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Breaking Report: U.S. 'preparing the battlefield' in Iran
Looks like a US invasion in IRAN is imminent, certainly a question is to be posed, can we afford another IRAQ! What will the rest of the Middle Eastern Countries think now? Will they be next?
I have a bad feeling, these once moderate Middle Eastern Countries may not want to find out!
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Bush administration has launched a "significant escalation" of covert operations in Iran, sending U.S. commandos to spy on the country's nuclear facilities and undermine the Islamic republic's government, journalist Seymour Hersh said Sunday. White House, CIA and State Department officials declined comment on Hersh's report, which appears in this week's issue of The New Yorker.
Hersh told CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer" that Congress has authorized up to $400 million to fund the secret campaign, which involves U.S. special operations troops and Iranian dissidents.
President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have rejected findings from U.S. intelligence agencies that Iran has halted a clandestine effort to build a nuclear bomb and "do not want to leave Iran in place with a nuclear program," Hersh said.
"They believe that their mission is to make sure that before they get out of office next year, either Iran is attacked or it stops its weapons program," Hersh said.
The new article, "Preparing the Battlefield," is the latest in a series of articles accusing the Bush administration of preparing for war with Iran.
He based the report on accounts from current and former military, intelligence, and congressional sources.
Watch Hersh discuss what he says are the administration's plans for Iran ยป
"As usual with his quarterly pieces, we'll decline to comment," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe told CNN.
June 29, 2008 at 10:13 pm by Barry Artiste, 700 views, 23 comments
Crowd Power
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Barry Artiste
Vancouver, Canada






Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (23)
at 22:50 on June 29th, 2008
Barry Artiste, I like this story. It's good stuff.
If they plan to do this then they will have to consider a military draft. There simply are not enough soldiers in our army to be able to sustain another brilliant Stratego-esque move like this.
Of course what else could you expect from Napolean BonaHead?
at 03:58 on June 30th, 2008
Put it this way, if they implement a draft, and before they draft ordinary Americans, by the Christ !!, George Bush, Bush's Daughters, and every politician's, Cheney's and Corporates who vote and want another war , better include in the draft, Politicians wives, children. grandchildren better be the first ones in the draft, be Loaded for Bear, Camm'd up, ready to Git Er Done,~ and Be the First ones on the Front line of fire before any other Western Country's peoples lay down their life, oh and lest not forget every Politician in Israel too.
Then and only then, we shall see how many Politicians, Cheneys, and Corporates who themselves and their families come a draft dodging running for the safety of Canada. Don't get me wrong, I have done my fair share when in the military myself, but to take out a country at Dubya and his cronies pleasure, ain't gonna happen, not with me, not with Canada, and I think Western Countries, including US citizens most likely will say "George your on your own!..
at 00:08 on June 30th, 2008
Barry Artiste, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 00:36 on June 30th, 2008
Barry Artiste, I like this story. It's good stuff.
Bush seriously needs different advisors.
he definitely needs a staue of lord Ganesh in his pocket.
at 03:59 on June 30th, 2008
George needs a serious "Slap up side the head" metal pipe optional, but preferred!
at 03:27 on June 30th, 2008
Barry Artiste, this is a good stuff. Thanks for posting it.
I don't know what people in the US and Europe think about Iran or its nuclear program, but what I understand while in Pakistan, unfortunately an ally of Bush administration its so-called war on terror, is that instead of ensuring security for the Americans and Europeans, Bush and co aided with Nato have already turned the globe into a heap of explosive. Therefore, it is time for the American and European people to stand up against their rulers and stop them from misadventures like Iraq, Afghanistan and now possibly Iran.
There should be no doubt that a US attack on Iran is destined to pull in other states as well just like Pakistan which has been pushed towards violence by the US. How? Whenever the Pakistani rulers take some serious initiatives to restore peace and order in the country's volatile tribal region bordering Afghanistan, the US and Nato forces take some covert or overt measures leading to flaring up of new violence.
Various people might have been made to believe that the US and Nato mantra of infiltration from Pakistani side of border into Afghanistan is taking place but in fact it is not the case. Rather there are some nefarious designs of the US and its cronies in the West to destabilise Pakistan to punish it for achieving the status of only nuclear power among the Islamic states. It may be difficult for many to ascribe to this notion for the time being but the world will see this happening almost 99 per cent Pakistanis believe. I must make one thing clear that all this not began just after 9/11, rather the planing had started immediately after withdrawal of the Soviet forces from Afghanistan.
I must also make it clear that the militant groups operating in Pakistani tribal region and also strike in various parts of the country are not operating on their own and have backing of some outside forces. However, it is another thing that whether they know it or not.
Let's see what is going to happen next!!!
at 04:02 on June 30th, 2008
Thanks for you poignant view Hussien, certainly troubling by a world tired of fighting on the wishes of one man, who does not speak for all the people. I am as conservative as they get, but even I can see Bush is a moron.
at 03:49 on June 30th, 2008
Barry Artiste, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 04:03 on June 30th, 2008
Thanks Castro for visiting and the flag
at 04:06 on June 30th, 2008
Thanks everyone for visiting and your comments, certainly a disturbing turn of events. You know, I always look on the positive side of a person, but since this news came out, I am positive Bush, his Advisor's and his Cabinet are completely "Out to Lunch"!
at 05:11 on June 30th, 2008
Thanks John, much appreciated
at 06:03 on June 30th, 2008
everyone order another plate of freedom fries, bombs don't grow on trees you know. yipes!
at 10:29 on June 30th, 2008
Barry Artiste, I like this story. It's good stuff.
I think the esculation is more about recon then preparing for action. Iranians are great people. The problem is with the government. A strike may kill inocients. I know we are not ready for any type of ground war. This may be help for Israel who may attack between Nov to Jan.
at 14:35 on June 30th, 2008
Thanks Politisite, nice to have a comment that pretty much says it all, I wish you would have wrote this piece instead of me. Like you say it is not about the people but the government, and to kill a nation for the Nutjob rants of a few is ludicrous. I am positive there are a majority of Iranians who cringe every time he opens his mouth, but then we have politicians like that at home as well.
at 14:47 on June 30th, 2008
Barry, There is room in Politics for all of us. You are one who can write well about nearly anything. Didn't you do an article on poop once? You are number 1 you know!!
at 14:51 on June 30th, 2008
Perhaps you're Right Politisite, I do know POOP!
at 14:56 on June 30th, 2008
Hey Politisite, I just got the Joke??!!! You used Poop and Number #1 in the same sentence!!!!! Gee, I wish I was Number 100 now, but then isn't that just 100 number # 1's ??? haha
at 12:20 on June 30th, 2008
Barry Artiste, I like this story. It's good stuff. Can the US afford $400 million to stir up trouble. I guess it's a good investment for Halliburton tho.
at 13:45 on June 30th, 2008
Thanks Barbara, 400 million is just for faxes considering all the other costs, let's hope this story,is just that and someone wakes up to reality. Charlie Wilsons War was as close as this in money and more to come I am sure
at 13:06 on June 30th, 2008
I actually just got done reading the Hersh piece in the New Yorker and I am totally unconvinced about his conclusion. He's basing his analysis on the words of people who are on the peripherals of operations (like a Pentagon consultant for example).
Some of the information and analysis he writes about I do agree with to a degree. Funding Sunni extremists just because they want to topple the Iranian regime is not a good idea. But this is all predicated on who we are actually funding. Are we funding these groups? Indirectly?
Anyways, back to the "imminent" war on Iran. I just Googled "naval deployment" to see where our ships currently are and stumbled across this little ditty about a "buildup to war with Iran." [HERE IS THE ARTICLE] According to this piece we were positioning our ships in the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf for an attack on Iran any minute now.
Unfortunately, this was a piece done in October of '06. Over a year and a half ago.
All I've got to say is that there is a lot of paranoia going around the blogosphere. "OMG! Iran has oil, Bush has been saying bad things about them, A WAR IS GOING TO HAPPEN!!!!"
One last thing: Iraq opens bidding on 8 oil and natural gas fields. If only it were all about oil, things would be so much simpler.
at 13:48 on June 30th, 2008
Thanks for the lengthy commentary to this story, you get good stuff as usual in my books, greatly appreciated BigT
at 13:54 on June 30th, 2008
Sobering.
at 14:50 on June 30th, 2008
Thanks Karen for the flag, sobering and scary indeed