The Iraq war is over, and the winner is... Iran

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2005/07/21/iran/index_np.html

Hamstrung by the Iraq debacle, all Bush can do is gnash his teeth as the hated mullahs in Iran cozy up to their co-religionists in Iraq.

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By Juan Cole

July 21, 2005 | Iraq's new government has been trumpeted by the Bush administration as a close friend and a model for democracy in the region. In contrast, Bush calls Iran part of an axis of evil and dismisses its elections and government as illegitimate. So the Bush administration cannot have been filled with joy when Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari and eight high-powered cabinet ministers paid an extremely friendly visit to Tehran this week.

The two governments went into a tizzy of wheeling and dealing of a sort not seen since Texas oil millionaires found out about Saudi Arabia. Oil pipelines, port access, pilgrimage, trade, security, military assistance, were all on the table in Tehran. All the sorts of contracts and deals that U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney had imagined for Halliburton, and that the Pentagon neoconservatives had hoped for Israel, were heading instead due east.

[Son of California]

1. this is called unintended consequences

you think the neocons would have learned by now how complicated things are and how there are always all kinds of unintended consequences when you try to take over a country and mold into what you want.

[BamaLefty]

2. Ding Ding Ding!

Show 'em what they've won Bob!


:eyes:

[wookie294]

3. This is good news

Iranian troops should replace American troops in Iraq immediately. At this point, the only reason our troops remain in Iraq is for global profit. Iran's human rights record is no different than Saudi Arabia's or our other allies, so it's hypocritical for Bush to whine about that. America needs to stop meddling in the region. Get the HELL out now!

[leveymg]

4. Maybe, that was the point all along.

Revolutionary Iran did Reagan-Bush a hell of favor back in 1979-80 by holding onto the hostages until Reagan's Inauguration.* This was the deciding factor that led to the defeat of President Carter.

We know the CIA withheld information from Carter about the deteriorating situation of the Shah. Bush Sr. was a leader of the "retired CIA" faction who worked hard to get the Republicans back into the White House in 1980. Iran, and the second "oil crisis" were their ticket.

There were a number of paid CIA assets on the Ayatollah Khomeini's staff. Some went on to key posts after the revolution. Once in power, the Iranians secretly negotiated a Saudi-financed deal with Reagan-Bush for military equipment shipped through Israel. The profits went to fund the Contras and their drug-importation schemes.

The Iranians, for all their mutual public animosity toward "The Great Satan", never really ceased doing arms length business with the Bush team. One of the most important intermediaries was Manoocher Ghorbanifar, who had a major role as a bagman in Iran-Contra and, after Bush 43 took power, with the Mike Ledeen-Douglas Feith-Lawrence Franklin neocon cabal at the Pentagon Office of Special Plans, AIPAC and AEI. Ghorbanifar and Ledeen are major suspects in the forgery and transmission of the phony Niger yellow cake documents that Bush used to justify the Iraq invasion.

Iran and Pakistan's nuclear power and chemical/biological weapons programs were developed with the assistance of third-country companies with close connection to Halliburton.

* G.W.'s personal role in negotiating the "October Surprise" deal with Iran has been recently confirmed by the release of Russian intelligence documents. These reports were later released to the Iran-Contra Commission Chairman Lee Hamilton, who deep-sixed them. Having proven his worth, Hamilton was later appointed to Chair the 9/11 Commission.

Anyway, thought you might appreciate a little background.

[Demeter]

6. Just Like the Soviets

Putting the Secret Police graduates into political offices.

[Demeter]

5. That Was A Foregone Conclusion From the First

US aggression could only push the region into Iran's arms, as they are the only nation truly free of American meddling. I'm waiting for Saudi Arabia to burst into flames next. It was mighty suspicious that the Saudi abassador suddenly and unceremoniously pulled up his tent stakes and went home after 22 years (didn't even wait for a medal or a dinner)--Treasongate must be much worse than it looks, even to us.