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Born at the Crest of the Empire

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Here we go again. This time it's Iran

Replay.
Some officials at the CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency and the State Department said they're concerned that the offices of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney may be receiving a stream of questionable information that originates with Iranian exiles, including a discredited arms dealer, Manucher Ghorbanifar, who played a role in the 1980s Iran-Contra scandal.

Officials at all three agencies said they suspect that the dubious information may include claims that Iran directed Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group, to kidnap two Israeli soldiers in July; that Iran's nuclear program is moving faster than generally believed; and that the Iranian people are eager to join foreign efforts to overthrow their theocratic rulers.

The officials said there is no reliable intelligence to support any of those assertions and some that contradicts all three.....

Adding to the unease, Rumsfeld's office earlier this year set up a new Iranian directorate, reported to be under the leadership of neoconservatives who played a role in planning the Iraq war.

Current and former officials said the Pentagon's Iranian directorate has been headed by Abram Shulsky. Shulsky also was the head of the now-defunct Office of Special Plans, whose role in allegedly manipulating Iraq intelligence is under investigation by the Pentagon's inspector general.

Some officials say they fear the office, whose existence was first reported by the Los Angeles Times, is being used to funnel intelligence from Ghorbanifar, the arms dealer, and an Iranian exile group known as the Mujahedeen Khalq.


Bush is scheduled to address the UN Tuesday.

And, the propaganda is working.
Rasmussen: 77% believe Iran is likely to have nukes 'soon'.

2 Comments:

  • Won't get fooled again. Uh-uh. No way. (Is that "Beautiful Dreamer" I hear in the background?)

    By Blogger abi, at 11:11 AM  

  • All I've been thinking today is that maybe, maybe you could argue that a governor with no international experience was fooled, assuaged, convinced, the first time.

    But, nobody's been fired, the key players and institutions are in place.

    It's all on the president.

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 2:34 PM  

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