Bam to Iran: Nuke the idea
THOUSANDS of protesters will mass near the United Nations Wednesday to protest bile-spewing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s speech to world leaders — as President Obama ramped up his own rhetoric.
Obama on Tuesday warned the UN that time is running out to prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon.
“Let me be clear: America wants to resolve this issue through diplomacy, and we believe that there is still time and space to do so,” Obama said. “But that time is not unlimited.”
The President said the U.S. will “do what we must” to keep nukes away from Ahmadinejad— who has already described Israel as an annoyance that can be “eliminated.”
“Make no mistake: A nuclear-armed Iran is not a challenge that can be contained,” Obama said.
“It would threaten the elimination of Israel, the security of gulf nations, and the stability of the global economy. And that is why the United States will do what we must to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.”
Wednesday’s General Assembly speech by Ahmadinejad— his last before leaving office — is expected to be a refrain of the hateful anti-Semitism and anti-America rhetoric that he’s been using since arriving in New York over the weekend. If he starts dumping on Israel and the U.S. with his usual antics, some delegates are likely to get up and walk out in protest as they have done in past years.
The Iranian president has filled his schedule with media interviews and private dinners at the Warwick Hotel on W. 54th St., where he and his 120-member entourage are staying. He met with academics and students on Monday night, the Christian Science Monitor reported. After Ahmadinejad returned to the hotel late Tuesday afternoon in a black luxury car, protesters ran over to yell at him as he walked into a side entrance under tight security. A protest group called United Against a Nuclear Iran rented an 11th floor room for Ahmadinejad’s stay. One member, Nathan Carleton, said the hotel manager barred him on Tuesday from carrying an anti-Ahmadinejad poster. “If you call 9/11 a big lie and say you hate America you get turndown service, but a sign gets you accosted?” said Carleton.