Are Key Obama Advisors In Tune With Neocon Hawks Who Want War With Iran?

http://www.alternet.org/audits/109572/are_key_obama_advisors_in_tune_with_neocon_hawks_who_want_war_with_iran

Are Key Obama Advisors in Tune with Neocon Hawks Who Want War with Iran?
By Robert Dreyfuss, Tomdispatch.com. Posted December 3, 2008.

Think an attack is unlikely now? Ask key Obama cabinet figures why they're still palling around with neocon hardliners on Iran.

A familiar coalition of hawks, hardliners, and neoconservatives expects Barack Obama's proposed talks with Iran to fail -- and they're already proposing an escalating set of measures instead. Some are meant to occur alongside any future talks. These include steps to enhance coordination with Israel, tougher sanctions against Iran, and a region-wide military buildup of U.S. strike forces, including the prepositioning of military supplies within striking distance of that country.

Once the future negotiations break down, as they are convinced will happen, they propose that Washington quickly escalate to war-like measures, including a U.S. Navy-enforced embargo on Iranian fuel imports and a blockade of that country's oil exports. Finally, of course, comes the strategic military attack against the Islamic Republic of Iran that so many of them have wanted for so long.

It's tempting to dismiss the hawks now as twice-removed from power: first, figures like John Bolton, Paul Wolfowitz, and Douglas Feith were purged from top posts in the Bush administration after 2004; then the election of Barack Obama and the announcement Monday of his centrist, realist-minded team of establishment foreign policy gurus seemed to nail the doors to power shut for the neocons, who have bitterly criticized the president-elect's plans to talk with Iran, withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq, and abandon the reckless Global War on Terrorism rhetoric of the Bush era.

"Kinetic Action" Against Iran

When it comes to Iran, however, it's far too early to dismiss the hawks. To be sure, they are now plying their trade from outside the corridors of power, but they have more friends inside the Obama camp than most people realize. Several top advisers to Obama -- including Tony Lake, UN Ambassador-designate Susan Rice, Tom Daschle, and Dennis Ross, along with leading Democratic hawks like Richard Holbrooke, close to Vice-President-elect Joe Biden or Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton -- have made common cause with war-minded think-tank hawks at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP), the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), and other hardline institutes.

MORE

These Democrats are not hawks and it's just assinine for anybody to suggest they are.

glad you see it that way.

But maybe its dreyfuss; alternet has a variety of sources, eh?

In the first place, it is not true that all the neo-cons were pushed out in 2004. Bolton, in fact, was promoted to UN amabassador after 2004 - even though he had to be recess appointed.

As to the Democrats, I don't see the links to AEI, which I associate with the Cheneys. Susan Rice and Greg Craig were on the board of the American Security Project (ASP), headed by Gary Hart - John Kerry was a main person behind it - it started after he opted not to run for President - and he is on the board. ). There papers are very interesting - and they are not hawks. (http://www.americansecurityproject.org/ )

A simple goggle of Biden AEI pulls up articles by AEI fellows attacking Biden - he is clearly not a favorite - http://www.aei.org/publications/filter.all,pubID.28526/pub_detail.asp. (Here's an article attacking Biden for Bush's lack of an Iraq policy(!!!!) http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2008/08/26/rubin-its-bidens-fault-that-the-bush-administration-has-no-coherent-iran-policy/ )

Hillary Clinton? - Look at the AEI website - they went out of their way to put a British op-ed that assigned the worst motives possible to HRC - http://www.aei.org/publications/pubID.27959/pub_detail.asp - clearly not a fan piece.

It is true that some of the voices on that team are well to the right of the Democratic party's center, but that is part of having a diverse range of opinions. The above links are not a comprehensive evaluation of anyone, but they do question his assertion. In particular, ASP, where Susan Rice was on the board is not hawkish - though it is bi-partisan.

In fact this article really is laughable. Anyone who thinks that Biden is akin to Cheney is a freakin' idiot or pushing some nasty dishonest little agenda.

God, I'm sick of stupid.