Michael Jackson TalkRadio Content

ast week Mr. Bush ordered a second aircraft carrier group to move to the Gulf region. He also called for the deployment of more Patriot missiles at US military bases in the region. At the same time the President has sought to rebut growing rumors that he was preparing some form of military action against Iran. The Washington Post reported that the President had authorized US troops to kill Iranian operatives in Iraq, but, he also denied that this was a prelude to stronger action. How should we interpret the recent actions toward Iran? Possibly he is increasing pressure on the Iranian regime in order to soften it up prior to talks over its uranium enrichment program. Or possibly ours is gunboat diplomacy in preparation for some kind of punitive action. Word has it that the Bush administration remains divided over which course to pursue. Both Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state and the secretary of defense, Bob Gates are believed to be pushing the White House to open talks with the Iranian regime. Afshin Molavi at the Washington based "New America Foundation" is quoted as saying "The Bush administration believes that Iran sees the US as a kind of paper tiger. The danger to this strategy in which the US is preparing for some kind of punitive action is that it carries the risk of accidentally leading to some kind of military confrontation." This we do not need now, to add the the predicament in Iraq. At the end of last year the Baker-Hamilton report, written by a bipartisan commission of Republicans and Democrats, suggested opening talks with Iran and Syria to resolve the Iraq crisis. Instead, President Bush has taken a precisely opposite line, blaming Iran and Syria for US losses in Iraq. The allegations against Iran are somewhat similar in tone and credibility to those made four years ago by the US government about Iraq possessing weapons of mass destruction in order to justify the invasion of 2003. Democrats have yet to receive assurances that President Bush will not be extending operations to Iran. At this stage the evidence against Iran is even less substantiated than that which was faked (or mistaken) evidence, regarding Iraqi WMDs I wonder how the possible expansion of the conflict, to include Iran, will play out here in the presidential election campaign?