[NukeNet] Bush Rerers To Nuclear Holocaust In Middle East

[Bill Smirnow]

   A different view of Nagasaki/Hiroshima from Pacifica Radio:
http://archive.wbai.org/    Some people told me they had trouble downloading
this when I posted it 3 weeks ago. I'm listening to it as I write. The talk
atarts about 24:50 seconds into the beginning of the show. It's well worth
your time weather you agree with it or not. Open minds, facts, that's what
prevent war, promotes Peace and is often lacking even from some
progressives.


   http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/29/washington/29prexy.html
    Bush Cites Nuclear Risk of Leaving Iraq

Mandel Ngan/Agence France-Presse - Getty Images
President Bush spoke to an American Legion meeting in Reno on Tuesday, then
shook hands at an Air National Guard base.


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By STEVEN LEE MYERS
Published: August 29, 2007
RENO, Nev., Aug. 28 - President Bush told a receptive audience of veterans
on Tuesday that an American withdrawal from Iraq would unsettle the entire
Middle East, create a haven for Al Qaeda and embolden a belligerent Iran. He
said Tehran's nuclear programs threatened to put "a region already known for
instability and violence under the shadow of a nuclear holocaust."

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The Reach of War
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Speaking here before the American Legion's annual convention, Mr. Bush said
competing brands of Islamic extremism - the Sunni model exemplified by Al
Qaeda and a Shiite version that he said was abetted by Iran - were vying for
dominance in Iraq.

That, he said, made it imperative for the United States not to fail in
establishing a pro-American government there.

"I want our citizens to consider what would happen if these forces of
radicalism are allowed to drive us out of the Middle East," he said in a
speech interrupted several times by applause. "The region would be
dramatically transformed in a way that would imperil the civilized world."

Mr. Bush has previously warned Iran about its involvement in Iraq and its
nuclear programs, but his remarks on Tuesday were especially forceful, and
suggested that he was blending the justification for staying in Iraq with
fears held by members of both parties in Congress that Iran could emerge as
a threat.

He reiterated accusations by officials and American military commanders that
Iran was providing training and weaponry, including 240-millimeter rockets,
to forces not only in Iraq, but also in Afghanistan, Lebanon and the
Palestinian territories. He said he had authorized the military to "confront
Tehran's murderous activities."

"For all those who ask whether the fight is worth it, imagine an Iraq where
militia groups backed by Iran control larger parts of the country," he said.

One problem for Mr. Bush is that the most recent National Intelligence
Estimate, an assessment released last week, suggested that that is already
happening with the tacit consent of the Iraqi leaders Mr. Bush supports.

The future of Iraq has dominated Mr. Bush's recent public events, even as
his administration dealt with the resignation of Attorney General Alberto R.
Gonzales. It has been a concerted effort to make his case before a new
legislative fight once Congress receives a much-anticipated progress report
from the administration and the military next month.

Although Democrats and even a few Republicans have urged the White House to
rethink its approach, Mr. Bush, in his remarks, showed little sign of
bending. Administration and military officials have already indicated that
any reduction of troops from today's level, which exceeds 160,000, would be
gradual and incremental, not the substantial reductions that opponents have
sought.

Congressional Democrats reacted with scorn to the speech. "The president
continues to suffer from the Katrina complex," Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr.
of Delaware told reporters during a conference call. "That's when you ignore
all the warnings, bad things happen, you continue to follow the same bad
policy, and things get worse."

Senator Harry Reid, majority leader, said Democrats would press their
Republican counterparts again in the coming weeks for a change in American
strategy in Iraq. "The president continues to stubbornly pursue a flawed
strategy that has mired our troops in a civil war in Iraq and diverted our
attention as Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda grow stronger," Mr. Reid said in a
statement. "Most Americans, and a bipartisan majority in Congress, believe
this strategy is not in our national interest and the time for a major
change is now."

Last week Mr. Bush appeared before another veterans group, the Veterans of
Foreign Wars in Kansas City, Mo., and recalled the anger, humiliation and
turmoil that followed the American withdrawal from Vietnam. On Tuesday, he
sought to raise the specter of a new haven for terrorists and an Iran that
dominated the region, threatening allies and energy supplies.

"This scenario would be a disaster for the people of the Middle East, a
danger to our friends and allies, and a direct threat to American peace and
security," he said.

Mr. Bush did not directly rebut critics of the war, especially Democrats in
Congress, but he sought to preempt the coming debate over the success of the
troop buildup. He said that the greater military effort this year had
increased security even though it only reached full strength less than three
months ago.

He also noted rare progress on political issues, welcoming an agreement by
Iraq's political leaders to make modest steps toward the benchmarks outlined
by Congress to evaluate Mr. Bush's military increase this year. And he urged
patience. "It makes no sense to respond to military progress by claiming
that we have failed because Iraq's Parliament has yet to pass every law it
said it would," he said.

Helene Cooper contributed reporting from Washington.

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