Let's not bomb Iran

[scooterbug44]

Let's Not Bomb Iran
Bill Wineke

It seems we're now developing a 30-ton "bunker buster" bomb that can be delivered by the B2 Stealth bomber.
About the only current target for such a bomb is Iran, which may be developing nuclear weapons under ground.

The development of nuclear weapons by Iran, we say, is a threat to peace. So, if that country doesn't cease and desist, we will bomb them.
Only as a last resort, of course.


Only if they don't do what we tell them to do.
Duncan Hunter who, until January, was chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, doesn't even want to limit us to the bunker buster. Use a tactical nuke, he says.
Only as a last resort, of course.


Does someone in Washington really think the wars we've already launched in Afghanistan and Iraq have been such successes that we ought to do more of the same?
Only as a last resort, of course.

 

[Bob]

GW is going out with a bang! Unending war, recession, food/gas prices way up, dollar heading downward, so I say let's light up those pesky Iranians. What could go wrong, right?

 

[seacrestkristi]

New Deep Thought

Instead of trying to build newer and bigger weapons of destruction, we should be thinking about getting more use out of the ones we already have.

? Jack Handey

 

[scooterbug44]

New Deep Thought

Instead of trying to build newer and bigger weapons of destruction, we should be thinking about getting more use out of the ones we already have.

? Jack Handey

I love it, and totally agree. Seeing as how we can destroy the planet several times over I don't see the need for billions of $ in R&D for MORE bombs, especially when we are being hobbled by IEDs!

 

[Matt J]

Just remember the man in the White House believes in the apocolypse and I'm sure he'll help it right along.

- Bill Maher or other "lefty" comedian.

 

[Will B]

The biggest bomb we have is the MOAB. You can go look at a mock up at the Armament Museum at Eglin. It's 21,000 pounds and has to be delivered from a pallet dropped by a C-130 cargo plane. Unfortunately, the biggest hole in Bill Wineke's statement is the size of the bomb. It's 10 tons greater than the entire payload of a B2 bomber. Not sure what qualifications he has other than being a columist for the Wisconsin State Journal and an ordained clergyman neither of which, of course make him an expert in this field. Sounds to me like he's just trying to stir the pot...

Sorry...my two cents...

 

[scooterbug44]

Bomb Iran? U.S. Requests Bunker-Buster Bombs


White House Bomber Request Leaves Some Wondering if U.S. Is Preparing Action in Iran

October 24, 2007


Tucked inside the White House's $196 billion emergency funding request for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is an item that has some people wondering whether the administration is preparing for military action against Iran.
The item: $88 million to modify B-2 stealth bombers so they can carry a newly developed 30,000-pound bomb called the massive ordnance penetrator, or, in military-speak, the MOP.
The MOP is the the military's largest conventional bomb, a super "bunker-buster" capable of destroying hardened targets deep underground. The one-line explanation for the request said it is in response to "an urgent operational need from theater commanders."
What urgent need? The Pentagon referred questions on this to Central Command.
ABC News called CENTCOM to ask what the "urgent operational need" is. CENTCOM spokesman Maj. Todd White said he would look into it, but, so far, no answer.
There doesn't appear to be any potential targets for a bomb like that in Iraq. It could potentially be used on Taliban or al Qaeda hideouts in the caves along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, but there would be no need to use a stealth bomber there.
So where would the military use a stealth bomber armed with a 30,000-pound bomb like this? Defense analysts say the most likely target for this bomb would be Iran's flagship nuclear facility in Natanz, which is both heavily fortified and deeply buried.
"You'd use it on Natanz," said John Pike of GlobalSecurity.org. "And you'd use it on a stealth bomber because you want it to be a surprise. And you put in an emergency funding request because you want to bomb quickly."
"It's kind of strange," Pike said. "It sends a signal that you are preparing to bomb Iran, and if you were actually going to bomb Iran I wouldn't think you would want to announce it like that."
The MOP is a massive bomb -- 20 feet long and encased in 3.5 inch thick high-performance steel. It is designed to penetrate up to 200 feet underground before exploding.

 

[Will B]

Thanks...that adds credibility. He should have cited his sources. I have to agree on this one. Good Lord...who needs a 30 ton bomb?!

 

[scooterbug44]

I don't know where Wineke got his info, but major news outlets like ABC were reporting the above.

I didn't think there was anything bigger than MOAB (unless it's the Russians FOAB), but I am far from an expert.

Either way, I think picking a fight w/ Iran is a BAD idea.

 

[Will B]

There's not...MOAB is our biggest, and FOAB is Russia's, but it has only been tested once. If it's in production, it's the biggest.

Iran is going to be sticky wicket. Erring on the side of caution will definitely be the best course IMHO...