US Troop Surge Clearly Intended for Show of Force to Iran

In a shocking preview of the Newsweek article that will appear in Newsweek on February 19th it is foretold how likely a confrontation with Iran is.

Ex-Senator Max Cleland appears on CNN warns us that we are leading to a dangerous position with "no mission and no purpose" and that the best way to "support our soldiers is to bring them home" from a war that has no chance of benefiting American interests other than those of the military industrial complex. Impassioned, he warns that the congress must "put up or shut up" in reference to their responsibility to clearly exercise their constitutional duty to declare war and to un-declare it. Cleland, in his righteous passion as one who has lost many limbs, suggests he finds no difficulty in getting emotional about this when he sees soldiers like himself in VA hospitals, permanently handicapped physically and mentally.

Bush speaks as if there is a clear necessity and that he plans to do whatever he believes is right assuming the congress doesn't stop him saying, "I'm gonna do something about it."

Hillary Clinton supports a clear statement of prevention of attack on Iran without Congressional approval.

The fact is, short of such clear legal limitations, Bush is quite capable of writing a check that we can't pay as if he hasn't already broke the bank. As US President, he is in a position of placing us in a position that creates irrevocable damage to relations and American lives and limbs, not to mention further massacre and maiming of Mid-easterners.

The Navy is steaming ahead. President Bush's proposed “surge” of 21,500 more troops in Iraq will mean extended deployments for thousands of Southern California sailors (one of which is my Navy officer nephew, and all are someone's loved ones) and Marines, military officials said Thursday.

The Camp Pendleton-based 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit – a 2,200-member special-operations contingent that includes a helicopter squadron from Miramar Marine Corps Air Station – will stay an extra 45 days in Iraq, said Lt. Ted Vickers, a Marine Corps spokesman.

It appears that Bush may not even consider the Navy deployment to be part of his announced 21,500. But ask any of the wives if there is a difference between their husbands staying in San Diego and living on a ship off the Iranian coast and you will hear the emotional truth. Financially, it certainly cost the US more to station ships there as opposed to home. Clearly, a Naval presence has no purpose in supporting the efforts in Iraq, so this adds to the legitimate paranoia of Iran.

Bush likes to think of himself as a "man of action" but the actions are always of others. His family will not suffer, nor will his friends. In fact, he and VP Cheney have made their social circles of almost exclusively those who benefit from maintaining war instead of seeking peace. As it stands, those that suffer disproportionately are the poor and middle class.

If Congress does not act now, preemptively, we may soon see an Armageddon never fully envisioned by biblical prophets. Whatever bible one reads, we can all agree that this war is not consistent with the standards stated in any major religion; Yet, here we are being led by the squeaky wheels purporting themselves to be moral.