Washblog

 Here is the Democratic message on Iran
by John in DC - 4/12/2006 11:12:00 PM

George Bush has decided to use Iran as a foil to help his sagging poll numbers and to help Republicans in the fall congressional elections. I'm going to discuss why this is true, and what the Dems should do about it.

Iran is ten years away from developing nukes.

I'll say it again, TEN YEARS away. That would be TEN YEARS at the earliest, according to the best estimate we have. And that's not according to some peacenik liberal, it's according to the best estimate of US intelligence.

From the US State Department's own Web site:

    Iran is likely years away from producing weapons-grade plutonium or highly enriched uranium. Vice Adm. Jacoby, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told the Senate Armed Services Committee in March 2005 that Iran is expected to be able to produce a weapon early next decade. According to one report, the new National Intelligence Estimate on Iran assesses that it will be ten years before Iran has a bomb.

And I'm sure you'll find this to be a big shock, but the State Department didn't bother mentioning that the five year "sometime early next decade" estimate has now been overruled by this ten year estimate. Yes, the "according to one report" reference State makes in its document, that would be THE definitive federal government report on this issue, not just "one" report. State conveniently mentions the now-debunked five-year estimate by the DIA director to, one might suspect, confuse the issue and shorten the time

Looking and acting like a leader is a hell of a lot more important the presenting hesitation and a stubborn almost prideful insistence that "I was wise back then and must stick to my original wisdom in order to look wise and electable now."

1. Iran is ten years away from developing nukes.

2. Iran is a convenient way to change the subject.

3. Bringing up Iran now is a convenient way to help Republicans in the fall congressional elections.

4. George Bush is the wrong man to be launching yet another war.

5. Slow down, we've got ten years.

6. Since we have ten years, we can at the very least wait seven months until the congressional elections this fall.

7. It is ridiculous to consider any congressional resolution on Iran until after the fall elections.

8. There is no reason we need to even go to war
   

until Bush has left office.

9. Bush is the not the president we want exercising the nuclear option.

10. Bush either lied to us, or was unable to determine the truth, about Iraq's WMD program.

11. What military and what money are we going to use to launch a war against Iran?

12. Why is it always us?

It's the whole argument against so much spin consideration that our heroes don't look or act like heroes ... they act like puppets, Pinochio for example - whose nose only gets longer and longer and eyes remain fixed, glazed over and looking in one singular direction - with those donkey ears drooping.