Lieberman-Kyl vs. the Evidence
The Lieberman-Kyle amendment has just passed the Senate overwhelmingly after two sections were removed to satisfy Democrats that it will not serve as a backdoor authorization for war against Iran, using U.S. forces operating in Iran. Even after that compromise, it remains a poison chalice, because it endorses a set of "findings" that are fundamentally false and which are being used by the administration to lay the groundwork for a more aggressive policy toward Iran .
The amendment is based on the Bush administration's proxy war narrative which has been filling the news media for the past nine months. It cites General Petraeus's classic statement of the proxy war argument of September 12: "[I]t is increasingly apparent...that Iran through the use of the Iranian Republican [sic] Guard Corps Quds Force, seeks to turn the Sh'ia militia extremists into a Hezbollah-like force to serve its interests and fight a proxy war against the Iraqi state and coalition forces in Iraq".
It is not unreasonable to view the proxy war narrative as the equivalent for Iran of the infamous White House Iraq Group's carefully contrived -- and stunningly successful -- fall campaign in 2002 to prepare public opinion to support an invasion of Iraq.
The following six points summarize some -- but certainly not all -- of the evidence contradicting the line on which the poisonous Liberman-Kyl amendment is based.
1. The administration has not come forward with a single piece of concrete evidence to support the claim that the Iranian government has been involved in the training, arming or advising of Iraqi Shiite militias.
o At the February 11, 2007 briefing, officials displayed one EFP and some fragments but did not claim that there was any forensic evidence linking that or any other AFP to Iran.
o One of the briefers admitted that it was only Iraqi smugglers who brought weapons into Iraq, explaining why no direct Iranian involvement could be documented.
o The official briefer who was a specialist on explosives, Maj. Marty Weber, claimed in a later interview that the use of "passive infrared sensors" in the deployment of EFPs in Iraq was "one of the strongest markers of Iranian involvement" in the traffic. But he admitted in the same interview that the electronic components needed to make the sensors found in Iraq were "easily available off the shelf at places like RadioShack.
o Another official who participated in the briefing, Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, denied that the military was claiming that Iran was behind the traffic in arms to Iraq. He said in a follow-up press briefing on February 14, "What we are saying is that within Iran, that these EFP component parts are being manufactured. Within Iran weapons and munitions are being manufactured that are ending up in Iraq. And we are asking the Iranian government to assist in stopping that from happening. There's no intent to do anything other than that."
o Although one of the official briefers said shipments of EFPs had been intercepted at the border in 2005, only one press report about such a border interceptions has appeared, and there was no indication that such interceptions had produced any evidence of Iranian involvement. On the contrary, it quoted "coalition officials" as saying there was "no evidence to suggest that the government in Tehran is facilitating the smuggling of shape charges into Iraq." Despite that alleged interception, Pentagon spokesman Lawrence DiRita and Brig Gen. Carter Ham, deputy director for regional operations for the Joint Staff, continued to deny any knowledge of official Iranian complicity in EFP or any other arm supplies.
o Despite interrogations since last spring of a top official of an alleged Iraqi EFP network and the Hezbollah operative who was a liaison with the organization, Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, the U.S. Commander for southern Iraq, where most of the Shiite militias operate, admitted in a July 6 briefing that his troops had not captured "anybody that we can tie to Iran"
o On September 8, the commander for the northern region of Iraq, Maj. Gen. Thomas Turner II, admitted in a press briefing, "I don't think we have any specific proof of Iranians in our area other than reports. We have discovered caches....It has not been a lot. We have seen some evidence of some weapons that were employed against coalition forces that were made in...Iran, where they are coming from across the border, we're not sure."
o Despite the assertion by Gen. David Petraeus on September 12, quoted in the proposed Lieberman-Kyle amendment, that the U.S. military obtained evidence of the complicity of Iranian officials in arming and training Shiite militias from interrogations of the above detainees, it has not produced wither detainee or any transcript of the interrogations. Nor has it released a direct quote from either detainee. No apparent intelligence reason exists for withholding such evidence from Congress and the public.
o Despite Petraeus' assertion in September that the United States obtained "hard evidence" incriminating Iran from computer hard drives seized when the above detainees were captured March 22 , none of the documentation has been made public, nor have any specifics have been provided on what the files show. Earlier both Petraeus and Brig. Gen. Kevin Bergner had discussed the contents of the 22-page memorandum as detailing the planning preparation, approval and conduct of military operations by the Shiite militia organization but without claiming that it showed any Iranian role in any of those activities.
2. The U.S. intelligence community has not endorsed the argument being made by some in the Bush administration that the Iranian government was responsible for the rise in Shiite military activity in Iraq.
o The National Intelligence Estimate, a brief summary of which was released to the public February 2 contradicted the official argument, stating, "Iraq's neighbors influence, and are influenced by, events within Iraq, but the involvement of these outside actors is not likely to be a major driver of violence or the prospects for stability because of the self-sustaining character of Iraq's internal sectarian dynamics."
o Instead of stating clear that Iran had provided weapons or training to Shiite militias, the NIE offered a more ambiguous formula that "Iranian lethal support for select groups of Iraqi Shia militants clearly intensifies the conflict in Iraq." That formula, according to veterans of the NIE process, probably represents a negotiated compromise, indicating that some agencies refused to endorse the claim that Iran was supply weapons to Iraqi Shiites.
3. The main argument made in the February 11, 2007 briefing for an Iranian official role in providing EFPs to Shiite militias -- the allegation that only Iran had the capability to manufacture EFPs or components for EFPs that can penetrate U.S. armor -- was quickly proven to be untrue.
o As early as mid-2005, U.S. military intelligence officials had already concluding that they believe the technology for making such armor-penetrating bombs was "spreading among a variety of insurgent groups," obviously including Sunni insurgents with no ties to Iran or Hezbollah. At least one insurgent cell in Baghdad was already "attempting to make the charges locally."
o Israeli intelligence reported that Hamas guerrillas manufactured high grade EFPs during 2006 which were used in attacks on Israeli Defense Forces in four separate incidents in September and November 2006. The shaped charges penetrated eight inches of steel armor.
o Senior military officials in Baghdad told a reporter days after the February 11 briefing that U.S. forces had been finding an "increasing number of advanced roadside bombs being not just assembled but manufactured in machine shops." One official was quoted as saying that the impact of those Iraqi-machined EFPs on armored vehicles "isn't as clean but they are almost as effective" as the EFPs being imported.
o Journalist Andrew Cockburn reported in February that in November 2006 U.S. troops raiding a Baghdad machine shop had discovered a pile of copper discs "stamped out as part of what was clearly an ongoing order"
o Maj. Marty Weber, the explosives expert who was one of the three briefers in the February 11 briefing, admitted in an interview with The New York Times less than two weeks later that "You can never be certain" that the cooper discs for the EFPs could not be manufactured with the required precision in Iraq.
o U.S. troops found a cache of components, including concave copper discs, for making EFPs in February 2007, in which the PVC tubes of varying widths appeared to have come from the open market, raising the likelihood that the liners were being manufactured locally so that they would be the right size to fit the discs.
o Another bomb-making factory discovered by U.S. troops in late February was reported to have forced U.S. officials to "reassess their belief that such bombs were being built in Iran and smuggled fully assembled into Iraq."
4. U.S. and British Military officers and civilian officials have expressed doubt that EFPs and other armaments in the hands of Shiites have actually come from Iran or that Iranian Quds force personnel have been involved in the supply.
o British Defence Secretary Des Browne said in an interview in August 2006, "I have not seen any evidence -- and I don't think any evidence exists -- of government-supported or instigated armed support on Iran's part in Iraq."
o Lt. Col. David Labouchere, commander of a few hundred British troops which began in late August 2006 to search the Iran-Iraq border for evidence of Iranian supply of weapons to Iraqi Shiites, said in October, "I suspect there's nothing out there. And I intend to prove it."
o "[S]ome military analysts have concluded there is no concrete evidence of...a link" between the Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Shiite militias fighting U.S. troops, according to a Washington Post report published August 20, 2007.
5. The Quds Force of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which the administration has claimed is the instrument of the alleged Iranian "proxy war" in Iraq, has apparently been withdrawn from Iraq.
o In the same testimony to the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees on September 11 in which he stated the proxy war argument, Gen. David Petraeus also said, "[T]he Qods Force itself -- we believe, by [and] large, those individuals have been pulled out of the country, as have the Lebanese Hezbollah trainers that were being used to augment that activity.
6. There is a substantial body of evidence that the Hezbollah in Lebanon -- not Iran -- has been the main source, if not the only source, of EFPs and other weapon used by Shiite militias in 2006 and 2007.
o Hezbollah was using EFPs to attack Israel Defense Forces armored vehicles as early as 1997 and provided EFP expertise to Palestinian militant groups after the start of the Intifada in 2000 (Michael Knights, Jane's Intelligence Review).
o Iraqi and Lebanese officials told a reporter in mid-2005 that Iraqi Shiite fighters had begun in early 2005 "copying Hezbollah's techniques in building roadside bombs and carrying out sophisticated ambushes." Those Hezbollah techniques included "shaped charges" (later renamed explosively formed penetrators by U.S. officials), according to those same officials.
o Hezbollah's CD-Rom instructional videos were captured in Iraq rather than Iran's, according to Michael Knights.
o All of the weapons systems captured in Iraq that are alleged to have been provided by Iran, including EFPs and 240 mm rockets, have been in the Hezbollah arsenal, as indicated by many sources on the weapons used by Hezbollah against Israel.
o One of those weapons systems, the RPG-29, which was used by Shiite militias against an American M-1 tank, is not manufactured by Iran and is known to have been acquired by Hezbollah from Syria rather than from Iran.
o There was reportedly intelligence in 2006 that Iran shipped machine tools to Lebanon that could be used to make EFPs.
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The reason why we have war ... is very simply that "the Congress consistently votes for it." Republican and Democrat alike, please notice, all.
All of the repugs and about half of the dems. Not quite the same thing.
The Iraq war is an illegal unjustified war! I have no doubt that some faction from Iran want to help the Iraq resistance movement and why not? We don't belong in Iraq, lets get the fuck out!
Senator Kyl, or Kyle of Hogwash?
Senator Lieberman, or Senator Melbraine?
Here we go again...
Great Post. Where is everyone else, or does everyone in Congress want another Iraq ? Then again you have a lot of nerve trying to put the facts in the way of war, ie oil.
This is like deja vue all over again. Throw out all the cowardly dems. Unfortunately, there is nobody to vote for. Now is the time for a third party to begin preparing for 2012 elections. I guess that means selling yourself to "just get elected".
OK. Whom or what do these creeps think they are representing? Republicans are insane and Democrats are cowards. Who's left to represent truth, justice, sanity, rationality, and the people of America and the rest of our planet?
I think we should all check out the Unity08 party and start sharing what we find about it. We HAVE to find some other party. If anyone can run for a position in DC by all means RUN people.
Also, Cindy Sheehan needs help. Someone needs to help her get elected. Pelosi has to be working for someone other than the people. No question about it IMO.
What does everyone think? They can pass "overwhelmingly" bills like this and condeming MoveOn but Health Care for children the desperately need it in America. Nope. SOMETHING IS WRONG people. This isn't right. Those people are not working for us in any category. They need voted out.
Unity08 is bullshit! Now that the Dems are winning The repugs are fooling 29 Dumbacrats into playing "Nice". Meanwhile the repugs filibuster everything, threaten the very lives of the congress to get them to give him more power! Fuck Bipartisan ship: it's a republican ploy! It's a promise the repugs will not keep! The repugs are fascist! They hate democracy! The repugs are 90% of the way from democracy to fascism in the USA!
http://www
Oh but all the dumbs are afraid of the big bad Cheney. Fucking dumbacrats
"The Lieberman-Kyle amendment has just passed the Senate overwhelmingly after two sections were removed to satisfy Democrats that it will not serve as a backdoor authorization for war against Iran, using U.S. forces operating in Iran."
SHOULDN'T THAT READ "USING U.S. FORCES OPERATING IN IRAQ."?
Next up.
Chicken Hawk LIEberman proposes moving US Capital to Israel.
Well, when it comes to "American policy" in the Middle East, the capital of the U.S. isn't Washington, but Tel Aviv.
Finally,some of the American people (well actually only the American people who pay attention to what is going on in politics and the world, which I venture to say is about 25%)are starting to see what Joe Lieberman is really about. The rest of the world already is aware of this.
He is a true Zionist and would love to see every Arab country brought to their knees. Go back and read what he has said over the years. That is why I did not vote for Gore in 2000, even though I liked him. I was forced to vote for Nader. I could not in good faith put my ok on someone like Joe Lieberman, who abandoned the Democratic party because they were starting to figure him out.
This man has to go and hopefully he will not be elected again. God, I hope that is the case. He is a real puppet for Israel.
Clinton evidently wants war with Iran. Once again, the Dems are giving their base the finger, figuring progressives will back them to conduct the Iraq and Iran Wars as opposed to the Republicans.
And Obama. It's clear now how he would have voted if he were in the Senate when the Iraq War resolution authorizing Bush to invade Iraq came up. He would have abstained. The only time he rails against anything is when it doesn't directly impact him. He wasn't in the Senate when he spoke out against the resolution. But now we see his record when his career is on the line. Despicable would be an improvement for Obama -- AND for Hillary.
I hope they get hammered for this on the debate tonight. Obama's leadership skills are looking worse everyday, and Hillary, well, I wonder how long until she's claiming that she didn't know what this vote meant.
Edwards looked the best to me last night and I think he got my vote. Hillary is a NECON. Everytime she laughs she sounds like a bafoon. Electing hillary wouldn't be far off of where we are today.
I am not at all surprised by this betrayal of America to the Zionists by Hillofzion, but that cowardly evasion by Obama hurts. I can promise both of those impostors that before I would vote for either, I would cast my ballot for Ahpeess O'Shitt, as a more honorasble choice.
I also note that our Betrayers,
I know he's a Republican, but Ron Paul, will stand up to anyone when it comes to the war. You should check him out in the Fox debates on Youtube. He ripped them a new one. No one has bigger huevos than this guy.
Ron Paul said "How many people have to die for you to save face"
http://www
http://www
He's the only one that appears to understand hundreds of thousand of people are dying.
Kucinich is better than Paul (states that war will not be used an an instrument of policy). And Paul opposes Social Security, Medicare and virtually all government programs. He's good on the war and bad on everything else.
also note that Clinton voted for it and Obama was absent again. how do either of these people expect us to believe they will be capable leaders when they take the white house when they aren't capable leaders in the senate?
I called the Connecticut delegation and demanded they rein in Joe Lie-verymu
My points:
He is NOT representing his constituents.
He is acting as a representative of a foreign country.
He is therefore a foreign agent and not to be trusted to act in the name of these United States.
I believe those are facts.
He is answerable to his constituents every six years, until which time he is a free agent. I am forever amazed at how little folks here understand the manner in which the constitution works.
Are Senators not subject to recall in much the same way as, say Governors (think Gray Davis in 'Cawlefornya')?
You have GOT to be kidding me - if you believe that's how the constitution 'works'.
Ed, you need to go back to school.
That koolaide has taken hold of your synapsis.
Can't they recall him now?
Well, this is the administration that "creates its own reality".
The United States has no authority to declare any state or military force an enemy of Iraq. It simply is not our god damned country. If the duly elected government of Iraq has a beef with any influence or help from neighboring states or other foreign forces- it's up to the Iraqi government to make that determination and request help from the United States if it sees that as appropriate. Our government, contrary to the opinion of people like Joeseph Lieberman and Ray Hunt, does not own Iraq. If the Iraqis under the authority of the Iraqi government want to buy explosive devices from Iran and test their effectiveness on Blackwater vehicles or US military Humvees - isn't that their perogative - or is W not only the decider for the United States, but also the decider for the Iraqi government as well? The last I heard, the Iraqi government was fed up with our trigger happy Blackwater mercinary misfits and asked them to leave. Interestingly, they're still there. More interestingly, our dictator (or was that decider - I'm so not good with titles) in Chief and his repiglican accomplices have stated over and over that if the Iraqis ask us to leave - we'll leave. Ah, yes, another line of crap from the idiots in charge.
You are so right. We have become to Iraq what Russia was to Afghanistan, an external dictator; it is time to go home.
That is an EXCELLENT POINT. Only the Iraqi government can lodge a complaint with the U.N. or the government of Iran over supposed border violations or illegal arms importation.
So, I suppose the ball's now in Mr. Maliki's court.
Great post. Rush (the band, not the lying sack o'crap) kicks ass!
I'd add, although it is implicit in your post: Iran has a neighbor who is occupied by a foreign power. Iran has the absolute right to defend itself, and it has just as much right as we do to involve itself in the affairs of countries that affect its security. If Iran invaded Mexico, would we not arm Mexican insurgents, especially those aligned with the U.S.? So, even if the allegations against Iran are true, is it not hypocrisy itself for the U.S. to bitch about it?
If I am wrong, please distinguish the United States from Iran so I can understand why it is OK for us to do what we do, but not OK for Iran.
So this country is doomed. Our Congress has completely sold out. BushCo will now attack Iran with nuclear weapons. Russia and China will retaliate against the US with total annihilation, killing everyone. All is lost.
God Damnit! thats how I feel! We did what we were supposed to do: we elected Dems who promised to end the fucking war! Now they want to start another god damn war against Iran! What the fuck do we do!?!?!?!?!?!?!
Um, vote third party? End the stranglehold the financial interests have on us through the operation of the false two-party (in fact one party, the Republicra
How about rewriting our Constituti
ok, here it is:
http://sen
as expected, Feinstein voted for it and Boxer against.
Feinstein is a half-step left of Joe Lieberman. no doubt she is among the cabal orchestrating the buildup to another war.
I think that Dino Di is a half-step ahead of HoJo.
You know, all we need is a good primary candidate to beat her. She is from a liberal state, and her votes have been WAY right of the general populace. Sadly, that election isn't for another 5 years. Yehh... Can we impeach Senators?
I wish! But I'll vote for ANY Democrat who runs against her, even that summo wrestler, or Grey Davis, or Angelyne, or, or, or... ANYONE! I'll vote for you Cynara!
BOXER IS GREAT!
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