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Bush: ‘I Know I Would Respond’ If Iran Were To Attack Israel

thinkprogress.org — Before his press conference today, President Bush met exclusively with a group of GOP congressional leaders. According to Fox News, which spoke with some of the members at that discussion, Bush unequivocally promised that he would attack Iran if Iran “were ever to attack Israel.”

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  • mightydavefish, on 11/04/2007, -4/+27"I'm gonna do it, just waitin' on an excuse that the world might actually believe....."
  • LadyKofNYC, on 11/04/2007, -7/+26So why the ***** do we give Israel billions of dollars every year to spend on their defense if they can't defend themselves???? Where's all of our money going?
    • physphd, on 11/04/2007, -5/+15I think both of you are a bit unclear about how military aid works. The money goes straight to administration cronies.

      Though some goes to training and support, the lion's share goes directly to US defense companies and the the aid recipient (Israel) then has a credit with them. We don't ship 30 billion in cash to Israel to spend on whatever they like. US taxpayers subsidize a free technology transfer from Raytheon, Lockheed, Boeing, and the like. It's somewhat analogous to miners being paid with vouchers only redeemable at the company store.

      It's just another flavor of pork that shows why wars are the foundation of the US economy: we are the world's largest arms dealer, and weapons are our single largest export. And now the officials deciding to take military action are financially and politically beholden to those that profit from it most. We have a vested interest in continued worldwide conflict. In an economic sense, peace is a threat to national security.
      • a6n28f, on 10/31/2007, -2/+10Sadly, that is exactly right. Though there are countless small exceptions, we LOVE that the middle east is in disarray, that China and Taiwan are ready to throw down, that North and South Korea are still precariously perched, etc. We actively work to keep it that way.
      • jamie06260, on 11/04/2007, -2/+6Things like this do not make me proud to be an American. -__-
        • brad3378, on 11/04/2007, -0/+2I still have guilty feelings about my last job working as an engineer for a military defense contractor, but geez - - they were easily paying 2x-3x as much as I'd be earning here in Michigan's failing auto Industry. Seriously - what's an honest guy supposed to do when they offer you a 6 figure job that promotes wasting tax dollars? Ask any insider and they'll tell you the same thing - It's a ***** system that will treat you well if you can play the game.
  • pintomp3, on 11/04/2007, -9/+16i'm fine with coming to israel's defense IF they are attacked. but preemptive war is wrong and illegal. it was wrong when hitler did it, it was wrong when israel did it in '67, it was wrong when we did it in '03, and it will be wrong if we do it to iran.
    • dshPls, on 11/04/2007, -3/+4If the US were attacked by a foreign country I'd certainly feel more comforted if our allies came and helped, becoming an isolationist nation would ensure that we'd be the only ones to defend ourselves too.
  • Drexus, on 11/04/2007, -6/+5"Bush met exclusively with a group of GOP"
    "According to Fox News"
    I didn't know FOX was so "in" with the GOP.
    • trghpy, on 11/04/2007, -4/+8This just in, Fox broadcasts what the GOP tells it to broadcast.
  • clownguyx, on 11/04/2007, -5/+9All that cocaine made the man paranoid.
  • trghpy, on 11/04/2007, -5/+11“were ever to attack Israel.”
    So... Iran has to attack Israel or will it count when Iran retaliates against Israel?
  • xsquirrel378x, on 11/04/2007, -8/+13***** ISRAEL
  • MonarchWastxD, on 11/04/2007, -4/+7Translation: "I'm desperately looking for a reason to bomb more of the middle-east; come on, vote for me again, lift the limits on terms in office... you know you want to..."
  • Kwashiorkor, on 11/04/2007, -5/+4Someone should tell Mr. Bush to count the stars in the flag again...
  • str3ama, on 11/04/2007, -6/+10just a question, Israel is our ally right?
    I mean let's throw the legitimacy of war out the window, but how come our so-called ally didn't come to war with us in Afghanistan or Iraq? Why would we scratch their back, when we get nothing in return? Sweet deal for Israel..sorta what Switzerland had going for them in WWII.
    • Beveridge89, on 10/31/2007, -3/+5Im actually with you there. I do believe the coaltion should be unwavering in its commitment to defending Israel if it is ever attacked, but its a two way street.
      • foopirata, on 11/04/2007, -4/+4And what makes you think there are no Israelis in Afghanistan or Iraq?
        It's not all black-and-white, you know.
      • Beveridge89, on 11/02/2007, -0/+1Well, are there? Ive never heard of any, other than some nonsense about interrogators. If im wrong though then ignore my comment.
    • Groovemaster, on 11/04/2007, -3/+4But when you look at it as the USA being a puppet nation of Israel, it all makes sense.
      • Beveridge89, on 11/04/2007, -1/+1Yeah, things always make sense when you make ***** up.
  • tCNast, on 11/04/2007, -4/+4"I promise I will attack Iran if Iran were ever to attack Israel", says Emperor and Dictator for Life Caesar Bush
  • macweirdo42, on 11/04/2007, -3/+5Bah, nothing good can come of this. I think we should leave Israel to their own devices. You reap what you sow, and Israel really has a way of pissing everybody off. I know they're in a dill of a pickle over there, surrounded by people that hate them, but seriously, that's all the more reason to cool it and quit being so damn trigger-happy.

    I'm sorry, but can anyone tell me anything Israel's done to try to make peace? I know a lot of people seem to have this idea that the only solution to any disagreement is to bomb the ***** out of your enemies, but I would think in this day and age, we'd be a little more civilized.
    • RedNeckerson, on 11/04/2007, -2/+4"Israel really has a way of pissing everybody off."
      Yeah. Developing a sandbox into a first-world economy, sending their kids to school, trying to live decent lives and worshipping God in their own way is bound to piss "everyone" off.

      "can anyone tell me anything Israel's done to try to make peace"
      They gave a good bit of the land the palestinians asked for. Lot of good it did them.
      They've taken out facilities being used to make nuclear bombs that were to be used against them too. I guess you think that peace is achieved if all the Jews sit back and allow themselves to be killed.

      Damn. With all the anti-Jew poison I've seen here lately, it seems that every neo-nazi and al qaeda sympathizer in the world has recently discovered digg. You people are simply barbaric, and the last thing you want is actual peace.
      • macweirdo42, on 11/04/2007, -1/+2Anti-Jew poison? I think that's a bit harsh. All I'm doing is criticizing their foreign policy. I criticize American foreign policy all the damn time, is that anti-American poison? My stance is simply that at some point, someone is going to have to stop the cycle of violence. Yes, it can be a dangerous road to take, but that is the ONLY way that peace can ever realistically be achieved. I see your point, believe me, I understand the risk involved, but honestly, how else can this perpetual nightmare stop than if someone has the courage to say "Enough."

        What upsets me is people like you. You made a good start, actually discussing the issue at hand, and I was almost with you. I have been known at times to make rash judgments, and I started thinking, "Hey, you know, maybe I really should go do a bit of research - if nothing else, it'd be an interesting use of my time." But then, for reasons I can't fathom, decided to attack my character. Boom. There goes your whole argument right down the crapper. Which is not to say that you're wrong. But all respect I might have had for you, and willingness to listen to your point of view, drops to zero as soon as you start comparing me with neo-nazis and al qaeda sympathizers.
        • HarryBauzonia, on 11/04/2007, -1/+2You're wrong to say that about Israel.
        • RedNeckerson, on 11/04/2007, -2/+3Yeah.
          I re-read what I wrote in the context of what you wrote and I understand your offense. My "good start" was my disagreement with you and the last bit was my response to the other comments I read before yours. No, you didn't say anything barbaric, and I apologize to you for lumping you in with the others.
          • macweirdo42, on 11/01/2007, -0/+3Oh, well... Glad to see that civil discourse isn't dead. Terribly sorry about flying off the handle there, and in retrospect, I shouldn't have automatically assumed that you were lumping me in with the others.

            At any rate, I would like to add to my previous argument here. Israeli-Palestinian peace is not completely hopeless, I believe. Certainly, both groups have made great inroads in recent years, which to me is very strong evidence that it is not totally a lost cause. The thing to understand about the situation though is, every time progress is made, there's always an incident that sets things back, and only leads to further escalation.

            I don't think the incidents themselves truly represent mainstream Israeli or Palestinian sentiments, but I believe they are used by fringe elements on both sides to polarize the issue. Unfortunately, too, outside forces interfere, because it's in their best interests to keep the Israel-Palestine situation unstable. Israel is a good scapegoat for other Middle Eastern countries, such as Iran, especially now, in a time of political turmoil (as the younger generation makes the first steps toward fighting the oppression in Iran). Stabilizing Israel would be a terrible blow to the powers-that-be, because they would lose their scapegoat.

            Which brings me to the reason I push for active efforts toward peace. Israelis and Palestinians both have to realize that they are both pawns in a really sick game of chess, a game which both sides should refuse to play. The only reason I say Israel should make the first move is that, being more powerful, they're in more of a position to do something, and their actions will be more noticable.

            One last thing that I would like to add is that there is another reason why U.S. involvement in a possible Israeli/Iranian conflict would be a bad idea is that honestly, we're another scapegoat for Iran, and our involvement would only fuel the fire of anti-Israeli/anti-U.S. sentiment. It would only help to unite Iran, and thus bring an end to the social and political movements currently fighting tyranny in Iran.
  • readthis, on 11/04/2007, -3/+4We have a runaway, unchecked, blood-thirsty president who will do anything to start a war with Iran, even if it means to fake another attack.
  • Rhenthalin, on 11/04/2007, -3/+3Someone assasinate this guy already.....oh no I think I hear the CIA outside of my room!
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