Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Panetta admits Iran not developing nukes
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta let slip on Sunday the big open secret that Washington war hawks don’t want widely known: Iran is not developing nuclear weapons.
Appearing on CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday, Panetta admitted that despite all the rhetoric, Iran is not pursuing the ability to split atoms with weapons, saying it is instead pursuing “a nuclear capability.”
That “capability” falls in line with what Iran has said for years: that it is developing nuclear energy facilities, not nuclear weapons.
Ron Paul “I went” photo going viral on Internet
Ron Paul’s photo showing him with one of his children [Rand] while serving during the Vietnam era is going viral on the net, in contrast to Newt Gingrich who said he was married and had children at time as reason why he didn’t serve.
Poll: Paul Tied With Obama, Most Electable Of GOP Candidates
Fares better than Romney among independents
A new poll indicates that GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul is statistically tied with Obama in a hypothetical head to head, making him the only Republican candidate other than Mitt Romney to be in such a position.
The poll, conducted by CBS News, has Paul at 45 percent and Obama at 46 percent, with the poll’s margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.
Out of all the other candidates, only Mitt Romney challenges Obama within the margin of error. Romney scored 47 percent to Obama’s 45 percent.
Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry, and Jon Huntsman are all defeated by Obama in the poll beyond or well beyond the error margin.
Obama leads Gingrich, 49 percent to 41 percent; Huntsman, 48 percent to 41 percent; Perry, 49 percent to 42 percent; and Santorum, R-Pa., 47 percent to 43 percent.
In addition, Ron Paul has a 7 point lead over over Obama among independents, with 47 percent to 40 percent, while Romney has a lesser 6 point lead among independents, 45 percent to 39 percent.
Obama wins the independent vote when pitted against all the other GOP competitors.
Ron Paul also fares marginally better than Mitt Romney against Obama where Democrat voters are concerned.
The poll once again demonstrates that Ron Paul is the most electable GOP candidate in that, unlike every other candidate, he can tap into more diverse voting groups, as well as maintaining a Republican base, and defeat Obama come the general election in November.
“We’ve called this contest a two-man race between Ron Paul and Mitt Romney, and this poll is further proof of that.” noted Ron Paul 2012 National Campaign Chairman Jesse Benton.”
It also demonstrates Ron Paul’s support among independents, an important voting segment within which our candidate is strong,” Benton added.
The full data for the CBS News poll can be viewed here.
Seven reasons not to bomb Iran
Iran’s Mig-29 fighter jets
An American defense analyst has outlined several reasons why the US administration should not become involved in military confrontation with Iran.
Adam Lowther, a member of the faculty at the US Air Force's Air University, called on US politicians to consider options before deciding on a military attack against Iran.
1. Iran possesses what is likely the most capable military the US has faced in decades.
Lowther explained that Iran is not like Grenada, Panama, Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, Serbia, Afghanistan or Iraq that the US invaded, adding that in all of these examples, the US military defeated an adversary incapable of competing with the US.
He also noted that the Iranian military is far more competent and capable and after watching the war in Iraq for a decade has a good understanding of US tactics and strategy.
The analyst said Iran's Navy is skilled in littoral combat and may be capable of closing the Strait of Hormuz for sufficient duration to wreak economic havoc. The recent naval exercises by the Iranian navy illustrate a clear strategy that would seek to close the strait while attempting to sink American combat vessels that enter the area. This would result in a significant loss of commercial shipping and cause the price of oil to skyrocket.
2. Unlike Iraq, Iran's Army and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps will not lay down their arms at the first sight of US ground troops.
Lowther said that Iranian military forces watched Afghanistan and Iraq for lessons on how to defeat the Americans.
3. The Iranian Intelligence Ministry is among the most competent in the world.
According to the writer, the ministry has successfully hunted down anti-Iran elements over the past thirty years.
4. Lebanese resistance movement of Hezbollah can help Iran in a possible US war on Iran.
The defense analyst stated that should the US military attack Iran, Hezbollah, with three decades of experience fighting the Israelis, is likely to launch a series of counter-attacks.
5. Iran's cyber capabilities are impressive and growing.
Lowther wrote that an attack on Iran's nuclear infrastructure is likely to prompt a sustained cyber-attack unlike any we have seen. It will likely target critical data in the public and private sector and seek to wreak havoc, shut down systems, and destroy data.
6. The US military deserves a rest from war after a decade of intense combat operations.
Lowther reminded that how wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have taken their toll on American soldiers, their families, and the equipment they rely on.
7. A "limited attack" on Iran will likely escalate into a wider war, making it difficult for the US military to rest and refit.
The expert said even a focused strike against Iran's nuclear facilities will elicit a response well beyond "limited" US objectives.
The author in the end once again urged the US government to weigh all options before resorting to military conflict against Iran.
AGB/HGH
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