Fmr DIA officer who worked for Flynn wrote in Dec. about fears Flynn will get us into war with Iran

[highplainsdem]

This was a guest column for Foreign Policy in December:

http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/12/07/i-worked-at-flynns-dia-and-i-fear-that-he-will-put-us-on-the-road-to-war-with-iran/

Later in my career at DIA there was a major terrorist attack outside the United States. Flynn brought our senior analysts into his office and asked them what happened. They explained how we were certain a local terrorist group carried out the attack and it was a solid connection. But Flynn wondered aloud to them if it was “black swan” event, which was his way of “dog whistling” us toward Iran being involved.

This “black swan” theory of his intensified concerns among my DIA colleagues that he was pushing raw intelligence — known as “stove piping” — to the White House. His fondness for spurious conspiracy theories put him at odds with the national security team at the White House. Sure enough, within a months of this chatter Flynn was out.

He “resigned,” but the reality is that the intelligence hierarchy, led by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, fired him. I was not surprised that Clapper resigned after Trump indicated that Flynn would be his national security advisor. My impression is that he wanted nothing to do with Flynn.

In choosing Flynn as his national security advisor, the president-elect has elevated a man who leans toward conspiracy theories as justification for action. Flynn wants to take assertive action in the Muslim world and I think he will push for that no matter what the facts may be.

My worry is that Flynn will start laying a path for conflict or war against Iran. He will have the ear of President Trump, not known as a reader, so Flynn will have a dominant role in telling the president what is going on.

For me, that represents a nightmare scenario. It is not a question of whether it will happen, it is when and how it will. I am genuinely fearful.

[annabanana]

1. Sure as hell sounds like he's already ramping up/

Less than 2 weeks into the administration.. Sabers are rattling.

[underpants]

2. They really want war with Iran. That's why they were SO PO'd at Obama over the nuke deal

Their propaganda machine has been hell bent to attack Iran since Ahmadinejad was in power. It was mindless airtime killer, they really mean it.

[roamer65]

3. That will be World War III.

The Chinese will get involved pretty quickly. Taiwan and the South China Sea.

[Caliman73]

5. Russia has always had interests in Iran as well.

It is an extremely complicated situation which simple minded people like Trump and Flynn are trying to manage.

[dhol82]

4. If he gets confirmed, we are fucked!

[jojog]

6. He does not need confirmation.

[dhol82]

8. Shit. We are fucked.

[Lucinda]

7. KNR

[TheFrenchRazor]

9. W's (and america's) ignorance about that part of the world got us into a 10+ year quagmire

that we are still trying to recover from financially. spreading the quagmire into iran would be insane and a guaranteed disaster. scary thing is, there are people at the top in this country who seriously think it would be a good idea.