Did administration officials actually meet to work out how they could go about provoking a war with Iran? Pulitzer prize winning journalist Seymour Hersh says that they did.
In Hersh’s most recent article, he reports that this meeting occurred in the wake of the overblown incident in the Strait of Hormuz, when a U.S. carrier almost shot at a few small Iranian speedboats. The “meeting took place in the Vice-President’s office. ‘The subject was how to create a casus belli between Tehran and Washington,’” according to one of Hersh’s sources. (Think Progress)
During a journalism event, he provided Faiz at Think Progress some disturbing details.
Hersh said that one of the things the Bush administration learned during the encounter in the Strait of Hormuz was that, “if you get the right incident, the American public will support” it.'' (Think Progress) And by 'American public' the Bush administration means the war-lovin' sons and daughters of the far right. Here's Faiz:
Hersh explained that, during the meeting in Cheney’s office, an idea was considered to dress up Navy Seals as Iranians, put them on fake Iranian speedboats, and shoot at them. This idea, intended to provoke an Iran war, was ultimately rejected:
HERSH: There was a dozen ideas proffered about how to trigger a war. The one that interested me the most was why don’t we build — we in our shipyard — build four or five boats that look like Iranian PT boats. Put Navy seals on them with a lot of arms. And next time one of our boats goes to the Straits of Hormuz, start a shoot-up.
Might cost some lives. And it was rejected because you can’t have Americans killing Americans. That’s the kind of — that’s the level of stuff we’re talking about. Provocation. But that was rejected. (More)
Why do I believe this? I don't want to believe it. But it's so of a piece with all the rest....
What does it take? [Cf. Congress Considers The Culpability of the Bush Administration for Murder and War Crimes (with Videos)]
Let others do the talking.
Kevin Drum says:
If this story sounds familiar, that's because it is. In one of David Manning's famous memos describing a prewar meeting between George Bush and Tony Blair, he says that Bush admitted that WMD was unlikely to be found in Iraq and then mused on some possible options for justifying a war anyway:
"The U.S. was thinking of flying U2 reconnaissance aircraft with fighter cover over Iraq, painted in U.N. colours," the memo says, attributing the idea to Mr. Bush. "If Saddam fired on them, he would be in breach."
In the end, of course, we didn't do this. We just didn't bother with any pretext at all.
Or singing. Harry Shearer: '935 Lies'
This is what puts the "genius" in "evil genius"!
And Cernig nails down the conclusion: 'If true, this alone would surely be reason enough to impeach Cheney on high crimes and misdemeanours.' Though as he also notes, there is little chance that anyone will be able to prove that it is true. Because knowing it is different from proving it.
But anyone who hasn't heard the Bush administration beating the war drums isn't paying attention. Our posts on some of the administration's efforts follow.
Memeorandum blogger round-up here..
RECENT POSTINGS RE: IRAN
Rice Issues Warning to Iran; Drumbeats Grow Louder
Tracking the Course of the Bush-Cheney Juggernaut As It Lurches Toward Iran
Iran's Position Unchanged Despite Offered Incentives Package
Bush Administration's Covert Actions re: Iran
Is Israel Gearing Up for an Attack Against Iran?
Is Iran the New Iraq: i.e., Does Bush Plan to Attack?
Is the Bush Administration Planning an Attack Inside Iran's Borders?
Joint Chiefs Tell Iran to Knock it Off...or Else
Bush's Disturbing Rhetoric: Iran a "Nuclear Threat"
Navy Now Suspects Prankster Threatened Ships, not Iranians
Bush Confuses Public about Iran and NIE
Dueling Videos Emerge from U.S.-Iran Boat Incident
Can't have Americans killing Americans? Don't count on it, Sy. There's no limit to what these lunatics will do to acheive their ends.
Posted by: D. Cole | August 04, 2008 at 08:04 AM