Unqualified Offerings

By Thoreau

Having raised the alarm about possible war with Iran, I’ll note that there are some signs pointing toward peace and understanding:

U.S. exports to Iran — including brassieres, bull semen, cosmetics… — grew more than tenfold during President Bush’s years in office even as he accused Iran of nuclear ambitions and helping terrorists.

America sent more cigarettes to Iran, at least $158 million worth under Bush, than any other products.

Other surprising shipments to Iran during the Bush administration: fur clothing, sculptures, perfume and musical instruments.

At least somebody’s having a good time.

Oh, and you might have been wondering what I left out with that “…” in the quote above. Well, the answer is obviously weapons. (Hey, has anybody checked Ollie North’s whereabouts lately?)

Sanctions are intended in part to frustrate Iran’s efforts to build its military, but the U.S. government’s own figures show at least $148,000 worth of unspecified weapons and other military gear were exported from the United States to Iran during Bush’s time in office. That includes $106,635 in military rifles and $8,760 in rifle parts and accessories shipped in 2004, the data shows.

Also shipped to Iran were at least $13,000 in “aircraft launching gear and/or deck arrestors,” equipment needed to launch jets from aircraft carriers, according to U.S. records. Iran’s navy is not believed to own or operate any carriers.

Those numbers may seem small, but military items can sell for pennies on the dollar compared with what the Pentagon paid.

Could we put some Persians in charge of defense spending from now on? They seem to know how to drive a good bargain. And I’ll bet that they’d be more than willing to find a way to fight Arabs and Pashtuns on a tight budget. Call it a hunch.