Horseman of the Apocalypse: “If you’re interested in avoiding World War III . . .”

LNW_bush_frustrated

Yes, we’re interested in that.

The president held a press conference this morning, Oct. 17. He said this:

. . . we got a leader in Iran who has announced that he wants to destroy Israel. So I’ve told people that if you’re interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from have the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon. [sic]

Do we need this right now?

Is the planet’s present level of carnage and destruction somehow incomplete? Are we missing something?

He is saying that the world could come to World War III on this matter. Well, in whose power is it to push the issue in that direction, or to that conclusion?

. . . it’s important for the Iranian people to know we harbor no resentment to them. We’re disappointed in the Iranian government’s actions, as should they be. Inflation is way too high; isolation is causing economic pain. This is a country that has got a much better future, people have got a much better—should have better hope inside Iran than this current government is providing them.

He’s more than hinting at regime change.

Who’s going to pay for it?

In 1953, the CIA and Britain’s I.S.I. arranged the overthrow of Iranian prime minister Mohammed Mossadegh.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

my intent is to continue to rally the world to send a focused signal to the Iranian government that we will continue to work to isolate you

See excerpts below from the President’s Oct. 17, 2007, press conference:

From White House transcript of President’s Oct. 17, 2007, press conference:

Q.: Mr. President, I’d like to follow on Mr.— on President Putin’s visit to Tehran. It’s not about the image of President Putin and President Ahmadinejad, but about the words that Vladimir Putin said there. He issued a stern warning against potential U.S. military action—U.S. military action against Tehran—

THE PRESIDENT: Did he say U.S.?

Q.: Yes.

THE PRESIDENT: Oh, he did?

Q.: He said—well, at least the quote said that—and he also said, “He sees no evidence to suggest Iran wants to build a nuclear bomb.” Were you disappointed with that message? And does that indicate possibly that international pressure is not as great as you once thought against Iran abandoning its nuclear program?

THE PRESIDENT: I—as I said, I look forward to—if those are, in fact, his comments, I look forward to having him clarify those, because when I visited with him, he understands that it’s in the world’s interest to make sure that Iran does not have the capacity to make a nuclear weapon. And that’s why, on—in the first round at the U.N., he joined us, and second round, we joined together to send a message. I mean, if he wasn’t concerned about it, Bret, then why did we have such good progress at the United Nations in round one and round two?

And so I will visit with him about it. I have not yet been briefed yet by Condi or Bob Gates about, you know, their visit with Vladimir Putin.

Q.: But you definitively believe Iran wants to build a nuclear weapon?

THE PRESIDENT: I think so long—until they suspend and/or make it clear that they—that their statements aren’t real, yeah, I believe they want to have the capacity, the knowledge, in order to make a nuclear weapon. And I know it’s in the world’s interest to prevent them from doing so. I believe that the Iranian—if Iran had a nuclear weapon, it would be a dangerous threat to world peace.

But this—we got a leader in Iran who has announced that he wants to destroy Israel. So I’ve told people that if you’re interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from have the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon. I take the threat of Iran with a nuclear weapon very seriously. And we’ll continue to work with all nations about the seriousness of this threat. Plus we’ll continue working the financial measures that we’re in the process of doing. In other words, I think—the whole strategy is, is that at some point in time, leaders or responsible folks inside of Iran may get tired of isolation and say, this isn’t worth it. And to me, it’s worth the effort to keep the pressure on this government.

And secondly, it’s important for the Iranian people to know we harbor no resentment to them. We’re disappointed in the Iranian government’s actions, as should they be. Inflation is way too high; isolation is causing economic pain. This is a country that has got a much better future, people have got a much better—should have better hope inside Iran than this current government is providing them.

So it’s—look, it’s a complex issue, no question about it. But my intent is to continue to rally the world to send a focused signal to the Iranian government that we will continue to work to isolate you, in the hopes that at some point in time, somebody else shows up and says it’s not worth the isolation.

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Horseman of the Apocalypse: “If you’re interested in avoiding World War III . . .”

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