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A Bush pre-election strike on Iran?

White House insiders report "October Surprise" imminent

by Wayne Madsen

www.globalresearch.ca     23 October 2004

The URL of this article is: http://globalresearch.ca/articles/MAD410A.html


Global Research Editor's note:

We bring to the attention of our readers this important article by Wayne Madsen. According to the White House sources quoted by Madsen, the Bush Administration has envisaged the possibility of starting "a dangerous war with Iran prior to the election and fear that such a move will trigger dire consequences for the entire world. The sources also report that a draft text of a proposed televised Bush speech to the nation to explain the attack has been prepared."

The implications of Wayne Madsen's report are far-reaching. Surgical strikes against Iran --involving the direct participation of Israel-- could unleash an extension of the war to the entire Middle East region.

According to a recent article in the Los Angeles Times, "Israel may Have Iran in Its Sights... If diplomacy fails, the Jewish state could call on military to strike any nuclear arms program." The government of Ariel Sharon would not hesitate in launching a military operation, if Tehran refused  to shut down its uranium enrichment facility. Needless to say, this scenario of Israel's military involvement is planned in close coordination with the Pentagon.

A word of caution. The Bush administration as part of its war on terrorism agenda has envisaged a number of scenarios. The postponement of the November elections has also been envisaged by Homeland Security in response to a terrorist attack. (See Global research Selected References at http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/CRG408A.html )

The fact that surgical strikes against Iran are envisaged, does not signify that they will take place prior to the elections.

What is important, is that these surgical strikes, however, are in the planning pipeline and that Israel is to play a role in the next phase of the war agenda. The underlying Iran scenario is consistent with the Administration's National Security doctrine. In fact, a military operation against Iran has been envisaged since the mid-1990s. (See John Stanton at http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/STA303B.html )

M. C.  24 October 2004


According to White House and Washington Beltway insiders, the Bush administration, worried that it could lose the presidential election to Senator John F. Kerry, has initiated plans to launch a military strike on Iran's top Islamic leadership, its nuclear reactor at Bushehr on the Persian Gulf, and key nuclear  targets throughout the country, including the main underground research site at Natanz in central Iran and another in Isfahan. Targets of the planned U.S. attack reportedly include mosques in Tehran, Qom, and Isfahan known by the U.S. to headquarter Iran's top mullahs.

The Iran attack plan was reportedly drawn up after internal polling indicated that if the Bush administration launched a so-called anti-terrorist attack on Iran some two weeks before the election, Bush would be assured of a landslide win against Kerry. Reports of a pre-emptive strike on Iran come amid concerns by a number of political observers that the Bush administration would concoct an "October Surprise" to influence the outcome of the presidential election.

According to White House sources, the USS John F. Kennedy was deployed to the Arabian Sea to coordinate the attack on Iran. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld discussed the Kennedy's role in the planned attack on Iran when he visited the ship in the Arabian Sea on October 9. Rumsfeld and defense ministers of U.S. coalition partners, including those of Albania, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Iraq, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Mongolia, Poland, Qatar, Romania, and Ukraine briefly discussed a very "top level" view of potential dual-track military operations in Iran and Iraq in a special "war room" set up on board the aircraft carrier. America's primary ally in Iraq, the United Kingdom, did not attend the planning session because it reportedly disagrees with a military strike on Iran. London also suspects the U.S. wants to move British troops from Basra in southern Iraq to the Baghdad area to help put down an expected surge in Sh'ia violence in Sadr City and other Sh'ia areas in central Iraq when the U.S. attacks Iran as well as clear the way for a U.S. military strike across the Iraqi-Iranian border aimed at securing the huge Iranian oil installations in Abadan. U.S. allies South Korea, Australia, Kuwait, Jordan, Italy, Netherlands, and Japan were also left out of the USS John F. Kennedy planning discussions because of their reported opposition to any strike on Iran.

In addition, Israel has been supplied by the United States with 500 "bunker buster" bombs. According to White House sources, the Israeli Air Force will attack Iran's nuclear facility at Bushehr with the U.S. bunker busters in three waves with the radar and communications jamming protection being provided by U.S. Air Force AWACS and other U.S. aircraft in the area.The joint U.S.-Israeli pre-emptive military move against Iran reportedly was crafted by the same neo-conservative grouping in the Pentagon and Vice President Dick Cheney's office that engineered the invasion of Iraq.

Morale aboard the USS John F. Kennedy is at an all-time low, something that may be attributable to the knowledge that the ship will be involved in an extension of U.S. military actions in the Persian Gulf region. The Commanding Officer of an F-14 Tomcat squadron was relieved of command for a reported shore leave "indiscretion" in Dubai and two months ago the Kennedy's commanding officer was relieved for cause. The Kennedy is in the Gulf region along with the Essex Expeditionary Strike Group, which consists of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit which is aboard the USS Essex, USS Juneau, USS Harpers Ferry, USS Mobile Bay, USS Hopper, and USS Preble.

The White House leak about the planned attack on Iran was hastened by concerns that Russian technicians present at Bushehr could be killed in an attack, thus resulting in a wider nuclear confrontation between Washington and Moscow. International Atomic Energy Agency representatives are also present at the Bushehr facility. In addition, an immediate Iranian Shahab ballistic missile attack against Israel would also further destabilize the Middle East. The White House leaks about the pre-emptive strike may have been prompted by warnings from the CIA and the Defense Intelligence Agency that an attack on Iran will escalate out of control. Intelligence circles report that both intelligence agencies are in open revolt against the Bush White House.

White House sources also claimed they are "terrified" that Bush wants to start a dangerous war with Iran prior to the election and fear that such a move will trigger dire consequences for the entire world. The sources also report that a draft text of a proposed televised Bush speech to the nation to explain the attack has been prepared.

Wayne Madsen is a Washington, DC-based intelligence analyst and a Global Research Contributing Editor.

He served in the National Security Council (NSA) during the Reagan Administration and wrote the introduction to Forbidden Truth. He is the co-author, with John Stanton of "America's Nightmare: The Presidency of George Bush II." His forthcoming book is titled: "Jaded Tasks: Big Oil, Black Ops, and Brass Plates." Madsen can be reached at [email protected]


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� Copyright WAYNE MADSEN, CRG 2004


 

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