Ron Paul: Iran wants to disrupt world oil supply because we are provoking them

[Dos Equis]

Should have worded it to 'potentially armed'.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122904102094400097.html

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration plans to sign its first nuclear cooperation agreement with a Middle Eastern nation within the next few weeks, according to a senior U.S. official, raising concerns among congressional critics who say the deal could fuel nuclear proliferation in the region.

The proposed deal with the United Arab Emirates has attracted attention because the U.A.E.'s largest trading partner is Iran. The U.A.E. has served in the past as a transshipment point for technology with military applications headed to Iran and other countries and is among Tehran's largest financial partners, according to U.S. officials

Thanks.  UAE is not an enemy, but I understand the argument about how they could share information with Iran. 

[Bindare_Dundat]

Thanks.  UAE is not an enemy, but I understand the argument about how they could share information with Iran.  

No probelm. I wasn't even aware of this one. This is why I like the non interventionist attitude. Why in the world would the States put itself in this type of situation time and again? It is not helping us and the sooner we come to this realization the better off we will be.

[Dos Equis]

No probelm. I wasn't even aware of this one. This is why I like the non interventionist attitude. Why in the world would the States put itself in this type of situation time and again? It is not helping us and the sooner we come to this realization the better off we will be.

I don't think the extremist "non-intervention" that Ron Paul embraces is very realistic.  It's just not the world we live in.  We can remove every boot off the ground in every part of the globe and we would still have the same problems. Maybe not to the same degree, but to think our involvement with other countries is the only reason we get attacked is to ignore the realities of radical Islam.

[Emmortal]

I don't think the extremist "non-intervention" that Ron Paul embraces is very realistic.  It's just not the world we live in.  We can remove every boot off the ground in every part of the globe and we would still have the same problems. Maybe not to the same degree, but to think our involvement with other countries is the only reason we get attacked is to ignore the realities of radical Islam.

Lets be realistic about this issue.  What Ron Paul would "like" to do and what he would actually be "able" to do as POTUS are two very different things.  He's stated he'd like to shut down all of our bases and bring all troops home, but that will never happen even if he's elected.  People are harping on this issue as if the president has that kind of power, he doesn't.  Those bases and relationships have taken decades to build and establish, they aren't going to come down in 4 or even 8 years by a single president.

So really this entire issue is moot and irrelevant.  Just look at the issue of nationalized health care and what a mess that single issue has been for Obama, does anyone really believe that closing down hundreds of bases around the world and bringing all those troops home is a realistic achievement for a president?  You'd have to be the whacko to believe that.

I don't agree with everything Paul has to say, but out of the rest of the group, he's the one guy that still stands above everyone else.  Even if he were elected as POTUS I don't think he'll be able to achieve a fraction of what he would like to.  You guys are putting too much power in the presidents hands, they still have congress to get through and that's no easy task.

[whork]

Speaking of the costs of our wars in the Muslim world... Econometric studies have shown that a 10% reduction in the corporate tax in America would increase economic growth by 1% per year. The corporate tax rate here is roughly 30% and over the past ten years it has averaged $300bn in revenue per year... so let's use basic math: if instead of spending >$1 trillion on wars we would have cut corporate taxes by 10%, then we would have lost $100bn/year in tax revenues, so that's $1 trillion over ten years... however the increase in economic growth by 1% per year would have compounded to an economy that's almost 13% larger.
Of course, if we did more accurate math and tried to calculate the total cost of our involvement in the Middle East, it would be much greater than $1 trillion; while cutting taxes would have a much lesser cost due to dynamic scoring. We probably could have cut corporate taxes by one-third, eliminated capital gains taxes, and seen a boom in economic growth for the same amount it cost us to go to subsidize our oil and Israel interests in the Middle East.
 If anything, such pro-growth policies are more important for our long-term national security interests than getting involved in a religious war.

Wow this board has become something better all of a sudden. Great post

[whork]

Why didn't the reduction to the bush tax cut levels cause this economic growth?  didn't we try reducing taxes from Clinton level down to bush level - and obama continued this reduced levels.  and economy crashed anyway. 

Actually they did but 2 wars and a huge government has a price as well

[Soul Crusher]

"Islamist-supporters infiltrate Obama Admin to subvert US security," reveals ex-CIA'er, Clare Lopez
youtube ^



A video not to be missed..

Islamist-allied operatives appointed by Obama are undermining U.S. security policy - explains counter-Intelligence expert, Prof. Clare Lopez. Aimed at co-opting Americas foreign policy in the Middle East, a network including well-known American diplomats, congressional representatives, figures from academia and the think tank world - with ties to the clerical regime in Tehran - is directing the Obama Administration's policy towards the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Middle East



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


To: Las Vegas Dave
Claire Lopez’s bio:
http://www.patriotsymposiums.com/Claire_Lopez.html

Clare Lopez

Senior CIA Clandestine Operations Officer with tours in Africa, Central/South America and the Balkans, with a focus on the USSR/Russia

Senior level intelligence consultant and strategic policy analyst

Strong expertise in HUMINT project management including counterintelligence, counternarcotics, counter proliferation, WMD, and Advanced Conventional Weapons threat arenas

University lecturer, public events speaker, and published author on Middle East, Iran, Arab and Islamic culture, WMD, and transnational terrorism issues

Vice President of The Intelligence Summit, a non-profit educational forum

Member of the Board of Directors, Institute of World Affairs

Total Years of Experience for you to benefit and learn from: 29

Clare M. Lopez, M.A.

Profile: Senior level consultant for Middle East issues, strategic policy analyst, and program manager with 29 years experience in government, the Intelligence Community, and the private sector. University lecturer, public events speaker, and published author on Middle East, Iran, Arab and Islamic culture, WMD, and transnational terrorism issues. M.A. in International Relations from the Maxwell School, Syracuse University. Non-profit and think tank executive experience.

Professional Summary

Counterintelligence Role Player/Trainer 2008-present

EKS Group LLC

Tampa, FL

Provide intelligence and counterintelligence training to Department of Defense for military intelligence personnel.

Vice President 2007-present

Intelligence Summit Educational Forum

www.intelligencesummit.o rg

Serve the Executive Leadership of this non-profit educational forum with intelligence and Middle East expertise, fundraising, and administrative support. Speaker and panel moderator at the Intelligence Summit’s annual conference event. Liaison to intelligence, law enforcement, and media.

Professor/Lecturer 2007-present

CI Centre (www.cicentre.com )

Staff Professor for this private firm that provides tailored multi-day courses to U.S. and foreign government, intelligence, and law enforcement clients. Core class offerings are provided in counterintelligence, counterterrorism, and security. Have developed and presented original curriculum on the influence of Jihad and Sharia in Europe and the U.S., and also a full-day course on the Iranian intelligence and security service.

Executive Director & Consultant, Iran Policy Committee 2005-2006

Washington, D.C.

Member of the Iran Policy Committee (www.iranpolicy.org), a leading WDC think tank dedicated to bringing policy issues related to Iran to public and federal government attention. Served as Executive Director and Director for Research to conduct and direct extensive research/ analysis on the Iranian Revolution, expansionist ideology, regime leadership, terrorist support, nuclear program, & opposition groups, which has been produced in four major white papers and two published books that were briefed to Congress, the Executive Branch, and WDC academic, think tank, diplomatic, and media communities.

Senior Scientific Researcher 2005-2006

Battelle Memorial Institute Arlington, VA

Supported a major DIA contract as a senior level analyst, researcher and subject matter expert for this global science and technology enterprise. Project work focused on WMD and Middle East issues. Wrote a white paper proposal to conduct research and analysis on the phenomenon of suicide bombing as a tactic of asymmetric warfare. Battelle is a non-profit organization, a research firm with some of the characteristics of a think tank, and a partner at the federal, state and local levels of government.

Senior Intelligence Analyst 2002-2005

HawkEye Systems, LLC Alexandria, VA

As a senior intelligence analyst for a medium-sized high-tech strategic management consulting firm in the WDC area, I served as project manager and provided intelligence analyst, counterterrorism and Middle East subject matter expertise to a small technology company for development of an ONI-funded decision-making intelligence fusion and uncertainty management system. I also contributed substantive subject matter expertise to a successful proposal for the same firm for the validation of a related DARPA-funded software system that features a forecasting and prediction model.

In support of another small technology firm’s software development program, I directed the creation of Red Cell terrorist attack scenarios related to homeland security. During a year-long DARPA contract, I was integrated at the DIAC with the JITF-CT at DIA Hqs., Bolling AFB and performed in-depth, all-source research and analysis of national and transnational terrorism groups and counterterrorism operations for the Wargaming the Asymmetric Environment (WAE) Program. A principal focus of the WAE Program was the creation and analytic exploitation of a massive database of significant events related to the Al-Aqsa Intifada and the Arab-Israeli conflict. I also conducted analytical tool validation related to predictive analysis, established processes and procedures for analytical methodology and produced Middle East group profiles and leadership behavior analysis.

Senior Intelligence Analyst 2000-2002

Chugach Systems Integration Arlington, VA

Working in the Countermeasures Program Division (DS/CMP) of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Department of State, I reviewed the Technical Threat environment for U.S. Posts worldwide and produced Technical Threat Analysis and Threat Level Recommendations for the InterAgency Technical Threat Working Group. My all-source research and analysis included consideration of the CI threat from Foreign Intelligence Services, terrorist and organized crime groups worldwide and contributed significantly to an upward revision in the Threat Level for one key Latin American country.

Senior Operations Officer 1980-2000

Central Intelligence Agency Langley, VA

As a DO case officer, I served 4 PCS tours, multiple TDY assignments worldwide including Africa, Central/South America and the Balkans, with a focus on the USSR/Russia. Primary responsibilities included production, implementation of operational plans to fulfill national-level HUMINT requirements in CI, CN, Counterproliferation, WMD, and Advanced Conventional Weapons threat arenas.

Key success was development and management of a highly productive operations unit to target WMD programs of critical national security concern to the U.S. I supervised and performed research/analysis of target programs; directed, produced detailed targeting studies, managed complex intelligence operations to implement the targeting objectives.

Military Experience Oct-Dec 1979

Completed U.S. Marine Corps Officer Candidate School (OCS)

Quantico, VA

Education

M.A., International Relations

Maxwell School, Syracuse University

Syracuse, New York

B.A., Communications and French

Notre Dame College of Ohio

South Euclid, Ohio

Guest Lectures

National Defense Intelligence College Apr 2009

FBI Academy, Quantico, VA Jan 2009

Beachwood High School, Beachwood, OH 2008-09

Georgetown University, WDC 2004-2006

Visiting Researcher, Georgetown, University 2004-2005

Government Dept., School of Foreign Service

Board Memberships

Member of the Board of Advisors 2009-present

International Free Press Society

Information Committee Member 2008-present

Medal of Honor Society

Member of the Board of Directors 2007-present

Institute for World Affairs

Member of the Advisory Board & Guest Lecturer 2006-present

Intelligence Analysis and Research Program

Notre Dame College of Ohio

Languages: Spanish, Bulgarian, French, German, Russian; studying Farsi

[Dos Equis]

Lets be realistic about this issue.  What Ron Paul would "like" to do and what he would actually be "able" to do as POTUS are two very different things.  He's stated he'd like to shut down all of our bases and bring all troops home, but that will never happen even if he's elected.  People are harping on this issue as if the president has that kind of power, he doesn't.  Those bases and relationships have taken decades to build and establish, they aren't going to come down in 4 or even 8 years by a single president.

So really this entire issue is moot and irrelevant.  Just look at the issue of nationalized health care and what a mess that single issue has been for Obama, does anyone really believe that closing down hundreds of bases around the world and bringing all those troops home is a realistic achievement for a president?  You'd have to be the whacko to believe that.

I don't agree with everything Paul has to say, but out of the rest of the group, he's the one guy that still stands above everyone else.  Even if he were elected as POTUS I don't think he'll be able to achieve a fraction of what he would like to.  You guys are putting too much power in the presidents hands, they still have congress to get through and that's no easy task.

Are you saying ignore his dangerous foreign policy views because he can't achieve them? 

Even if he cannot achieve them, doesn't the fact his foreign policy views are so whacked speak to his judgment in that area? 

[whork]

Are you saying ignore his dangerous foreign policy views because he can't achieve them? 

Even if he cannot achieve them, doesn't the fact his foreign policy views are so whacked speak to his judgment in that area? 

What is dangerous about his foreign policy?

[240 is Back]

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