OpEdNews » Bush Directive for a "Catastrophic Emergency" in America: Building a Justification for Waging War on Iran?

"Another [9/11 type terrorist] attack could create both a justification and an opportunity that is lacking today to retaliate against some known targets" (Statement by Pentagon official, leaked to the Washington Post, 23 April 2006)

The US media consensus is that "the United States faces its greatest threat of a terrorist assault since the September 11 attacks" (USA Today, 12 February 2006) The American Homeland is threatened by " Islamic terrorists", allegedly supported by Tehran and Damascus.

America is under attack" by an illusive "outside enemy".

Concepts are turned upside down. War becomes Peace. "Offense" becomes a legitimate means of "self-defense". In the words of President Bush:

"Against this kind of enemy, there is only one effective response: We must go on the offense, stay on the offense, and take the fight to them." (President George W. Bush, CENTCOM Coalition Conference, May 1, 2007)

The intent is to seek a pretext to wage a preemptive war.

A "terrorist attack on America" could be used to justify, in the eyes of an increasingly credulous public opinion, on "humanitarian grounds", the launching of a major theater war directed against Iran and Syria.

Allegedly supported by Iran, the terrorists are said to possess nuclear capabilities. They are supposedly planning to explode "radiological dispersion devices" (RDD) or "dirty bombs" in densely populated urban areas in the US. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell had already forewarned in 2003 that, "It would be easy for terrorists to cook up radioactive ‘dirty’ bombs to explode inside the U.S. … How likely it is, I can't say..." (10 February 2003).

The sheer absurdity that Al Qaeda might have advanced capabilities to wage a nuclear attack on America is, nonetheless, pervasive in US media reports. Moreover, numerous drills and exercises, simulating a terrorist attack using nuclear devices, have been conducted in recent years, creating the illusion that "the threat is real":

"What we do know is that our enemies want to inflict massive casualties and that terrorists have the expertise to invent a wide range of attacks, including those involving the use of chemical, biological, radiological and even nuclear weapons. ... [E]xploding a small nuclear weapon in a major city could do incalculable harm to hundreds of thousands of people, as well as to businesses and the economy,...(US Congress, House Financial Services Committee, June 21, 2007).

History

Consistently since 911, the Bush administration has reminded Americans of the danger of a "Second 9/11":

"The near-term attacks ... will either rival or exceed the 9/11 attacks... And it's pretty clear that the nation's capital and New York city would be on any list..." (Former DHS Secretary Tom Ridge, December 2003)

"You ask, 'Is it serious?' Yes, you bet your life. People don't do that unless it's a serious situation." (Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, December 2003)

"... Credible reporting indicates that Al Qaeda is moving forward with its plans to carry out a large-scale attack in the United States in an effort to disrupt our democratic process... (Former DHS Secretary Tom Ridge, 8 July 2004)

"The enemy that struck on 9/11 is weakened and fractured yet it is still lethal and planning to hit us again." (Vice President Dick Cheney, 7 January 2006)
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7 comments

Wolfie

If only

the Afghannis gave us the oil pipeline and Iraquis did not want to accept

Euros.

Then we see that they made us attack them, you see.

Just like the woman who wore scanty clothing made the man attack her.

Brother Wolfie sees Truth

by Wolfie (9 articles, 0 quicklinks, 33 diaries, 1208 comments) on Tuesday, September 9, 2008 at 6:03:17 PM

'The people are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.' Thomas Jefferson 1787
Munich'The people are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.' Thomas Jefferson 1787

Re: Bush Directive for a "Catastrophic Emergency

Wolfie:

I understand what you are stating and what is going on. However, please do us a favor and explain to Hal Smith and others what exactly is going on in Afghanistan i.e. the Caspian pipeline.

I'm certain Mr. Smith would appreciate it.

by Munich (1 articles, 82 quicklinks, 13 diaries, 1014 comments) on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 at 12:46:14 PM

Wolfie

Mr. Smith, do the research

My art instuctor told the class that he could teach all the knowledge he had

about painting in fifteen hours.

But it would take us, the students, fifteen years to learn that knowledge

that would be taught!

Brother Wolfie cannot but direct you to the path. You must walk it in order

to be entitled to talk it.

by Wolfie (9 articles, 0 quicklinks, 33 diaries, 1208 comments) on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 at 1:29:48 PM

I am an American born citizen of the United States of America.
My brother who lives in Europe was finally able to wake me up on a trip to the US about a year and a half ago.

Now,after coming out of my stupor of believing the mainstream media and drowning my sorrows in front of the TV watching stupid sports, I consider myself well informed enough that I can return the favor to my fellow Americans and wake them up as well.

Hopefully through my forward speaking appro...

to see more of bio, click on member name
Hal SmithI am an American born citizen of the United States of America.
My brother who lives in Europe was finally able to wake me up on a trip to the US about a year and a half ago.

Now,after coming out of my stupor of believing the mainstream media and drowning my sorrows in front of the TV watching stupid sports, I consider myself well informed enough that I can return the favor to my fellow Americans and wake them up as well.

Hopefully through my forward speaking appro...

to see more of bio, click on member name

WHAT

????????????

by Hal Smith (4 articles, 1 quicklinks, 6 diaries, 67 comments) on Tuesday, September 9, 2008 at 6:07:13 PM

Amanda is a managing editor at OpEdNews and has worked with Rob Kall on the site since 2004. A retired research ethnographer specializing in organization and technological innovation and strategic business development, she now resides in Georgia where she builds and restores wooden and fiberglass boats with her husband, Tom, a retired electrical engineer. Amanda grew up in the Commonwealth of Kentucky on the 9AA that runs along the Ohio in an area that gave the world Larry Flynt, the Clooneys, R...

to see more of bio, click on member name
Amanda LangAmanda is a managing editor at OpEdNews and has worked with Rob Kall on the site since 2004. A retired research ethnographer specializing in organization and technological innovation and strategic business development, she now resides in Georgia where she builds and restores wooden and fiberglass boats with her husband, Tom, a retired electrical engineer. Amanda grew up in the Commonwealth of Kentucky on the 9AA that runs along the Ohio in an area that gave the world Larry Flynt, the Clooneys, R...

to see more of bio, click on member name

The Neocon Plan is right on Schedule. Maybe ahead...

PNAC - Project for the New American Century

THE NEOCON "WET DREAM"

Letter to President Clinton on Iraq, January 26, 1998

On January 16, 1998, following perceived Iraqi unwillingness to co-operate with UN weapons inspections, members of the PNAC, including Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, and Robert Zoellick drafted an open letter to President Bill Clinton, posted on its website, urging President Clinton to remove Saddam Hussein from power using U.S. diplomatic, political, and military power. The signers argue that Saddam would pose a threat to the United States, its Middle East allies, and oil resources in the region, if he succeeded in maintaining what they asserted was a stockpile of Weapons of Mass Destruction. They also state: "we can no longer depend on our partners in the Gulf War to continue to uphold the sanctions or to punish Saddam when he blocks or evades UN inspections" and "American policy cannot continue to be crippled by a misguided insistence on unanimity in the UN Security Council." They argue that an Iraq war would be justified by Hussein's defiance of UN "containment" policy and his persistent threat to U.S. interests.[6]

[edit] Rebuilding America's Defenses

Rebuilding America's Defenses: Strategies, Forces, and Resources For a New Century (2000), which lists as Project Chairmen Donald Kagan and Gary Schmitt and as Principal Author Thomas Donnelly, quotes from the PNAC's June 1997 "Statement of Principles" and proceeds "from the belief that America should seek to preserve and extend its position of global leadership by maintaining the preeminence of U.S. military forces."[21][22]

The report argues:

The American peace has proven itself peaceful, stable, and durable. It has, over the past decade, provided the geopolitical framework for widespread economic growth and the spread of American principles of liberty and democracy. Yet no moment in international politics can be frozen in time; even a global Pax Americana will not preserve itself.[21]

After its title page, the report features a page entitled "About the Project for the New American Century", quoting key passages from its 1997 "Statement of Principles":

[What we require is] a military that is strong and ready to meet both present and future challenges; a foreign policy that boldly and purposefully promotes American principles abroad; and national leadership that accepts the United States' global responsibilities. Of course, the United States must be prudent in how it exercises its power. But we cannot safely avoid the responsibilities of global leadership of the costs that are associated with its exercise. America has a vital role in maintaining peace and security in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. If we shirk our responsibilities, we invite challenges to our fundamental interests. The history of the 20th century should have taught us that it is important to shape circumstances before crises emerge, and to meet threats before they become dire. The history of the past century should have taught us to embrace the cause of American leadership.[21]

In its "Preface", in highlighted boxes, Rebuilding America's Defenses states that it aims to:

ESTABLISH FOUR CORE MISSIONS for the U.S. military:
• defend the American homeland;
• fight and decisively win multiple, simultaneous major theater wars;
• perform the "constabulary" duties associated with shaping the security environment in critical regions;
• transform U.S. forces to exploit the "revolution in military affairs";

and that

To carry out these core missions, we need to provide sufficient force and budgetary allocations. In particular, the United States must:
MAINTAIN NUCLEAR STRATEGIC SUPERIORITY, basing the U.S. deterrent upon a global, nuclear net assessment that weighs the full range of current and emerging threats, not merely the U.S.-Russia balance.
RESTORE THE PERSONNEL STRENGTH of today's force to roughly the levels anticipated in the "Base Force" outlined by the Bush Administration, an increase in active-duty strength from 1.4 million to 1.6 million.
REPOSITION U.S. FORCES to respond to 21st century strategic realities by shifting permanently-based forces to Southeast Europe and Southeast Asia, and by changing naval deployment patterns to reflect growing U.S. strategic concerns in East Asia. (iv)

America will be in Pakistan before the end of next year. Iran, Syria, and Libya in the cross-hairs.

by Amanda Lang (23 articles, 14005 quicklinks, 433 diaries, 604 comments) on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 at 8:04:00 AM

Oh Contraire!

I do understand the Caspian pipeline and do not need an explanation but, I do not understand the scantly clad reference.

To me, that's like saying that I asked to pay the FICA tax because I am an American citizen.

I mean WTF. There are too many people out there that have been able to draw their own conclusions on numerous subjects.

I do not think that anyone person or people will know the whole truth of all that is going on now or what has happened in the past 10 yrs until we are all but a memory.

This is unless something drastic changes real quick.

I know that we have a lot of well informed, intelligent people writing on this site. I just wish we all had one person who knew the truth that we could trust and follow. Someone that will bring all of the like minded people together so that we do not have to debate what we think but reflect on what we know.

by Hal Smith (4 articles, 1 quicklinks, 6 diaries, 67 comments) on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 at 2:13:25 PM