A leading US senator on defense issues said Saturday any military strike on Iran to stop its nuclear program must also strive to take out Iran's military capability.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who sits on the Armed Services Committee and the Homeland Security Committee, said the US shouldn't just consider a surgical strike on Iran's nuclear infrastructure.
"My view of military force would be not to just neutralize their nuclear program, which are probably dispersed and hardened, but to sink their navy, destroy their air force and deliver a decisive blow to the Revolutionary Guard.
"In other words, neuter that regime," added Graham, who spoke at the Halifax International Security Forum.
Graham said he hoped that would help Iranians have a chance to take back their government. He said he still believes there is time for economic sanctions to work, but said sanctions currently in place are not "crippling."
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Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who sits on the Armed Services Committee and the Homeland Security Committee, said the US shouldn't just consider a surgical strike on Iran's nuclear infrastructure.
"My view of military force would be not to just neutralize their nuclear program, which are probably dispersed and hardened, but to sink their navy, destroy their air force and deliver a decisive blow to the Revolutionary Guard.
"In other words, neuter that regime," added Graham, who spoke at the Halifax International Security Forum.
Graham said he hoped that would help Iranians have a chance to take back their government. He said he still believes there is time for economic sanctions to work, but said sanctions currently in place are not "crippling."
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18 comments:
Yeah, that's what we should do, just go in and destroy any country's military and infrastructure that won't do as we say.
That way, when we don't do what North Korea or Afghanistan or whoever tells us to do they can just come over here and hit us with air strikes until we knuckle under.
That fixes everything.
I've got an idea... let's have a US military that protects the US, and let other countries run or destroy themselves. We could use our own natural resources and skills to be self sufficient and a strong country.
And I'm sure Graham and his followers have a plan for doing this that goes beyond soundbites and slogans and into a detailed strategy that takes into account the economic and the human costs for the US as well as the geopolitical implications.
Yep, that didn't take long. Already planning the next war while we can't afford to keep paying for the two we're already in!
Vote Republican! NOT!
I've been to Iran & was there 30 days before the embassy takeover while on a special forces team. They couldn't stand the US then and I can't imagine they like us any more now. Not one country in the Middle East likes the USA except for the $$$ we give them (Israel is the only exception to that rule). If you've been there, you know this. BUT, I'm tired of war! We need to get out and let them run their own country(ies). But, if they touch US (us) make it known emphatically that this is an action that carries major consequences. Not a strike like Clinton did either. What a punk!
Even if we destroy their Navy, Armor Divisions, and Air Force, we would never be able to defeat them in a real war.
Take a look at Afghanistan and Iraq. They have no Navy, Air Force or Armor Division - yet we can't seem to beat them!
Lets face if folks, American military might is not what it once was. I think it has to do with the laziness of our youth. We have difficulty getting them to sweep and mop, and perform customer service jobs here in the U.S. We all know this. We all complain about how stupid they are, they can't make change properly, they work slowly, etc. The Mexican come here and work circles around our young people.
It is the same way in the military. These younger generation of kids are lowsy at everything they do including as soldiers. Not all of them of course. But the majority of them are lazy and dumb.
We should have won these wars by now. Still fighting a bunch of desert folks with outdated equipment and they are whipping our buts.
9:18...If all that Iran & North Korea had in store was to 'run themselves" or just "destroy themselves", then I think most reasonable people would say "go ahead -- have a good time". The problem is that BOTH of them, very publicly and rather loudly, have professed either an intention, a desire, or both, to use nuclear weapons on their (perceived) enemies, including the USA. Too bad the world didn't listen when Hitler was rattling his sabers. Or when Japan was talking about domination of the Pacific. Would you wait until Iran launched a nuclear attack on our Navy in the Persian Gulf? Or the Indian Ocean? Or incinerated Israel? And just like in that time, if we (the USA) don't stand up to them, exactly who will? Who? And trust in the fact that there already IS a plan for returning Iran to the stone age. North Korea, too. And it hasn't been done yet just because of the geo-political considerations. But world safety may very soon trump those same considerations. Your neighbors wouldn't tolerate a crazy man walking around with a shotgun screaming all the time about killing everyone on your street, would they? We can't allow it on the international stage, either.
10:16... equating (in any way) the clerk at the local shoe store with a US Marine is an insult that would earn you as ace-whippin' in a lot of places. And further, your whole commentary indicates you don't have a clue.
Im Clan
Listen, the comment had to do with stating the obvious. We can't beat 2 countries who have no air force, no navy, and no armor divisions.
Why not? Why can't we beat them?
The laziness of American workers and the demise of our economy are intimately connected. It can't be denied. The reason business owners want to hire Mexicans is because they work so much harder than the young generation of Americans.
What then is wrong with the compairson to the military? Do you not know of some of the young people who are currently enrolling in the military? I do. They go the military because it is their best job opportunity. It has nothing to do with pledging allegiance to the flag.
Wake up.
If someone wants to whip my anonymous but for stating the obvious then, good luck. Number 1 you don't know who I am or where I am. So don't spout out like you are as dumb as the young soldiers you are trying to defend.
Where's Osama? Not very good at finding people either I guess. Can't win a war against stone age people, and cant find a 6 foot tall Muslim on dialysis hiding in a cave. Not much to be proud of there you know?
10:16 I think it's called politics, same thing happened in vietnam. Kill enough of them and they'll settle down, at least for a while!
Again, your reasoning is weak. Can't find Osama? There are is a Top Ten Most Wanted list by the FBI. We can't find those guys either. And they are IN THIS COUNTRY!! Can't defeat the Taliban? Sure we can. But its difficult to defeat an insurgency in their host country. And we don't kill indiscriminately, which would make it a LOT easier. And I didn't say I would whiop your ace, I said some Marines would do it for comparing themn to "clerks". And I DO some some active duty service members. They are smart and dedicated, regardless of the reason they joined.
Bottom line, they aren't very good fighters. they are wasting our tax money. they are not heroes
They are so heroes! They could easily work here inthe Mcdonalds or Shoe Store but they choose instead to go over there and defend us. If it werent for them, we would have been attacked and killed or speaking Muslim by now. I for one dont want to wear a turbin, how about you? I am proud of our son and his comrades in arms. It takes a lot of guts to hunt down these terrorists and kill them. You probably take your security for granted. freedom aint free.
Right, 10:16. Stupid and lazy.
It doesn't have anything to do with the wussy in the white house and his band of idiots that have hamstrung our forces with such ridiculous rules-of-engagement that they have to stand there and let somebody paint them with a laser sight before they can even reach for a weapon.
If we try, as we should, to do the job with minimal collateral damage and civilian casualties, it's gonna be difficult.
No need to badmouth the forces, though. Like everybody else, they have their good and bad. But turn them loose-- they'll show you something.
11:36
I will tell you why we can't beat them, it's because of people like you. The bleeding heart liberals that are afraid we might kill the wrong person. You know the person that is hiding a bomb under their clothes. These people dont care that they hide behind women and children they do it all the time. Our hands are tied. Let the military do what they are trained to do and the hell with the rest. They will just grow up to be a pain in our neck in future years. The terrorist know they can fire from a building and walk out the door leaving their guns behind and we can do NOTHING about it. They want to meet their "allah" lets make sure we arrange it for them.
2:03
Go ahead and kill innocent women and children in an effort to "get the terrorist"? We would be no better than terrorists.
2:03....why don't you tell THAT to 10:16...he doesn't seem to get that "finer" point...
2:00, idiot it was McChrystal who advocated for tough rules of engagement. And it was Bush who bogged us down in two theaters when it was Iran developing weapons and funding terror. If you are going to criticize, atleast be accurate with the facts.
Yawn...I love how the the nay sayers think that nothing will happen in the U.S. if we just come home. Would you rather fight the enemy on their soil or ours!!
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