They are the ones who have the sway in Iraq, not us or the Iraqi government. How long will we allow conservative pigheadedness to dictate our foreign policy?
Archive for the 'Iran' Category
Its like the credibility of our government is suspect or something.
The most senior US general in Iraq has said he has evidence that Iran was behind Sunday’s bombardment of Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone.
Gen David Petraeus told the BBC he thought Tehran had trained, equipped and funded insurgents who fired the barrage of mortars and rockets.
He said Iran was adding what he described as “lethal accelerants” to a very combustible mix.
There has as yet been no response from Iran to the accusations.
In similarly credible news, I’m totally Jessica Alba’s baby daddy.
BBC:
One source, who has close links to US intelligence, said that members of Vice President Dick Cheney’s staff continued to call for military strikes against Iran “on a daily basis”.
Questions swirl.
A new assessment by American intelligence agencies concludes that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003 and that the program remains on hold, contradicting an assessment two years ago that Tehran was working inexorably toward building a bomb.
The assessment, a National Intelligence Estimate that represents the consensus view of all 16 American spy agencies, states that Tehran’s ultimate intentions about gaining a nuclear weapon remain unclear, but that Iran’s “decisions are guided by a cost-benefit approach rather than a rush to a weapon irrespective of the political, economic and military costs.”
But I thought Iran was building the nuke that they plan to use on Israel to usher in Armageddon and the return of God and the rapture? Now I’m going to have to rejigger my whole schedule.
That is today’s update on things you already knew.
He was only off by one letter.
“And Iran’s active pursuit of technology that could lead to nuclear weapons threatens to put a region already known for instability and violence under the shadow of a nuclear holocaust.
Iran’s actions threaten the security of nations everywhere. And that is why the United States is rallying friends and allies around the world to isolate the regime, to impose economic sanctions. We will confront this danger before it is too late.”
Here we fricking go again.
Bush administration crackpot lawyer John Yoo is making the argument that Bush doesn’t need authorization to go to war with Iran. If you will remember, the administration floated the idea before the invasion of Iraq that they didn’t need authorization for a war, because the original Gulf War authorization still flew. This is the kind of made-up legal theory the right worships as gospel, and the same theories that let terrorists go scot free.
Condi Rice has a problem.
The U.S. is not preparing for war against Iran and Vice President Dick Cheney supports that policy, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says, taking a swipe at a U.N. official who says he is worried about “crazies” who want to start bombing.
“The president of the United States has made very clear what our policy is. That policy is supported by all the members of his Cabinet and by the vice president of the United States,” Rice said Friday.
“The president has made clear that we are on a diplomatic course,” she said in regard to U.S. opposition to Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
I can’t imagine why the world (and many Americans) don’t believe you. It’s not like we have had, in recent history, the planning and execution of a major war you claimed wasn’t being planned or anything.
Nope, this is a total mystery. A real head-scratcher.
America overwhelmingly opposes military intervention in Iran, counter to the saber-rattling of the odious vice president. I don’t doubt that Americans would support action against Iran if they ever clearly threatened us, but not with this president, not with his track record.
Fool me twice…
U.N. calls U.S. data on Iran’s nuclear aims unreliable
Although international concern is growing about Iran’s nuclear program and its regional ambitions, diplomats here say most U.S. intelligence shared with the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency has proved inaccurate and none has led to significant discoveries inside Iran.
The officials said the CIA and other Western spy services had provided sensitive information to the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency at least since 2002, when Iran’s long-secret nuclear program was exposed. But none of the tips about supposed secret weapons sites provided clear evidence that the Islamic Republic was developing illicit weapons.
U.S. developing contingency plan to bomb Iran: report
Despite the Bush administration’s insistence it has no plans to go to war with Iran, a Pentagon panel has been created to plan a bombing attack that could be implemented within 24 hours of getting the go-ahead from President George W. Bush, The New Yorker magazine reported in its latest issue.
The special planning group was established within the office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in recent months, according to an unidentified former U.S. intelligence official cited in the article by investigative reporter Seymour Hersh in the March 4 issue.
US generals ‘will quit’ if Bush orders Iran attack
Tension in the Gulf region has raised fears that an attack on Iran is becoming increasingly likely before President George Bush leaves office. The Sunday Times has learnt that up to five generals and admirals are willing to resign rather than approve what they consider would be a reckless attack.
“There are four or five generals and admirals we know of who would resign if Bush ordered an attack on Iran,” a source with close ties to British intelligence said. “There is simply no stomach for it in the Pentagon, and a lot of people question whether such an attack would be effective or even possible.”
When George Bush insists that Iran is insurgents with weapons, it would be a safe Vegas bet that there’s no connection at all.
And of course, not a single member of the lapdog press corpse thought to ask Bush about his Saudi friends financing insurgents killing Americans and Iraqis. It would be upsetting to the status quo if they did that and their cocktail party invitations would get lost in the mail.
The Bush administration tries yet again to realign reality in order to match up with their propaganda.
"We know that the explosively formed projectiles are manufactured in Iran," Pace told Voice of America during a visit to Australia. "What I would not say is that the Iranian government, per se, knows about this."
"It is clear that Iranians are involved, and it’s clear that materials from Iran are involved," he continued, "but I would not say by what I know that the Iranian government clearly knows or is complicit."
Pace’s comments came a day after U.S. military officials in Baghdad alleged that the "highest levels" of the Iranian government have directed use of weapons that are killing U.S. troops in Iraq. No information was provided to substantiate the charge. Administration officials yesterday deflected requests for more details, even as they repeatedly implied Tehran’s involvement.
As noted here, Saudi hands are all over insurgent funding, but there’s nary a peep from our "leaders".
The Iran snowjob tour, with the help of a complicit press once again, marches on.
The administration finally unveiled its case this weekend, first in coordinated and anonymous leaks to a trusting New York Times reporter, then in an extraordinarily secretive military briefing at which no one would speak on the record, journalists weren’t allowed to photograph the so-called evidence, and nothing even remotely like proof of direct Iranian government involvement was presented.
It’s just more lead up to sending more Americans off to die in order to help shore up the Republican party.
Do not believe these people.
Serial numbers and other markings on bombs suggest that Iranians are linked to deadly explosives used by Iraqi militants, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday in some of the administration’s first public assertions on evidence the military has collected.
1.08.03, George W. Bush:
The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa. Our intelligence sources tell us that he has attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes suitable for nuclear weapons production. Saddam Hussein has not credibly explained these activities. He clearly has much to hide.
Do not believe these people.
I really hope people don’t get lured into a false sense of security, assuming that the Bush administration won’t invade Iran because its simply a stupid thing to do. I made the mistake in 2002-3 thinking that while the Bush administration was ginning up animosity towards Iraq, they would never invade and occupy the nation because that would be amazingly dumb.
Clearly, I was way overestimating their intelligence.
Fox: “Officials: White House Holding Back Report Detailing Iran’s Meddling in Iraq”
CNN: “Iran involvement suspected in Karbala compound attack”
I heard these things (or allegations similar to them) about Iraq in the Summer of 2002 and throughout the campaign leading up to the war in March of 2003. They were not true. The intelligence was cooked. I was skeptical then, and one thousand times more so now.
I do not believe this.
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