The Times Picayune carried a story in its addition dated 1/17/09 by the Associated Press that reported Iran producing a nuclear weapon tops the list of concerns nagging at National Intelligence Director Michael McConnell as he prepares to leave office. Mr. McConnell told reporters that U.S. intelligence do not have evidence to prove Iran has decided to build a nuclear warhead, but shares the alarm of outgoing CIA Director Michael Hayden that possibility may come soon.
McConnell also reported Tehran is two to three years away from having a long range missile that could reach Europe. He especially worried about the effect it would have in the middle east, either kicking off a regional arms race or a war. I wonder how worried Europe is but Mr. McConnell did not say.
Does any one in American intelligence really know what is going on in that part of the world? Israel already has approximately 50 nuclear warheads according to President Carter. India and Pakistan has nuclear weapons and none of those 3 countries are party to the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty as the United States, Briton, France and Russia are yet Iran shares a border with Pakistan and are close enough to India and Israel to spit.
Its obvious that it is not Iran who has started a regional arms race. It is arrogant to hear American intelligence talk about Iran building arms when those 3 countries have already done that and are still adding to their arsenal. They have already started the arms race.
To my knowledge Iran has not invaded or attacked any other country in the last 50 years but Israel has invaded Palestine land on more that one occasion and has attacked Syria and Iraq. Pakistan and India has attacked each other. There is no question that several countries in the middle east would like to see Israel destroyed but Iran has never said they would be the one to do so and for good reason. It was just recently reported that Israel asked Bush to supply them bunker busting bombs to attack Iran and wanted U.S. permission to over fly Iraq. That proves how dangerous Israel's leaders are to world peace and especially in the middle east.
Our President and world leaders need to step in before Israel, India and Pakistan set the world on fire. If our intelligence people think other countries in the middle east are going to sit by and let Israel attack them and use its military power with impunity then the world is in real trouble. Should Iran have nuclear weapons? No they should not but neither should Israel, Pakistan or India. Yet American Presidents and world leaders in the past had no ongoing plan to deal with that possibility and of course American intelligence was silent.
At least McConnell admitted American intelligence has no evidence Iran has decided to build a nuclear weapon. The same was true with Iraq but that did not stop our President from invading and occupying that country. By the way, speaking of Iraq. Since we are being told Iraq is a sovereign country the leaders of Iraq should be mad as hell at Israel seeking permission from Bush to over fly their country to attack Iran and use their country as a pawn. Serious thought ought to be given to that. I wonder if Mr. Bush discussed that with Israel and reminded Israel leaders Iraq was a sovereign country. Hopefully President elect Obama's newly appointed intelligence people will bring this situation under control.
