More Jake Tapper
That umbrella of deterrence would be offered, Clinton suggested, in order to deter other nations in the region "from feeling that they have to acquire nuclear weapons. You can't go to the Saudis or the Kuwaitis or UAE and others who have a legitimate concern about Iran and say: 'Well, don't acquire these weapons to defend yourself' unless you're also willing to say we will provide a deterrent backup and we will let the Iranians know that, yes, an attack on Israel would trigger massive retaliation, but so would an attack on those countries that are willing to go under this security umbrella and forswear their own nuclear ambitions."
Lets game this out for a second... OK, so President Clinton signs a pact with Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE and maybe Jordan to not persue Nukes (I'm sorry but when did anyone ever say they would do such a thing) with the promise that the US's Military (Presumably Nuclear?) will defend with Force any attack (Non-Nuclear Too) by Iran?
Since when has Iran started warning Saudi Arabia, Jordan, UAE or other ME countries about pending attacks?
Once this "umbrella" is deployed, it'll be a NATO style organization I presume which would permanently base US Forces in the Middle East to "protect" the sovereignty of these nations from the permanent enemy and agressor, Iran, specifically.
This is a little further down the road than Axis of Evil Ladies and Gents... This is an alliance specifically AGAINST a foreign nation who is not threatening any of the nations that we are allying with (other than Israel)... Would any of them go along with it? I'd say it's doubtful, but why drop such a proposal out there? Why go this length? Not surprisingly, you can see who "defense" is betting it's money on... More than McCain? Good God Help Us!
The Idea isn't new... Jim Hoagland Proposed it Originally
Hoagland is also known for notably having backed the later disgraced Ahmad Chalabi of the Iraqi National Congress as an asset in the U.S. war in Iraq. Hoagland has since changed his position on Chalabi and the information about WMD's.
Jim's Scheme, now officially supported by Hillary Clinton
"The United States should also be prepared to extend guarantees of territorial security for Arab states in the Gulf region. Bush should announce that he wants consultations with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan and other Arab states -- as well as principal U.S. allies in Europe -- on extending a U.S. or NATO nuclear umbrella over friendly states in the Gulf. This would be a direct defensive response to Iran's destructive drive for a nuclear program that can produce atomic weapons. U.S. guarantees would enable Arab states to forgo developing their own nuclear arsenals, just as the U.S.-Japan bilateral security treaty is intended to keep Japan nuclear-free."
The Problem Jim, and Hillary, is that there isn't a nation on earth interested in Invading or attacking or doing anything really with Japan, other than buy a few more Wii's... The Middle East on the other hand, as Oil Peaks, and food prices soar, with high levels of unemployment and poor goverments all around, well, that could be a different story. One Adventure is enough... An Entire Strategy of Adventure is something else entirely sinister.
One former Reagan Aid calls the idea "reckless"
Doug Bandow, a former special assistant to President Reagan, says this proposal is a dangerous one.
"It’s one thing to promise to respond to a nuclear attack by a potential global hegemon, the Soviet Union, against a major ally, such as Germany or Japan, especially when Washington has deliberately disarmed them," he wrote last year in The National Interest. "Very different is to promise to protect Jordan or Kuwait, friendly countries, true, but neither historic nor important allies, against an attack by Iran, a regional power without global reach. The latter is an extraordinary extension of a doctrine fraught with danger."
That's because, he wrote, such an umbrella "makes conflict more likely in other ways. First, if the U.S. commitment is not credible, there is no deterrent effect. ...Second, if war erupts, U.S. involvement (assuming America makes good on its promise) is automatic. Washington loses the ability to weigh costs and benefits in the particular case at the particular time..."
Sorta reminds me of the NIE... Hillary doesn't read these sorts of Back Ground things... so why bother even think about it... Create some hair brained system of Automatic trigger defense to permanently arm to defend the Middle East from itself?
This reveals many things:
1- Hillary Clinton buys the "war on Iran" line and as President, may lead us down such a road, slower than Cheney, but ultimately potentially much more dangerous as choice will be removed from the President's Power.
2- Hillary Clinton is playing to Out-Hawk John McCain; meaning, there is zero credibility to her claim that she's interested in getting out of Iraq... I mean, where on heavens would we store the troops/missles/tanks/guns/nukes necessary to immediately retaliate to an Iranian agression? why... on those Iraqi Bases of Course.
3- Hillary Clinton has a base level misunderstanding of US Foreign Policy Reach and Ability. Our Military is sadly in no position to engage in such an effort today, even if it were a priority, without significant investments which would consume money she claims she's interested in using to subsidize Health Care and Green Collar Jobs
4- Hillary Clinton is more interested in Oil than Energy Independence and likely fails to grasp the fundamental purpose of said Independence (so we can get out of the ME). The Money needed to maintain a ME Strike Force would surely be enough to pave the west with Solar Panels, upgrade our Grid, and put a Hybrid Plug In SUV made in the USA in every home within a Decade
5- Hillary Clinton is in the Pocket of Dubai. This has Ron Burkle/Dubai written all over it.
There are many other things that this reveals, but what I fear is most revealing is the fact that this little incident has gone entirely unnoticed, both in the Blogosphere, Major Print Press, and Major Network news.
Hillary Clinton is Ready to Set WWIII Ablaze and Make John McCain seem like a Dove, and we're still talking about Flag Pins?
Earlier Diary Here and Eugene Robinsondid have a paragraph. The point of this diary isn't to be critical of anyone really but rather to be critical in general that the story didn't get wheels... better late than never though. Today seems like a good day to make this Explode.
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