DAR AL HARB: ANTIWAR.COM INTIMATES THAT THE U.S. IS TOO AFRAID OF AIPAC & IT WILL GO TO WAR BECAUSE OF THE PRESSURE JEWS EXERT

In the mind of one Philip Giraldi at Anti-War.com the Jews are in control and U.S. leadership out of fear will do what they want:

Old Europe and the Mullahs
by Philip Giraldi

...

In Congress, a number of Democrats as well as Republicans began to demand an explanation of the Administration's intentions and openly questioned the presumed authority under which the US might again go to war. Several currently debated House and Senate resolutions are attempting to create conditions whereby the White House must go to Congress if it wishes to attack Iran, though it is widely believed that such legislative fixes will go nowhere because of opposition being organized by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Individual Congressmen also began to feel the heat as constituents began to write and call objecting to yet another "preemptive war of choice" and the media began to feature letters to the editor and op-ed pieces opposing the all-too-obvious preparations for hostilities. All of this made America's elected officials very nervous indeed, and some Republicans were particularly concerned that a major misstep into Iran could doom the GOP's electoral prospects for a long time to come.

Given the current lull, it might almost seem as if the war party has finally had a reality check and is backing down, but to assume that such is the case would be premature. This respite is in the nature of a smokescreen, a tactical shift intended to mask the strategic decision that has already been made to strike thousands of targets in Iran. Many elements can still come together to start a war sooner rather than later. It is now being widely reported that the United States is carrying out so-called "black operations" inside Iran by special forces as well as forays that have included bombings and assassinations by dissidents that the Pentagon supports. Iran has yet to respond to these operations aggressively, and if it does, there is potential for an armed clash in which the US will be likely to claim interference with the right of "hot pursuit" while chasing "terrorists." Also, the Persian Gulf is becoming particularly crowded with US warships. There is potential for another Gulf of Tonkin-like incident with Administration figures presumably prepared to cite an incident involving Iranian warships or coastal defenses as a pretext for a massive counter-strike.

It also is pointless to hope for something from the new Democratic majority in Congress as the neocons also know that the domestic politics of the situation is on their side in spite of the fact that the American people do not want another war. Recently, many presidential aspirants, both Republicans and Democrats, have addressed Israeli audiences to pledge that Iran will not get a nuclear weapon. The majority and minority leaders in both the House and Senate have also spoken in the same vein, rattling their sabers at Iran. Congressman Gary Ackerman now heads the Middle East Sub Committee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee while Ileana Ros-Lehtinen chairs the Middle East Sub Committee of the House International Relations Committee. Both are regarded as passionate supporters of Israel, so much so that when Ackerman recently held committee hearings on the Palestinians he pointedly refused to allow any Arabs to participate. All the speakers were either American Jews or Israelis.

The recent formation of the Congressional Israel Allies Caucus should also be noted as well as AIPAC's highlighting of the threat from Iran at its 2006 convention in Washington, an event that featured Vice President Dick Cheney as keynote speaker. More recently, Senator Hillary Clinton addressed an AIPAC gathering in New York City. Neither was shy about threatening Iran. AIPAC's formulation that the option of force "must remain on the table" when dealing with Iran has been repeated like a mantra by numerous politicians and government officials, not too surprisingly as AIPAC writes the briefings and position papers that many Congressmen unfortunately rely on. Knowing that to cross the Lobby is perilous, Congressmen from both parties squirm and become uneasy when pressured by AIPAC to "protect Israel," even if it means yet another unwinnable war for the United States. The neocons know full well that if a war with Iran were to be started either inadvertently or by design, few within America's political system would be brave enough to stand up in opposition.


Pertinent Links:

1) Old Europe and the Mullahs