April 09, 2006
Hersh: Bush plans for Iran attack include nuke option
Originally posted by Xeni Jardin from Boing Boing, reBlogged by ts
Xeni Jardin: In the New Yorker today, a 7,000-word jaw-dropper by investigative reporter Seymour Hersh on Bush’s “messianic” plans to to take on Iran. Snip:The Bush Administration, while publicly advocating diplomacy in order to stop Iran from pursuing a nuclear weapon, has increased clandestine activities inside Iran and intensified planning for a possible major air attack(… )“The Iran Plans.” (thanks Jed)The lack of reliable intelligence leaves military planners, given the goal of totally destroying the sites, little choice but to consider the use of tactical nuclear weapons. “Every other option, in the view of the nuclear weaponeers, would leave a gap,” the former senior intelligence official said. “ ‘Decisive’ is the key word of the Air Force’s planning. It’s a tough decision. But we made it in Japan.”
He went on, “Nuclear planners go through extensive training and learn the technical details of damage and fallout—we’re talking about mushroom clouds, radiation, mass casualties, and contamination over years. This is not an underground nuclear test, where all you see is the earth raised a little bit. These politicians don’t have a clue, and whenever anybody tries to get it out”—remove the nuclear option—“they’re shouted down.”
