Preparing the Battlefield: your comments please

[steve2470]

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/07/07/080707fa_fact_hersh?currentPage=all

The Bush Administration steps up its secret moves against Iran.
by Seymour M. Hersh
July 7, 2008

Late last year, Congress agreed to a request from President Bush to fund a major escalation of covert operations against Iran, according to current and former military, intelligence, and congressional sources. These operations, for which the President sought up to four hundred million dollars, were described in a Presidential Finding signed by Bush, and are designed to destabilize the country’s religious leadership. The covert activities involve support of the minority Ahwazi Arab and Baluchi groups and other dissident organizations. They also include gathering intelligence about Iran’s suspected nuclear-weapons program.

*snip*

more at link above

[readmoreoften]

1. I don't even know what to say.

It looks like there's going to be a lot of dead people.
And I have absolutely no idea why we're at war with any of these nations.
This country is run by monsters.
My gut feeling is they're making money off it...oil speculation, disaster capitalism.

[Angela Shelley]

2. Alot of damage on both sides.

Peace.

[hokies4ever]

3. Even if you strike an Iranian nuclear facility, you won't completely shut down the program

Maybe set it back a couple of years, but it would continue nonetheless. Also, here's an interesting animated video detailing some of the complications for attacking Iranian nuclear facilities since they are underground.

http://www.ucsusa.org/global_security/nuclear_weapons/nuclear-bunker-buster-rnep-animation.html

[steve2470]

4. need info plz

Hersh has an excellent track record, correct ?

[HereSince1628]

5. Excellent on My Lai and the court martial of Lt. Wm Calley

And more recently on the intelligence misfortunes of Donald Rumsfeld's Pentagon

On Iran he has proclaimed several windows for attacking that have come and gone. Not sure what can be made of that

[mmonk]

6. Covert operations, while threatening, are not as serious as

deranged thoughts of air strikes and strikes are the biggest danger to our children's future. Both parties are imperialistic, murderous, and dishonest in the US and the population in general is very propagandized and operating on the brain stem only, but maybe enough sanity exists for bombing not to take place. The sane and educated can only wait and see as our fate is not in our hands.

[NightWatcher]

7. Sy reports every few months that the war is happening tomorrow. He's been doing it since 05? 06?

Sy is "crying wolf". Sure it may happen but Hersh doesnt know when and should stop trying to scare people

[readmoreoften]

8. Yeah but we just got $400 million for it and put people on the inside.

We are now escalation INSIDE the fucking country.

And Bush and Cheney are saying openly that they won't leave office without Iran disarmed.

How is he "crying wolf"? He doesn't know when they're going to do it. And Iraq has slowed their plans.

No wonder why journalists don't bother. If it doesn't happen on a reality TV show time schedule Americans won't understand anymore.

[NightWatcher]

9. not "just" we have been diverting funding to covert ops for years

remember the good old days of the $200 hammer from the GAO reports. Plus we have operators in nearly every country in the world, esp the ones we might want to stir shit up in.