The Talk Show American

THE TALK SHOW AMERICAN: 10/21/2007 - 10/28/2007

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Joint Chiefs: We Can Strike Iran

The new Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said that despite the commitment of U.S. forces elsewhere, the military is capable of conducting operations against Iran if called on to bomb nuclear facilities and other targets.

Adm. Michael Mullen told reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday: “From a military standpoint, there is more than enough reserve to respond if that, in fact, is what the national leadership wanted to do, and so I don’t think we’re too stretched in that regard.”

Defense and military officials have been preparing American forces within striking distance of Iran, according to the Washington Times. Attacks on the Islamic Republic would be carried out largely by the Navy and Air Force.

Officials say one target of any U.S. military action would be Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps facilities because of their role in providing insurgents in Iraq with armor-piercing roadside bombs. One official said the factory where Iranian bomb materials are being produced has been located.

A second target would be Iran’s nuclear facilities, which are chiefly underground and spread across the country.

Appearing with Mullen at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned that if Iran acquires nuclear weapons, it would probably spur other nations in the region to obtain those weapons themselves. That in turn would raise the risk of nuclear materials falling into the hands of terrorists.

But Adm. Mullen said the use of military force against Iran would be an option “of the last resort.”

Poll: 54 Percent of Americans Take Pro-Life Position on Abortion

A new poll conducted by CBS News makes it clear that a majority of Americans are pro-life when itcomes to the issue of abortion.

The October survey finds 54 percent of Americans take one of
three pro-life positions opposing all or almost all abortions and
another 16 percent want more restrictions on it.

The October 12-16 poll asked Americans to tell CBS News their
"personal feelings" on abortion. The survey found that 16
percent of the public only favors allowing abortions "only to
save woman's life" and another 34 percent think abortions should
only be allowed in the very rare cases of rape, incest or to save
the mother's life.

Another four percent of Americans want all abortions to be made
illegal.

With the Planned Parenthood-affiliated Alan Guttmacher Institute
showing that less than two percent of all abortions are done in
cases of rape, incest or to save the mother's life, the CBS News
poll shows 54 percent of Americans oppose 98 percent of all
abortions.

According to the survey, just 26 percent of the public wants
abortions permitted in all cases. Another 16 percent want
abortions to remain legal but to be subject to greater
restrictions than they currently face.

Read the full story:
http://www.lifenews.com/nat3389.html

Poll:Half of America Would Never Vote For Hillary

Half of likely voters nationwide said they would never vote for New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, a new Zogby Interactive poll shows.

The online survey of 9,718 likely voters nationwide showed that 50% said Clinton would never get their presidential vote. This is up from 46% who said they could never vote for Clinton in a Zogby International telephone survey conducted in early March. Older voters are most resistant to Clinton—59% of those age 65 and older said they would never vote for the New York senator, but she is much more acceptable to younger voters: 42% of those age 18-29 said they would never vote for Clinton for President.

The Zogby Interactive poll, conducted Oct. 11-15, 2007, included 9,718 likely voters nationwide and carries a margin of error of +/- 1.0 percentage point.

Violence, Casualties Down in Iraq

The U.S. troop surge in Iraq continues to have positive effects, as violence and casualties are decreasing in many areas of the country, the Joint Staff's director for operational planning said today.

In and around Baghdad, terrorist operations are down by 59 percent; operations targeting Iraqi forces are down more than 60 percent; car bombs are down by 65 percent; fatalities due to car bombs are down by 81 percent; casualties due to enemy attacks are down by 77 percent; and the violence during this last Ramadan period was the lowest in three years, Army Maj. Gen. Richard Sherlock told Pentagon reporters.

Also, last week in Anbar province, the coalition had no casualties, which is an important milestone, the general noted.

"Overall casualties in Iraq have continued to decrease, even though coalition forces have conducted a variety of operations throughout the country," Sherlock said. "While this is indeed encouraging, al Qaeda in Iraq, other extremist groups and criminal elements in Iraq continue to be major threats."