Imagine War with Iran and Oil at $150 Barrel

Bush calls strikes againt Iran “wild speculation.” Maybe so, but recent developments have not given me comfort.

It’s time to brush up on your reading, starting with Chapter
VII of the U.N. Charter.
It’s what George W. Bush has decided is the quickest way to get at Iran. Condi’s
chief toadie, R. Nicolas Burns, who is under secretary of state, is quoted in
the New York Times as saying, “The Security Council has no option now
but to proceed under Chapter 7,” because Iran, with the backing of
their new world partners, Russia and China, is not cooperating with the Security
Council. It’s ironic that Burns says there are no other options because he’s
the one charged with finding them. Competence truly isn’t a Republican strong
suit. These policies are ruining our lives. The next step could change the planet forever.

We also learned today that Iran has enriched uranium to 4.8%,
instead of the 3.6% formally claimed. However, that’s a long way from the 90%
enrichment needed for a big bad bomb, as well as still being in the 5% range
used for light water reactors. Russia has offered to help Iran enrich uranium
in their country for shipment back to Iran, but President Ahmadinejad said no. Did I mention that the Iranians are proud, nationalistic people? Maybe someone should tell Bush.

It is clear that the Bush administration does not want to engage in any type
of diplomacy whatsoever that will solve the crisis. It’s a national security
and foreign policy strategy that has us fighting in Iraq amidst a civil war,
while Iran taunts us, due to our current weakness these policies of Bush and
the Republicans have wrought. Iraq
is making oil prices higher, contrary to Bush’s fantasy predictions, and
endangering our country’s stability. Meanwhile, Bush gives Iran the political
finger, saying he will not talk or engage, using the U.N. Charter to get around
Congress in his personal global war on sanity. Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter
allows for the use of military force if compliance isn’t forthcoming. No Congress,
no American people weighing in, just the use of force as commander in chief.

Iran, which maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful, has remained steadfast in its position that it will never give up its right to enrich uranium, and in the past month has instead accelerated that program. In Tehran, Iran’s Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki expressed confidence today that both Russia and China, two of Iran’s most important trading powers, will veto any Security Council resolution that imposes economic sanctions against Iran. “There is a very wrong assumption held by some that the West can do anything it wants through the Security Council,” Mr. Mottaki told the hardline Tehran daily Kayhan. (snip) In recent weeks, Iran has responded to threats of punitive measures against it with threats of its own. Today, Gen. Mohammad Ebrahim Dehghani, a senior commander of the Revolutionary Guards, added his voice, and was quoted by the ISNA news agency as saying that if the United States attacked Iran militarily, “the first place we target will be Israel.” (snip) “This is also our request to Washington: that it begins direct talks and from there reach results,” Mr. Jung said. Germanys foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, urged Washington to begin direct talks with Iran during his visit to the United States last month. But in his remarks to reporters on Tuesday, Mr. Burns ruled out such an approach, stressing that isolation, not engagement, was the only acceptable approach. U.S. and Europe Draft Iran Resolution

Steve Clemons
had me alarmed enough today, as the reality has certainly begun to shift. But after reading
the latest news I’m beginning to believe we truly are on a path to war. If you’ve got
a gas guzzler, better get rid of it.