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Ear to the Ground

Republicans to Spy Agencies: Make Iran Scarier

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Posted on Aug 24, 2006

Senior Bush officials and other top Republicans are apparently angry that U.S. intelligence agencies aren’t issuing more ominous threats about Iran. The GOP’ers, marred by (but unrepentant for) their Iraq debacle, are eager to use their lethal Tonka Toys once again—this time in Iran.

  • Check out an intelligence expert at AMERICAblog who argues that Iran poses no imminent threat to the U.S.


    N.Y. Times:

    WASHINGTON, Aug. 23 ? Some senior Bush administration officials and top Republican lawmakers are voicing anger that American spy agencies have not issued more ominous warnings about the threats that they say Iran presents to the United States.

    Some policy makers have accused intelligence agencies of playing down Iran?s role in Hezbollah?s recent attacks against Israel and overestimating the time it would take for Iran to build a nuclear weapon.

    The complaints, expressed privately in recent weeks, surfaced in a Congressional report about Iran released Wednesday. They echo the tensions that divided the administration and the Central Intelligence Agency during the prelude to the war in Iraq.

    Link


    AJ at AMERICAblog:

    ... Iran is simply not an imminent threat, nor is it a threat to vital U.S. interests in ways that would necessitate an aggressive response (supporting anti-U.S. terrorist action, for example). For intelligence analysts to state those facts isn’t being “gun shy,” as Rep. Holt (D-NJ) unfortunately put it, rather it’s a simple reflection of accurate assessments based on the facts available. The House intel committee is right to say that we don’t have enough information on Iran, but analysts have to work with what they have, not politicized conjecture. There’s a difference between connecting and explaining the dots and creating new ones to reach a preordained conclusion.

    Further, despite some assumptions to the contrary, intelligence agencies have a natural (and wholly understandable) predisposition towards warning. Rarely do analysts downplay potential problems because there’s generally a much higher price to pay for underestimating a threat than overestimating it. Certainly intelligence agencies got Iraq’s WMDs wrong, but the march to war was led by political leadership, not by the agencies and certainly not by analysts.

    Link

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    By Johnny Peace, August 25, 2006 at 12:49 pm Link to this comment
    (Unregistered commenter)

    note to world: boy bush is not our president. come and get him. all this silly christ killing the arabs shit will be over as soon as somebody arrests this criminal spoiled brat and takes him to a cell with a large homosexual. he’ll be happy there, we’ll be happy. Win-win.

    Report this

    By cognitorex, August 25, 2006 at 12:38 pm Link to this comment
    (Unregistered commenter)

    HOW DO YOU SAY ‘BOO!!’ IN ARABIC?
    Meanwhile, its rumored that Osama Bin L. is registered to vote in both Florida and Ohio.

    exorcise your right. Vote!

    Report this

    By Spinoza, August 25, 2006 at 10:14 am Link to this comment
    (Unregistered commenter)

    Do we want our grand children to inherit a decent planet?  Then we better get out in the streets. Man the barricades. Promote revolution or fascism will stifle all progress.

    Report this

    By Yogi Carpenter, August 25, 2006 at 9:04 am Link to this comment
    (Unregistered commenter)

    The image of the US looming over Iran, telling all the world they should live in fear of these people would be humorous if it wasn’t such a deadly game. The bully is clearly trying to lure the little guy into a fight. Watch for the kidnap a of couple soldiers type incident coming soon to a screen near you, to be the reason why the bombers were already sent, the reason why the tough on terror boys must stay in power, and then, you know… stay the course. Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Iran, Israel, maybe Syria - all in smoke. A gleeful prospect aye? All stirred up by guess who? A few pudgy fat asses hunched over a board game down in the war room. “Why wait around for the polar ice cap to melt or economic collapse” one of em says, “when you can just bring it on? I ain’t drivin no fuckin electric car.”

    Too grim?

    Somebody surely should cut the wires to these guys anyway, just to be safe. They have no right.

    Report this

    By jkoch, August 25, 2006 at 7:42 am Link to this comment
    (Unregistered commenter)

    It’s smoking gun proof that intelligence agencies are bullied to fabricate facts to support Administration schemes.  Message: beef up the scare stories—or else.

    Frederick Fleitz, the author of the House Intelligence report on Iran, is a neo-con ninja with a license to kill.  He is Bolton’s “mole” on the Hill.  He quit the CIA because it did not share his apocalyptic zeal or “connect the dots” to prove Saddam’s WMD or 9/11 role.  In 2002, he co-authored many tracts to promote the US intervention in Iraq.  He retains security clearance and can chide or disgrace intelligence analysts who “fail to the the message” and come up with sinister reports on Iran.  Did he tell Bolton and Cheney about Plame?  Any connections to Perle, Ledeen, Rubin, Feith?  Are we on the road to “Shock & Awe U235”?

    By the way, Georgetown CSIS military analyst A. Cordesman writes that no one in the IDF suggested to him that Iran told Hezbollah to kidnap the two troops or start a fight.  I guess Israeli intelligence also needs to shape up and comply with neo-con talking points.

    Report this

    By rabblerowzer, August 25, 2006 at 5:32 am Link to this comment
    (Unregistered commenter)

    Encouraged by their crushing defeat of all opposition in America, Republicans are recklessly determined to impose fascist rule on oil producing countries in the Middle East. Given their astonishing record of corruption and incompetence in Afghanistan and Iraq, Americans had best prepare themselves for dire consequences when Dear Leader attacks Iran, Syria and unites the whole Muslim world.

    Muslim peasants aren’t nearly as docile as middleclass democrats, or as stupid as lunch bucket republicans.

    Report this

    By Manny, August 24, 2006 at 8:57 pm Link to this comment
    (Unregistered commenter)

    I don’t doubt that Mr. G. Bush will connect the dots and create the intelligence to attack Iran, it’s only a matter of time. Are the masses asses ? Well, yes, look how comfortable this nation was when Israel was killing lebannon civilians. Does any one recall that Mr. G. Bush flat out stated that we would stay in Iraq until the end of his term ? Well, life went on and King George is planning the Iran war.

    Report this

    By kevin99999, August 24, 2006 at 8:37 pm Link to this comment
    (Unregistered commenter)

    Its Deja Vu all over again. The GOP never tires of lying and alwaya willing to spill someone else’s blood. why is it okay for us and Israel to have nuclear weapons but not Iran.

    Report this

    By harald hardrada, August 24, 2006 at 8:01 pm Link to this comment
    (Unregistered commenter)

    bush is going from peak to peak—he sent our troops into afghanistan & purposely let osama escape—he sent our troops into iraq, which now exports far less oil than it did under saddam & which has now taken away nearly all rights that women enjoyed before america invaded—he sent cluster bombs to israel so it could kill or maim as many lebanese children as possible—now he’s laying the groundwork to attack iran

    looking at his results, one can only infer that bush wants to use up our armaments & destroy our military, maybe because he didn’t shine in that part of his glorified career

    Report this

    By Hilding Lindquist, August 24, 2006 at 7:51 pm Link to this comment
    (Unregistered commenter)

    Wait a second ... Republicans are saying, “The truth is things are worse than we’re being told .” AND “We must stay on the course that is making things worse than we are being told.”

    Let’s see, we can blow up the world now or wait another few years for the ipod generation to take over.

    I think that’s what frightens the Fundamentalist religious nuts on both sides (our Neocons - Rapturists - Zionists (NRZs) and their jihadists) the most. The kids might not learn how to hate and fear if they are not being “carefully taught”.

    “All we are saying is give peace a chance.”

    And if not when we are strong, then when?

    What is REALLY frightening to me is the concept that our leaders believe we will lose if the world is peaceful ... that we want dominance to protect our selfish pursuit of power and wealth, not peace.

    Report this
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