Comments (20)

TheraP wrote on July 17, 2007 11:42 AM:

"the Homeland"

Are we "THE" homeland? And other nations only "a" homeland?

Why don't they just say "on US soil?"

This is bush's phrase (reminiscent of South Africa). I wonder if there is a edict that "homeland" has to be utilized so many times per page.

How is this going to be viewed by people of other nations?

Sullynyc wrote on July 17, 2007 12:17 PM:

These guys are just making it up as they go along. Hizbollah is too busy trying to consolidate gains after the last war with Israel, and they don't blindly follow orders from Tehran.

Lies, lies, lies.

gonzone wrote on July 17, 2007 12:19 PM:

Speaking of Beruit, isn't that where Saint Raygun went running away with his tail between his legs and thus encouraged the use of terror as a weapon?

I can't imagine why the story of Saint Raygun pissing his pants isn't told more often. Must be related to his honoring the Nazi SS dead.

Anonymous wrote on July 17, 2007 12:22 PM:

Let's review the key sentence, in light of the "planned" attack Cheney is planning: "We assess Lebanese Hizbullah, which has conducted anti-US attacks outside the United States in the past, may be more likely to consider attacking the Homeland over the next three years if it perceives the United States as posing a direct threat to the group or to Iran"

- The US is planning to attack Iran satifying, "posing a direct threat to the group or to _Iran_"

Working backwards through the quote, "more likely to consider attacking the Homeland over the next three years" means that it is "more likely" to "consider" attacking; this does not mean that there is a plan, only that it is "considering".

OK: here's the point -- What was the original "level of consideration" they had in re attacking the US?

Once the US shows that it is about to pre-emptively attack Iran, they would legally, under Geneva, had the right to engage in a pre-emptive strike against the US for the "imminent" US use of force.

Iran has a credible method to confront the US: Threatened use of force to pre-empt the American military. IF the US miitary attacks Iran, others will target the support structure for that illegal warfare.

davcbr wrote on July 17, 2007 12:22 PM:

TheraP:
Homeland is the Bushism for "Fatherland"

molly wrote on July 17, 2007 12:28 PM:

With so many ships from OUR Navy gathered outside Iran...one wonders if we will get a hit blame it on Hezbollah or Al Qaeda and strike Iran in the blink of an eye. Bush said...probably hung over or high...Aug. would be bloody. He can't keep a secret. Read TBRnews.org today for plans for special troops to turn on US. The detention centers are ready. With the internet ..WE should try to prepare ourselves.

molly wrote on July 17, 2007 12:33 PM:

Heard somewhere it's against the Geneva Convention to threaten another country. Read TBRnews.org today for info on special troops being trained to turn on US. We can all see it coming....Our Navy build up outside Iran..Bush's war and Himself down in the polls. Quick strike on US ...another quick strike on Iran 'cause We had to protect ourselves. Oh, and Chertoff's gut feeling.

TheraP wrote on July 17, 2007 12:45 PM:

davcbr:

By "Fatherland" do you mean the land he "inherited" from his father?

Then again, which "father?" And which land?

So much Muck to rake!

mlaw230 wrote on July 17, 2007 12:46 PM:

I suspect there was very little argument about this at all. This represents the nexus between Iran, Hezbollah and international terrorism (Al Queda) that will, must, form the foundation of an attack on Iran.

The lines are being consciously blurred between these three entities better to conflate them all inthe event of a provocation, real or imagined.

Ayatollah of Rock-n-Rollah wrote on July 17, 2007 1:04 PM:

Keywords: Al Dawa, Islamic Fundamentalism, terrorism, US Embassy attack

Al-Dawa in Iraq has a long history with terrorism.

1) Large Turnout Reported For 1st Iraqi Vote Since '58 The Washington Post, June 21, 1980

In another development today, Al Dawa, a clandestine Iraqi fundamentalist Moslem organization, claimed responsibility for yesterday's grenade attack on the British Embassy here in which three gunmen reportedly were killed.

An Al Dawa spokesman told Agence France-Presse by phone that the attack was a "punitive operation against a center of British and American plotters."

2) Iraq Keeps a Tight Rein on Shiites While Bidding to Win Their Loyalty The Washington Post, November 30, 1982

Membership in Dawa, which means "the call," is punishable by execution. Dawa guerrillas were known for hurling grenades into crowds during religious ceremonies, and attacks claimed by the party were frequent until the middle of 1980.

3) U.S. HAS LIST OF BOMB SUSPECTS, LEBANESE SAYS Detroit Free Press, October 29, 1983

The source said the drivers of the two bomb-laden trucks were blessed before their mission by Sheikh Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, leader of the Iranian-backed Dawa Party, a Lebanese Shiite Muslim splinter group.

4) SHULTZ SEES LINK BETWEEN BEIRUT, KUWAIT ATTACKS OFFICIALS IDENTIFY MAN WHO DROVE TRUCK BOMB, The Miami Herald, December 14, 1983

Secretary of State George Shultz said Tuesday that there "quite likely" was a link between the U.S. Embassy bombing in Kuwait and attacks on American facilities in Lebanon. He warned of possible retaliation.

(snip)

The sources said the investigators matched the prints on the fingers with those on file with Kuwaiti authorities and
tentatively identified the assailant as Raed Mukbil, an Iraqi automobile mechanic who lived in Kuwait and was a member of Hezb Al Dawa, a fundamentalist Iraqi Shiite Moslem group based in Iran.

5) KUWAIT NABS 10 SHIITES IN BOMBINGS 7 IRAQIS, 3 LEBANESE 'ADMIT' TERROR ATTACKS. The Miami Herald, December 19, 1983

Kuwait Sunday announced the arrests of 10 Shiite Moslems with ties to Iran in the terrorist bombings that killed four people and wounded 66 last week at the U.S. Embassy and other targets.

(snip)

Hussein said fingerprints from the driver who died in the blast at the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait identified him as Raad Akeel al Badran, an Iraqi mechanic who lived in Kuwait and belonged to the Dawa party.

6) 10 Pro-Iranian Shiites Held in Kuwait Bombings, The Washington Post December 19, 1983

Kuwait announced yesterday the arrest of 10 Shiite Moslems with ties to Iran in terrorist bombings that killed four people and wounded 66 last Monday at the U.S. Embassy and other targets.

"All 10 have admitted involvement in the incidents as well as participating in planning the blasts," Abdul Aziz Hussein, minister of state for Cabinet affairs, told reporters after a Cabinet session, United Press International reported.

Hussein said the seven Iraqis and three Lebanese were members of the Al Dawa party, a radical Iraqi Shiite Moslem group with close ties to Iran.

7) Beirut Bombers Seen Front for Iranian-Supported Shiite Faction, The Washington Post, January 4, 1984

The terrorist group that claimed responsibility for the bombing of the U.S. Marine compound and the French military headquarters here may be a front for an exiled Iraqi Shiite opposition party based in Iran, in the view of a number of Arab and western diplomatic sources.

Authorities in Kuwait say their questioning of suspects in the recent bombing there of the U.S. and French embassies indicates a clear link between Islamic Jihad, a shadowy group that says it carried out the Beirut attacks, and Al Dawa Islamiyah, the main source of resistance to the government of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Al Dawa (The Call) has been outlawed in Iraq, where it wants to establish a fundamentalist Islamic state to replace the secular Baath Socialist government of Saddam Hussein, who is a Sunni Moslem.

It draws its strength from the large Shiite population in southern Iraq. Thousands of its most militant members were expelled to Iran in 1980 before the outbreak of the Iranian-Iraqi war and joined Al Dawa there. But it also has a large following in Lebanon among Iraqi exiles and sympathetic Lebanese Shiites.

While Al Dawa operates out of Tehran, it is not clear whether its activities abroad are under direct Iranian control or merely have Iran's tacit acceptance.

8)Baalbek Seen As Staging Area For Terrorism, The Washington Post, January 9, 1984

Al Dawa, according to Arab and western sources, is believed to have had a role in the Oct. 23 suicide bomb attacks on the U.S. Marine and French military compounds in Beirut.

jon wrote on July 17, 2007 1:36 PM:

Mister TPM, please don't repeat inaccurate propaganda.

Hezbollah was not an organization at the time of the barracks bombing. It is likely that persons involved in the bombing went on to become part of Hezbollah later.

al Dawa was implicated in the barracks bombing. Dulaimi, now holding considerable power in Iraq and an ally of ours, was deeply involved with Dawa in Lebanon in the late 70's and 80's.

Juan Cole has recounted this background in detail and compellingly.

Hezbollah is focused on Palestinian issues within Lebanon and Israel. Unless they are stymied and come to see US actions as standing in the way of their proceeding locally, I would expect them to maintain their regional focus.

Since Hezbollah is supported by Iran, an attack on Iran by the US may well prompt retaliation by Hezbollah against the US or Israel. They performed rather well against Israel last year. They have gained power and prestige as a result of their defense of Lebanese territory, something the Lebanese Army could not have done.

The commenters are right to suspect the US is maneuvering for a war with Iran. It is nearly a replay of the steps taken prior to going to war with Iraq.

The US is certainly able to project power against Iran and destroy a great deal of its military and infrastructure with minimal losses. The real quest is what will happen in the second act? We do not have the army or the allies to invade Iran and hold any territory. Our soldiers in Iraq are likely to be attacked by the Shia population of Iraq. We will not cause the collapse of the Iraqi government, if anything, and attack will produce universal support for the mullahs.

It's hard to see what the US policy makers think the benefit or long term gain of a military conflict with Iran will be.

And yes, Homeland = Fatherland. It is a way to spread a deep fear among the US populace, so that they will accept any actions said to be taken for their safety. It is also an attempt to command the language used to discuss issues, so that the options are shaped before the debate has begun. That's why things like 'Democrat Congress' have gained currency. Blame Rove, Gingrich, Vigurie, (and what's that other guy?)

parrot wrote on July 17, 2007 2:13 PM:

The major issue at hand here is which madman is considering attacking Iran in the first place? Iran would make Iraq look like a picnic in the park. Not only that but it would harden the resolve of much of the world against American hegemony...what's left of it anyways. Already, we have military control of Iraqi's oil fields if not the actual ability to control the political situation there. Next, we are going to claim that we are going after Iran...not for the oil...but for some idealistic madman's dreams of "freedom"? Give the world and the American public a break.

Ayatollah of Rock-n-Rollah wrote on July 17, 2007 3:17 PM:

jon: Since Hezbollah is supported by Iran

Iraq and Iran are like brothers.

The Green Zone is a sitting duck.

1) Iraq: Bush's Islamic Republic
By Peter W. Galbraith
[snip]
Real power in Shiite Iraq rests, however, with two religious parties: Abdel Aziz al-Hakim's Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) and the Dawa ("Call," in English) of Iraq's Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari. Of the two, SCIRI is the more pro-Iranian.

[snip]

SCIRI and Dawa want Iraq to be an Islamic state. They propose to make Islam the principal source of law, which most immediately would affect the status of women. For Muslim women, religious law—rather than Iraq's relatively progressive civil code—would govern personal status, including matters relating to marriage, divorce, property, and child custody. A Dawa draft for the Iraqi constitution would limit religious freedom for non-Muslims, and apparently deny such freedom altogether to peoples not "of the book," such as the Yezidis (a significant minority in Kurdistan), Zoroastrians, and Bahais.

This program is not just theoretical. Since Saddam's fall, Shiite religious parties have had de facto control over Iraq's southern cities. There Iranian-style religious police enforce a conservative Islamic code, including dress codes and bans on alcohol and other non-Islamic behavior. In most cases, the religious authorities govern—and legislate—without authority from Baghdad, and certainly without any reference to the freedoms incorporated in Iraq's American-written interim constitution—the Transitional Administrative Law (TAL).

2) The Iranian nightmare
By Michael Schwartz
Now, over two years after Baghdad fell and the American occupation of Iraq began, Kagan's prediction appears to have been fulfilled - in reverse. The chief beneficiary of the occupation and the chaos it produced has not been the Bush administration, but Iran, the most populous and powerful member of the "axis of evil" and the chief American competitor for dominance in the oil-rich region. As diplomatic historian Gabriel Kolko commented, "By destroying a united Iraq under [Saddam] Hussein ... the US removed the main barrier to Iran's eventual triumph."

[Keywords: Iraq, Islamic fundamentalists, Islamic fundamentalism, Shiite fundamentalists, Al Sadr, Al-Maliki, Al-Hakim, Bayan Jabr, Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, SCIRI, Al Dawa, Death Squads]

Ayatollah of Rock-n-Rollah wrote on July 17, 2007 4:49 PM:

Who is Al-Dawa? Who is Al-Dawa? Who is Al-Dawa?

HINT: See The Iran-Iraq War: Struggle Without End, 1984

[snip]

The ultimate goal of the Shiite Al Dawa Party was the overthrow of the Ba'athist government of Iraq.

The result of this action by the Al Dawa Party was the
ousting of between 40,000 and 70,000 Al Dawa Party members from Iraq.

The stronger stance against Iran is partly in response to Iranian
support for the Shiite faction that may have been responsible for the bombings of the American Marine and French Headquarters of the Multi-national Peacekeeping Force in Beirut.

The Shiite faction, Al Dawa (the Call), was expelled from Iraq in early 1980 by President Hussein.

Drawing its support from the large Shiite population in southeastern Iraq, Al Dawa attempted to establish a fundamentalist Islamic state to replace the secular Ba'ath Socialist government of President Hussein.

The present leader of Al Dawa, Hojatoleslam Mohammed Baqr Hakim, is operating from Tehran where he has directed terrorist attacks against targets throughout the Middle East.

It is uncertain if Tehran is directly controlling the activities of Al Dawa abroad or if it is just giving tacit approval for Al Dawa's activities.

In either case, Iran's support of Al Dawa is unacceptable and cessation of hostilities favorable to Iraq is now the preferred option for the White House.

larry birnbaum wrote on July 17, 2007 5:36 PM:

Well I guess the larger point is that Iran won't attack us at home unless we attack it first. But there is a smaller point as well, namely, that Hezbollah is essentially an agent for Iran. Which, given the distance from Iran to Lebanon, is in itself a rather aggressive posture.

Ayatollah of Rock-n-Rollah wrote on July 17, 2007 11:29 PM:

larry birnbaum: Hezbollah is essentially an agent for Iran.

HINT: Awhile ago, Hezbollah kidnapped Americans in order to release the Kuwait 17 (Al-dawa members)

LTO wrote on September 4, 2007 4:41 PM:

So, in advocating an Iranian attack, Cheney will be calling in airstrikes on his own position -- the "homeland". That ought to make the Administration's oft-repeated claim of "Republicans keeping the wolf away from the door" look pretty lame.

- LTO

sheerahkahn wrote on September 4, 2007 4:55 PM:

Oh, we would win in a "military" contest between us and Iran, but the rosiest of outcomes for us, though, would be a Pyrrhic victory...and that would probably be the best outcome we could hope for.

bjobotts wrote on September 4, 2007 9:21 PM:

It's exactly what Cheney wants, permanent war, and domestic fear of attack. Her comes the draft just to keep us safe. Should have gotten rid of this power hungry maniac. Now look what he's doing.

tk wrote on September 4, 2007 11:57 PM:

Never fear. Your hero Harry Reid will come to your rescue.