Comments (27)

danger wrote on January 8, 2008 4:50 PM:

This reminds me of the MAD TV skit from the mid 90s where the guy goes on a bender for the ages and wakes up to find himself not only President, but reelected to a second term.

moondancer wrote on January 8, 2008 5:03 PM:

I say we annihilate the provocative Iranians. After all a provocative attack with cardboard boxes tossed from ski boats is not to be ignored. This fleet of warships could have suffered paint chips or worse. Lets make Bill Kristol happy. Smash those nasty Persians, take their land, convert the survivors!

Philip Wright wrote on January 8, 2008 5:06 PM:

That was erie. I think he means to get them back for their shooting him a bird. This guy, that is the President of the United States is not someone you would want to cut off in traffic. Even if it were a mistake.

Alguien wrote on January 8, 2008 5:10 PM:

moondancer wrote on January 8, 2008 5:03 PM:
"I say we annihilate the provocative Iranians. After all a provocative attack with cardboard boxes tossed from ski boats is not to be ignored. This fleet of warships could have suffered paint chips or worse. Lets make Bill Kristol happy. Smash those nasty Persians, take their land, convert the survivors!"

More importantly, moondancer...get ALL THEIR OIL before it's too late!

User Loser wrote on January 8, 2008 5:15 PM:

Curious isn't it that the Iranians and Bush are co-ordinating their activities?

Igot Knonuques wrote on January 8, 2008 5:29 PM:

Bully Bush is ready to go to the brink, but staring into the abyss of nuclear war might be sobering even for him.

nofltwlt wrote on January 8, 2008 6:11 PM:

Yes, you numbskull, you are proviking Iran. You've none too much harm, please just take a nap until Jan. 2009 you evil, stupid, anti-military, anti-Amerian ass-wipe.

bluesmail wrote on January 8, 2008 7:10 PM:

what do you mean Iranians/Bush co-ordinating their activities?

anon wrote on January 8, 2008 7:17 PM:

IIRC, some accounts of the Iranian "attack" mentioned that guns were spotted on one or more of the boats and that the crews on both sets of boats were familiar with each other. Reading between the lines, it sounds list was a couple of Iranian patrol boats that buzzed American ships just because. And the radio traffic that was released makes the whole thing seem like a joke. Has anyone talked to a sailor from one of the boats?

hass wrote on January 8, 2008 7:44 PM:

On the other hand, sending US reconnaissance planes into Iranian airspace and sending commandos into Iranian territory and arming terrorist groups there - all those are not provocative acts? LOL!

Helena Montana wrote on January 8, 2008 7:46 PM:

Dick Cheney is so horny to attack Iran that he'll seize on this little incident (if it even happened at all, and I'm not convinced that it did)to launch a full air and ground war. After all, he'll be out of office in a year, then no more fun and games for him.

darms wrote on January 8, 2008 7:47 PM:

Strait of Hormuz = Gulf Of Tonkin?
"We don't want a smoking gun in the form of a mushroom cloud".

Guys, these bushies need to provide detailed video of this incident else I don't believe a damned word of it.

"Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on er, uh, won't get fooled again".

anon wrote on January 8, 2008 8:29 PM:

...these bushies need to provide detailed video...

I wonder if one reason Bush and Co backed down is that the Iranians have video. Has anyone dug through Iranian news sites looking for video of the incident?

empy wrote on January 8, 2008 9:21 PM:

Very interesting this happens right after it is confirmed that the Gulf of Tonkin incident never happened.

http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Report_reveals_Vietnam_War_hoaxes_f_01082008.html

empy wrote on January 8, 2008 9:21 PM:

Very interesting this happens right after it is confirmed that the Gulf of Tonkin incident never happened.

http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Report_reveals_Vietnam_War_hoaxes_f_01082008.html

Roberta wrote on January 8, 2008 9:39 PM:

Sorry to tell you, darms, they had video but it somehow all the copies of it got destroyed.

dkm wrote on January 8, 2008 11:05 PM:

I am glad to see that some people still remember the Gulf of Tonkin incident and what it led to. Speaking of fool me once.

One of the problems that I have with the neocon Bushies is that they have absolutely no imagination at all. Everything they do is copied from an earlier playbook and now it looks like the runup to the Iran invasion not only is being copied from the runup to Iraq, but now the runup to Viet Nam. No wonder they constantly lose on the diplomatic front. With no imagination, they perform obvious moves in their game playing that anyone with half a brain can foresee and counter.

anon wrote on January 9, 2008 12:19 AM:

Awesome! The BBC has DoD video of the "incident". I'd say they released it to get ahead of the Iranians releasing it because it's so freaking lame. Even if those boats were packed with bombs, they don't get that close--certainly a couple of guys with M16s could have taken care of it if the boats charged or whatever. They look like your basic ski boats and the pilots look like they are having fun, running over the bigger boats wake, etc. The radio is hard to make out but the guys on the bridge seem appropriately alert but not freaked. I didn't catch any evidence that the US boats were in international waters.

Pro Choice Lib wrote on January 9, 2008 9:01 AM:

PSYOPS!! Brought to you by your own taxpayer dollars.

RandyR wrote on January 9, 2008 10:38 AM:

Watch for the epic new movie about the heroic sailors on 700 foot long US guided missile cruisers facing down crazed Iranian Revolutionary Guards in 36 foot long fiberglass fishing boats equipped with deadly light machine guns and cardboard boxes. See how the 400 brave American enlisted men and officers resisted the Iranians who driven to fervor by patriotism and faith in God placed white boxes in the path of death.

It's a great movie scenario but the only thing you could put in a cardboard box that could hurt a Guided Missile Cruiser is prayers. The Iranians were in 36 foot long fiberglass fishing boats with outboard motors, like Boston Whalers. Their for watching traffic through the Strait and stopping British Sailors in rubber rafts who wander into their waters.

Maybe it's time for the press to reveal the signing statement which authorizes covert ops against the Iranians and 5 other countries, cause that's a much bigger story.

Dee Illuminati wrote on January 9, 2008 10:48 AM:

To all:

Is this policy correct for USN?

----civilian transit you identify within 5 miles, communicate within 3, challenge with 2, and start maneuvering within 1 mile....

On the part of the Iranians and the USN is their any written guidelines?

As an example, if lets say that US craft did the same to Iran, navigated closely to their craft, would the Iranians detain sailors, give them cheap suits, put them on TV, and then send them home?

Any formal declarations from both sides on how this is handled in international waters?

I looked at the video and would say that the boats did get closer to the USN craft than what convention would assume is permittable or even conversely what Iran would find acceptable if the tables were turned.

This is political pissing and the Iranians stating that they are the 'big man on the arab street' when dealing with Uncle Sam and that they need to be party to any deals this week....

But the Navy has the video that I find convincing to make the point that Iran went out of their way to make the above point!

Johann wrote on January 9, 2008 11:50 AM:

The USA claims the right for it's navy to go anywhere in international waters.

Apparently, the Iranian navy does not have that right.

empy wrote on January 9, 2008 1:20 PM:

With the current rift widening between the hardline and moderate leadership of Iran, I wouldn't be surprised if this was an attempt by the hawks to drum up Anti-American support.

Since the NIE downplayed Irans weapons program and took the wind out of the potential bombing/attack/invasion, for both the hawks here and there, they both need something to keep the fire burning.

Hows that investigation into the President lying to us for months about Iran progressing?

Aaron G. Stock wrote on January 9, 2008 3:17 PM:

Possible textbook passage from the future?

"The U.S. went to war with Iran over an alleged incident involving 'provocative' Iranian speedboats and U.S. warships in which no shots were fired. Few will forget the war's slogan: "Remember the Hopper (Or Simply Take a Look at It, It's Still Here)!"

It used to be that the U.S. needed to blow up one of its own ships in order to start a war with a country it didn't like.

Aaron G. Stock wrote on January 9, 2008 3:42 PM:

Or pretend that shots were fired, for that matter.

BGP wrote on January 9, 2008 5:16 PM:

Too bad... a missed opportunity for some live pratice with the 5" guns.

Oh well, sure there will be more chances with that Krazy Midget Iranian Akmyweenygihad.

USMC in da house!

Voltaire wrote on January 12, 2008 4:37 PM:

"provocative," brought to you by the same folks that tried to sell us "preemptive."

One may be tempted to label this so-called Administration "provocative," a "prank" at that.

Unfortunately, too many lives have been lost or destoyed to warrant a punchline.