If you liked the war in Iraq, you probably love the idea of going to war with Iran.
Why?
It’s the same agenda from the exact same people who took us into Iraq just over a decade ago.
The hawks on the right keep crying that we need a “better deal.”
See more news and opinion from Thom Hartmann at Truthout here.
They say that this deal will help Iran to support terrorism in the Middle East – and that ultimately this will enable Iran as a regional power and destabilize the region.
And even if Iran doesn’t get a nuclear weapon – the right wing is ready to whip up any sort of weaponized boogieman to sell their case.
This time it’s “Electromagnetic Pulse” weaponry, or EMP weapons, that the warhawks in Congress want you to be scared of. If you’re not already scared of the nuclear bomb.
But in 2002 and 2003 – it was a simpler time – it was just months after 9/11 and Americans were primed to be scared and ready to go to war just to feel safe.
All the administration had to talk about then were some vague – and non-existent – “weapons of mass destruction” in Iraq.
And they were even parroting the same arguments for war.
Take a look at Netanyahu testifying to Congress in 2002 about why the United States needs to invade Iraq.
Riiiiight. So Iraq and Iran were sponsoring terrorism – weren’t listening to the international community – and both were hotbeds of anti-US sentiments.
And as you saw at the end of that clip – even back in 2002 – Netanyahu and the war zealots on the right in the country were stoking the same vague, but visceral, fears about both Iraq and Iran.
But George W. Bush and his administration found an easier way to stoke vague and visceral fears.
Remember when they declared that Iraq and Iran make up two-thirds of the so-called “Axis of Evil.”
During Netanyahu’s testimony on invading Iraq back in 2002 – he claimed that it’s not a matter of IF there needed to be a regime change in Iraq and Iran.
But for Bibi and Bush, it was only a question of WHEN and HOW that regime would change.
And what great things were we supposed to expect to happen when we invaded Iraq and toppled Saddam?
According to Bibi in 2002 – we would see vague and immediate good things – including a natural change in regime in Iran.
The thing is: We listened to him then.
We invaded Iraq. The regime changed. We didn’t find any weapons of mass destruction.
And there was no sudden eruption of democratic regime changes. And there was no movement towards peace in the region.
What did happen?
Well, for one thing, many of the Ba’ath party members that we ousted during the invasion – they became what we know now as ISIS in the wake of a destabilized Iraq.
Bibi and the Bush administration and the Republican establishment were all completely wrong about Iraq.
Does that really mean we should ignore their frightened screams about Iran?
Yes – because they’re singing the exact same tune as before.
And the fevered pitch of this song is just as out of tune with reality as ever before.
Iran isn’t a rogue nation.
If Iran truly disregarded international law and the international community – like the war hawks scream that they do – they wouldn’t have approached the negotiating table to begin with.
Keep in mind that this isn’t a deal between the US and Iran – this is a binding international agreement negotiated between six countries, ratified by the United Nations, and supported by the strictest inspection regime ever devised.
And if this deal fails – it won’t be Iran that has gone rogue from the international community.
It will be the United States and Israel.
It’s only been 13 years since Netanyahu fantasized on the floor of Congress about all the good things that would happen if we invaded Iraq and toppled Saddam.
It’s recent enough for people to remember what actually happened and how they really feel about it.
And if you liked the Iraq war – you’re going to love what the Republicans want to do with Iran.
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