Window of Opportunity

Earlier this month, talk-show host Michael Savage (Weiner) said on his Savage Nation program that the U.S. and Israel had a "window of opportunity" this Summer, and urged his millions of listeners to write to their legislators to give Israel the green light to "nuke" (nuclear bomb) Iran this summer.

According to "Savage", who frequently spearheads new Israeli-Neocon policies to his "Joe Six Pack" working-class audience, Iran’s underground research bunkers, when completed, will be impervious to U.S. penetrating thermobaric bombs–thus the need for the nuclear option.

It’s easy to dismiss such talk as mere theatrics. However, a number of recent developments make it a real possibility:

* The Mid-East "Road Map" after being declared "dead" suddenly came to life. One facet of this plan will be the stationing of Egyptian troops to protect the Israeli-Gaza border;

* Iran and Syria signed a mutual defense pact. In the event of an attack on Iran, Syria could reasonably be expected to deploy troops on the Lebanese-Israeli border; and,

* The "Cedar Revolution" suddenly sprang up in Lebanon, with the Druze joining with the Christian Maronites (Phalangists) to call for Syria’s withdrawal from Lebanon. This would undoubtedly pave the way for a renewed cilil war and could result in U.N. and European troops serving as a buffer on yet another one of Israel’s borders. (And the activated Druze could spell trouble in Syria, destabilizing the Assad government.

On March 10th, Scott Ritter, former U.N. arms inspector in Iraq, spoke on KGO Radio in San Francisco. He indicated that a plan for the massive air bombardment of Iran had been approved by President Bush, and that modifications were currently being made to it. While there was no certainty that the plan would be put into effect, Ritter noted, President Bush had made it clear that "all options were on the table".

Ritter also commented that, in light of a recent CIA report on Iraqui WMDs, it now appears that, in the case of Iraq, Saddam’s report of the exact status was, in fact, the closest thing to the reality U.S. troops found on entering the country. He also indicated that Saddam’s obstruction of U.N. arms inspectors was most likely due to three failed anti-Saddam U.S.-sponsored coups.

The Iranian parallels to the runup to the Iraq war are eerie, with all types of peace efforts being tried to placate the angry "Uncle" Sam–or should it be Uncle Sharon? Even the Russians assure us all spent Iranian reactor rods will be returned to them for reprocessing. But this, too, may not be enough for the war hawks to "shut" the window.