DebateGate

"My view is that it was commonly known that there were WMDs there"

yeah sure:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNgaVtVaiJE

STRONACH'S HEALTH-CARE CHOICE
TheStar.com | Canada |
Stronach travels to U.S. for cancer treatment
Sep 14, 2007
Susan Delacourt
Ottawa Bureau

OTTAWA?Belinda Stronach, the MP for Newmarket-Aurora and former cabinet minister, travelled outside Canada's health-care system to California for some of her breast cancer treatment earlier this year.

Stronach, diagnosed in the spring with a type of breast cancer that required a mastectomy and breast reconstruction, went to California in June at her Toronto doctor's suggestion, a spokesperson confirmed.

"Belinda had one of her later-stage operations in California, after referral from her personal physicians in Toronto. Prior to this, Belinda had surgery and treatment in Toronto, and continues to receive follow-up treatment there," said Greg MacEachern, Stronach's assistant and spokesperson.

Speed was not the issue, MacEachern said ? it was more to do with the type of surgery she and her doctor agreed was best for her, and where it was best performed. The type of cancer Stronach had is called DCIS, ductal carcinoma in situ, one of the more treatable forms.

Stronach, who has announced she is leaving politics to return to executive duties at her father's Magna empire, paid for the procedure.

"As we said back in June when we confirmed the surgery, this is a personal and private matter between Belinda, her family and her physicians. I think you'll understand that because of respect for Belinda's privacy, we refrained from offering specific details around her medical treatment," MacEachern said.

It is unusual for a federal politician to travel outside Canada for private medical treatment, especially given the hallowed status of the Canadian, publicly financed health-care system in the realm of political debate.

MacEachern stressed that Stronach's decision had nothing to do with her confidence ? or lack of it ? in Canada's cancer-treatment facilities or public health care.

He pointed out that there is a cancer-care facility in Newmarket named after the Stronach family, after Frank Stronach donated $8 million toward its construction in 2004.

"In fact, Belinda thinks very highly of the Canadian health-care system, and uses it when needed for herself and her children, as do all Canadians. As well, her family has clearly demonstrated that support," MacEachern said.

"This was about a specific health-care procedure, unrelated to any views about the quality of Canadian health care, a decision based on medical advice and a referral from her Toronto physicians, and just one part of several areas of treatment. Belinda has nothing but praise for the community of health-care professionals in Toronto who supported and treated her throughout the last six months."

MacEachern did not want to answer questions in detail about the type of surgery, what she paid for it or where exactly it was performed in California.

He did say, however, that Stronach underwent the operation in June, roughly around the time she would have had the procedure had she remained in Canada.

The Canadian Cancer Society also says it is impossible to determine how many citizens of this country travel each year to the United States for private cancer treatment, since records are only kept if they apply in some way for compensation.

Similarly, the U.S. Cancer Society says it is impossible to calculate, even roughly, how much Stronach paid for her treatment in California, since costs vary so much from state to state and even within cities.

Stronach will be back on Parliament Hill in October when the Commons resumes, MacEachern said.

Though there are repeated rumours she is going to resign sooner than the next election, she appears to be ready to take up her MP's duties again in the fall.

She was spotted last week at the Toronto International Film Festival, her first public sighting since the cancer treatment and also since the news of her breakup with NHL hockey player Tie Domi.

Privacy was also reportedly a factor in Stronach's decision to seek treatment outside Toronto, where she is easily recognized.

An on-line tabloid magazine reported a sighting of her earlier this year at Sunnybrook hospital in Toronto, which has a cancer-care facility, before Stronach had told her family of her cancer diagnosis.

In addition, Stronach has had repeated problems with harassers and stalkers, as biographer Don Martin wrote in his book, Belinda, last year. Just last December, at the Liberal leadership convention, police had to intervene when a person under legal injunctions against approaching her, got past security at the convention centre and near enough to make the MP and her staff nervous.

http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/256600

Report: US to attack Iran in 8-10 months
Sept 13, 2007

Germany's unwillingness to impose further sanctions on Iran has pushed the United States
closer towards a decision on a military strike, FOX News reported on Wednesday.

A satellite image showing the Natanz nuclear enrichment plant.

Photo: AP [file]
 
According to the report, Germany's decision has spurred senior US army officials to try and convince US Foreign Secretary Condoleezza Rice
to abandon once and for all the diplomatic route of preventing a nuclear Iran. The report further stated that the date of preference for an
attack against Iran is in eight to 10 months - after the US presidential candidates for both the Democrats and the Republicans have been
chosen, but before the major presidential campaign kicks off.

The report stated that the attack would be comprised of two main strategies: cutting off the Iranian gas supply, which the US hopes would
pressure the Iranian people towards action against their government, and an aerial bombing campaign, which would be meant to paralyze
Iranian defenses and allow American bombers to destroy the nuclear facilities.

Opponents to a military strike claim that an attack would require at least one week of intense bombing, and that it would only set the Iranian
nuclear program back a few years, the report said. Two other claims of the opponents is that an American strike would provoke Iran into
attacking Israel, and that abandoning diplomatic action would negatively impact Iraq and the US troops stationed there.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1189411396419&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

re: "Why would this make Iran nervous?"

Are you really going to attempt to say that this move does not make the Iranian Mullahs nervous?
How out of touch with reality must you be?

Would you not feel nervous if it was the reverse? Would any government not be concerned?

Our nation would "not be concerned" if Iran had a much more powerful military than we do and suddenly an enormous Iranian Navy armada including 3 aircraft carriers, battle ships, and destroyers armed to the teeth, with bombs, cruise missles, nukes, and thousands of elite Republican Guards, and hundreds of attack aircraft arrived to closely patrol the california coast?

Get real.

Two US carrier-strike groups are bound for Persian Gulf region, bringing number back to three

September 10, 2007
     
USS Truman Strike Group heading for Gulf


   
Military sources report that from the third week of July, the only American strike force- carrier in the Persian Gulf-Arabian Sea region was the USS Enterprise. By the end of September, it will be joined by the USS Nimitz and the USS Truman Strike Groups. Sources note that with their arrival, three American naval, air and marine forces will again confront Iranian shores at a time of crisis in the military and civilian leadership of Iran - signaled by the abrupt change of Revolutionary Guards Corps commanders, rising Israel-Syrian tensions and a troubled situation in Lebanon.

The Nimitz left the region to take part in large-scale Malabar 2007 II exercise with five Asian nations, termed by Indian military observers ?the first step towards establishing Asian NATO. Since the maneuver ended Friday, Sept. 7, the Nimitz has been on its way back to the Persian Gulf. The Truman group, made up of 12 warships and submarines, including a nuclear sub, with 7,600 sailors, air crew and marines aboard, has just completed a long series of training exercises and is preparing to set out for its new posting. It carries eight squadrons of fighters, bombers and spy planes.

The Truman force's battle cry is: Give 'em hell.

The combined naval strike groups include the Monterey-CG 61 guided missile cruiser, the USS Barry DDG 52 and USS Mason-DDG 87 guided missile destroyers, the USS Albuquerque-SSN 706 fast nuclear strike submarine and the combat logistical USNS Arctic T-AOE 8.

In the last week of August, the USS Kearsarge Expeditionary Strike Group took up position opposite the Lebanese coast amid trepidation over the September presidential election. Military sources reported that aboard the group's vessels are members of the 22nds Marine special operations-capable Expeditionary Unit, who are ready to execute landings on Lebanese beaches.

(source: e-mail) 

Hagel is calling it quits
Omaha World Herald, by Jake Thompson
9/8/2007


WASHINGTON - Chuck Hagel will announce Monday that he is retiring from the U.S. Senate and will not run for president next year, people close to the Nebraska Republican said Friday.

Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel plans to leave the Senate after two terms as a Republican Party maverick, people close to him say.Hagel plans to announce that "he will not run for re-election and that he does not intend to be a candidate for any office in 2008," said one person, who asked not to be named.

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2835&u_sid=10126829