Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Tonkin?

Damn that recent NIE report noting that Iran had abandoned its nuclear weapons program in 2003. How are we going to invade now?

I know, let’s fabricate a military engagement and claim we were nearly attacked by the “fearless, dangerous and irrational Iranians.”

Ignore the fact that this incident occurred almost simultaneously as President Bush appeared in the Middle East to drum up support for a pre-emptive Iranian attack….

Bush spoke with Former Israeli Prime Minister about Iran and the possibility of a nuclear strike on 1/10/2008.

According to Presscue.com, “Former Prime Minister Netanyahu, opposition Likud party’s hardline chairman who opposes the US-backed Annapolis peace process, reiterated to President Bush his stance, that a pre-emptive nuclear strike against Iran’s nuclear installations was the only way to stop the Islamic nation’s nuclear weapons ambitions.” (http://presscue.com/node/38692)

Another article detailing Netanyahu’s stance can be found at: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=051205083904.zkio0mmt&show_article=1

Back to the Straits of Hormuz.

According to the Pentagon, the tape popularized in the press (where Iranian voices supposedly speak English phrases over the radio including ““I am coming to you,”) had the audio and video recorded separately, and it actually did not know if the audio came from the speedboats. Psh, insignificant details.

Specifically,

“Naval and Pentagon officials have said that the video and audio were recorded separately, then combined. On Wednesday, Pentagon officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak officially, said they were still trying to determine if the transmission came from the speedboats or elsewhere.” (excerpted from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/10/world/middleeast/10iran.html?_r=1&bl&ex=1200200400&en=ab0fa0fbe1b14f9c&ei=5087%0A&oref=slogin)

Alright, so here’s what we know:

-The President was recently embarrassed by the NIE report stating Iran was not a nuclear threat

-The President was in the Middle East, Israel specifically, and talking with a conservative former Israeli Prime Minister about the possibility of joining Israel for pre-emptive strikes on Iran if threatened

-Video of speedboats surrounding US Navy ships with suspicious threatening dialogue appears the next day. GOP candidates (except Ron Paul) threaten to attack the Iranians, with Huckabee claiming to “send them [the Iranians] to the gates of hell”

-Navy and Pentagon officials are actually unsure of the source of the audio commentary after all

-Iran denies the incident occurred as our media played it(thought to play Devil’s Advocate, they would be expected to deny it)

Unfortunately, citizen knowledge and recall of history doesn’t seem to reach past a decade. When looking at incidents like this one, try to remember Lyndon Johnson got us into Vietnam by fabricating attacks on the US Navy in the Gulf of Tonkin.

Tags: Bush, Gulf of Tonkin, Hormuz, Iran, Netanyahu, speed boats, Strait of Hormuz, Tonkin, US Navy, War