Keeping the Pressure Up on Iran.

This picture is considered hilarious by the average
Iranian, showing the luxury the rulers live in.

Keeping the Pressure Up on Iran.
An inside glimpse at why we should not quit.

Bruce Cohen

The cracks are starting to show in the Iranian Regime these days.

People are freely telling jokes about the corruption and ineptitude
the Mullahs and Ahmedinijad display for all to see.

Iranians email each other pictures poking fun at the luxury the
elites live in, while Ahmedinijad preaches to the rest of the country
about how and why the US is to blame for things are getting worse.

Yes, Iranians are very, very proud at the beauty of their country.
They glow when speaking of their modern skyline and capital.
Iranians speak of how well the expat community is doing with
pride to any outsider.

But, get very far off the main drag, you'll see the poverty
and squalor creeping in.

Prices are skyrocketing on everything from food to fuel.

There is a severe electricity shortage, not to mention gasoline.

And, not so strangely, the average Iranian wants the US
to stay in Iraq, at least until Iraq is stable, and the current
Iranian regime is replaced with a democracy.

The average Iranian, not to mention the educated middle
class, all realize how Jimmy Carter set the stage for their
current predicament, the lack of freedom and prosperity.

The religious police roam the streets, bullies, looking for
anything to cause trouble, anyone to push around.

The government is so corrupt, it makes Russia seem nearly
as honest as the United States.

I just 'spoke'* with one of my sources deep inside the Iranian
government. He told me they are very concerned with the
shortage of electricity. When I asked him what the plan
was to address this issue, he said laughingly, and I quote:
“economize”.

* Google Messenger

Now, this guy gets it. He sees things as they are, not as he
wishes they would be, or how he's told they are.

He went on to parody the government's attitude towards
things by making this statement, and I again quote verbatim:
“ahmadinezhad should pay money to make turbulence in
other countires likw Iraq , Lebenon ,....” (sic)

Then he laughed again.

I concurred that their current policy doesn't make sense.

He responded to me this way, “if Iran delete from middle
east , i think this place will get silent”.

This is quite telling.

Iran is on the brink. And we don't even need to nudge
them, we just have to not back down, and there will
be an internal revolution.

The conversation closed after I agreed with his statement,
with his closing comment: “iran is as same as a naugthy
guy in a class , who doesnt let anybody concentarate on
lesson!!!!!!!!!”. Again, verbatim.

Practically speaking, Iran is politically analogous to
Jimmy Carter. The ruling junta has evil in their hearts.

While the Chinese and Russians are bad, they are more
along the lines of the Clintons. Their lust for power and
gratification take up enough of their time to where it's
hard for them to cause real trouble.

If Iran reforms, the situation in Israel stabilizes, there
will be peace and stability in Iraq. At the same time, the
price of oil and food internationally will drop dramatically.

While I do want our troops to come home, now is not the
right time.

Our exit strategy in Iraq must account for its effect on
Iran, and frankly, increasing the pressure on the current
regime will also have a side effect almost everyone will like.

Done properly, we can clean up in Iraq and get out much
faster, more safely and not leave things a mess, like we
did in Vietnam.

Code Pink be damned, more people will die if we leave now.
Ask a US Marine, and Dollars to donut holes, he'll say the
same thing, and he'll say it will be US troops dying when
they have to go back.

Copyright May 2008, Bruce Cohen

Giuliani Fails Libertarian Test - Libertarian is as Libertarian Does

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Certainly, Libertarians are going to disagree on some
issues, as well as strategies.

Some Libertarians, like me, would call Tom McClintock
and President Reagan Libertarians.

On the other hand, there are Libertarians who would,
and have, said otherwise. These same people just
can't accept incremental progress, nor vote for the
better of two candidates.

That they are willing to overlook where they disagree
with Ron Paul, is hopefully a sign of maturation
within the LP and the freedom movement.

As far as Rudy, I am happy he's working with
some very good libertarians, and has given every
indication that he'll include some excellent people
in his cabinet, should he be elected.

But, on the question of Rudy's libertarian credentials,
I can't go along, no way, no how.

Rudy is better than almost any Democrat, sure.
But that's not the question being raised.

I don't personally believe Rudy is committed to
less government. In fact, quite the opposite.
He seems committed to being 'in charge'.

When you listen to Mitt Romney, at least he
makes the case for less government and more
individual choice.

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Libertarian is as Libertarian does.
Rudy is a gun banner, he's for more rules
on Business and Wall Street. And Rudy,
like the Clintons, believes strongly he
knows what's best for you and I.

When he was in office, he did get some
good results, and I'm interested in
learning from his methodology.

New York City certainly benefited overall
from his leadership, but there were many
mistakes and abuses of power along the
way, and this tells us how he would
behave as President.

While Huckabee in no way is committed
to freedom, in the way we Libertarians
envision it, at least he's consistent and
straightforward.

No matter how loudly Mister Rittberg
beats the Rudy drum, Ron Paul is far
more Libertarian than Giuliani.

And, among those in double digits,
only Mitt Romney has legislated in
anything that could be described as
a Libertarian fashion.

Just like with the Islamic terrorists
who would attack us, all we need do

is listen to the words of the
Candidates and watch their
behavior in office and their
personal lives.

Ron Paul has the highest level of
consistency, ethics and legislative
record as a Congressman. As well,
his personal life is unquestionably
likewise squeaky clean.

These things matter to me.
They matter to most Libertarians.
And, they matter to America.

That's why Ron Paul has a shot,
longshot though it may be.

For Libertarians, Ron Paul has to be
the number one Republican choice,
with Romney the only other even
worth considering.

(Tom Tancredo is good too, but off
the radar in polling and funds...)

The voters of America are quite
practical, and won't vote for someone
they don't trust, or that they don't
think can win.

As more and more information
about Rudy's past comes out, it's
looking like it will be hard for America

to trust him.

And so, we have Ron Paul as the

only major party choice worth

real consideration.