this is quotes from an 2004 article (Guardian)
So what do you think?
Was Iran heavily involved in the plan to invade Iraq?
It’s an interesting theory and we did discuss it a bit a few years ago. But. if it’s a legitimate theory, why no more current evidence of it?
But Chalabi SAID it was a lie, and silly, and if it’s true, it makes the Bush Administration look like a bunch of real chumps and patsies (not to mention all the people that voted for them. Twice.) so Chalabi’s statement is chock full of rich, tasty TRUTHINESS!
You can’t dupe a thirsty horse into drinking water.
Yeah…I promoted this story heavily when it came out. I wish we could hear more about it one way or the other. It may be one of those things that is hard to pursue when the same party controls the Presidency, the Senate, and the House. But, hey, even if it doesn’t turn out to be true, it would be nice to have something more definitive.
As Squink noted though, if it is true, it was sort of like feeding candy to a baby…at least as far as selling it to the neoconservative elements was concerned. (What it might have done, however, is helped to give those neoconservatives the upper hand. World diplomacy makes strange bedfellows, I guess!)
I hope it’s not just me that finds this phrase rather amusing, particularly given the context?
International politics is hard to understand
Theories comes and goes
Anther theory (that contradict the on in the OP) is that Iran now are surrounded by US military bases. Before 1990 there non in the region.
USA established military bases in both Kuwait and Saudi-Arabia early in the 90’s. Then in Caucasus in the 2000’s, and then Afghanistan - and finally in Iraq.
There are now US army bases in both west, east and north of Iran.
Does anyone have an overview over all the US military bases around the world?
By that logic, the Cold War was fought against Switzerland.
Per Squink’s comment, I call bullshit on the whole thing. Sound like a lame excuse for the Bush admin. more than anything. We need more facts.
I’m not sure how useful it would be as an excuse. Is it really better being fooled by Iran?
Then cherrypicking intelligence known to be faulty or even making shit up to deliberately go to war? Yeah, I’d say merely being duped would be.
Hmmm…I guess if this Administration’s best excuse is “We were just unwitting fools who allowed ourselves to be duped by the intelligence service of an enemy nation,” they are in more trouble than I thought! After all this is the administration that is still trying to sell itself as the party that is more serious and hard-headed about defending U.S. national security than the opposition party.
All the more reason that those dastardly Iranian mullahs should pay! Regime change becomes even more urgent! We can’t let them get away with it, or our heroes have died in vain!
[cue Beach Boys]
Bomb, bomb, bomb
Bomb bomb I-raaaaan!
Bomb, bomb, bomb
Bomb bomb I-raaaaan!..
Who is going to investigate this? Assuming that it happened, which I have my doubts but lets assume for a second. Is Bush going to order an investigation? Of course not. If it came out that he was duped by the Iranians he will go down in history as the worst president, and hand Democrats power for the next 10 years. Is the CIA? No way. If we were duped they were responsible, and I doubt everyone there wants to be fired in disgrace. No, if we were duped by Iran everyone that has the power to find out would much rather not know that we were.
Or, as WC said, you can’t cheat an honest man.
FBI counter espionage IIRC.
I disagree. From YOUR perspective maybe, but you have to realize that Bush et al don’t see things in the same way you (or I or most Dopers) do. From THEIR perspective it wasn’t ‘cherrypicking intelligence’, and said intelligence was far from ‘known to be faulty’…nor do I think that THEY think they were ‘making shit up to deliberately go to war’. Remember that ‘cherrypicking’ is what ALL politicians do…its how they get elected after all, how they attack their opponents…its the life blood of the species in fact.
I think getting fooled by Iran would be far worse, in their eyes to simply being wrong (with what they THINK is the best intelligence and consensus of the day). Otherwise, if they REALLY thought it would make them come off looking better we’d have been hearing about this for 2 years now. Cups ear to listen to the choirous of 'Pubs chanting about how they were fooled hears the chirping of crickets.
Nada…in 2 years. I’m not thinking they are running with the ‘We po’ ‘Pubs was just fooled by dem slick Iranian’s, cuss dem!’.
I remember when this first came out there were a few threads on it. But as we’ve heard nothing on it since (that I know of), I’d have to go with the assessment that, while interesting, there is probably not much to this. Either that or Bush et al suddenly got really good at information supression. Would be a first for these fools if so, but who knows?
-XT
That a known con man and crook with a rap sheet a kilometer long and decades old is a probable double agent is hardly surprising.
What is surprising is the boggling level of corn fed American stupidity
TO
1: Believe a hard core con man Chalabi in the first place
2: Now believe this is some diabolical master plan by the Iranians to have the American military placed throughout their sphere of influence
I swear sometimes I think we have to be the biggest, most arrogant intelligence and foreign policy retards that have ever existed.
It’s easy to believe someone telling you something you want to be true. Unfortunately.