US special forces 'inside Iran'

[Ramo]

Because it's entirely based on anonymous sources

Yes, certainly Hersh could've gotten credited sources working in this government saying all this. An Adminstration that we know is intolerant of dissent, that is purging "soft leakers," from the CIA, etc. That's not an unreasonable demand at all.

making outlandish claims

Outlandish? In Shrub's White House?

being reported by a journalist with an ax to grind.

Yes, it's not like Hersh broke a number of important stories during his career, or anything like that. Seriously, how can you say that being written by Sy Hersh diminishes an article's credibility?

[Ted Striker]

This whole, "OMG they are reporting bad news because they don't like Bush and have an axe to grind!" crap is getting really old.

Maybe they are reporting bad news because IT IS REALLY BAD NEWS.


Does this sh1t just not add up???????????????????

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Ted Striker
This whole, "OMG they are reporting bad news because they don't like Bush!" crap is getting really old.

Actually I'm of the Omg Bush Is Spying On A Hostile Nation! The Horror! school of thought atm. The story reaks of exaggeration and is actually not worth me fixing my precious gives a **** until either a) someone goes on the record or b) provides somesort of written evidence.

[Ted Striker]

I guess you won't be happy until bombs start falling on Tehran.

Yee haw!

[DanS]

Regarding the possibility of a plant, those are done with foreign press, not US press. That's why you should never trust non-American news sources for leaking information from the US government. Sometimes you get a plant in the US press from a foreign government, but I assume that Hersh got at least one solid source in the military.

I'm still trying to figure out all of the angles on this story, but we're hearing about it probably due to a turf or policy battle in the bowels of the federal government bureaucracy. These kinds of stories almost always are due to those things.

I haven't read the article, but if it's merely a matter of reconning the place and making target lists, then this is one big "so what?" as far as I'm concerned. Hopefully, they're doing a good job of it in Iran and North Korea.

[notyoueither]

Francis Gary Powers was a big "so what"?

[DanS]

Who's Francis Gary Powers? Is the joke on me?

[notyoueither]

I think it is.

[notyoueither]

Dan, think sleek, fast, high flying planes... that the Soviets were not supposed to have weapons capable of shooting down. Think of ending a summit. Think of show trials. I'm sure you'll get it in one.

[Chemical Ollie]

Originally posted by Ned
Rummy

CIA

EU getting Iran to voluntarily disarm.

Ted, does anyone really have any hope that diplomacy will succeed?

Rummy the diplomat

[Ted Striker]

Originally posted by DanS
a turf or policy battle in the bowels of the federal government bureaucracy.

It's not in the "bowels of bureaucracy," it's within the senior leadership of the Pentagon itself. Rumsfeld has already purged those who are nonbelievers, and now is doing the same with the CIA.

Unfortunatley, there are many left in the Pentagon who aren't going to play nice, and these are the people who are giving Hersh the inside information.

This Administration does not tolerate diversity of opinion. It gives orders and expects everyone else to follow.

[Sikander]

Originally posted by General Ludd
I don't consider britney spears that interesting.

[Sikander]

Originally posted by Broken_Erika
if the us does invade, they might get their asses kicked, iran has an ACTUAL army, unlike iraq. In iraq, saddam spent all military money on his palaces,

You don't know what you're talking about. While Iran would present a much larger problem than Iraq as far as an insurgency, its military stands as little chance against the U.S. military than Sadam's did.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Ted Striker
Secondly, the Pentagon is no longer run by the Pentagon. It is run by the White House.

Despite the fact that I don't like the current occupants of the WH, this is the way it should be. Civilian control of the military, not merely civilian oversight. We make the decisions, not them.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by ravagon
Selling a story may not be the entirety of his motivation but it sure looks as though he's used a little 'creative licensing' in spicing it up.

BAM!