Neo-Crazies Already Planning Beyond Iran

http://www.antiwar.com/prather/?articleid=8204

December 3, 2005
Neo-Crazies Already Planning Beyond Iran
by Gordon Prather

Maybe you thought that when President Bush declared war on terror it
was just a euphemism.

Wrong!

By that declaration, Bush made himself commander in chief of our armed
forces, which he is ? under the Constitution ? only "in time of war."

Once proclaimed, our commander in chief immediately called to active
duty the National Guard and sent them off to Afghanistan and Iraq to
fight in a real war.

There are other steps Bush could take to prevail in the War on Terror
he has declared, and neo-crazy Frank Gaffney has just published a book
suggesting 10 of them.

And a gaggle of fellow neo-crazies at the American Enterprise
Institute has just published an obbligato ? entitled "Launch Regional
Initiatives" ? based upon a couple of them.

"There are a host of measures that can and must immediately be
undertaken, literally all over the world, that do not require the use
of American armed forces. In fact, if we wish to avoid calling on the
U.S. military for further missions, these actions will be essential ?
in the Mideast (and its periphery) and in Africa, Asia, Latin America,
Russia, and Europe."

Take Iran, for example.

The AEI neo-crazies think it's surprising that, even after four years
of our War on Terror, you soccer moms still don't realize that Iran
has been at "war" with us for almost three decades. According to the
neo-crazies (truncated bullet points from throughout the text):

* "Prior to the attacks of September 11, 2001, Iran was
responsible for the deaths of more than fifteen hundred Americans?more
than any other state sponsor of terror or terrorist organization in
history."

* "According to press accounts, a report by the Israeli secret
service estimates that Iran has 'invested more than $10 million to
encourage terrorist activity against Israel.'"

* "Iran is the patron of Hezbollah, its radical Shi'a terrorist
proxy that seeks to deny freedom to the people of Lebanon and
threatens American and Israeli interests and assets."

* "Despite differences on some religious points, Iran also
directly supports the despotic regime in Syria, as well as such
Palestinian terrorist groups as Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Fatah. Iran
is dedicated to helping Hamas emerge as the dominant power in the
Palestinian areas as an ally with the shared goal of destroying Israel."

* "Iran directly supports most of the Shi'ite-based political
movements in Iraq and their militias. Indeed, Iran largely created the
revolt in Najaf fomented by the radical Shi'a cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
(Al-Sadr's troops were reportedly trained at camps inside Iran.)"

* "There are many indicators that Iran is actively supporting
al-Qaeda's operations inside Iraq, led by the Jordanian terrorist Abu
Musab al-Zarqawi. The chief Iranian terrorist operative, Mugniyeh, has
reportedly recommended coalescing the operational forces of al-Qaeda
with other groups inside Iraq. The regime in Tehran is also providing
safe haven to al-Qaeda members and leaders inside Iran."

* "Finally, there is the matter of Iran's acquisition of nuclear
weapons and ballistic missiles."

So what are we to do?

"The United States must wage total political war against the
Islamofascists in Tehran, both inside Iran and from the outside. This
war should be designed to keep the Iranian regime off balance
(including, where necessary, through the use of covert means), with
the ultimate goal of undermining its control. ?

"Support resistance movements. An important part of such a proactive
strategy must be an immediate commitment of significant financial
resources to help prodemocracy groups in Iran. The Iran Freedom
Support Act, introduced by U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum in February 2005,
would authorize the president to spend $10 million to support the
resistance. This is a good start ? but something closer to $300
million will be needed. ?

"We have for too long allowed Iran's nearly three-decade war against
the United States to go unanswered. And, unless we deal with it
effectively in the immediate future, we will be faced with a
nuclear-armed terrorist regime that has shown no reluctance to attack
American citizens and American interests throughout the world."

Of course, there are actions the AEI neo-crazies say we must take
against countries other than Iran.

For example, they charge a "fascistic takeover" is under way in
Turkey. Instead of being a democratic Muslim bulwark against
Islamofascism, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is "systematically"
turning his country into a state governed by a radical Islamic
ideology hostile to Western values and freedoms.

What to do about Turkey?

Threaten to prevent their joining the European Union.

Otherwise, our commander in chief will have to call on the National
Guard for further missions.

They don't call them "neo-crazies" for nuthin'.