The Neoconservative Madrassa

The End of the City on the Hill

The Kozawi Maru was an old container ship built in the early 1980s at the peak of Japan's booming economy. Older now, she sailed slowly north in the easy Atlantic swell. Rusty and a little slower than when she was built the Kozawi was still graceful enough to easily move at eight knots on her listed course to Newark. The Kozawi had sailed from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, gone north to Hong Kong and dropped three dozen empty containers and sixty containers of cargo. Loading 110 containers bound for the middle east, Europe and the US, she sailed south making stops in Singapore, Lahore, Bangalore, Dubai and Cadiz before she reached her current point, 160 miles southeast of Baltimore on a clear starlit night.

The Captain had joined the ship at Dubai disguised as a sailor. Now he was its new Captain. Sitting calmly on the bridge, looking over the glistening dark sea, he reached for his satellite phone and dialed a number in Beirut.

"Is Mehrak there?"

"He is not in, would you like me to take a message?"

"No need, I will be in port tomorrow and will call him then"

"Farewell"

The Captain began to say "All...." but cut himself off before he finished with "...ahu Akbar." He switched the phone off.

A full Colonel in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, the Captain had just been told that he was to proceed with his mission the next day. If his masters in Tehran had any second thoughts or doubts now, the only way they could stop him from doing what he was about to do was to inform the US Navy of his intentions. That was not going to happen. The Captain stepped outside the bridge and threw the satellite phone into the water. There were no more calls to make or receive now.

The most of the former crew of the Kozawi had been killed the same night when the Captain came on board; he had opened the containers his current crew was hiding in. Twenty minutes later, most of the original crew was dead except the radio operator and the engine crew. The Radio operator sent back the daily and weekly reports to the ships owner; this avoided calling the ship's change of control to her owner's attention. The new crew were handpicked men from the Revolutionary Guards and Iranian Navy.

Operation Khomeini had been first conceived in 1994 as part of the final approval to build a nuclear program given by the Supreme Ruling Council of Iran. The plan was simple. Build a nuclear program. Build an arsenal of nuclear weapons; then launch a first strike on the US, Europe and Israel. The voice that had said farewell on the phone was Imad Mugniyeh, the foremost terror mastermind in the world, he had two other calls that night on three other lines from two other ships. For many years the Iranian regime's followers had marched in the streets chanting "Death to America." It had taken millions of man months of engineering and labor as well as twenty billion dollars; Iran now was ready to do what it always said and kill America.

Sitting in the containers of the ships were more than two dozen nuclear tipped cruise missiles. With a flying speed of 700 kph, most of their intended targets would be hit less than twenty minutes after launch. Unless there were dozens of warplanes ready to intercept them, surprise would be complete, there would be no way to stop the missiles from hitting their targets. If the missiles launched successfully, there would be little or no warning, low flying cruise missiles are notoriously hard to spot on radar, even if spotted, almost impossible to intercept. The United States did not know it, but she was about to be surprised far worse than Pearl Harbor or 9-11. The Great Republic was about to awake to the first multi-city nuclear surprise attack in human history.

The Captain went below to his cabin for a few hours sleep before things would get very busy. He lay down in his bunk and ignored the gory bloodstain on the wall, a grim reminder there had been a previous occupant.

That did not matter, the weather was clear for the next day and all that mattered now was a little luck and the quality of Iranian nuclear and missile engineering.

The Kozawi Maru was sixty miles off the coast of Maryland at 4:30 a.m. when the Captain awoke and began overseeing the final preparations for the attack. The missile container doors were open and held in place by wood trestles that fit the top of the container and held the doors open at 90 degrees. To hide the missiles and the lights working on them during final arming and fire preparation sequences, temporary tarps were laid over the entrance of each container. When daylight arrived, the open containers would only seem out of place to a very close plane or ship, the planners placed the ship's course twenty miles further out to sea to avoid such prying eyes.

The fire control panels for the missiles were lined up along the deck below the containers. Each panel had a spare in case of failure. Wires from the panels snaked down the deck and up to through the open doors of a container to a nuclear tipped cruise missile.

Dawn broke over the eastern horizon and the Captain led his men in prayers as he had throughout the voyage. As the men stood up from their prayers, he called them together and spoke softly to them: "Today we and our brothers will destroy the Great Satan and the Little Satan once and for all. We have been given permission by the relgious and political authorities to avenge the evils committed against our great nation and our religion. You all know what to do. Make no mistakes; we must be perfect this morning. Once the missiles are launched, get to your assigned lifeboat right away."

He reached into his pocket and handed each man a headband and tied one about his head as well. The men cheered and went to their assigned stations.

Twelve missiles pointed west from their containers- two for New York and Washington D.C, one each for Miami, Atlanta, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Boston.

The Pacific ship would launch six missiles just south of San Francisco while the Mediterranean ship would attack Israel and Europe. Simultaneous launches would begin at 13:30 GMT, (8:30 a.m. EST or 5:30 PST), the missiles with the longest flight paths would be given a twenty-minute head start to maximize surprise and minimize any possible reaction to the strike. The hope was to catch the entire western world commuting to or from work. Coated in expensive radar absorbing composites, the missiles would have the radar signature of a large bird. Their flight speed from their small efficient jet engines would be about 450 miles per hour and relatively unsophisticated GPS guidance units that would fly them at an altitude of a little less than a hundred feet would guide them. To get over any high hills or mountains, the missiles' routes over land had been planned in advance with the help of terrain maps and Iranian agents. At given coordinates the missiles would be at given heights, the routes were selected to allow the missiles to be off by up to 1000 meters and not hit anything. A US cruise missile engineer from the late seventies might have scoffed but the guidance did not have to be fancy, it just had to work.

At 8:15, the Captain finished arming the explosives to scuttle the Kozawi Maru twenty minutes after the launch. The remaining members of the original crew would go down with the ship leaving no trace of them or where the missiles came from. The Iranian crew had been told they would be picked up by another ship scheduled to meet the lifeboats an hour after launch.

8:30 a.m. A brief nod from the Captain and to the shouts of "Allahu Akbar!" the missiles aimed for Miami, Atlanta and Boston were fired. Bursting from their containers in a jet of flame, the missiles gained speed, leveled off at 90 feet and sped towards millions of people. Operation Khomeini had begun.

Twenty minutes later, they launched the nine missile second salvo. Fifteen minutes after that, the crew were in the lifeboats sailing to their expected rendezvous. A loud deep whump came from the bowels of the Kozawi Maru. Almost immediately, the big ship began to list and settle into the water to begin her brief journey to the bottom.

As the crew watched her settle and began embracing and congratulating each other on their performance, the Captain removed a small device from his pocket and pointed it at the second lifeboat. He walked forward to be surrounded by the hugs and well wishes of his men. The instant he heard the bomb destroy the second lifeboat, he pulled the cords on his own suicide bomb-vest: there would be no witnesses. Within a few seconds, the entire crew was dead.

Surprise was complete; within forty minutes, ten 200-kiloton bombs detonated over ten US cities. The missiles aimed at Chicago and Boston crashed, as did the ones targeting Jerusalem and Las Vegas. The bombs that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki were 5-kiloton bombs. These bombs were forty times more powerful. Paris, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Miami, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Rome, Berlin, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle all burned in superheated radioactive fire and smoke consuming tens of thousands of lives, men women and children each second. They burned for hours. Finally, the firestorms ran out of oxygen, people, and property to burn. Anything above ground within ten miles of the blast was disintegrated or burned to nothing. Washington, New York, Los Angeles, London and Tel Aviv were each hit twice, the bombs spaced four miles apart to ensure maximum damage.

Whether the death toll was sixty million or a hundred million, the damage and destruction to the United States was complete. The United State had ceased to exist, as had sixteen major US cities. The American Age had come to an abrupt end.

Historians would look back at nation the led the world in commerce, science and the arts and wonder how a small embittered Iran could have been allowed to perpetrate its lethal death-stroke. The signs were all there: the nuclear program, the missile testing, the technology acquisition patterns and even the test firing of cruise missiles from containers.

Was the nation too weary after five years of war to act to stop Iran in 2006? Was it the wasted political capital or fallout from hurricane Katrina? Was the nation too jaded after three years in Iraq to move on Iran? Was it obstructionist opposition? Was it the result of well-meaning or not so well meaning pacifism?

In the end, the time to safely act came and went. The lights went out forever in the City on the Hill and mankind never saw her likes again.

The Summer of War

I cannot predict how much longer the guns will remain silent, all signs are pointing to a rather big nasty war, sooner rather than later. Iran will not agree to end its nuclear program so there are no peaceful avenues left. War is certain but how and when it breaks out is what matters most.

If you are Ahmadinejad, your only chance of surviving to 2009 are if you get your hands on nukes, terrorize your people into submission and prevent Bush from attacking. To do that you need time. Smashing your own people on the streets and hanging children from cranes is the easy part. I have been informed that Iran has imported foreign terrorists, one can assume these are Hezbollah and Palestinian mercenaries who are retained for extreme counterdemonstration operations. On call 24/7, these very special barbarians live in special barracks that provide them women, boys and entertainment. At the first sign of protest, they hop on their motos and brutality ensues.

This can work for a while but is an exceedingly dangerous way to perpetuate your regime but Iran only needs a couple more years to get the bomb and attack the US and Israel.

Getting the bomb and surviving Bush are really one and the same thing but break into two components: play the rest of the world off against Bush, make the price of war so high Bush dares not to attack.

China, Russia and anti-alanticists/anti-Americans are paid or naturally rally around the key points of preventing US unilateral action on Iran:

1- Bush was "wrong" on Iraq so he must be wrong on Iran
2- Negotiations will work
3- Iran is not a threat

While none of this in any way news to readers here, what is not being discussed is Iran's war preparations. The kind invitation to become Muslim in this week's peace letter was a final warning and an open declaration of war to come. The nature of this war is key to Ahamadinejad's strategy: create so much mayhem that Bush is discredited as a leader and unable to launch war on Iran during his presidency. Part and parcel of this strategy is to drive oil prices sky-high.

This makes a lot of sense. The Iranians are not dumb, they know how our system works, if the Democrats get control of Congress, how likely are they to vote for war with Iran? None of the Democrat leaders were formed in the days of FDR, there are a few Kennedy administration era and fewer still able to see Rwanda, Darfur and Baghdad as a single morally imperative war. The only Democrats who might go along with it are those pro-Israel enough to recognize that there is no time to act and if Iran gets the bomb, the second Shoah follows.

We know now that the London 7/7 plot cost the bombers 8000 UK pounds and couple of flights to Pakistan for "spiritual counseling" to get in touch with their inner Jihadi.

One bomb lab on the east coast could disperse several hundred bomb vests all over the country; the scum willing to blow themselves up are easy to find. Give them a good Qawadiri/Zawahiri/Bin Laden CD and they will start shaving their pubes and recording their final rants.

While there might be quite a bit of backlash against Islam in America, the planners think that committing such acts actually draws more people to Islam; in this regard, their thinking is far different than ours. Remember that this war is very much a shadow war, good intelligence is the key to winning. It should come as no surprise to the readers of this blog that the likes of Seymour Hersh the NYT and now USA Today are doing everything they can to destroy US intelligence capabilities. When you can't see into the shadows, you can't see the knife aimed for your heart. US intel before the war was weak, I submit that we have made some progress since 9-11 but mostly we have been lucky and, taking the fight to the enemy, have mostly kept terrorism from hitting our shores again.

There are two significant virulently anti-American terrorist networks in the US that have extensive operations and have largely not been touched by US counterintelligence: Hezbollah and Hamas.

These groups cannot survive without Iran; Iran is threatened and there are plenty of indications that they have been called upon to defend their patron and have agreed to do so.

For Iran, there is ZERO downside to launching an all-out terror war. Islamicly, it is the correct thing to do, strategically Bush is the uber-Enemy; Hamas hates him for destroying their beloved Saddam, Hezbollah hates him for destroying the Taleban and threatening Iran. As a bonus, Jewish targets will figure prominently in the mayhem.

Also making Iran's trigger finger itchy is the fact that they twice watched Saddam sit while the US deployed against him and then attacked when we were ready. Even after 9-11 it took six weeks before the US could respond in any real way. If they can hit hard enough and big enough, worldwide and with massive casualties they believe they can destabilize the weak western allies and neuter Bush.

In war momentum is everything. If Iran succeeded in stopping Gulf oil shipments for just a few months, they might cause the whole world to turn on the US and demand Bush back down and accede to Iranian ambitions.

This is what seems to be their thinking.

If Iran stalls long enough they get the bomb, if war breaks out, they hasten the return of the occluded 12th Imam and perhaps rally the Iranian nation to defend their regime.

There is no way to defeat the US military, the only way to defeat it is to prevent its deployment against you.

It is my belief that Bush has already decided to act. It is my further belief that in his meetings with PM Olmert this week, the US and Israel will finalize arrangements for the upcoming war. It has been my position for some time that the administration's post 9-11 strategy has been to finish every single terror sponsoring regime before 2009, the Taleban, Saddam, Iran, Hezbollah, North Korea, Syria and Khaddafy were all marked for elimination. Afghanistan was target one because it was the source of 9-11, Saddam was next because his regime required the most military force to take down. Khaddafy folded up shop when he saw what happened to Saddam; Iran is the last great nexus, victory there destroys Hezbollah, Syria, Hamas and many smaller groups.

On 9-11 Bush said our war was with terrorists and nations that sponsor terrorism; Iran has had five years to take itself off the list but has rather made its case only more urgent.

As in 2003, in 2006 we face the lesser powers seeking to deflate American global supremacy; while it is natural for nations to desire more power for themselves, China and Russia offer no model of a better world order than 61 years of American dominance. We may bruise their feelings acting unilaterally but for our way to prevail, Iran as we know it must end. The European Allies have only gone into a steeper decline since 9-11; we never did need their permission to act and the doddering scolding of a spinster Leftist aunt is never a reason for a young vital nation to stand for its core beliefs and act to the betterment of all mankind.

The Summer of War is here. It will be fought not just in the skies and waters of the Gulf but in the South American triangle, the streets of Europe, the borders of Israel, jungles of south Asia and in US cities. When the balloon goes up, all hell will break lose; the question on which thousands of lives stand at risk is who will act first. This will be a very big war. But it does not have to be as big as it could get if the US and its allies act by acting first. For all our sakes, I hope Bush acts immediately.

It took a little while but the deed is now done; the Ahmadinejad letter is Fisked.

Before reading the fisking, put yourself in the right mindset as to just how guilty Iran is and just what a turd in the puchbowl of diplomacy that this letter is.

Iran's involvement in the 9-11 conspiracy

All comments are noted **, and now on with the fisking:

"Mr. George Bush, president of the United States of America

** This is the only accurate and truthful thing in the letter

For some time now, I have been thinking, how one can justify the undeniable contradictions that exist in the international arena -- which are being constantly debated, especially in political forums and amongst university students. Many questions remain unanswered. Those have prompted me to discuss some of the contradictions and questions, in the hopes that it might bring about an opportunity to redress them.

**This is gibberish. Ahmadinejad is having discussions with no one but himself and the voices he hears in his head. I wonder if he had a green aura glowing when he wrote this.

Can one be a follower of Jesus Christ (Peace Be Upon Him), the great Messenger of God, **millions of people do

Feel obliged to respect human rights, **we do; the average Iranian has no rights and the average American has more rights than anyone.

Present liberalism as a civilization model, ** if you are referring to Jeffersonian liberalism, the antithesis of your government and its behavior for the last 27 years, you are right.

Announce one's opposition to the proliferation of nuclear weapons and WMDs,

** The nutball writing this letter is a poster child for unilateral proliferation prevention

Make "War on Terror" his slogan, ** some one has to stop Iran’s major export

And finally,

work towards the establishment of an unified international community -- a community which Christ and the virtuous of the Earth will one day govern,

** You torture and murder dissidents and suppress your people and most members of the international community have a shared vision of people like you have power over us. How about never will the US let that happen.

But at the same time,

Have countries attacked. The lives, reputations and possessions of people destroyed and on the slight chance of the presence of a few criminals in a village, city, or convoy for example, the entire village, city or convoy set ablaze.

** Iran sponsors suicide bombings and lectures the US on the morality of war?

Or because of the possibility of the existence of WMDs in one country, it is occupied, around 100,000 people killed, its water sources, agriculture and industry destroyed, close to 180,000 foreign troops put on the ground, sanctity of private homes of citizens broken, and the country pushed back perhaps 50 years.

** All lies and he does not note his government is responsible for half the chaos in Iraq and well over half of US casualties.

At what price? Hundreds of billions of dollars spent from the treasury of one country and certain other countries and tens of thousands of young men and women -- as occupation troops -- put in harms way, taken away from family and loved ones, their hands stained with the blood of others, subjected to so much psychological pressure that everyday some commit suicide and those returning home suffer depression, become sickly and grapple with all sorts of ailments; while some are killed and their bodies handed to their families.

** Iran aids Al Qaeda and they, in turn, murder shias, anything to oppose US policy

On the pretext of the existence of WMDs, this great tragedy came to engulf both the peoples of the occupied and the occupying country. Later it was revealed that no WMDs existed to begin with.

** Right

Of course, Saddam was a murderous dictator. But the war was not waged to topple him, the announced goal of the war was to find and destroy weapons of mass destruction. He was toppled along the way towards another goal; nevertheless the people of the region are happy about it. I point out that throughout the many years of the imposed war on Iran Saddam was supported by the West. ** the US actually did authorize Saddam to be overthrown; this clown is ignorant, meanwhile, as Iran knows, Iraqi WMD were smuggled to Syria

Mr. President,

You might know that I am a teacher. My students ask me how can these actions be reconciled with the values outlined at the beginning of this letter and duty to the tradition of Jesus Christ (Peace Be Upon Him), the Messenger of peace and forgiveness?

** We westerners reconcile the Christian tradition with the notion that if you blow up buildings in our cities without reason, we destroy the perpetrators. Several 9-11 conspirators went through Iran on their way to the US. Many senior AQ scum reside in Iran; Iran has not turned them over to us.

There are prisoners in Guantanamo Bay that have not been tried, have no legal representation, their families cannot see them and are obviously kept in a strange land outside their own country. There is no international monitoring of their conditions and fate. No one knows whether they are prisoners, POWs, accused or criminals.

** They are enemy combatants; they have little more legal status than the leaders of the Iranian criminal regime will have when their people put them on trial.

European investigators have confirmed the existence of secret prisons in Europe too. I could not correlate the abduction of a person, and him or her being kept in secret prisons, with the provisions of any judicial system. For that matter, I fail to understand how such actions correspond to the values outlined in the beginning of this letter, i.e. the teachings of Jesus Christ (Peace Be Upon Him), human rights and liberal values.

** The leader of Iran lecturing the US on human rights is pretty funny. Most Americans don’t know about the mass executions at Tehran’s Evrin prison last month, but they did happen.

Young people, university students, and ordinary people have many questions about the phenomenon of Israel. I am sure you are familiar with some of them.

Throughout history, many countries have been occupied, but I think the establishment of a new country with a new people, is a new phenomenon that is exclusive to our times. **It is called reparations for two millennia of people like you.

Students are saying that 60 years ago such a country did not exist. They show old documents and globes and say try as we have, we have not been able to find a country named Israel. **Try the 2000-year-old maps

I tell them to study the history of WWI and II. One of my students told me that during WWII, which more than tens of millions of people perished in, news about the war, was quickly disseminated by the warring parties. Each touted their victories and the most recent battlefront defeat of the other party. After the war they claimed that six million Jews had been killed. Six million people that were surely related to at least two million families. Again let us assume that these events are true. ** Very daring on his part- he is showing how reasonable he can be.

Does that logically translate into the establishment of the state of Israel in the Middle East or support for such a state? ** Yes

How can this phenomenon be rationalized or explained? ** By you looking the mirror, idiot

** What a great way to open avenues to the President of the US, do some more holocaust denial!

Mr. President,

I am sure you know how -- and at what cost -- Israel was established:

-- Many thousands were killed in the process. **In an unnecessary war to annihilate the Jews of the new state

-- Millions of indigenous people were made refugees. ** Weak on facts, weak on ideas. Hey Jerk, about equal number of Jews from Arab countries were expelled to match roughly the same number of Palestinians, most of whom voluntarily fled

-- Hundreds of thousands of hectares of farmland, olive plantations, towns and villages were destroyed. ** Did he consult Hamas to get these false factoids?

This tragedy is not exclusive to the time of establishment; unfortunately it has been ongoing for 60 years now. **And the US and Israel have been trying to make things right ever since.

A regime has been established which does not show mercy even to kids, destroys houses while the occupants are still in them, announces beforehand its list and plans to assassinate Palestinian figures, and keeps thousands of Palestinians in prison. Such a phenomenon is unique -- or at the very least extremely rare -- in recent memory.

** Actually Israel has suffered innumerable casualties avoiding civilian casualties, shall we talk about Iran’s sponsorship of terror groups now of shall we wait a while?

Another big question asked by the people is "why is this regime being supported?" ** Because scum like you seek to destroy it/

Is support for this regime in line with the teachings of Jesus Christ (Peace Be Upon Him) or Moses (Peace Be Upon Him) or liberal values? ** Believe it or not Ahmadinejad, Jesus was Jewish and the behavior of Israel is considered exemplary by the strictest standards of the two foremost personalities of Christianity and Judaism

Or are we to understand that allowing the original inhabitants of these lands -- inside and outside Palestine -- whether they are Christian, Muslim or Jew, to determine their fate, runs contrary to principles of democracy, human rights and the teachings of prophets? If not, why is there so much opposition to a referendum? ** The Jews are the original inhabitants; when this jerk lectures on democracy to destroy a democracy and commit genocide, he is showing just how ignorant he is.

The newly elected Palestinian administration recently took office. All independent observers have confirmed that this government represents the electorate. Unbelievingly, they have put the elected government under pressure and have advised it to recognize the Israeli regime, abandon the struggle and follow the programs of the previous government.

** The US and Israel are treating the fascist Hamas Nazis, as the scum they are. Iran ideologically differs from Hamas only to the extent that Hamas is Sunni and Iran is Shia

If the current Palestinian government had run on the above platform, would the Palestinian people have voted for it? Again, can such position taken in opposition to the Palestinian government be reconciled with the values outlined earlier? The people are, also asking "why are all UNSC resolutions in condemnation of Israel vetoed?" ** To prevent the International Community from destroying Israel

Mr. President,

As you are well aware, I live amongst the people and am in constant contact with them – ** Damn shame none of them have put a slug in your skinny butt ugly head.

many people from around the Middle East manage to contact me as well. They do not have faith in there dubious policies either. There is evidence that the people of the region are becoming increasingly angry with such policies.

** Because they are as ignorant and misinformed as you are

It is not my intention to pose too many questions, but I need to refer to other points as well. ** Trust me buddy, no one will mistake your snakes in the brain logic for Aristotelian reason, but keep trying, this writing stuff may just be your strong suit

Why is it that any technological and scientific achievement reached in the Middle East region is translated into and portrayed as a threat to the Zionist regime? Is not scientific R&D one of the basic rights of nations?

** Excellent lie and mischaracterization of Iran’s baleful intentions. This schmuck says this after he has made the comments he has about Israel. This fellow has a slim tether to reality.

You are familiar with history.

** YOU aren’t Aside from the middle Ages; in what other point in history has scientific and technical progress been a crime?

** Publish a few papers on the differences Islamic cosmology and modern astronomy and then ask this

Can the possibility of scientific achievements being utilized for military purposes be reason enough to oppose science and technology altogether?

** In Iran’s case yes

If such a supposition is true, then all scientific disciplines, including physics, chemistry, mathematics, medicine, engineering, etc, must be opposed. ** Brilliant logic, as though all science is equal and Iran’s use of the science, given your psychotic behavior, is more than ample reason

Lies were told in the Iraqi matter. What was the result? I have no doubt that telling lies is reprehensible in any culture, and you do not like to be lied to.

***Now here is a way to worm your way into Bush’s heart, call him a liar. How about Iran’s lies? Iran has lied about its program; Iran lied during the negotiations with France Germany and the UK and then admitted it was all a stall. Bush went into Iraq on bad intelligence; he did not lie. But bad intelligence is what this war is all about, the problem is, in the age of lethal mass-casualty transnational terrorism, rogue regimes (and Iran is the most rogue of them all) are presumed to be at their worst (a safe assumption- are you and your kids better off without Saddam in Power? Yes, and the same applies when the US finishes Iran’s regime off).

Mr. President,

Don't Latin Americans have the right to ask why their elected government are being opposed and coup leaders supported? Or, Why must they constantly be threatened and live in fear?

** It appears Mr. Ahmadinejad has been conspiring with Cuba and Venezuela against US interests; add invocation of the Monroe Doctrine to the causus belli, the Doctrine opposes ANY foreign nation interfering in the Americas. Thanks Mahmoud, for a new reason to demolish your regime.

The people of Africa are hard-working, creative and talented. They can play an important and valuable role in providing for the needs of humanity and contribute to its material and spiritual progress. Poverty and hardship in large parts of Africa are preventing this from happening.

** He did it again! He said something remotely true!

Don't they have the right to ask why their enormous wealth -- including minerals -- is being looted, despite the fact that they need it more than others?

** Ah hello, we pay full market price and spend billions on aid to Africa. Iran, contrast, has billions for an illegal nuclear weapons program and supporting terrorist groups but does not spend a cent on foreign aid. One should also mention that most contracts with the Iranian government provide for the corrupt leaders, Mullahs and their families add 15-35% to the price of goods and services as graft skimmed off mostly to Swiss bank accounts. Iranians have seen a huge drop in their standard of living, mostly because their oil wealth is siphoned off and much the way that far too much aid to Africa is siphoned off by African despots and kleptocrats.

Again, do such actions correspond to the teachings of Christ and the tenets of human rights?

** As the wealthiest nation on Earth, the US takes its responsibility to our fellow man quite seriously, not only do we aid in the time of disaster, Iran did nothing for the Tsunami victims; the US saved tens of thousands of lives, we also have made war against totalitarian regimes and destroyed them even though we could just as easily done nothing and not gotten involved at all. This is particularly bad for your regime, Ahmadinejad; there are hundreds of millions of people who do not want to live under your nuclear umbrella. We will be doing a great public service stopping your regime.

The brave and faithful people of Iran too have many questions and grievances, including: the coup d'etat of 1953

** Yeah, yeah, we said we were sorry and we let the Shah go to make up for it. Unfortunately, we got you so by not doing it right in ’53 we have to go back and clean up the mess. History is just a bear.

and the subsequent toppling of the legal government of the day, opposition to the Islamic revolution

** If we had had a President with vision and testicle in 1979, we might have handled things differently

, transformation of an Embassy into a headquarters supporting the activities of those opposing the Islamic Republic (many thousands of pages of documents corroborate this claim),

** You and your brothers in terror invaded sovereign US soil and held our diplomats hostage. Aside from the insane worldview, that holds this remotely acceptable; your reminding the American people of the illegal, grotesque and vile abuse of our property is testimony to just what an uneducated rube you are. First, we have a right to do ANYTHING we want in our Embassy. Second, US policy was neutral to your regime until you committed this act of war against us and thirdly you have NEVER been held to account for it and finally Iran has attacked American embassies, diplomats and government personnel directly and indirectly over the years. Given this track record of barbarism and stupidity, we can support whoever we want to replace your loathsome regime; in fact, I think that we have decided to just destroy your regime and then let your people pick new leaders.

support for Saddam in the war waged against Iran,

** Actually, we supplied your regime weapons too. As a result, Ronald Reagan’s presidency achieved a black mark against it. Henry Kissinger announced our official policy: “It’s a shame they both can’t lose.” Saddam initiated the war and Iran kept prosecuting the war long after any normal sane nation would have stopped. Did we supply Saddam a little intelligence that let him seize the Faw peninsula? Probably. However, after a million and a half people had died, it was time to end the war and Iranian attempts to overrun Iraq. And one other thing, you use of children to clear landmines was one of the most despicable war crimes ever invented, congratulations on inventing a new one.

the shooting down of the Iranian passenger plane,

** Normal countries do not initiate acts of war and then send civilian airliners into the same combat zones. In addition, really smart people route planes away from danger, in America we route planes away from anything unpleasant, even bad weather. Also for a regime that has blown up civilian Airliners (Iran was complicit in the downing of Pan Am 103 and there were reports of Iranian leaders celebrating the downing of TWA 800), the Iranian President is magnificently unaware how clueless and stupid he appears raising this issue. There is also the small matter of Iran’s attempted bombing of the Rogers’ family minivan (Rogers was the Captain of the Vincennes, the ship that shot down the Iranian plane).

freezing the assets of the Iranian nation,

** These assets are needed to compensate the many victims of Iranian terror and criminality

Increasing threats, anger and displeasure vis-à-vis the scientific and nuclear progress of the Iranian nation (just when all Iranians are jubilant and celebrating their country's progress), and many other grievances that I will not refer to in this letter.

** The only time “all” Iranians will be jubilant again is if they win the World Cup for Soccer or your regime becomes history. However, you will, never be allowed to get the bomb.

Mr. President,

September Eleven was a horrendous incident.

** and your boy Imad Mugniyeh (opps I said it, the one name for which the United States would be in its rights to vaporize all of Iran) was probably the operational planner and commander of 9-11. Didn’t you or members of your government recently meet with him? I also recall Iran celebrating the attack and saying we deserved it. This also raises the questions of ratification and aiding and abetting- under American law, assisting a criminal after the crime is an act commensurate to the original crime itself and ratification is an act to make an illegal act one’s own. This too, under American law is considered a crime equal to the original act itself.

On the evening of 9-11, Mr. Bush said that our war was against terror and regimes that sponsor terror. That means the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mr. Ahmadinejad. Thanks for reminding us!

The killing of innocents is deplorable and appalling in any part of the world. Our government immediately declared its disgust with the perpetrators and offered its condolences to the bereaved and expressed its sympathies.

** And giggled the whole time you said it.

All governments have a duty to protect the lives, property and good standing of their citizens.

** A duty Iran’s government famously ignores, witness 85%+ of all Iranians want he regime out

Reportedly your government employs extensive security, protection and intelligence systems -- and even hunts its opponents abroad. September eleven was not a simple operation.

**As you know all too well

Could it be planned and executed without coordination with intelligence and security services -- or their extensive infiltration?

** Absolutely not. Iran’s intelligence and security networks were in 9-11 up to their pupiks

Of course this is just an educated guess.

** This is so funny. He is all but accusing Bush of being in on 9-11 when Bush knows he knew nothing about 9-11 but has reports proving Iran was in on 9-11 and Ahmadinejad, in his letter to Bush is thoughtfully implying that Bush knew! This is insanity in the extreme! If Bush was in on 9-11 and Iran had proof of it they could do what they could destroy Bush but if Bush did not know, Iran is appropriating the conspiracy theorists most radical ideas and suggesting them as reality! This is a virtuoso performance of leading while Islamist!

Why have the various aspects of the attacks been kept secret?

** Appealing to Bush’s most radicalized supporters and conspiracy buffs is a great peace overture. Have to remember that one

Why are we not told who botched their responsibilities?

** Yes please provide detailed information on current US intelligence weaknesses, inquiring minds want to know

And, why aren't those responsible and the guilty parties identified and put on trial? ** This schmuck does not know the first thing about our government

All governments have a duty to provide security and peace of mind for their citizens. For some years now, the people of your country and neighbors of world trouble spots do not have peace of mind. After 9.11, instead of healing and tending to the emotional wounds of the survivors and the American people -- who had been immensely traumatized by the attacks -- some Western media only intensified the climate of fear and insecurity -- some constantly talked about the possibility of new terror attacks and kept the people in fear. Is that service to the American people? Is it possible to calculate the damages incurred from fear and panic?

** The writer seems to imply that the US had no right to respond to 9-11 and that we should have just tolerated the murder of our citizens, something that is firmly in Iranian terrorist interest.

American citizens lived in constant fear of fresh attacks that could come at any moment and in any place. They felt insecure in the street, in their place of work and at home. Who would be happy with this situation? Why was the media, instead of conveying a feeling of security and providing peace of mind, giving rise to a feeling of insecurity?

**OH maybe because four US airliners hit three US national landmarks, destroying two, damaging a third and missing a fourth?

Some believe that the hype paved the way -- and was the justification -- for an attack on Afghanistan. Again I need to refer to the role of media. In media charters, correct dissemination of information and honest reporting of a story are established tenets. I express my deep regret about the disregard shown by certain Western media for these principles.

** Iran aided and aids bin Laden, this is yet one more lie in this letter. A deceit of a regime that is trying to blame the media (!!!) for US anger about 9-11, it could not have been the murder of 3000 Americans.

The main pretext for an attack on Iraq was the existence of WMDs. This was repeated incessantly -- for the public to finally believe -- and the ground set for an attack on Iraq.

** There were other good reasons to destroy Saddam, chiefly his sponsorship of terror. And you sir, are next.

Will the truth not be lost in a contrived and deceptive climate? Again, if the truth is allowed to be lost, how can that be reconciled with the earlier mentioned values?

** War is truth buddy and coming your way soon

Is the truth known to the Almighty lost as well?

Mr. President,

In countries around the world, citizens provide for the expenses of governments so that their governments in turn are able to serve them.

** No government has ever served its people better than ours, Mr. Ahmadinejad; your government seems to export thinkers and opponents to your cruel and tyrannical leadership

The question here is "what has the hundreds of billions of dollars, spent every year to pay for the Iraqi campaign, produced for the citizens?"

** Three down (Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq) and four to go: Iran, Syria, Hezbollah in Lebanon and North Korea. Please note when you go, the next two in my list fall too.

As Your Excellency is aware, in some states of your country, people are living in poverty.

** this guy is a miracle of stupidity

Many thousands are homeless and unemployment is a huge problem.

** and we spend billions trying to improve things every day, the US still spends far more on social welfare that warfare

Of course these problems exist -- to a larger or lesser extent -- in other countries as well. With these conditions in mind, can the gargantuan expenses of the campaign -- paid from the public treasury -- be explained and be consistent with the aforementioned principles?

** Meanwhile, Ahmadinejad was elected in a banana boat election in which the government excluded 3000+ candidates and offered this murdering asshat and another murdering asshat, Rafsanjani as the tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum candidates

What has been said, are some of the grievances of the people around the world, in our region and in your country. But my main contention -- which I am hoping you will agree to some of it -- is:

Those in power have a specific time in office and do not rule indefinitely, but their names will be recorded in history and will be consistently judged in the immediate and distant futures.

** Hit the nail on the head buddy, Bush is out of office January 2009; you will never see the end of your term

The people will scrutinize our presidencies.

** They will indeed. Magnificent America led by a beleaguered and isolated George Bush stood up and looked criminally psychotic nutjobs in the eye and prevented them from gaining the most powerful weapons known to man

Did we manage to bring peace, security and prosperity for the people or insecurity and unemployment?

** When you are gone Mr. Ahmadinejad, the world will be a much more peaceful place

Did we intend to establish justice or just supported special interest groups, and by forcing many people to live in poverty and hardship made a few people rich and powerful -- thus trading the approval of the people and the Almighty with theirs?

** The Persian Pericles lectures the shining city on the hill to ignore the black nuclear plot again the city: go to sleep that we can sneak up on you and slit your throats.

Did we defend the rights of the underprivileged or ignore them?

** Bush has done more for the enslaved and hopeless under the Taliban Saddam and, soon, Ahmadinejad than any leader since FDR. If militant Islam is finally defeated, hundreds of millions of women in the Islamic world will leader better lives.

Did we defend the rights of all people around the world or imposed wars on them, interfered illegally in their affairs, established hellish prisons and incarcerated some of them?

** Buddy, there is this thing called self defense and you fall squarely into what we like to call “clear and present danger” territory. It was nice knowing you, you are the gold standard for clueless Islamist ignoramuses, a poster child for not standing by and letting evil happen

Did we bring the world peace and security or raised the specter of intimidation and threats?

** No threats, just your doom

Did we tell the truth to our nation and others around the world or presented an inverted version of it?

** Here is comedy. Did you know that anyone attempting to trace family trees of senior leaders of Iran go to jail? The dirty secret is the Iranian kleptocracy intermarries and uses self-dealing to siphon off the wealth of a very rich country.

Were we on the side of people or the occupiers and oppressors?

** 90% of your people label you as an oppressor; you dare lecture a man who is living proof of our electoral system?

Did our administrations set out to promote rational behavior?

** Is crashing plane into inhabited buildings rational behavior? How about hiring people to explode themselves in restaurants and buses? Iran pays al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad to do such deeds in Israel Iraq and elsewhere.

logic, ethics, peace, fulfilling obligations, justice, service to the people, prosperity, progress and respect for human dignity or the force of guns, Intimidation, insecurity, disregard for the people, delaying the progress and excellence of other nations, and trample on people's rights?

** the same applies to this man’s logic, ethics and justice

And finally, they will judge us on whether we remained true to our oath of office -- to serve the people, which is our main task, and the traditions of the prophets -- or not?

** We will be serving your people with a revolution and your head on a platter Mr. Ahmadinejad, if this letter is your idea of opening a communication with America’s people and leaders, you are one sorry dumb putz.

Mr. President,

How much longer can the world tolerate this situation?

** if the world has a problem with us, I am sure they will let us know; whenever the defecation hits the impeller they call out for your help and whenever nothing else is happening, the world whines and cries about how powerful the US is

Where will this trend lead the world to?

** End of your regime for certain. After that hopefully an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity

How long must the people of the world pay for the incorrect decisions of some rulers?

** Not much longer, the people of the world are sick of your depraved regime and will not have to worry about you getting nukes

How much longer will the specter of insecurity -- raised from the stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction -- hunt the people of the world?

** This fellow needs psycho analysis- he pretends like the actions of his government are not happening.

How much longer will the blood of the innocent men, women and children be spilled on the streets, and people's houses destroyed over their heads?

** Since terrorists in Iran’s hire cause most casualties in Iraq, we would all like to know the answer to this question too

Are you pleased with the current condition of the world?

** NO. You are still in it

Do you think present policies can continue?

** As a matter of fact, yes

If billions of dollars spent on security, military campaigns and troop movement were instead spent on investment and assistance for poor countries, promotion of health, combating different diseases, education and improvement of mental and physical fitness, assistance to the victims of natural disasters, creation of employment opportunities and production, development projects and poverty alleviation, establishment of peace, mediation between disputing states, and extinguishing the flames of racial, ethnic and other conflicts, were would the world be today? Would not your government and people be justifiably proud?

Would not your administration's political and economic standing have been stronger?

** Right again! Except you bastards were part of the 9-11 plot and help al Qaeda to this day. So there is war and you are going to get it in the neck

And I am most sorry to say, would there have been an ever increasing global hatred of the American government?

** Blah blah blah see comment above about what the world thinks

Mr. President, it is not my intention to distress anyone.

** You are not distressing anyone who is not stupid or asleep to Iran’s threat to the free world. Really, about now, Bush had to be reading this letter wondering what is this idiot saying and how dumb can any one person be and how in the hell could anyone let this deranged moron be President of a country much less one with nuclear ambitions?

If Prophet Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Ishmael, Joseph, or Jesus Christ (Peace Be Upon Him) were with us today, how would they have judged such behavior? Will we be given a role to play in the promised world, where justice will become universal and Jesus Christ (Peace Be Upon Him) will be present? Will they even accept us?

** All but Ishmael would shout at the tops of their lungs- kill Ahmadinejad before he kills millions of members of my people and millions of innocent lives. President Bush, Ahmadinejad is helping here, he is giving you religious dispensation to do whatever is necessary; this is an insane man’s cry for help

My basic question is this: Is there no better way to interact with the rest of the world? Today there are hundreds of millions of Christians, hundreds of millions of Muslims and millions of people who follow the teachings of Moses (Peace Be Upon Him). All divine religions share and respect one word and that is "monotheism" or belief in a single God and no other in the world.

** Yes and your country has taken whatever is good in Islam and created an ideology of murder and lies. The foundation of this war was your beloved Khomeini. Like a bad vampire movie, the final reel is the part where the US Van Helsing puts a stake through the Iranian government’s heart.

The Holy Koran stresses this common word and calls on all followers of divine religions and says: (3.64) Say: O followers of the Book! come to an equitable proposition between us and you that we shall not serve any but Allah and (that) we shall not associate aught with Him, and (that) some of us shall not take others for lords besides Allah; but if they turn back, then say: Bear witness that we are Muslims. (The Family of Imran)

** No problem, you will be doing a lot witnessing very soon. Witness your regime’s downfall and destruction followed by the restoration of democracy in Iran and trial of your leaders for multiple acts of murder and terrorism both in Iran and all over the world

Mr. President,

According to divine verses, we have all been called upon to worship one God and follow the teachings of divine Prophets.

"To worship a God which is above all powers in the world and can do all He pleases." "the Lord which knows that which is hidden and visible, the past and the future, knows what goes on in the Hearts of His servants and records their deeds."

"The Lord who is the possessor of the heavens and the earth and all universe is His court" "planning for the universe is done by His hands, and gives His servants the glad tidings of mercy and forgiveness of sins" "He is the companion of the oppressed and the enemy of oppressors" "He is the Compassionate, the Merciful" "He is the recourse of the faithful and guides them towards the light from darkness" "He is witness to the actions of His servants" "He calls on servants to be faithful and do good deeds, and asks them to stay on the path of righteousness and remain steadfast" "Calls on servants to heed His prophets and He is a witness to their deeds" "A bad ending belongs only to those who have chosen the life of this world and disobey Him and oppress His servants" and "A good land and eternal paradise belong to those servants who fear His majesty and do not follow their lascivious selves."

** Nice try, but Mr. Bush is not converting to Islam this week

We believe a return to the teachings of the divine prophets is the only road leading to salvation and have been told that Your Excellency follows the teachings of Jesus (Peace Be Upon Him) and believes in the divine promise of the rule of the righteous on Earth.

** Mr. Bush is righteous in my book, if he knocks off your regime, I will refer to him as Bush the Righteous to the end of my days

We also believe that Jesus Christ (Peace Be Upon Him) was one of the great prophets of the Almighty. He has been repeatedly praised in the Koran. Jesus (Peace Be Upon Him) has been quoted in Koran as well: (19.36) And surely Allah is my Lord and your Lord, therefore serve Him; this is the right path.

Service to and obedience of the Almighty is the credo of all divine messengers.

** Right about hear Bush began banging his head on the desk going “Stop! When is this awful idiot going to stop or say anything intelligent? Where is something in this letter that is remotely useful or indicative of anything other than lunatic ravings and an open and shut business case for stopping Iran’s nuclear ambitions at any price?”

The God of all people in Europe, Asia, Africa, America, the Pacific and the rest of the world is one. He is the Almighty who wants to guide and give dignity to all His servants. He has given greatness to Humans.

**And for some reason HE has given Bush more greatness on this earth than any other man

We again read in the Holy Book: "The Almighty God sent His prophets with miracles and clear signs to guide the people and show them divine signs and purify them from sins and pollutions. And He sent the Book and the balance so that the people display justice and avoid the rebellious."

All of the above verses can be seen, one way or the other, in the Good Book as well.

Divine prophets have promised:

The day will come when all humans will congregate before the court of the Almighty, so that their deeds are examined, The good will be directed towards Haven and evildoers will meet divine retribution. I trust both of us believe in such a day, but it will not be easy to calculate the actions of rulers, because we must be answerable to our nation and all others whose lives have been directly or indirectly affected by our actions.

** Murdering the entire state of Israel and lying about the murder of six million other Jews is certain to earn you a special place Mr. President

All prophets, speak of peace and tranquillity for man -- based on monotheism, justice and respect for human dignity.

Do you not think that if all of us come to believe in and abide by these principles, that is, monotheism, worship of God, justice, respect for the dignity of man, belief in the Last Day, we can overcome the present problems of the world -- that are the result of disobedience to the Almighty and the teachings of prophets -- and improve our performance?

** Mr. Bush’s peak will come as the first black planes wipe out your air defenses and hundreds of cruise missiles begin demolishing your feeble armed forces

Do you not think that belief in these principles promotes and guarantees peace, friendship and justice?

** Yes and if your lying murdering regime had any principles, we would not be at the brink of war

Do you not think that the aforementioned written or unwritten principles are universally represented?

** In normal civilized society yes, in you, not at all

Will you not accept this invitation?

** This was an invitation. Can’t you see Condi and a couple of Bush’s aids picking him up off the oval office rug as the man is laughing so hard he is practically having convulsions?

That is, a genuine return to the teachings of prophets, to monotheism and justice, to preserve human dignity and obedience to the Almighty and His prophets?

** This clown murdered political opponents of the Iranian government and lectures the US on obedience to the Almighty!

Mr. President,

History tells us that repressive and cruel governments do not survive.

** History is firing up the ash heap in preparation for your arrival; its is true you will not survive

God has entrusted the fate of men to them. The Almighty has not left the universe and humanity to their own devices. Many things have happened contrary to the wishes and plans of governments. These tell us that there is a higher power at work and all events are determined by Him.

Can one deny the signs of change in the world today?

** the only sign of change is the men getting ready to attach some rather fearsome weapons to some plans bound to deliver them to Iran

Is the situation of the world today comparable to that of 10 years ago?

** What the F*ck does that mean? Nothing of any note happened 10 years ago that remotely applies to the current situation unless one is referring to Iran hosting conventions for most terror groups in the world to co-ordinate attacks and logistics (had to mention it folks).

Changes happen fast and come at a furious pace.

** Bush: “they do indeed , my man, they do indeed. In March 2003, Saddam was ruler of Iraq and by April 2003, he was not. Blink of an eye”

The people of the world are not happy with the status quo and pay little heed to the promises and comments made by a number of influential world leaders. Many people around the world feel insecure and oppose the spreading of insecurity and war and do not approve of and accept dubious policies.

The people are protesting the increasing gap between the haves and the have-nots and the rich and poor countries.

** Iran is a rich country being looted to pay for terrorism and a nuclear program it does not need.

The people are disgusted with increasing corruption.

** They are indeed; you people mass in the streets and call for Bush to come to their aid, what do they know about corruption that you don’t?

The people of many countries are angry about the attacks on their cultural foundations and the disintegration of families. They are equally dismayed with the fading of care and compassion. The people of the world have no faith in international organizations, because their rights are not advocated by these organizations.

** Excellent lunacy here

Liberalism and Western-style democracy have not been able to help realize the ideals of humanity.

** Is that why millions of Muslims immigrate to western countries every year? Offer a visa to anyone in the Mid East to Europe or the US and they leave before they even say good bye. The ideals of humanity certainly are not present in Iran’s government that is for sure

Today these two concepts have failed. Those with insight can already hear the sounds of the shattering and fall of the ideology and thoughts of the Liberal democratic systems.

** Wow, thanks for the nice lecture using the ideas of Ayatollah Khomeini, very helpful. Bush had to think about converting to Islam when he read this. He must have been just gobsmacked by the intelligence and perspicacity of this sentence.

We increasingly see that people around the world are flocking towards a main focal point -- that is the Almighty God. Undoubtedly through faith in God and the teachings of the prophets, the people will conquer their problems. My question for you is: "Do you not want to join them?"

** Oh yes! Sign me right up! ME! Take me right now! If Allah can help unload this level of genius to Ahmadinejad, who knows what it could do for Bush or any of us?

Mr. President,

Whether we like it or not, the world is gravitating towards faith in the Almighty and justice and the will of God will prevail over all things.

** Please re-read this last paragraph, this is the writers’ big pitch, to convince Bush the door is open, war can be averted and there was hope for peaceful resolution. Instead, the letter is a scathing indictment against leaving this deranged maniac in power a single moment longer. This is Iran’s big push for peace. War is now inevitable.

The advent of the national unity government in Iraq was a major breakthrough, it is ushering in the wind down of the US military presence. While there is terrorism and factionalism, there are also discussions between the various groups. Participation is rewarded and resistance is being punished. The fact that Iraq's leadership announced they have been holding talks at ending the internecine bloodshed is the best sign we have seen since the election.

With a new elected government in Iraq, that new government can begin looking after the Iraqi people, something they will be able to do far better than the US, but they will also begin having an independent foreign policy; it is this possibility, that Iraq will find its voice and become a leader for positive change in the region that can have a major impact that may ultimately validate the Iraqi venture by returning the US investment in Iraqi democracy into the emergence of a 21st century Arab world that seeks to meet the aspirations of their people.

The groundbreaking UN special report on Human development in the region cataloged the massive failings of a region rich with people and resources but poor in education, economics and freedom. The reason millions of people from the Arab world immigrate to other countries is the immigrants see no future for themselves where they are. With dysfuntional societies and tyrannical beauracracies, anyone who can leave, does.

What the Arab world needs is an example that shows them a way forward. The images of Iraqis voting profoundly impressed the people of the Middle East. If Iraqis can vote for their leaders, why can't Saudis, Egyptians, Syrians and Yemenis? No reason. With tyrannies to the east and west and south, Iraq will now look at her neighbors and see her long term security to coincide with democracy taking hold in the neighboring countries.

Iraqis, civilians, soldiers and police are dying every day for their right to be free; a good deal of the resistance that is stirring up much of the trouble is being trained, supported and supplied by Syria and Iran. The easiest way Iraq can make things difficult for these troublesome neighbors and stop them from killing Iraqis, is to take their case to the Iranian and Syrian people. Once Iran and Syria are fighting to survive as dictatorships, Iraq's internal situation will dramatically improve.

Iraq is also a member of two organizations that need significant reform: the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Countries. When Iraq attends these meetings, they will do so as a democracy with a constitution and 30 millions citizens who are showing the entire Islamic world a new and better way to conduct their political affairs. The OIC and Arab League have been abused for decades to excuse the cupidity, stupidity and vapidity of the national governments in the Arab World. Should Iraq choose to decide to make her democracy a clarion call to Arabs and Muslims everywhere, the Middle East might finally see changes that might eventually bring about an Islamic world that no longer completely lags the rest of the world.

The leaders of Syria and Iran, in particular, consider what I have described here as their nightmare scenario, for that reason alone, they are expending tremendousefforts to bring down Iraq and spark an all out civil war. Conversely, all who want Iraq to find stability, peace and progress to lead the people of the Middle East into a much better future should be cheering on the new Iraqi government.

Should Iraq succeed, and I believe that they are on track to do so; we are close to seeing sweeping change that will clean out the accumulated Augean stable of the last ninety years of Middle East history.

It is in this regard that Iraq is a secret weapon, not for US interests but rather for the hopes and aspirations of 300 million people in the Middle East.