The IDF seems to be playing to the tune called by the “Cheney White House” (a term coined by Billmon) regarding a future war with Iran:
In an effort to upgrade Israel’s preparedness for a possible confrontation with Iran, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Dan Halutz has appointed Israel Air Force Commander Major General Elyezer Shkedy as the IDF’s “campaign manager” against countries that do not border on Israel – primarily Iran.
…As part of his new responsibilities, Shkedy will act as “GOC Iran Command”: He will oversee battle plans and manage the forces if war breaks out. According to a security source, Shkedy will be the “orchestra conductor,” coordinating the operational activity of Mossad and Military Intelligence with the IDF’s various operational branches.
“Orchestra conductor,” nice touch. I’d rather see him as the ‘mad maestro’ as he orders the dropping of bunker-busting nuclear weapons against Iran’s nuclear facilities. And I don’t like the music he’s going to play.
This announcement appears to me to be just more sucking up to the Cheney-Rumsfeld cabal as they attempt to ratchet up the pressure on Iran after yesterday’s announcement that they would carry on with their nuclear research. It probably was directly coordinated between the two parties. Does Halutz believe this will rattle anyone in Teheran? If so, dream on fella. It will just raise their hackles and make them even more convinced of the rightness of their path. Come to think of it, Cheney and Halutz probably want Iran to become more belligerent and obstreperous and this type of predictably lame-o announcement feeds into just such a scenario.
Which is worse? The lame-o mullahs or the ranting neocons and their IDF suckophants?
Am I the only one to notice the irony of appointing the IAF chief to run Israel’s future war against Iran? He’s the same guy who just presided over the IDF’s failed air campaign against Hezbollah. If he does as well against Iran as he did against Hezbollah, Israel will likely end up with Iranian rockets raining down on every major city, town and village in the country.
Hi Richard,
I won’t disagree with with you that this plays into the White House agenda, but independent of the White House, this is also Israel’s agenda. Ahmadinejad has already declared his intentions to wipe Israel off the map. As such, I don’t see that Israel has any real alternative here other than to prepare for a battle with Iran.
Hopefully, diplomacy will win out and war can be avoided. But with Iran’s determination to enrich uranium (despite sitting atop a sea of oil), and Russia’s continuing sales of weapons to Iran, I am not optimistic.
Unfortunately, the Iranian people – who are, for the most part, not supportive of Ahmadinejad – will suffer the most here. Ahmadinejad doesn’t seem to care either, as he is prepared to sacrifice “half of Iran” to acheive his goals.
Honestly just as a thought experiment who translated what the Iranian president said…I heard their were some inaccuracies in the words being used. I think however the jist of the translation is still the same. And again who ever translated it made sure that nobody would forget it……the oppisite of a euphism. Semantics almost as important as how much tnt is stuffed inside ur missle…..