ABC decides to shift our foreign policy for us

[KevinTheOmnivore]

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/05/bush_authorizes.html

Bush Authorizes New Covert Action Against Iran

May 22, 2007 6:29 PM


Brian Ross and Richard Esposito Report:

The CIA has received secret presidential approval to mount a covert "black" operation to destabilize the Iranian government, current and former officials in the intelligence community tell the Blotter on ABCNews.com.

The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject, say President Bush has signed a "nonlethal presidential finding" that puts into motion a CIA plan that reportedly includes a coordinated campaign of propaganda, disinformation and manipulation of Iran's currency and international financial transactions.
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I just don't understand. Does ABC understand that people outside of Washington watch their shitty news? Do they have a care in the world, knowing that they've now taking one of the often-cited Democratic alternatives to war off of the table?

[mburbank]

Kev, if recent history is any guide, who do you think leaked the info to ABC?

Couple that with the nine more warships heading into the gulf right now.

So, we siezed Iranians the Kurds invited into the country and won't release them. We've upped our Navy presence in the gulf and continue to up it. If the current leak came out of the administration, and I think it's at very least a fifty.fifty chance, we WANT them to know we have 'covert' operatives in their country and that Dick Chenney actively wanted a military strike.

It sounds to me like we are doing everything short of a first strike to goad them into some plausible action we can massively retaliate against.

ABC is being played, I think.

[KevinTheOmnivore]

Maybe, but I doubt it. These agencies are smart enough to know when they are being used for political gains (remember, NY Times sat on a story on domestic surveilance that they arguably should've released much earlier).

I think the actions you mentioned are a part of a psycholical campaign against Iran. And I think we have every right at this point to detain Iranian officials in Iraq-- they are playing a direct role in the Iraqi insurgency, and if you believe The Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2085192,00.html), Iran plans to step it up by the summer. Even Geggy will need to trust that source.

Do I believe Cheney set up an elaborate leaking scheme, chose Guardian b/c it's "left-wing," and then also leaked this story, all as a way to harden our position and increase the certainty of war?

You would have to believe that our VP is a very twisted individual to believe that.

[Preechr]

I think it's safe to say he does.

[mburbank]

You don't need to leak to a speciffic paper, only to people who'll spread a story.

You would think from your position that Judith Miller didn't exist. She worked for the NYT, part of our own 'Liberal media' pretty much as a whitehouse stenographer during the entire lead up to and the early days of Iraq.

I would say the bulk of the media are stenographers. That doesn't mean they have a right wing bias, it means they are lazy, underfunded and completely beholden to access.