This surely must be made up:
The Pentagon, acting under instructions from Vice President Dick Cheney’s office, has tasked the United States Strategic Command (STRATCOM) with drawing up a contingency plan to be employed in response to another 9/11-type terrorist attack on the United States. The plan includes a large-scale air assault on Iran employing both conventional and tactical nuclear weapons.
Hopefully The American Conservative made this up just to sell subscriptions (and Yglesias now wants a comp sub).
If this is true it damned well better be about the 10 millionth option. But, the bushies know that their credibility is pretty well shot so if they are going to take out Iran they need something big on which to base their action, something that they can pretend requires a quick response not the long brainwashing that occurred prior to the invasion of Iraq.
But, WTF, We’ve got both the chinese government and possibly now the us government talking about using nukes??? And some of you think these governments as currently constituted are good things???
Via The Alternate Brain.
It wouldn’t surprise me if isn’t made up. What has probably been missed is the plans aren’t new, maybe just dusted off. The U.S. military only does 2 things(4 things if you count practice as well) and that’s plan and fight. There are plans for everything anyone can think of. If you manage to think of something no one else has before, well then someone starts making plans.
The sheer volume of plans and the topics they cover are astounding. I have no knowledge that any plans like the ones mentioned exist, just complete expectation that they do. and did.
Oh.My.God. Just when you think things can’t get worse…well, hell they can, can’t they?
Tommy,
Yea, I’d expect the military to have plans for engagements all over the planet…with each of the nation states and a multitude of variations.
What struck me about this, though, was the language: ..in response to another 9/11-type terrorist attack…
Not “if Iran attacks us” but as if this would be the response to another attack no matter where/who the instigators are.
..in response to another 9/11-type terrorist attack…
That would be a political decision, as are all of the decisions to implement any of the plans. None of the plans I ever saw or had any input in ever discussed the why or political part of the equation, they just simply addressed what we would do. In other words this part The plan includes a large-scale air assault on Iran employing both conventional and tactical nuclear weapons.
If the reasons why were ever handled at the military level, as they say, it was above my paygrade.
americans have a responsibility to stop their govt to nelarge theatre of war. haven’t ou heard of peace as an alternative? haven’t we had enough blood or you guys just love to see others suffer? when do you expect to elevate yourself a little higher than a war-monger? you seem to have surrendered yourselves to that criminal bush and his neocon thugs. he has your tacit approval to do anything to anyone at anytime? is this how you plan to live with others and still call yourselves civilised?
This plan makes as much sense as our response to the original 911 attacks: bomb the shit out of Iraq. This of course is a strong piece of evidence in my ongoing argument; since when did the bushies ever have to make sense? All that the bushies have to do is look like they are doing something, and bombing Iraq looks good to a great many Americans who simply want revenge. How disgusting that America, a nation once grown strong through celebrating differences has now become a mindless, paranoid, bullying hate-monger.