in bellicose rhetoric from Washington, the Financial Times newspaper reported on Monday. U.S. Commander of Central Command Admiral William Fallon told the Financial Times that while dealing with Iran was a "challenge," a strike was not "in the offing." "None of this is helped by the continuing stories that just keep going around and around and around that any day now there will be another war which is just not where we want to go," said Fallon, who commands military operations in the Middle East. "Getting Iranian behavior to change and finding ways to get them to come to their senses and do that is the real objective. Attacking them as a means to get to that spot strikes me as being not the first choice in my book," he said. But Fallon did not rule out the possibility of a strike at some point. Recently, President George W. Bush and his top officials have made a string of tough statements that have fuelled speculation that the U.S. was preparing to strike Iran over its nuclear program. Fallon declined to comment specifically on whether the U.S. rhetoric was feeding the speculation. "Generally, the bellicose comments are not particularly helpful," said Fallon. "We have to make sure that there is no mistake here on the part of the Iranians about our resolve in tending to business in the region," said he. "There has got to be some combination of strength and willingness to engage. How to come up with the right combination of that is the real trick." he said. According to the report, several senior incumbent and retired military officers had told the Financial Times that the Pentagon believed striking Iran at this point would be a strategic mistake, as even a limited air strike could spark a broader conflict.
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#1. To: aristeides (#0)
Admiral Fallon and Dick Cheney are clearly not on the same page.
Ron Paul for President - Join a Ron Paul Meetup group today!
I wonder if somebody in the government was spooked by the drop in the markets and the spike in the price of oil, and decided they had to start sending a different message.
To reason, indeed, he was not in the habit of attending. His mode of arguing, if it is to be so called, was one not uncommon among dull and stubborn persons, who are accustomed to be surrounded by their inferiors. He asserted a proposition; and, as often as wiser people ventured respectfully to show that it was erroneous, he asserted it again, in exactly the same words, and conceived that, by doing so, he at once disposed of all objections. - Macaulay, "History of England," Vol. 1, Chapter 6, on James II.
It's getting as hard to read the intentions of our government as it was to read those of the old Soviet government.
To reason, indeed, he was not in the habit of attending. His mode of arguing, if it is to be so called, was one not uncommon among dull and stubborn persons, who are accustomed to be surrounded by their inferiors. He asserted a proposition; and, as often as wiser people ventured respectfully to show that it was erroneous, he asserted it again, in exactly the same words, and conceived that, by doing so, he at once disposed of all objections. - Macaulay, "History of England," Vol. 1, Chapter 6, on James II.
As usual that tiny little word "BUT" rears its ugly head.
The Decider has a number of lines for which he is famous. The one that comes to mind for this situation goes like this: “I would give no thought of what the world might say of me, if I could only transmit to posterity the reputation of an honest man.” - Sam Houston
Isn't it extremely unusual for Chief of Staff Flag officer to make a foreign policy comment like this? I thought it was traditionally off limits.
"Satan / Cheney in "08" "Generally, the bellicose comments are not particularly helpful," said Fallon.
#2. To: All (#0)
#3. To: robin (#1)
#4. To: aristeides (#0)
But Fallon did not rule out the possibility of a strike at some point.
#5. To: aristeides (#0)
#6. To: aristeides (#3)
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