Olmert to tell Rice: U.S. must take lead on Iranian nukes

[sabra]

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/770047.html

Olmert to tell Rice: U.S. must take lead on Iranian nukes

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told visiting members of the Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday that "for the first time in my life I feel that there is an existential threat against the state of Israel."

Olmert will reiterate this message when he meets Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice today. Rice is due to arrive today for a visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

Olmert is expected to stress in talks with Rice that the United States must play a central role in countering the threat posed by Iran and its nuclear ambitions.

[HereSince1628]

1. Come on, for the first time in his life? An Israeli politician worried

about existential threat to Israel? I can't seem to even bite that, let alone chew and swallow it.

I thought only US politicians thought people were dumb enough to believe that sort of thing.

[sugapablo]

6. Why the hell wouldn't Olmert be worried?

Ahmadinejad is a fundie nutcase, no better than the religious right here in America.

He believes fully that he can (and will) bring the apocalypse by "wiping Israel off the map".

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/15/AR2005121501428.html


Imagine Pat Robertson with a nuclear arsenal and making threats to wipe countries off the map so that Jesus will return.

You don't have to like Israel to realize that Ahmadinejad with a bomb (or materials to pass on to Hezbollah, et al) is a danger to Israel and the world.

To think that Iran is so hell bent on nuclear energy that it's willing to risk everything for it, scrictly for electricty to run mom and pop shops is naive AT BEST.

[mom cat]

7. Ahmadmejad is not in charge. Furthermore, the statement that you say

he made has repeatedly been discreditted as a very bad translation of his remarks.He never said that Isreal should be wiped off the map.
He never said that Israel should be wiped off the map.

http://www.govinfo.bnet-newmedia.co.uk/facts_Articles.php?IDVal=24

[brentspeak]

10. Per your link, he "only" said

'This regime that is occupying Qods (Jerusalem) must be eliminated from the pages of history.'

So, if someone said about you and your family, living in your home, "That family occupying that house must be eliminated from the pages of history," you'd feel fine with that?

[mom cat]

13. That statement is referring to the hope that the oppression of the

Palestinian people will someday be history. It is a brutal occupation and the brutality keeps escalating. How is it wrong to want the brutality to cease? e was never calling for the destruction of Israel.

[GeorgeGist]

18. Regime...

re‧gime 
–noun
1. a mode or system of rule or government: a dictatorial regime.
2. a ruling or prevailing system.
3. a government in power.
4. the period during which a particular government or ruling system is in power.
5. Medicine/Medical. regimen (def. 1).

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[sugapablo]

9. Racism?

*rolls eyes*

Who am I being racist against? Considering I'm the same race as the Iranians.

[MrPrax]

12. So what?

Still doesn't immune someone from buying into stupid stereotyping

...so your Persian are you? Phoney...

[sugapablo]

14. *sigh*

Persian isn't a race.

So what "stupid stereotyping" was I buying into? Because I didn't believe a nation who routinely hinders its own people by trying to censor information its people can acquire and squash disagreeable political movements, would risk everything it has just to build nuclear reactors for the sole purpose of generating electricity, especially with the constant inflammatory rhetoric that comes from its leader?

Yeah, that makes me a "racist" engaging in "stupid stereotyping".

If you disagree with me, disagree with me. Don't resort to name calling, accusations, et cetera.

[HereSince1628]

17. I'm not saying Iran isn't an existential threat to Israel...

I'm doubting that this is the first time in Olmert's life that he ever thought there was an existential threat to Israel.

Based on what past Israeli governments have said, and the battles they have fought, it seems that Israelis have been dealing with one existential threat after another for my entire life--which BTW is basically the same timespan as Israel's post WWII existance.

I really must doubt this is the first time Olmert thought such a threat really exists. What was Olmert thinking about the attacks on Iraq's nuclear program? He must be aware that the Iranian nuclear program isn't even the first time Israel has felt an existential threat from a potentially nuclear-armed neighbor.

[leesa]

21. Olmert is also a Fundie nutcase.

Israel has a nuclear arsenal that could wipe the rest of the ME off the map yet no one is allowed to defend themselves against the very aggressive Israel.

[daleo]

24. Even Robertson wouldn't use nukes if it meant losing his own life

Same with Iran. Same as it's ever been. MAD.

[razors edge]

2. I'm scared, go kill them for me?

[habitual]

3. MUST - now that is an interesting word to use

ordering us to do stuff hmmmmm....

[ConcernedCanuk]

4. WHAT Iranian nukes?? - I thot that Iran "nukes" is a "maybe" - 4-9 years??

.
.
.

That propaganda machine is workin' too well methinks.

HEY WORLD!

Iran has ZERO nukes (PNACers have thousands, by the way)

The PNACers have successfully smeared another nation with its lies

[leveymg]

5. Didn't he say Hezballah was an "existential threat"?

If not Olmert, other prominent Israelis have said that.

What exactly would he have us do? Drop the first bomb on Iran? Sure you wouldn't rather start that one, yourselves?

[patcox2]

11. When Israel says Jump, we say "How high?"

Whats surprising about this?

[Boo Boo]

16. In this case, I think it's the other way around.

The Neocons say "jump," and Olmert says "How high?"

[Boo Boo]

15. Dog and Pony show building towards a request for authorization

The Cheney Cabal are determined to conduct Air Strikes against Iran, and Olmert is clearly a Neocon flunky. They tell him what to do and he hops to. Bombing Iran makes little to no sense. Long term, it only increases the chances that the U.S. or Israel will be attacked with nukes. Proliferation is a threat wheather Iran develops nukes or not.

Besides, the policy is regime change; WMD are just a causus belli. If CheneyCo was really worried about Terrorists getting nukes they'd be invading Pakistan; they'd be dealing with N. Korea which has major incentive to proliferate because they are starving to death.

Dems must win in Nov.

[IndianaGreen]

19. Take a Prozac, Ehud

You'll feel better tomorrow!

[TexasLawyer]

20. another disastrous "pre-emptive" war

We already have one, thanks. We don't need another.

[UTUSN]

22. Surprise? ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK n/t

[Zhade]

23. Just shut the fuck up, Olmert, you maleficent war criminal.

Your actions are NOT helping the situation - which does not qualify as an imminent threat in any sane, conceivable way.

Would that there was a Hell to banish this murderer to for a time...!