[infowar.de] UPI 12.09.02: Netanyahu: U.S. should attack Iran with TV

[Georg Schoefbaenker <schoefbaenker -! - aon - at>]

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http://www.upi.com/print.cfm?StoryID=20020912-034109-6371r

Netanyahu: U.S. should attack Iran with TV
By P. Mitchell Prothero
 From the Washington Politics & PolicyDesk
Published 9/12/2002 4:50 PM

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- A former Israeli prime minister Thursday 
called upon the United States to effect regime change in both Iraq and 
Iran, prescribing a military invasion to topple the government in Baghdad 
and the transmission of ribald television programming via satellite into 
Persia, where he said the influx of pop culture would prove "subversive" to 
the conservative Islamic regime.

Citing the hundreds of thousands of satellite television dishes in Iran, 
Benjamin Netanyahu told the House Government Reform Committee that the 
United States could incite a revolution against the conservative Iranian 
clergy through the use of such Fox Broadcasting staples as "Melrose Place" 
and "Beverly Hills 90210" -- both of which feature beautiful young people 
in varying states of undress, living, glamorous, materialistic lives and 
engaging in promiscuous sex.

"This is pretty subversive stuff," Netanyahu told the committee. "The kids 
of Iran would want the nice clothes they see on those shows. They would 
want the swimming pools and fancy lifestyles."

But the more pressing issue to Netanyahu is Iran's neighbor, Iraq, which he 
said was dangerously close to developing weapons of mass destruction -- and 
would not be susceptible to subversion.

"We understand a nuclear armed Saddam places Israel at risk," he said. "But 
a nuclear armed Saddam also puts the entire world at risk."

"After Saddam gets a nuclear weapon, it is only a matter of time before the 
terror networks get nuclear weapons,' Netanyahu warned. "And they will use 
them if they get them."

Netanyahu said that the 1981 attack by Israel on an Iraqi nuclear facility 
was justified and implied that it's success hinged on just the kind of 
unilateralism that President George W. Bush's Thursday speech to the United 
Nations appears to abjure.

"Did Israel launch this pre-emptive strike with the coordination of the 
international community?" Netanyahu asked. "Did we condition such a strike 
on the approval of the United Nations? Of course not."

Burton's statements reflected more respect for the administration's 
coalition building efforts than Netanyahu's, but he did note that in the 
face of failing to develop such support for an invasion, he too supported a 
unilateral attack.

"This morning the president made a strong case for taking action. Now we 
need to see how the world responds," Burton noted. "I hope that our friends 
and allies around the world will join us. I hope that we can assemble a 
strong coalition that will stand up to this dangerous regime. However, if 
we can't, my view is that we have to do what's in our own best interest. If 
we determine that Saddam Hussein is a serious national security threat, 
then we have to act -- alone if necessary."

Netanyahu's rhetoric, at least the military invasion portion of his 
testimony, found a warm reception from committee Chairman Dan Burton, 
R-Ind., who said that finishing the war on terror with the occupation of 
Afghanistan without attacking Iraq would leave the job half done.

"One of the unfinished pieces of business we have is Iraq," Burton said. 
"In my opinion, this is a problem we can't continue to ignore. Saddam 
Hussein is a menace. He has chemical weapons. He has biological weapons. 
He's working hard to acquire nuclear weapons. He's used chemical weapons in 
the past. We should have no doubt that he'll use them again. And if he 
succeeds in developing nuclear weapons, we could have a catastrophe on our 
hands."

But Ohio Democrat Dennis Kucinich was not as supportive of Netanyahu's 
calls for war. In a terse exchange that occurred before the former prime 
minister laid out his "Iran Strategy," Kucinich asked him for additional 
suggestions for places to invade.

"While you're here, Mr. Prime Minister, are there any other countries 
besides Iraq that you would suggest that we invade?" he asked.





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