The March To Iran

Serious people think the administration is building up to attacking Iran, in a replay of the buildup to Iraq. How dumb does Cheney, Rove, et al., think we are? Pretty dumb: they are following the same gameplan. But who's to say they are wrong? This is not getting the attention it deserves. Especially since, with the armed forces mired in Iraq and Afghanistan, the administration is ready and more than willing to let the nuclear genie out of the bottle.

Froomkin picks up the following:

Warren P. Strobel and John Walcott write for McClatchy Newspapers:
"In an echo of the intelligence wars that preceded the U.S. invasion of Iraq, a high-stakes struggle is brewing within the Bush administration and in Congress over Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program and involvement in terrorism. . . .

"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."