What could have possessed Prime Minister Maliki to rush headlong into a battle he was thoroughly unprepared for? The Bush Administration has responded with certainty about only one thing: they were not involved in the planning. But former CIA analyst Ray McGovern says that Maliki "can't scratch his nose without asking Petraeus to make sure there aren't extra body guards around," much less plan an offensive without him. Moreover, McGovern suspects that that the initiation of the Basra offensive came not from Maliki, but from Vice President Cheney.
You might remember McGovern from his infamous 2006 encounter with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The exchange shed a ray of truth on what was otherwise a shady tenure for the now "resigned" neocon.
To briefly recap, McGovern began by reminding Rumsfeld that he had formerly claimed he knew precisely where the WMDs were in Iraq. Rumsfeld, unable to ignore a man who provided daily intelligence briefings for both Presidents Reagan and H. W. Bush, defiantly interrupted. "I did not. I said I knew where suspect sites were."
"You said you knew where they were: 'Near Tikrit, near Baghdad, and East, West, South and North somewhat" McGovern said, referencing Rumsfeld's appearance on ABC three years earlier. Rumsfeld, rendered speechless, scrambled to change the subject.
McGovern, who founded Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, shared with me his unique perspective on Petraeus and Crocker's recent testimonies.
The Real News Network (TRNN) is the world's first truly independent, non-profit, viewer-supported daily video-news and documentary service. It does not accept advertising, government or corporate funding. The mission of The Real News Network is to engage millions of viewers in solving the critical problems of our times. We provide independent daily video-news imbued with verifiable facts, history and context.
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Cheney's next war? It looks like the proxy's already started....
LA Times: A series of conflicts with insurgent groups along Iran's borders may be impelling Tehran to back its own allies in Iraq in what it regards as a proxy war with the U.S., according to security experts and officials in the U.S., Iran and Iraq. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-proxy15apr15,1,6136619.story
Yeah, and the cretins still have their finger on the trigger for 9 more months. Don't just sit back and think they're done and everything will be put right came January 09' - things could could a lot worse real fast.
One more "false-flag" attack that bush/cheney can blame on Iran, and it's "bomb-bomb Iran", $8 gas, food riots and Marshall Law. Elections, if not out-right canceled, will go off (must keep an illusion of legitimacy) but will be so tainted as not to matter. It will be McInsane by a Diebold pubic hair, because we can't have no "peace" guy or women in a "time of total war"!
I just came from the clip with Jon Stewart sending up the Obama-'Bitter Pennsylvanians' controversy... and it occurred to me... Raymond McGovern would be an EXCELLENT guest on the Daily Show. Any way besides snail-mail to make the suggestion? Anyone from Comedy Central out there?
The shame is that this man is the exception- sane, intelligent, and apparently unafraid to tell the truth and stand up to the likes of Lord Slouchmouth, Chimpy, Rumdum, etc...
Probably could be presidential material... in a country that rewards those qualities...
Maybe the winner in November will be able to find another job for this guy. I would.
Thanks for intelligently shedding light on the "shady tenure" of the administration's cronies. What the country needs now is more 'Real News' like this.
Great to see independent media analyzing the important stories that corporate-owned news glosses over.
waSTEd is right. put that mobile force in a situation where our forces are basically helpless. None of their weaponsor tactics can be employed when we are doing grunt police work and civil-war tending.
wasted all our 100s of billions and 100s billions more. weapons given to groups that use them against us. money to buy more weapons. truckload after truckload stolen weapons or gone missing. Hmmmm. Who could it be?
Every bit of thisis wasted, even if TheCheney gets what he wants. Any oil we get from Irag and Iran is useless, it costs so much to produce it, militarily secure it, guard it, ship it here just so exxxon and halliburton can use it to gouge the american public. It won't create jobs or prosperity except for the ultrarich. TheCheney won't share the oil or the profits with us. THe oil will not save us, in fact the opposite.
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Posted April 15, 2008 | 05:53 PM (EST)