DC Gossip: Cheney thinks Bush is too much of a wimp to bomb Iran

[BurtWorm]

This is the nut who complained about sanctions against Iran in the 1990s while his company (Halliburton) continued to do business with the mullahs via an off-shore subsidiary.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2007_05/011376.php

LATEST CHENEY INSANITY RUMOR....Should a responsible blogger pass along bizarre, unsubstantiated rumors like the one I'm about to pass along? Probably not. But here it is anyway.

Steve Clemons, relying on "multiple sources," says that Dick Cheney is slowly coming to the sad realization that President Bush may be a wimp who can't be trusted to start a shooting war with Iran. If that turns out to be the case, Cheney figures that the only option left will be to somehow goad Iran into attacking us first, thus making war inevitable. According to Steve's sources, a senior aide on Cheney's national security team has been making the rounds of conservative think tanks to map out Cheney's plan:

The thinking on Cheney's team is to collude with Israel, nudging Israel at some key moment in the ongoing standoff between Iran's nuclear activities and international frustration over this to mount a small-scale conventional strike against Natanz using cruise missiles (i.e., not ballistic missiles).

This strategy...could be expected to trigger a sufficient Iranian counter-strike against US forces in the Gulf — which just became significantly larger — as to compel Bush to forgo the diplomatic track that the administration realists are advocating and engage in another war.

Well, OK. But wouldn't a plan like this work only if it were kept absolutely secret? Wouldn't peddling it around at "lunch and dinner gatherings" defeat the whole purpose? And exactly what does Cheney supposedly think Iran would counter-strike against? A carrier group? Bases in Kuwait? Seriously? And wouldn't the Israelis be a wee bit nervous about acting as Cheney's cat's paw, especially in an operation deliberately designed to do little actual damage?

In other words, it's ridiculous to think that anyone would be contemplating something like this. But then again, Dick Cheney isn't just anyone. I wonder if he's a fan of 24?
—Kevin Drum 1:45 AM Permalink | Trackbacks | Comments (42)

[quinnox]

1. Cheney would do it

Bush might be pressured by RNC people who fear the repubs would get hammered for starting another war by the voting public.

This story is probably true.

[Greeby]

2. All the more reason to support H.Res 333

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.res.00333:

H.RES.333
Title: Impeaching Richard B. Cheney, Vice President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors.
Sponsor: Rep Kucinich, Dennis J. (introduced 4/24/2007) Cosponsors (3)
Latest Major Action: 4/24/2007 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

[durablend]

3. IMPEACH...CHENEY...FIRST n/t

[lovuian]

4. Bush is but Cheney will

Cheney is a mad man

and this country is controlled by him

I just don't know if Cheney controls the people
we shall see

[Lone_Star_Dem]

5. Yes, but did he double dog dare him yet?

When that happens is when we all need to begin to seriously worry.

[Sadie5]

6. There is something going on here

This is a planted story I believe, and Cheney is up to something that probably includes Bush and his staff.

[SpiralHawk]

7. Well, Bush did wimp out on the National Guard

Bush wimped out on 9/11.

Bush wimped out on Hurricane Katrina.

Bush wimps out on meeting with the citizens of the USA (only meets with handpicked groups).

No doubt about it: Commander AWOL Bush is a wimp.

No wonder the republicons love him. He's just like the rest of them: talk tough, bluff and bluster, then wimp out. All the time.

[SteveM]

8. Don't know if the particulars in this article are true, but Cheney-Bush...

MUST keep a big military presence in the Mid-East for many years in order to achieve their goals. They are most of the way there with their present policy, but a hit on Iran would clinch it. Democrats, already horribly gun-shy when dealing with the extreme right, will probably accept the "reality" handed them by the Right and muddle through for as long as it takes till the GOP finalizes their hold on power in this country.

[JHB]

9. Playing him like a harp

All who think this was a deliberate leak to goad Chim-Chim towards attacking Iran raise your hands:

:hi:

(It's what Poppy Bush did with Saddam in 1990-91 every time it looked like a third pary might broker a peace deal. Why wouldn't it work again?)

[dflprincess]

10. Yep, little Georgie will feel he has to prove he's not a wimp

n/t

[Greeby]

11. Sent this to Malloy

What does it say when Shrub, Condi, Gates, Negroponte and General Hayden are not pro-war enough for this malfunctioning cyborg :scared: