Nobody seems to care about the consequences of a US or
Israeli strike on Iran, which could include the release of radioactive
materials into the Middle East. A grim joke made the rounds in late 2002 and early 2003, in the lead-up to the US invasion of Iraq. The version I recall went something like this:
President
George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney go into a Texas bar. Over
a couple of beers they plan the invasion of Iraq, taking out Saddam
Hussein and taking control of Iraq’s vast oil reserves. The big
question, though, is how Americans might react to their starting another
war, with victory still elusive in Afghanistan. They decide to do an
impromptu sampling of public opinion, and invite an average,
all-American looking guy standing at the bar to join them for a friendly
drink.
“What would you
think of us invading Iraq and taking over their oil fields, if you knew
that 30,000 Iraqis and one American bicycle mechanic would be killed if
we do it?” Bush asks.
The
fellow slowly sips his beer, his brow furrowed. He mulls the question
and looks troubled. Finally he asks, “Why should an American bicycle
mechanic have to die?” READ MORE
