The NIE Iran Report and Alan Dershowitz
Throughout most of the Cold War any challenge to the proposition that "the Russians are coming and they're 30 feet tall" was met with derision and outrage by the Right. As a veteran of both the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence committees, I saw repeated rejection of any intelligence estimate that questioned that mantra or placed Soviet military capabilities or intent to use them in any realistic light. The most notorious, but not the only, instance was the appointment of a "Team B" to challenge the view of intelligence experts that the Soviet economy was a mess and its military not much better.
Of course, as we now know, the intelligence community, especially the CIA, was right and the Right was wrong.
Now comes Professor Dershowitz, in a rant that is not only hysterical but almost catatonic, presuming to know more about what is, or is not, going on in Iran than the sum total of sixteen U.S. intelligence agencies combining hundreds of thousands of the nation's most expert intelligence collectors and analysts who annually consume forty or fifty billion American tax dollars.
One did not hear much from Professor Dershowitz when those same intelligence agencies held to the position that Iran was on track to develop nuclear weapons, or at least when President Bush made that claim while suppressing any questions to the contrary. So, by collecting new intelligence and placing it under more intense scrutiny, and, one hears, by threatening to release this report if the White House continued to suppress it, these same intelligence experts suddenly become incompetents and "nincompoops" pursuing, according to Professor Dershowitz, some nefarious agenda of their own. It is never clear what that agenda is supposed to be.
Sounds like the Cold War all over again. Intelligence is good when it tells you what you want to hear. Otherwise, it is dangerously flawed if not sinister.
Experience and common sense tells me that these sixteen agencies with hundreds of thousands of employees pursuing a secret agenda doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
The real question is this: What is Professor Dershowitz's agenda here? Many bloggers automatically assumed is has to do with Israel. But Professor Dershowitz does not say so and, having known and respected him for many years, I presume if he is angry because the intelligence report undermines his broader purpose, he would have the courage to simply say so.
Until he does, one must shake one's head in sadness at a fine mind longing for the Cold War, or for a new villain to justify a wrong-headed empirial militancy in the Middle East, or who knows what.
What has undermined public support for the war in Iraq is the suspicion that other agendas, not least oil among them, were at work but not being disclosed by our leaders. It is a sure guarantee that the American people will turn against any foreign enterprise when they come to suspect that they are not being told the truth.
Perhaps now is the time for everyone to put their cards on the table.
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Do not expect Mr. Dershowitz to tone down his pro Iran war rhetoric.
But I honestly think the pro war rhetoric is primarily about Israel, and their relative power in the region. With a zero-sum game the rise in absolute power of a player will result in a reduction of relative power of other players with respect to them. It is not about WMDs, WMDs are the excuse to curb Iranian hegemony in the region. After all, what better gate is there to curbing Iran's growth?
Israelis are victims of their own fatal mythology, which claims that they were chosen by "their" god. How unfriendly! Not an attitude that breaks down barriers and wins friends among other religions.
Which produces a curiosity: why would a group persist in worshipping a god who has done little or nothing to protect them for 2,500 years?
Is this tribal approach to the modern world productive?
It is bad enough that this Administration gives out false information(Prof Dershowitz is not part of the government so his remarks can be dismissed) but when they are caught they make up more stuff with again no hard evidence to support it. Now they are stating categorically Iran is the major cause of the upheaval in the Middle East and slip in another Causus Belli by stating if they don't come clean on their role, if it exists at all, they will do who knows what. This government produces such a profound sadness in my being by their most selfish dangerous behavior. It also embarrasses me when the Congress goes along with this crowd. This must be what other citizen are beginning to notice as the presidential primary race has tightened.
These times for expert diplomatic skills and a reputation for clear communication with the people. Unabashedly I again mention Governor Bill Richardson's name for president. This is not time for amateur hour as the others must reshape their foreign policy views so they can have it both ways. If Gary Hart's viewpoint rings true with the posters here, you will find the Governor from NM closest to his sentiments.
In law school the training has nothing to do with the truth coming out except in those rare circumstances when the truth might actually be on your side. The classic line I remember is "When weak on the law, emphasize the facts. When weak on the facts emphasize the law. When weak on the facts and the law attack the personality of opposing counsel."
Our friend Dershowitz is weak on everything in this debate so the people who did this NIE must actually be working secretly for the terrorists.
How to stand-up for Israel is a serious problem for most middle-aged jews; both here in the US and in Israel. I was teenager was Israel was formed. It was easy to get caught up in the excitement generated by this secular democracy in the mid-east.
Reality has changed. The secular democracy has given way to a theocratic state that practices apartheid and wages a never-ending war against its neighbors. Its hard to "stand-up" for a country like that.
Perhaps the answer for Dershowitz and other middle-aged jews is to stand up for Israel by arguing for peace with as much fervor as they have argued for war in Iraq and Iran.
Hart's recognition of Dershowitz's (read Huff Post "Stupid Intelligence") criticism of the intelligence report exposes the famous trial lawyer for what he is: influential through trickery. Dershowitz and his soundalike in counterpostsings (LeoMarvin) build their argument as much through omission of facts as inclusion of ones that support their perspective, in other words cherrypicking. Slick, but not slick enough.
Are our intelligence agencies and some of our military in a stand-off with the administration to do the right thing vs the wrong? Have they had enough of torture, lies, killing, being the scapegoats for the disaster in Iraq?
Do we still have patriots in government agencies like the FBI,CIA, the military leadership, who will draw the line when they are asked to sacrifice morality for the sake of the ambition of a few powerful men?
Pray that sanity rules! The article at the following address makes one wonder at the lengths to which this administration will reach.
http://www.voltairenet.org/article153013.html
Well, there the next big cost saving for the government. Fire all the people in all of those intelligence agencies and just hire Mr. Dershwitz. Then maybe there won't have to be all those defense department lay-offs that they were worried about.
Alan Dershowitz, Joe Lie berman, Harold Ford, the DLC and "Scoop Jackson" Democrats, Useful idiots, all.
The American people must well educate themselves regarding America's relationships with the nations of the world and, in particular, come to fully understand our relationship with the State of Israel. Most Americans, including this writer, have been woefully uninformed about our foreign policies regarding Israel. That must change.
I have long shared the popular American perspective that Israel was a shining example of democracy to be much admired, a struggling underdog surrounded by hostile states and peoples, literally at risk of extermination and unable to do wrong. Over time, however, I've realized that much of this image is inaccurate. I feel I now have a much more balanced and fair view of the policies of the Israeli government.
A "must read" for anyone truly interested in developing a comprehensive and balanced understanding of the relationship between Israel and the U. S. is "The Israel Lobby" by Mearsheimer and Walt. Read it and judge for yourself whether the nature of that relationship has been, or is now, in the best interests of the American or Israeli peoples.
By all means, listen to the perspectives of people like Professor Dershowitz, as well as those who disagree with them, and judge for yourself which perpsective America should choose. Decide for yourself whether the opinions of Mearsheimer and Walt, or others daring to criticize American policy towards Israel, really are anti-semitic or antithetic to the Jewish people or the State of Israel. But first and foremost, educate yourself fully.
Unconditional support of Israeli policy is bad for America, as would be the unconditional support of any other nation. A more reasoned and balanced approach to the so called Arab-Israeli conflict is absolutley necessary for the ultimate health of America, Israel and the world.
Mr. Dershowitz and people of his unilateral and uncompromising mindset are terribly misguided. The voices of Rabbi Michael Lerner and others of moderation are better followed.
The current effort to discredit the intelligence agencies of the U.S. must be recognized for what it is - another blatant and aggressive attempt by the Israel lobby to influence American policy.
Has Mr. Hart read Mr. Dershowitz's argument?
Mr. Dershowitz clearly notes that the Iranians are building equipment that can only be used for creating Plutonium, which the Iranians do not need for any peaceful purpose, and that their "suspension" is very possibly strategic.
Aside from Mr. Hart's empty "hysterical" personal attack,(that's Mr. Hart's choice of word), what is his argument? -- trust the "experts", they can't all be wrong. It seems we got into a messy war by means of that argument.
By all means, listen to experts and weigh what they say, and then listen carefully to good counter-argument. What has Mr. Hart added to anyone's clarity? Thankfully, he never became president. "Hysterical?" -- Mr. Hart's arguments are as good as Mr. Rumsfeld's.
This administration just can't stop doing good on every front. While we have been bogged down in Iraq chasing pixies, two potentially dangerous nuclear powers worked to accumulate technology and weapons grade Plutonium.
Nobody sane wants another Iraq, but the answer is not to bury our heads in the sand.
they just dont stop- the WANT to go into iran- look at the front page of the times today- "gates declares iran a threat to regional stability"
cheney will get his war- we had BETTER impeach or else bush will get us into a mess that clinton will have to continue with.
this is frightening
I don't get Dershowitz. The guy is a staunch Democrat and a genius (although he needs to be a little more selective about who he defends legally), yet the guy seems to have a "Neo-Con" view of foreign policy. Look Alan, we all like Israel, and we all want Israel to be safe and prosperous....but unneccessary wars in Iraq and (possibly) Iran....ain't going to make Israel safer. And it is no way for America to use it's vast and unsurpassed military might. If we are attacked, or if we are about to be attacked, then we can go to war. But so far, the only war that meets that criteris is Aghanistan. Iraq never had, was not, and had no plans, to attack us. Iran has also shown to not even be remotely willing to attack the American homeland. Iran has tried to screw with us in Iraq, and we have killed and arrested hundreds of their agents, military personel, and proxies, and they have actually backed off in Iraq becuase of it. The ONLY reason to attack Iran is if Iran is about to attack the US homeland, which NO ONE has shown they want to do. As far as Israel goes, israel is more then capable of defending itself, and if they feel the need to go after Iran, that is between Iran and Israel...NOT US.
It was only a matter of time before somebody picked up a club to kill his lunch. Then he took over all the neighbor’s caves and hoarded their stuff. Until one of them figured out how to throw a spear. Then somebody built a crude bow and arrow, then stirrups, then gunpowder, splitting an atom and everything in between. Even with all our civilization-changing leaps in knowledge & culture such as language, fire, the wheel, food production, productivity itself, the moon landing, Raquel Welch, our premier talent seems to be coming up with justifications for slaughtering one another, then inventing the means to do it while making a few fat-asses rich in the process.
I interviewed Richard Lugar who told me story about finding an anti-aircraft battery on a mountain (in Albania if memory serves) that made my hair crawl. Then he showed me the picture of a bomb that had enough chemicals in it to wipe out a football stadium. It was in a briefcase he found somewhere in backwater Russia. I think Obama was with him on that trip.
Point being, weapons proliferate. Once we made the first one, it was only a matter of time before there was an English bomb, an Israeli bomb, etc. If you really think the little Tony Soprano wanna-be who’s running Pakistan hasn’t already sold the technical know-how on atomic weaponry to some of his neighbors, I’m sure he’s got a bridge in Kabul he’d sell you.
The reality of a “middle east peace” is that our policy vis-à-vis Israel, going all the way back to 1948, is an impediment. As is the medieval society that much of the Muslim world lives in, the still festering results of the European colonial period and, most of all, oil and the power it gives Vladimir Putin. The adults among the current crop of Democratic contenders understand this. You know, the ones the media tends to ignore in favor of soap opera fluff.
Which, by the way, is something Mr. Dershowitz seems to indulge in all too frequently.
unfortunately gary hart is wrong in one respect. "the american people" have a diminished ability to distinguish the truth from lies, so his appraisal is a bit optimistic.
the bush junta has gotten away with every lie and achieved much from their point of view.
the incredulous media and public has just stood by as they've moved on from one lie to another.
and since they've gotten away with it, this means there will be others like them who will come along and be embraced in the same fashion. and it will happen in the near future.
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