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Pipes: Obama Must Bomb Iran To Save His Presidency
Daniel Pipes
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Daniel Pipes, whose previous interest in Barack Obama centered on his belief that the president was Muslim, is now offering free advice on "how to save the Obama presidency." To wit: bomb Iran.
"He needs a dramatic gesture to change the public perception of him as a light-weight, bumbling ideologue, preferably in an arena where the stakes are high, where he can take charge, and where he can trump expectations," writes Pipes in a piece for National Review.
"Such an opportunity does exist: Obama can give orders for the U.S. military to destroy Iran's nuclear-weapon capacity."
Pipes also warns of Iran launching "an electromagnetic pulse attack on the United States, utterly devastating the country."
According to Pipes, a war with Iran would also be quick and easy job. "[I]if the U.S.limited its strike to taking out Iran's nuclear facilities and did not attempt any regime change, it would require few "boots on the ground" and entail relatively few casualties, making an attack more politically palatable."
Contra Pipes, retired Gen. Anthony Zinni (ret.) has said (via Matt Duss):
"After you've dropped those bombs on those hardened facilities, what happens next? ... Because, eventually, if you follow this all the way down, eventually I'm putting boots on the ground somewhere. And like I tell my friends, if you like Iraq and Afghanistan, you'll love Iran."
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EnnuiDivine
February 4, 2010 9:28 AM
Are these people purposely obtuse...or do they legitimately believe that bombing a country with a military force of over 1,000,000 troops would lead to no regional reprocussions?
Pipes is delusional.
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Eric C
February 4, 2010 9:30 AM
Yea, plus the US is just rolling in cash right now, so taking on another war should be no problem.
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cybermanekin
February 4, 2010 9:36 AM
Pipes also warns of Iran launching "an electromagnetic pulse attack on the United States, utterly devastating the country."
Pipes derives this theory from his close reading of Frank Miller's "Batman: The Dark Knight".
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Matt Jones
February 4, 2010 9:52 AM
Here's an offer for Mr. Pipes: we'll give you a Humvee and all the explosives you can carry, then send you over the border with Iran. Maybe some of your wingnut friends could come along - I'm sure you will have *no* problems taking out Iran.
BTW, when you get back, we'll be strapping you to oil tankers crossing the Strait of Hormuz to absorb the blast from anti-ship missiles.
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aaronl
February 4, 2010 10:08 AM
Never mind what consequences an attack on Iran would have on the continuing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Does Pipes own a map?
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docrocktex
February 4, 2010 10:18 AM
The wingnuts are so fearful of everyone and everything, is it in their DNA?
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Duck Stab
February 4, 2010 11:41 AM
All these bloody thirsty neocons, from Cheney to Kristol to Wolfowitz to Pipes, have any of them ever served in the military? Have any of them every seen first hand what combat is like? Of course not. That's for chumps.
They all strike me as chickenshits who got beat up too many times as children at the bus stop and they never got over it. Now they must overcompensate their 'manliness' by calling for the deaths of millions of people.
They are sick, dangerous people.
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tiowally
February 4, 2010 3:18 PM
Pipes is the founder of Campus Watch which specializes in McCarthyesque intimidation of professors who criticize Israel. This makes him a leading authority on both geopolitical and military strategy in the proud tradition of people like Doug "The Dumbest Fucking Guy On The Planet" Feith and little Billy Kristol.
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BrianSkuse
February 4, 2010 7:55 PM
These war-lovers have two wars going on already. They want the USA to start another one. Their stated reasons are EXACTLY the same as the last time we were scammed by the same people.
What is wrong with our country ? This sort of debate is no debate at all. This is just a lot of disconnected yammering.
Pipes and his friends would be ignored or hooted down if we had a chance of getting any answers right. However they are taken seriously and they are well connected.
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Tosh
May 16, 2010 10:14 AM
Here's an offer for Mr. Pipes: we'll give you a Humvee and all the explosives you can carry, then send you over the border with Iran. Maybe some of your wingnut friends could come along - I'm sure you will have *no* problems taking out Iran.
BTW, when you get back, we'll be strapping you to oil tankers crossing the Strait of Hormuz to absorb the blast from anti-ship missiles.
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