The Aspins are turning. Libby hinting at Iranian bioterror attack on US?

[Mandate My Ass]

I discovered while googling today that Judith Miller and Les Aspin had a fling way back in the day. She was quite the object of elbow-nudging, wink-wink jokes everytime she quoted him in one of her articles. I saw that other blogs have picked up on this nugget of info (aspen/Aspin) but I still wondered about the other pieces of code that Libby was obviously hinting at which didn't make sense at the time, particularly the "bioterrorism" stories she would be covering if she got out of jail this fall. :wtf:

However, this made my effing jaw drop down to the floor and I haven't been able to pick it up yet. This is from 2000!

IRAN AND WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION

Iran's development of the Shahab-3 is significant for two reasons. First, it gives Iran a delivery system able to strike every important U.S. ally in the region. Second, it was clearly designed as a delivery system for weapons of mass destruction. Iran has been developing nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) weapons since the early 1980s, during Iran's long war with Iraq. But the pace of development significantly accelerated in the early 1990s.

While some analysts believe that Iran would use its NBC weapons and missiles only if the regime's survival were in question, the limited available evidence calls that thesis into question. Iran's storage of chemical weapons on Abu Musa, an island in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Dubai, suggests that Tehran would use such weapons long before the regime's security was in doubt. (5) By merely possessing these weapons or by threatening to use them, Iran could also use them to gain leverage over neighboring states.

<snip>

COUNTER-PROLIFERATION

Another main component of an effective U.S. strategy is the Department of Defense's Counterproliferation Initiative. This effort was started in the early days of the Clinton Administration because of Secretary of Defense Les Aspin's strong views that nonproliferation efforts might fail and, as a result, the U.S. military might be forced to fight an adversary armed with NBC weapons. As originally conceived, the Counterproliferation Initiative focused on the need to have a balanced military response to allow the United States to defeat an NBC-armed adversary.

http://meria.idc.ac.il/journal/2000/issue3/jv4n3a5.html

IOW, the people who want pre-emptive war against Iran (WHIG) on a trumped up charge of bioterrorism are turning against Rove. :wow:

[acmejack]

1. Does not jibe with authorative information!

The Iranian Shahab-3 ballistic missile means Meteor-3 or Shooting Star-3 in Farsi is derived from the 1,300-1,500 kilometer range North Korean No-dong missile. The Shahab-3 reportedly has a range of between 1,300 and 1,500 kilometers and is capable of carrying a 1,000-760 kilogram warhead.

[HereSince1628]

2. I am not surprised, Libby is a neocon, but its interesting to know

[robertpaulsen]

3. Good God, I hope you're wrong.

But I fear you're right.

I've got to go, but I'm recommending for further discussion.

[Mandate My Ass]

4. I've never prayed so hard to be wrong until I read this

THey are sick, sadistic and desperate enough, IMHO.

[merh]

15. So will Rove turn on them?

Will Rove end up being the reason their plans fail?

What irony.

[HawkerHurricane]

5. No, Duh.

"Iran has been developing nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) weapons since the early 1980s, during Iran's long war with Iraq. But the pace of development significantly accelerated in the early 1990s."

Ever since Iraq used the WMD we paid for on them, Iran has been looking for a way to 'retaliate in kind' to prevent it from happening again.

[Mandate My Ass]

6. consider the bioterror stories he says she'll BE covering and this intel

and it's not too much of a stretch to see the next justification they'll use for declaring war against Iran.

He seems to be quite certain there will be bioterror stories for her to cover this fall. How can he know that unless he's certain it will happen or that it will be used as justification for pre-emptive war? (which I don't think will go over with the American public right now) It'll sure get Fitz off the covers of newspapers if we get hit with a biological weapon, or our troops in Iraq do.

[motocicleta]

7. Sorry. Not Getting it.

How are they turning against Rove?
Brain not working so well right now.

[newyawker99]

9. Hi motocicleta!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[motocicleta]

10. Thanks buddy. I've actually been here for a long time, just

started to post.

[Mandate My Ass]

14. Hi, motocicleta

Glad you stopped lurking. Welcome. :hi:

To answer your question, there is a theory going around DU that the inner circle of the WH is divided into two distinct groups, the Rovies, who are loyal to Bush, and the WHIG group (Cheney, Libby et al) who are the ones driving our foreign policy: All War All the Time.

I think Libby was giving permission to Miller to work some deal with Fitz by spilling the beans on Rove because that's what they're doing.

[motocicleta]

20. Thanks Mandate

I sure hope not - it would be better if they can't isolate one guy to take the fall. On the other hand, hell hath no fury as they say. It'd be great to see the effect sending KKKarl to the wolves would have on his loyalty.
Sorry again - WHIG?

[Mandate My Ass]

21. White House Iraq Group

21 Administration Officials Involved In Plame Leak

The cast of administration characters with known connections to the outing of an undercover CIA agent:

http://www.thinkprogress.org/leak-scandal

[SledDriver]

8. The boogeyman in my closet is developing WMDs too!

Sorry. I aint buyin' it this time.

Unless one arrives here on a camel, via Iranian Parcel Service, by a guy dressed like a bedouin, who only speaks Farsi, and has a notorized affidavit written in Arabic signed by the Ayatollah, and only THEN maybe if the package has a return address in Tehran -- I AIN'T BUYIN' IT.

[lovuian]

11. Its very interesting that a close friend is Aspin and yes I can

see that Libby was giving her a threatening message here!!!

[shance]

12. Well of course Libby would blame it on Iran. They have to use some

country as the patsy.

Any bioterror disaster that happens or any other disaster for that matter, look to this Administration for involvement and/or the origin of the attack.

Time to start telling the truth. We are cowards and complicit if we knowingly allow other innocent people to take the blame for what this Administration is doing.

How can we not any longer this Administrations involvement? Quite simply because we choose not to see the truth. The Cheney Administration has been somehow been involved or had their hand in every other "terrorist" plot pointed at this soil since they stole the 2000 election.

[IndyOp]

13. Bioterrorism + Avian Flu + Tularemia

I don't know if the people who want pre-emptive war against Iran are turning against Rove. I think a bigger tin hat may be needed to understand Libby's coded message to Miller:

The * are eagerly anticipating the avian flu pandemic -- but won't wait -- they will release diseases into the population (such as tularemia at the anti-war march) so that they can claim 'avian flu' and set in motion a militarized police state. And/or they will commit bioterrorism and blame it on Iran so they can invade Iran - and Judith Miller will have something to report.

Republican Congressman Slams Bush On Militarized Police State Preparation

Congressman Ron Paul has accused the Bush administration of attempting to set in motion a militarized police state in America by enacting gun confiscation martial law provisions in the event of an avian flu pandemic.

<snip>

"To me it's so strange that the President can make these proposals and it's even plausible. When he talks about martial law dealing with some epidemic that might come later on and having forced quarantines, doing away with Posse Comitatus in order to deal with natural disasters, and hardly anybody says anything. People must be scared to death."

Paul, himself a medical doctor, agreed that the bird flu threat was empty fearmongering.

========================================

Recently, biological hazard sensors in Washington, DC detected traces of the highly-infectious tularemia (rabbit fever) bacteria on the Washington Mall during the anti-war demonstrations held in the nation's capital, a gathering that brought together over 300,000 people from all parts of the country. An anthrax attack on Congress during Patriot Act passage, tularemia found during anti-war demonstrations, bird flu being used as an excuse to scrap Posse Comitatus and impose martial law?
<http://www.conspiracyplanet.com/channel.cfm?channelid=2&contentid=2840&page=2>

[Mandate My Ass]

16. "And/or they will commit bioterrorism and blame it on Iran"

That's what I was trying to say but didn't articulate very well. I think the avian flu/martial law thing is going over like a lead balloon, but if they do a bioterror MIHOP, they would not only get to go to war with Iran, but also nobody will likely balk at using the military.

[mod mom]

17. This is my big fear, especially now with all the indictments coming. They

want a continual war and have had their eyes on Iran for a long time.

Note; If this occurs, you can bet the venue won't be a mega church or nascar event but a large democratic urban area. I DON"T TRUST CORNERED RATS!

[mod mom]

18. Oh...and you can bet that Halliburton will get a nobid clean-up contract.

[Mandate My Ass]

19. My thoughts exactly. Indictments = Need for distraction

Just like on Sept 10th the missing trillions from the Pentagon and the election results showing Gore won were published.

You can bet the media will trash Fitz and say he's distracting the war chimp and his cabinet from doing their jobs.

[shance]

22. Bingo. Its crystal clear what the Administration is attempting to inflict

Why so many Americans would rather lie to themselves than look at the realities breaks my heart.

The Cheney/Bush Administration is banking on our cowardice and our fear of facing the truth.

The Cheney/Bush Administration will continue to create disasters and a police state until we are the Americans we claim to be and stop them.