Scott Horton / Harper’s Magazine & PrairieWeather – 2007-09-04 22:36:55
http://harpers.org/archive/2007/09/hbc-90001110
The War President Settles on a New War
Scott Horton / Harper’s
(September 4, 2007) — George Bush made a detour to Anbar Province, Iraq, en route to the upcoming Australian summit. He spoke there encouragingly about the progress achieved by his policies. Anbar is no doubt a success story. In large measure that is because a number of groups previously identified by the US as “the enemy” are no longer viewed as “the enemy.” They remain opposed to the Maliki Government in Baghdad. But they cooperate with US in efforts targeting Salafi organizations. There is certainly good news in Anbar, but this is still a great demonstration of our ability to declare victory simply by redefining expectations.
Still, why the unannounced sudden stop in Iraq? A few explanations. One, Bush announced what the so-called Petraeus Report will tell us. Evidently, the Surge is a success and this will justify a draw-down before the end of the year. So no need for General Petraeus to finish up that report; we know what it will say.
But here’s the news that may be lurking just behind the news. Military commanders urged a draw-down to occur before the commencement of military operations against Iran. Bush is accepting this recommendation only because he has mentally committed to an aerial campaign against Iran. He will therefore follow the general’s advice to get soldiers out of harm’s way, off to positions which are more secure in the event of an Iranian counterattack.
Throughout the Gulf area, moves are underway at this moment which are consistent with preparation for an aerial assault on Iran.
And how will the Bush appearance in Anbar be understood inside of the region? Bush aligns himself with Iraq’s Sunni minority, against the Shi’a Government in Baghdad, and in preparation for a massive attack on Shi’a Iran. We’re witnessing the latest dramatic summersault in U.S. policy on Iraq, and most of our brain dead punditry on the Potomac hardly even seem to notice.
Bush and his core White House team have come to a key conclusion. The Iraq War is going very poorly. Time for a new war.
What Else Was Going on in Anbar?
PrairieWeather.typepad.com
Why the unannounced sudden stop in Iraq? A few explanations. One, Bush announced what the so-called Petraeus Report will tell us. Evidently, the Surge is a success and this will justify a draw-down before the end of the year. So no need for General Petraeus to finish up that report; we know what it will say.
Throughout the Gulf area, moves are underway at this moment which are consistent with preparation for an aerial assault on Iran…
That’s from Scott Horton at Harper’s. He picks up on something the rest of the world seems to have missed: realignment before another war.
How will the Bush appearance in Anbar be understood inside of the region? Bush aligns himself with Iraq’s Sunni minority, against the Shi’a Government in Baghdad, and in preparation for a massive attack on Shi’a Iran. We’re witnessing the latest dramatic summersault in US policy on Iraq, and most of our brain dead punditry on the Potomac hardly even seem to notice.
Bush and his core White House team have come to a key conclusion. The Iraq War is going very poorly. Time for a new war.
Australia’s PM, John Howard, is described as a “fervent Iraq war backer.” Can Bush find support for an Iran invasion during the APEC meeting?
Meanwhile, a leading Russian environmentalist is calling on the [Australian] Prime Minister to delay signing a new uranium deal with the country’s President, Vladimir Putin, during APEC summit, saying Australia cannot be sure Russia will not divert the material for military purposes or send it to Iran.
The call, from Grigory Pasko, who spent four years in prison for reporting that the Russian military had dumped radioactive waste in the Sea of Japan, coincided with a warning from an expert on international law, Dr Don Rothwell, that Australian uranium sold to Russia could end up in nuclear reactors in Iran… “Russia is telling us loud and clear that Australian uranium may easily find its way into Iran’s hands,” said Mr Pasko.
Once again, Bush dives into deep waters.
How Would a War Be Waged?
Muckraker (excerpt)
How would an actual war be launched, given the expected opposition of the Democratic-controlled Congress?
To that end, President Bush’s decision to declare Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist group provides an opportunity. If the IRGC, Iran’s alternate military, is a terrorist group, Bush could claim authority under the September 18, 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force in Afghanistan to take action against Iran without Congressional approval, citing the AUMF’s broad provision that “the President has authority under the Constitution to take action to deter and prevent acts of international terrorism against the United States.”
(It’s a stretch, but the administration has already made the more-tendentious argument that the AUMF authorized the warrantless surveillance program.) “The AUMF applies, according to the Cheney-Addington view of the Constitution,” says Rubin.
