The warmongering neocons are at it again, not that they've ever stopped. The foreign policy "thinktank" Foreign Policy Initiative (FPI), the direct successor to the dreaded PNAC, Project for a New American Century, has issued another in their long line of bulletins. Their modus operandi for written foreign policy analysis (telling administrations what to do) is to issue open letters to the President (Clinton, Bush and Obama so far) or periodic bulletins explaining their analysis that concludes we need more war, regime changes, or sanctions against the countries in the way of their global supremacy agenda.
For a reminder, PNAC was founded by William Kristol and Fred Kagan and included by signature, the likes of Dick Cheney, Paul Wolfowicz, Douglas Feith, Scooter Libby, Donald Rumsfeld, John Bolton, Richard Armitrage, Elliot Abrams, and Richard Perle. The successor organization, FPI, was founded in 2009, again by William Kristol along with Jamie Fly. Signees of FPI bulletins and open letters include many of the same neocons and many more, like Karl Rove and Liz Cheney.
The latest FPI bulletin issued October 17th, follows two open letters to the President issued last March to outline actions needed in Libya (since taken). Usually the open letters to the President follow a series of bulletins or fact sheets. Fortunately, this isn't an open letter.
This bulletin is not for the faint of heart.
http://www.foreignpolicyi.org/...
FPI Bulletin: More Diplomacy is Not an Adequate Response to Iran's Assassination Plot
"Last week, the Obama administration publicly revealed that senior Iranian officials had plotted to kill on the Saudi Ambassador to the United States on U.S. soil. With Iran continuing to pursue and develop nuclear weapons capability, this alleged plot represents a brazen escalation of Iran’s antagonism against the United States and Saudi Arabia. President Obama should respond directly and forcefully to Iran’s provocation. We believe that the following op-ed articles from FPI Executive Director Jamie Fly and FPI Director William Kristol could prove helpful to policymakers in formulating a response."
They then go into how indecisive Obama has been, how even when arriving at the right decision (Libya) it was after agonizing and unnecessary caution, and that the same kind of response toward Iran now puts Americans at risk. The reasons they give is the manufactured incident regarding the assassination of a Saudi Ambassador on American soil, and the continued escalation of Iran's nuclear program that will result in enough nuclear weapons to blow the world up. They also throw in a little "state sponsored terrorism" for good measure.
"Since President Obama took office, Iran has steadily crossed redline after redline in its nuclear weapons program. This has been met with a mix of silence or public bluster about additional sanctions. Remember the “crippling sanctions” promised by Secretary Clinton in April 2009? Now Iran possesses a stockpile of several weapons’ worth of enriched uranium, has a formerly secret centrifuge enrichment facility coming online, is making significant strides in its ballistic missile program, and is reportedly conducting ongoing weaponization work. These developments have all been met with nothing more than a series of relatively toothless U.N. Security Council resolutions and some stern lectures from American and European diplomats".
Talk then turns to how disgraceful diplomacy with Iran has become and that we have oval office precedents for bombing Iran; Clintons's 1993 cruise missile attack on Iraq due to Saddam Hussein's alleged plot to assassinate George H.W. Bush; and Reagan's airstrikes in Libya in 1986 due to Gaddafi's "relentless pursuit of terror".
"Fortunately, there is a template for action from President Obama’s predecessors in the Oval Office. An appropriate response would be targeted strikes against key regime facilities that support Iran’s illicit activities."
At the end, they make it very clear. Obama is a chickenshit if he doesn't attack Iran.
"Until now, the president has chosen to be the hapless victim of Iran’s machinations. It is time for President Obama to follow in the footsteps of his predecessors and stand up to tyrants who kill Americans and threaten our interests. It is time to take military action against the Iranian government elements that support terrorism and its nuclear program. More diplomacy is not an adequate response.The next speech we need to hear from the Obama administration should announce that, after 30 years, we have gone on the offensive against this murderous regime. And the speech after that can celebrate the fall of the regime, and offer American help to the democrats building a free and peaceful Iran."
The neocons have a pretty good track record at "predicting" what will happen with their open letters and foreign policy bulletins. Let's hope Obama doesn't take the bait. Open letter to follow.