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Propaganda Re-Runs from Iraq Used on Iran
NationofChange / Special Report
Published: Wednesday 28 December 2011
Iran stands accused of being very close to developing an atom bomb. In 2002, so was Iraq.
General Wesley Clark speaking with Amy Goodman: ...So I came back to see him a few weeks later, and by that time we were bombing in Afghanistan. I said, “Are we still going to war with Iraq?” He replied, “Oh, it’s worse than that.” He reached over on his desk. He picked up a piece of paper. And he said, “I just got this down from upstairs” -- meaning the Secretary of Defense’s office -- “today.” He continued, “This is a memo that describes how we’re going to take out seven countries in five years, starting with Iraq, and then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and, finishing off, Iran.” I asked, “Is it classified?” He said, “Yes, sir.” I said, “Well, don’t show it to me.” And I saw him a year or so ago, and I said, “You remember that?” He said, “Sir, I didn’t show you that memo! I didn’t show it to you!”
September 7, 2002:
- President Bush claimed that a 1998 International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report listed Iraq as being only six months away from developing a nuclear weapon. This claim was later shown to be false. In the IAEA’s 1998 report (page 7) written by then IAEA Director-General Mohammed Elbaredei for U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, "There are no indications that there remains in Iraq any physical capability for the production of weapon-usable nuclear material of any practical significance."
September 8, 2002:
- An article appears on the front page of the New York Times in which its co-authors Judith Miller and Michael Gordon put up the headline: “Threats and Responses: The Iraqis; U.S. Says Hussein Intensifies Quest for A-Bomb Parts.”
September 18, 2002:
- Donald Rumsfield appeared on CBS and claimed, "We have seen the situation with Iraq where they have violated some 16 U.N. resolutions and finally threw the inspectors out." Rumsfeld went on to say that "we have gone through... four years where they threw the inspectors out and there's been no one there."
This claim was later fact checked by Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) and found to be false:
- “In December 1998, the U.N. inspectors were not thrown out; they were pulled out by UNSCOM chief Richard Butler prior to a U.S. bombing campaign in Iraq. As Madeleine Albright told Lehrer at the time (12/17/98), Butler ‘made an independent decision that UNSCOM could no longer work.’”
September 14, 2003 (Six months after Iraq war began):
- By the time the Iraq war began, and for several months after that, it was widely alleged that the Bush administration had disingenuously linked Iraq to Iran. According to a USA Today poll from September of 2003, ~70% of Americans believed that Iraq was connected to the 9/11/2001 terrorist attacks.
IRAN:
November 6, 2011:
- The IAEA released a report which suggested that Iran had resumed efforts to develop a nuclear weapon after pausing operations in 2003.
November 10, 2011:
- IAEA Report Alters Iran Nuclear Debate
“Elliott Abrams, Deputy National Security Adviser for Middle East Affairs under President George W. Bush, suggests the new findings put the onus of how to address the issue on the shoulders of other nations.‘One effect of this report, I think, is that it does change the debate from the question of whether Iran is developing nuclear weapons to the question of what do we do about the fact that Iran is developing nuclear weapons,’ he says. ‘I think the IAEA report has kind of settled the first argument.’”
December 8, 2011:
- President Obama announced a containment policy for Iran and explained that his administration imposed “the toughest sanctions on Iran,” and added that the whole world was in consensus against Iran’s nuclear goals. He also promised that “Iran won't be allowed to reach nuclear weapons' capabilities”
December 22, 2011:
- CBS Reports: “A federal judge has signed a default judgment finding Iran, the Taliban and al Qaeda liable in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.”
The claims against Iran may very well turn out to be true, but they appear recycled.
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14 comments on "Propaganda Re-Runs from Iraq Used on Iran"
kufiion
January 01, 2012 12:24pm
The plan has always been to take out the middle east. You don't think it is strange that all this protesting and regime changes happening together is by accident. Our mainstream media reports what those in control want us to believe. We are living the book '1984' right now.
Iran is trying hard not to let this war start with them but we are supporting Israel. And what Israel want, Israel gets. Don't you find it strange that we give 3 billion annually to Israel. Why? It is a well off country that has a military similar to America. It is so interesting that there is never any mention that Israel has nuclear. Hell let everyone have nuclear, then everyone would be afraid to try something. Just know that we are being lied to...We are nothing to them but 'human resources' to be used and manipulated at their will, no matter how unethical the reasons are. May those who are armed and have power, wake up to what is happening and do the right thing. They must realize they too are only a human resource.
December 29, 2011 8:28am
The 1% keeps pushing us into war so they can make a profit on the subsequent DEBT as well as the incidentals (arms, oil, transport) along the way... and foreclose on our soldiers' homes while they're off fighting 1% wars.
We must OCCUPY our government!!!
Call the Whitehouse Comment Line and express yourself:
202-456-1111
Remember you are talking to a volunteer who is allowing you to have your voice heard and thank them for their service.
December 29, 2011 8:21am
The US is such a belligerent state, not it's [sic] people just it's [sic] theocratic overlords that will tear-gas, pepper-spray, bludgeon and incarcerate women for exercising there [sic] civil rights. Americanism is a dangerous cult that has to be recognized as what it is. Racist, Bigoted, extremism, at war with anyone but itself.LOL. Sorry, couldn't repeat your poor spelling and grammar as my own. Had to put in the editor's notes, tho you probably don't recognize what [sic] means.
December 28, 2011 9:01pm
Iran is such a belligerent state, not it's people, just it's theocratic overlords that will kill women for exercising there civil rights.
Islam is a dangerous cult that has to be recognized as what it is. Racist, Bigoted extremism, at war with anyone but itself.
December 29, 2011 2:25pm
Reply to Boris Badenov
You are so full of crap.
Miami, FL
December 29, 2011 6:06am
Islam is not a cult. It's a religion, in some sense, much like fundamentalists and Christians...who believe that the rest of humanity,those that might not believe in Jesus as the messiah or simply don't believe in Jesus, are going to hell. For centuries the Christians, more specifically the Catholics, fought a "Holy War" killing thousands of non-believers in the process; all extremist, from all religions, are dangerous no matter the religion. You will find sensible people, loving people in all cultures and religions, it is in the extreme and in the interpretations of each individual religion's Holy books where danger resides. Social behavior, values and idiosyncrasy of countries and cultures should be no business of ours - those changes cannot be 'imported' from the Western Hemisphere because we don't agree with their way of life, just as we would not accept it if they tried to impose theirs upon us. Those changes must happen from within, the people of those countries must bring those changes themselves if they want them, otherwise it will create more friction. We are not the liberators of the world, nor the world's police. We have a mess in our country and backyard to be trying to 'clean' the mess across the world.
December 28, 2011 8:58pm
Rick Herman--read Plato's _Republic_. I think that's what your after. Socrates is to have said, as reported by Plato, that the capitalists, called then "private producers (demiourgoi)" could have all of the gold and riches they wanted--but not to the exclusion of all people in society having the basic necessities, guaranteed.
December 28, 2011 8:46pm
I fear that attacking Iran in some type of false-flag response to a supposed immediate danger to Israel (and evolving danger to everyone else) will provide the politicians a welcome other focus away from their own ineptitude, and that they have no idea, due to the constant lobbying for war(s) by defense contractors, that the U.S. cannot win this one. Easily or not.And the long-term damage both to themselves and everyone else that will occur.Remember Iraq. (And Afghanistan - not the origin of the so-called 9/11 attackers.)
December 28, 2011 6:09pm
Right now it is Congress that is pushing war with Iran. Top defense officials have said a war with Iran would be very difficult and that air strikes would not stop their nuclear weapon development - only delay it a bit. IAEA reports are full of conditionals: IAEA has acquired new "information related to POSSIBLE past or current undisclosed nuclear related activities that SEEM to point to the existence of POSSIBLE military dimensions to Iran's nuclear programme." Yukiya Amano
Congress stuck the enhanced sanctions against Iran in the Defense Authorization Act. Obama did not support the enhanced sanctions. Retired Adm. William Fallon said the problem is an incessant focus on "conflict, conflict,conflict." Jordan Smith, writing for Salon.com says we are already at war with Iran. "Assassinated nuclear scientists. Crippling sanctions. Computer worms damaging centrifuges at nuclear facilities. Support for terrorist groups. CIA spies interrogated." Stephen Walt and Michael Hirsh agree. Diplomacy didn't fail, it was never tried. www.salon.com/2011/12/14/were_already_at_war_with_iran/
The escalating rhetoric and US ships in the Persian Gulf are setting up for a military strike at any time. This will be a disaster for you and me. I don't know how to stop it as Congress is so intent on this. It is incredibly avoidable and stupid. Ron Paul wrote a piece, "Mutually Assured Respect" which is one of the most sensible foreign policy pieces I've read recently from a politician (which isn't saying much). It's at antiwar.com.
December 29, 2011 2:23pm
"Diplomacy didn't fail, it was never tried. "
This has always been the case with the military/industrial/Christofasicst complex. "Diplomacy, like "compromise", is not in their vocabulary.
December 28, 2011 5:24pm
Megalomania rules.
December 28, 2011 4:40pm
December 2o, 2011:
- "We have no indication that the Iranians have made a decision to develop a nuclear weapon" - George Little, the Pentagon press secretary
PASS IT ON ☛ http://tinyurl.com/DerailWarTrain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khnjTRTHfD4&list=PL3192C51D1277526C&featu...
December 28, 2011 12:50pm
I think the issue needs to be framed as investment in:
-A world class workforce including lifetime re-education and retraining
-Domestically produced, clean energy
-Responsible health care that includes personal restraint/discipline, prevention, cost-benefit evaluation of treatment and diagnostics (oh what the heck, throw in lower physician liability if it will get them to quit over diagnosing)
-A focus on a non-growth dependent economic system (sorry, finite resources and space dictate a stable and smaller population)
-More wealth creation (not just jobs) but being able to find a way to share wealth more equitably as domestic businesses continue to seek lower costs (i.e. lower labor content)
Despite the rhetoric, capitalism is finding its limits and other economic systems do indeed lack incentives. But somewhere in the boundaries of reasonableness, I know there is a system that rewards individual initiative, but also provides a base level of care and support for anyone who can and wants to contribute. In the end, we have to realize that all humanity has value - even if that value is not always realized. We have to decide together what our world really should look like.
My vote is for a kinder, cleaner, less crowded, more caring place where each person is given the best chance to use whatever gifts and fortitude they have to make this a better place.