WWIII; who will stop it?

(Originally posted at The Motley Patriot)

Larry Johnson at NoQuarter has an article up titled, `Diego Garcia Secretly Readied for Bunker Busters`. This should scare the living daylights out of everyone no matter where they live in the world.

Diego Garcia is a small island in the Indian ocean. It is owned by the British and was leased to the United States. It currently houses a joint United States/United Kingdom air and naval refueling station and support facilities. Currently, the base is used to house and refuel stealth bombers that were used during the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Bush administration has asked for $88 million dollars, tucked into a war funding supplemental, to upgrade stealth bombers so they are capable carrying the bunker buster bombs. The request was based on an "urgent operational need". The bunker buster bomb was originally conceived as a conventional weapon, however, there is another "bunker buster" bomb; one that carries a nuclear warhead.

The Bush administration has repeatedly denied that it is readying to attack Iran. It claims that they are trying every diplomatic option to work out our differences with Iran. This is laughable. The "diplomacy" that President Bush used with Saddam Hussein was to force Iraq to prove a negative; disarm the WMD's you don't have or face invasion. The diplomacy that President Bush is using with Iran? Dismantle the nuclear weapon program you don't have or we attack you.

I say "don't have" in reference to Iran for two reasons; 1) as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran has every right to develop peaceable nuclear energy, and 2) even with the Additional Protocol forced upon Iran, the IAEA has no evidence of a weapons program. Still, the Bush administration clings to the rhetoric that Iran is trying to develop a nuclear weapon and we have to stop them at all cost. This leads us to the latest statement made by President Bush; "if you are interested in averting WWIII, you don't want to see a nuclear armed Iran".

So, understand this entire process that President Bush is using:

- We force an Additional Protocol on Iran for IAEA inspections that produces no evidence of a weapon, but, the rhetoric increases.
- Our "diplomacy" with Iran consists of sharpening the rhetoric that Iran is trying to build a nuclear weapon and if they don't stop we will attack them.
- Since Iran doesn't stop what we have no evidence they are doing, we instill sanctions on their country.
- We are now readying the stealth bombers to carry the bunker busters, which will include carrying the nuclear bunker busters.

Why is this path leading to WWIII? Russia and China.

Russia and China have already held two joint military exercises since our invasion of Iraq. The "missile defense" system President Bush is trying to put on Russia's doorstep isn't to stop Iran, it is to stop Russia from being able to back Iran if we do attack. Russia knows this and is taking steps to block it. China holds most of our debt for the Iraq war and can easily plunge our country into economic ruin if it dumps that debt onto the world market all at once.

The war in Iraq, and by default, the entire Middle East, is about oil and getting U.S. military bases into the Middle East to protect/control that oil. That has been American foreign policy since the 1950's. That is why in 1953 the CIA pulled the coup in Iran to instill the pro-western Shah. That is why we supported Saddam Hussein as he was gassing the Kurds in the 1980's. That is why we are supporting General Mousharraf in Pakistan; another dictator. That is why President Bush is clamoring for regime change in Iran and Syria today. It is all about getting friendly puppet governments into power so we can build military bases and shut out Russia and China from having access to the oil.

President Bush's entire gambit at this time is to bet that even if he attacks Iran, even if he drops a nuclear bunker buster or two, countries like Russia and China will not put the entire world at risk by retaliating with a nuclear strike against the United States. But, this premise also hinges on the fact that Russia and China will be willing to sit back and watch the United States take over the Middle East one country at a time, even by nuclear means, until they are shut out totally. This is a mistake of catastrophic proportions; Russia has formally backed Iran.

President Bush is taking a page out of history. In 1940 and 1941, President Truman put so many sanctions on Japan that eventually Japan attacked Pearl Harbor thereby drawing the United States into WWII. Then, President Truman, to stop the war, used nuclear weapons to bomb Japan into submission. Today, President Bush is using sanctions to try and goad Iran into attacking the United States to give him the justification to start a war with Iran. Unfortunately, as we saw with Iraq, even without provocation President Bush will merely lie his way into the war. This time, America may start with nuclear ordnance instead of end with it.

The stealth bombers are already being fitted to use them. The rhetoric is getting worse, not better. The lies are told repeatedly that Iran has a nuclear weapon program despite the fact no evidence has yet been discovered. The sanctions are already being put into effect and military forces gathered.

Who will stop WWIII?