Fear of the Right Turn
Readers take note: Humor Free Zone below.
 
Reading today how the Bush administration is investigating Iranian complicity in 9/11.  I may not sleep tonight.
 
"But Pops," you ask yourself, "why should you worry about this?  Bush wouldn't do anything drastic, would he?"
 
Well, the answer is he sort of would have to, wouldn't he?  This is, after all, the author of the bold and unyielding "Bush Doctrine" (named it himself, didn't he?) with it's two points: 1) reserve the right to pre-emptive military action and 2) "no distinction" between terrorists and those who "harbor" them.
 
So if it does come to light that indeed Iran knowingly aided the 9/11 highjackers, knowing what the plan was or that they generally meant to do something harmful, what other choice does the president have? 

It depends, I guess, on what our definition of "harboring" terrorists is.  So far the charge is letting them pass through Iran without a passport stamp.  What's the threshhold for pre-emption, anyway?  Is this post going to be all questions or what?
 
I'm wringing my hands here because I'm starting to think about my kids.  All politics is local right?  Can't get much more local than the people who got half their DNA from me.
 
This is not a non sequitur: American involvement in Vietnam began in the late '50s-early '60s.  Let's be generous and call it 1961 for our purposes here.  The last troops didn't leave until 14 years later in 1975.
 
Fourteen years from now my oldest boy will be 19 years old.  Does anyone think we'll have the Middle East all sorted out by 2018?  Or by 2021 when I have three sons 18 and over?  Granted we don't have a draft yet, but all we need is one more front to open and the Rumsfeldian dismissals of the idea will quickly fade.
 
If that doesn't impress anyone, let's look at Korea.  Start of involvement: 1950.  End of involvement: er... have to get back to you on that one.
 
I'm a Democrat, yes.  But I don't blindly hate George Bush.  I have, however, learned to believe him when he says he plans to do something militarily (other areas I have my doubts about, but I'll keep those to myself for now).  So now, what does he do?  If this shakes out the wrong way, what options does he have?
   
The joke among the media during the Iraq invasion was that the Pentagon was considering a "left turn", sending the never-ending column of military equipment hurtling toward a possibly recalcitrant Syria.  Now we're looking at the first thoughts of a "right turn" into Iran and it is freaking me out a little.
 

Pops
 

- posted by Pops @ 10:22 PM