Cool Hand Luke and Iran

[Richard Haut]

Again the President of Iran has stated his views on Israel. He never said that Iran wanted to destroy Israel - nothing of the sort. What he has said - and repeated - is that it is Israel's own aggressive policies which will inevitably lead to its own destruction. (Did Bush read his letter ? Yes he did - and he read it very carefully).

I have always found it rather hard to accept that the grandson of Prescott Bush could be as pro-Israel as Bush pretends to be. I say "pretends" because today's Middle East confusion is beginning to look like a giant - victimization - game played out between Washington and Israel.

The Neo-Cons have been blatant in their requirement for Israel to fight the final battle of "Armaggedon" (in the Jordan Valley) and that those who survive must "convert or burn". Does that make them antisemitic ? Mmmmm.

The dear old "Bulldozer" (not to be confused with Bush's other friend Bulldog) Ariel Sharon was like an elephant trying to tap-dance when he attempted to be subtle. He went to America with a clever-clever plan for the Gaza withdrawal (the creation of the new Warsaw Ghetto). Bush agreed so fast, so easily, so completely that Sharon and his buddies were embarassed. Back in Israel serious diagreements broke out over the Gaza withdrawal - and what were the contents of those disagreements ? Just how much Israel should charge the "stupid Goim" (Americans) for the withdrawal.

And now Bush has said that America will defend Israel if it is attacked. Then he says it again. And again. And again ("you bet we will defend Israel") - and again.

Israel is pushing for Iran to be attacked using outright lying - Israel is playing its hand to the hilt. It intends to push America into another even more disasterous war and then to cower behind the US troops in Iraq - Israel's human shields.

But Bush will keep on agreeing with them. He keeps on and on and on emphasizing that Iran is a threat to .... Israel. Obviously Iran is no threat to the US itself - how could it be ? Their missiles cannot fly far enough; they have no nuclear weapons nor even the faintest beginnings of such weapons; and above all they have no reason to attack the US itself.

Bush has therefore established that if there is any threat at all from Iran, it is to Israel not America; and that any attack on Iran would be for the benefit of Israel, not America.

And the ace-in-the-hole is that Bush has said on and on and on that America will defend Israel "if it is attacked". He never said, nor has he in any way implied, nor is America obliged to defend Israel if Israel is itself the aggressor.

The result ? Even the ADL is whining for Bush to shut up.

But Little Dubya won't shut up because I bet that he plays a real mean hand of - victimization -. You bet your life on it.