Article

2002-10-31 Axis of Evil

Rumsfeld sez Iran will collapse without help...

US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has predicted an early violent overthrow of the Iranian government, or its collapse amid mounting problems and internal strife. The forecast, made Wednesday during a radio call-in show, came in response to a question on whether the administration of President George W. Bush planned to move on to Iran after achieving its goal of "regime change" in Iraq. Therefore, it appeared to suggest that the Bush administration saw no need to resort to overt or covert military measures to topple the regime in Tehran because it expected it to collapse under its own weight.
How's it feel to be not important enough to worry about — for now?
"I suspect that during my lifetime we're going to see a change in that situation over there and that the young people and the women and the people who believe in freedom will overthrow that cleric government and it will fall in some way of its own weight," Rumsfeld said on "The Mike Gallagher Show." The defense secretary called Iran "an interesting place" controlled by "a very small clique of clerics. And the women and the young people don't agree with how it's being run."
At the moment, the women and kiddies aren't the ones with the guns and ammuntion...
Iranian officials have been expressing heightened concern that if Washington decides to invade Iraq and maintain its military presence in Afghanistan, their country will end up sandwiched between two sizable contingents of US troops.
"Is it just me, or do you feel... surrounded?"
Defense Minister Rear-Admiral Ali Shamkhani aired these worries earlier Wednesday, when he warned Iranians to be prepared for the possibility of a US attack. "The US government wants to reorganize the region and as a consequence Iran could constitute a target," Shamkhani said. "If the Americans are in both Afghanistan and Iraq, this represents a significant challenge."
"Infidels to the west of us! Infidels to the east of us!..."

Posted by Fred Pruitt 2002-10-31 06:15 pm|| || Front Page|| [11130 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 I take Rumsfeld's comments to mean that once there are sizable contigents of American troops on both sides of Iran, we will assist the young people and the women in their revolt against the clerics.

Why would the SecDef tip the U.S.'s hand so blatantly - admitting that the mullahs can rest easy because we won't do anything? The only other possible purpose of such a statement would be to reassure the clerics that we have no beef with them, so their "assistance" against Iraq remains forthcoming. But that cuts against the substance of Rumsfeld's words, which clearly indicate that we would be in favor of regime change in Iran. Leaving misinformation as the sole reason for the remarks.

Posted by Bone 2002-11-01 03:01:53|| 2002-11-01 03:01:53|| Front Page Top

#2 Or it could be just a simple statement of confidence...

Posted by Fred 2002-11-01 07:44:50|| 2002-11-01 07:44:50|| Front Page Top

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