Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited Israel on 10 December 2007.
Mullen was also in Israel with his wife two years ago when he was the commander of the Navy.
This latest visit by Mullen comes after the US intelligence agencies NIE report that said Iran had frozen its nuclear military program in 2003.
In Israel, Mullen would have been briefed about Israeli attitudes to Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Palestine and weapons sales to Saudi Arabia.
In a recent press briefing in Washington, Mullen did not rule out the possibility that military force will be used against Iran.
However, Time magazine, 5 December 2007, suggested that Mullen is a member of the Pentagon's 'anti-war (with Iran) group' that includes Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Admiral William Fallon, current commander of the US Central Command.
Juan Cole believes Fallon and Mullen helped prevent Dick Cheney from increasing the military build-up off the coast of Iran.
Andrew Sullivan (The System is Working) claims Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has restored some common sense to the Defense Department.
According to The Agonist (America's Quiet Counter-Coup) "Dick Cheney has lost control over the government and is increasingly isolated in the White House. Without his minions like Paul Wolfowitz, John Bolton, Scooter Libby, David Wurmser, Douglas Feith, and most importantly Donald Rumsfeld, the Vice President has been neutered and put 'back in the box.'"
~~
No comments:
Post a Comment