I, Podhoretz: Mr. World War 4 Tutors Giuliani
Neocon Patriarch Sells Rudy on Islamofascism And Thirty Years’ War
Norman Podhoretz believes that America needs to go to war soon with Iran. As far as he knows, Rudy Giuliani thinks the same thing.
“I was asked to come in and give him a briefing on the war, World War IV,” said Mr. Podhoretz, a founding father of neoconservatism and leading foreign policy adviser to Mr. Giuliani. “As far as I can tell there is very little difference in how he sees the war and how I see it.”
During a long interview this week in his bookcase-lined East 81st Street home, Mr. Podhoretz, 77, explained the very straightforward proposition he has been proposing to Mr. Giuliani from the start of the campaign: “The choice before us is either bomb those nuclear facilities or let them get the bomb.”
In the apartment, a Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded by President Bush was displayed next to records of Bach and Beethoven, tin African sculptures and Japanese furniture. A picture of his son, John Podhoretz, the new editor of Commentary, which he himself edited for decades, was stuck to the refrigerator. Two of his grown Israeli grandchildren, one in a tank top, the other in an Atari T-shirt, watched television in John’s old room.
In July, Mr. Giuliani named Mr. Podhoretz a senior adviser on a foreign policy team subsequently stockpiled with more neoconservatives, including Middle East historian Daniel Pipes and Paul Wolfowitz acolyte Michael Rubin.
To Mr. Podhoretz’s obvious admiration, the Giuliani campaign seems to have become something of a lifeboat for neoconservatives shipwrecked after the Bush administration’s failures in Iraq.
“Well, I’m not finished,” said Mr. Podhoretz, who has just come out with a new book titled World War IV: The Long Struggle Against Islamofascism.
“I think it is interesting that he doesn’t think that this is a liability,” he continued. “He is certainly aware of the fact that some people see it as a liability or use it against him.”
Not, Mr. Podhoretz believes, that all voters will see things that way.
“It’s certainly not hurt him in the South,” he said. “It may be that he thinks having a preponderance of hawks among his advisers, forget about neoconservatives, is good for his campaign. And from what I can gather, this has proved to be the case in South Carolina—you have a lot of military families.”
In addition, while his foreign policy ideas may be in bad odor with voters, they most certainly seem to remain the prevailing sentiment in the White House, with President Bush talking about “WWIII” in relation to Iran and Vice President Dick Cheney this week promising “serious consequences” if Tehran does not abandon its nuclear program.
And just as he has helped encourage Mr. Giuliani’s muscular international posture, Mr. Podhoretz can take some credit for the Bush administration’s articulated worldview.
In late spring, he met with President Bush at the Waldorf Astoria to share his views about what to do with Iran. As Karl Rove took notes, Mr. Podhoretz stressed that anything short of military action to prevent Iran from getting nuclear capabilities would fail, and that America needs to strike to prevent another Holocaust. Mr. Bush and Mr. Rove, Mr. Podhoretz recalled, laughed when he indirectly referred to the futility of the current American policy of pressuring Iran with sanctions and diplomatic isolation.
“I thought if they had believed in what they were doing there, they would get their backs up and say, ‘No, it’s not futile,’” Mr. Podhoretz said.
Other than that, the president didn’t tip his hand. But, turning the conversation back to the former mayor, Mr. Podhoretz said, “Rudy is another matter.” Next Page >
- Poll
- Obama (D)
- McCain(R)
- Spread
- RCP Average
- 45.9
- 41.4
- Obama +4.5
- Candidate
- Favorable
- Unfavorable
- Spread
- Obama
- 55.6
- 33.0
- +22.6
- McCain
- 52.6
- 34.3
- +18.3
Pity the writer didn't go to the heart of the matter as soon as it opened up.
“The choice before us is either bomb those nuclear facilities or let them get the bomb.”
JH : 'Now, just to be clear, Mr. P., exactly what nuclear facilities are we talking about bombing, and why would we be bombing them?'
Either he raises the charade of some secret nuclear facilites that only the Israelis know about, or he must say it is the uranium enrichment facilitis that are under the inspection and safeguard of the IAEA.
If the latter, then he must answer the question, 'But, aren't they under the safeguards and protections to a treaty to which the USA is a signatory, including a commitment to not attack a treaty member?'
You see, even this article, which turns on a political awareness, is completely devoid of the facts of where we need to go if we are to avoid the P's next war, whatever the number.
Why does Jason Horowitz let P. get away with his BS?
Does P know that Iran has a weapons program now?
If so, then he is obligated to tell the IAEA where it is so they can sop Iran, or at least bring it out in the open.
If he doesn't know IF they have a weapons program, then should we follow the intelligence agencies estimate that it would take five years to develop one?
And, then, if so, why are we talking about bombing instead of talking about talking to the Iranians?
It goes on and on.
But Jason is like most writers, never willing to broach the threshold subject that Iran is entitled under the NPT to carry out uranium enrichment on its soil under the IAEA's safeguards.
Period.
As it appears to me Giuliani has already formed a foreign policy, and we're currently being given an idea of how he's going to go about it.
Do you believe Candidate Giuliani will lead us into war if elected President?
-----> http://www.youpolls.com/details.asp?pid=786
World war IV against Islamo-Fascism? Promoted shamelessly by Judeo-Fascists and Christo-Fascists.
I cannot buy all this propaganda from people who are absorbed in the own super natural religiosity. It is one fool fighting the other and trying to promote his foolishness and try to rule the world.
The United States was founded by secularists, but it is in danger to be finished off by delusional religionists, people who put their critical facilities aside and believe against all adds in gods and special roles in the world that their imaginary god gave them.
The world is so ready for a new perspective. And religion needs to be put into a private corner and has no place in politics.
what I would like to see is to let these two groups fight it out on say - Mars and leave us secularist, naturalist's the hell alone.
Viet Nam Vet says I who is no pacifist - we've had enough already. Go mumble in cave soewhere far far away.
Mr. Podhoretz should spend some time speaking of what will happen after we bomb Iran. It will make our military endeavors in Iraq look like a "cake walk."
Mr. Podhoretz then says we should overthrow everyone of the "despotic regimes in that region, by force if necessary." Then what? They have elections five months after we leave and elect the most fundamentalist regime they can find. The neo-cons just seem to support endless warfare for the sake of endless warfare. Others, without their purported scholarship, do the dying.
We have to get them before they get us was Dick Cheney's favorite words as an excuse to go to war with Iraq. Of course, it was lies on top of lies. And America "fell for it". When do people wake up to this "cheap propaganda?" Will they ever wake up?
There is latent evil in an ignorant person... as long as they are not agitated they pose no threat. I cannot understand how an educated, seemingly intelligent man can propagate so much evil.
The current leaders of our country, Bush, Cheney, etc. are persons deluded in their thinking that they can take over the world for the Christian right. Since they have that delusion, they cannot imagine that others do not. That creates paranoia and aggression. That leads to rationales for about anything. Many, if not most Iranians wanted to cooperate with America, especially after 9/11. Cheney and Bush screwed that up, needing to bolster their own sense of importance and sense of power. They have gone from blunder to blunder and if Giuliani gets into office, it looks like we can count on more of the same.
If you like Bush you'll love Rudy. It must fill us all with great confidence to know that Rudy's principal foreign policy advisor (after Mrs Giuliani of course) is this nut case. Wunderbar.
The face of evil.
It amazes me that we continue to see the views of this man and his ilk getting press attention. It's like Faux News - unless someone is spouting comic nonsense, no one will watch/listen/read. Podhoretz's views are thoroughly discredited and disproved by events, and his concepts don't jibe with reality, yet we continue to see his words quoted! Just because the off-planet party (i.e., the Republicans) want to listen to him, Oral Roberts, and the creationist cabal doesn't mean that we should waste public discourse on them. Let him join the extraterrestrials at Fox or Drudge. The grown-ups have business to attend to.
Nemo
Why in God's name does anyone listen to this old insane moronic chickenhawk and his descendants?
Three things I have noticed about the lot of them:
1. They are never, ever willing to put their asses in harm's way,
2. They know nothing about the military, and
3. They never consider the consequences of their warmongering, or seem bothered by the death and destruction they cause.
I especially liked his observation: “It’s certainly not hurt him (Giuliani)in the South.” “It may be that he thinks having a preponderance of hawks among his advisers, forget about neoconservatives, is good for his campaign. And from what I can gather, this has proved to be the case in South Carolina—you have a lot of military families.”
Does he really believe that our overextended, worn out troops are anxious for WW IV? I have never seen so much opposition to a President from military personnel as now.
Impeach bush, cheney and the entire corrupt bush administration for treason and war crimes before it is too late!
The question that bothers me most is why is Israel allowed to have Nuclear Weapons (weapons of mass destruction) with delivery systems to launch from land sea or air and be allowed to threaten to use them.
It is small wonder that their suppliers are known around the world as the United States of Israel.
No surprise that Israel refused to sign the nuclear non proliferation treaty !! Iran did.
I would want solid proof and total verification from any future administration before the United States attacks another sovereign country.
We should airdrop Rudy and the entire Podhoretz family into Sadr City.
Because you could never get the process through Congress, not enough votes.
Besides you might give Cheney and his mindless sidekick Bush a sense of urgency!
Of course that would be the only sense they would have.
and if I needed one more reason NOT to vote for Rudy?
If Rudy becomes president then I'm leaving this country and taking my business with me. As will many many of the intelligent businessmen who can see that this country will not last long in Rudy's hands.
Of course, if this country falls apart, the people responsible won't live here either. They'll take their blood millions and live on some island somewhere. Leaving the irrational majorities who traded fear for freedom.
I smell a Ze'ev Jabotinsky extreme Zionist! Yes, all Arabs are like the American "redskins" (Jabotinsky) and need to be exterminated if they don't let us have their land. It is sad to see such a mindset. Maybe if such Zionist sympathizers could think of peacebuilding instead of warmongering, the world might become peaceful. Oh God, there is a dangerous thought!
What's amazing is the unanimity in the responses posted here: the understanding that the wingnuts are driving us off a cliff. Our dilemma is that Hillary, et al, are shaping up to be quite comfortable with the neo-con agenda--all the leading dems have threatened to bomb Iran. Just look at how "liberal" Labor Party leader Blair went along with Bush & co. This is an imperialist program, not just Republican plot. BUT if voting democrat gives us that extra inch to struggle for an alternative, we need to hold our nose while we build a REAL democratic alternative (ie, majority rule). I don't go for that fake moralistic argument to vote your conscience--we're all down in the muck...we have to vote our brain to get out. So, the democrat congress, which was supposed to act as a firewall between humanity and annihilation, is instead acting as a firewall between the fascists and the "angry mob" (we the people) who want them the hell out, NOW. Screw Pelosi and Reid, those slimy limp fish. They suck. Use them as a battering ram. & get busy organizing your block, your workplace, your bridge club, people, before it's too late.....................
Dear Mr Podhorridz: I am a poor Iranian living in Tehran. I know you are a powerful man. You sent the US bombs to Iraq. I am happy you killed Saddam. He killed many of us. Please dont kill us. You killed many Iraqis babys. Many Iraqi womens. You are powerful. Please. Please. The american bobms you send to Iraq have very sharp pieces inside that cut bodies of childrens. We are poor. Our airplanes are falling down. Our air is bad. Our president is stupid. Please. Have mercy. You are old. Maybe if you have mercy on us, God will forgive you for killing Iraqi babies. Maybbe. Love, Hushang.
here in NH we're going to vote for Dr Ron Paul, if you love freedom as we do, please vote for him so we can get these crazies like Podhoretz off the media screen. Glad to see all the posters here are sane, whew!!!!
Did I miss world war 3?
The question that most of people always forget in all this war retoric, is who will get the profit of the war?
In the world history, there is not a single war, even a religious one, that was not started for profit, monetary, territory, power etc... If you know one, please let me know which one.
Today along with the Iraq war:
- Weapon manufactor benefits are soaring,
- Oil price is at its highest, and will continue to go up, and oil companies profit is indescent.
- Other byproduct companies, Halliburton, Blackwater etc... profit went dramatically up.
So, with that in mind, I think that M. Podhoretz may have some personal interest in having a war in Iran.
Because with all the implied security issues that Iran with nuclear power poses, China, Russia, Western countries and USA will have a high degree of supervision. And this what should be part of negociations. Iran is a very large almost untouched market, and as such it offers a lot of economic opportunities.
By chance, people like Mr. Hodhoretz are a minority and commenting on him is already giving him too much credit.
Why is it up to Americans to wage war on ALL the Muslims until they agree to let Jews keep the lands they have stolen from them?
This is ISRAELS war...not mine!
If Iran needs to be bombed to avert "another holocaust"...then the IDF better get bombing because Israels wars are NOT mine!
Any bombing of Iran will led to CHAOS in the streets...of America!
To all the lunie, blood-thirsty so-called "think-tankers" ilke Podhoretz: Why don't you be right once, once, just one god damn freaking once, before you earn any credibility to publish anything, ANYTHING, let alone try to push something as horrific as a world war. I don't hear Iran pushing for war. I hear YOU do that. I see YOU do that. It is the likes of you who promoted the Iraq war. It was the likes of you and all them lunatics of PNAC fame who promised heaven in the Middle East only if we take out Saddam. Well, genius, you were so wrong. Just to show how horribly incompetent you are, you took someone as evil as Saddam out and created a worse hell. You have proven you are WORSE than Saddam.
You are disqualified to express any more policy moves. If anything, you are qualified to be put on trial for crimes against humanity.
all neocon/chickenhawk people are crazy and out of control, some alliens please land here and take them with you so they can have their stupid rapture. The comment from Teheran is heart breaking
Podhoertz is a Zionist and NeoConservatism which is his brainchild is Zionism for non Jews.
pure and simple.
All the NeoCon goals are to be found in the Zionist Manifesto.
They will bring this World to Apocalypse in their greedy and racist efforts to dominate it.
Russia will retaliate against an American Ally if They bomb Iran. Mark my words. They know that truth, hence their constant references to WW111 etc.
Despite that knowledge they insist on causing WW111.
All of them are War Criminals and should be hanged, on the same basis that they hanged Saddam Hussein.
What worries me is the complete inability of you people to discuss this topic without resorting to demonization, juvenile name-calling, and at times anti-semitism.
I wonder what it would take to burst through that bubble you have insulated yourselves with?
Mr. Podhoretz happens to have a view that differs from yours. Instead of educating yourself on exactly what his position is, you flail about in your indignation.
To enlighten the debate a touch, he is not calling for WWIV, he simply believes that the war we are currently engaged in should rightfully be considered WWIV. He considers the Cold War to have been WWIII, an arguable but by no means ludicrous position.
I am an Israeli jewish neoconservative living in New York City. I'm completely secular, like many of you. Why should you assume that I want endless war and killing and I hate all muslims. Please, that is insulting and silly and you should be ashamed of yourselves for resorting to such base assumptions.
The neoconservative ideology is bankrupt. The neoconservative agenda is really a 21st century version of 19th century imperialism. This agenda envisions America as an empire not a republic. The Bush experiment in neoconservativism has been a catastrophic failure. The Iraq war / occupation was ill-conceived, poorly executed and is perhaps the greatest foreign policy blunder in US history. The war in Afghanistan was also botched when we allowed our enemies to escape at Tora Bora. That Giuliani takes advice from these discredited necons is an indication that he’s a foreign policy light-weight; not ready for the major leagues. His foreign policy experience as NYC’s mayor amounts to ticketing vehicles from foreign consulates with diplomatic plates and is in short, laughable.
There are limits to America’s military power as we’re learning the hard way. If Bush is stupid enough to bomb Iran, oil prices will zoom past 100$ a barrel; this will most certainly push the economy into a steep recession.
Unfortunately, we are loosing ground on the “war on terror” because we refuse to use all the tools at our disposal. The military is but one instrument and a blunt instrument at that. Regarding Islamic extremism, military intervention has actually made the situation worse. When America acts in a reckless, reactionary way we are doing exactly what the terrorists want. What Bush and the neoconservatives have never understood is that the objective of terrorism is to provoke.
We need a President who has the experience, intellect and temperament to meet the foreign policy challenges of the 21st century. The only candidate with those credentials is Hillary Clinton.