ABC News: Bush Authorizes New Covert Action Against Iran

[babylonsister]

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/05/22/abc-iran-covert/

ABC News: Bush Authorizes New Covert Action Against Iran

This evening, ABC’s World News Tonight reported that the “United States has opened a new front in its showdown with Iran.” According to the report, President Bush has directed the CIA to carry out covert operations both inside and outside Iran “aimed directly at weakening the Iranian regime.”

ABC’s investigative correspondent Brian Ross said the CIA’s “non-lethal” program had received “secret presidential approval.” Officials told ABC the CIA plan “takes the place of proposed U.S. military action against Iran, reportedly advocated by Vice President Cheney.” Watch it at link~

The Blotter has more coverage:

The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject, say President Bush has signed a “nonlethal presidential finding” that puts into motion a CIA plan that reportedly includes a coordinated campaign of propaganda, disinformation and manipulation of Iran’s currency and international financial transactions.

(…)

“Vice President Cheney helped to lead the side favoring a military strike,” said former CIA official Riedel, “but I think they have come to the conclusion that a military strike has more downsides than upsides.”

The covert action plan comes as U.S. officials have confirmed Iran had dramatically increased its ability to produce nuclear weapons material, at a pace that experts said would give them the ability to build a nuclear bomb in two years.

Vali Nasr, an Iran expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, said “I think everybody in the region knows that there is a proxy war already afoot with the United States supporting anti-Iranian elements in the region as well as opposition groups within Iran. And this covert action is now being escalated by the new U.S. directive, and that can very quickly lead to Iranian retaliation and a cycle of escalation can follow.”

[fooj]

1. Fuck. The news just keeps getting better and better.

Damn. I feel like I'm living in a time warp.

[Monkeyman]

2. Here We Go Cheney going to get his dam War

[tularetom]

3. He pretty much knows nobody's going to stop him

He must be sitting there chortling over the el foldo the Dems pulled today, realizing there are no limits to the shit he can pull with no consequences for him. They're probably arming the missiles as we speak.

[SteveM]

12. Precisely (nt)

[babylonsister]

4. One question: how is this covert if it's splattered all over ABC? nt

[rosesaylavee]

7. trial balloon?

[librechik]

8. That's what I was wondering!

[IndianaGreen]

5. If Pelosi and Reid won't stop the Iraq War, they sure ain't gonna stop the Iran War

Everytime you cede ground to a bully, you will embolden him.

[SteveM]

13. Precisely. (nt)

[Sapere aude]

6. Their running out of time to grab that oil. Got to set up those investments before 2009.

[sinkingfeeling]

9. Heard that and my blood pressure is now sky high! Regime change

should start at home! And I wonder who's been manipulating our currency the last couple of years?

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[hatrack]

11. Good thing we're keeping our powder dry, huh?

:puke:

[TwilightGardener]

14. How would a regime change necessarily dissuade them from their nukes?

If we destabilize their government, how do we know what will happen? Because, of course, we were so good at predicting the outcome of Iraq.

[SteveM]

15. Bush won't break. He won't even bend. And he fears nothing from Dems.

Democrats have since the early 70s pretty much denuded the party of any leadership in the realm of effective domestic policy change and a reasonable foreign policy. The mantra now is "build a consensus using the third way and move forward on a range of, you know, issues and stuff..." The GOP knows that the Dems fear them, even if the GOP is severely weakened. Hence, the Dems will not challenge, but wait for Bush to self-destruct. No, when Bush is gone, his policy WILL be in place for years, waiting for another neocon to fortify the Patriot Act and continue imperialism in the mid-East. The only way to stop this is with hard, sustained action and constant attack on Bush and the neocons. They WILL NOT stop their policies, they WILL NOT compromise, they WILL continue to hold the Democrats in contempt. Eventually, the public will, too.

[Botany]

16. Impeach both of 'em.

They are crazy and drunk w/ power.

The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject, say President Bush has signed a “nonlethal presidential finding” that puts into motion a CIA plan that reportedly includes a coordinated campaign of propaganda, disinformation and manipulation of Iran’s currency and international financial transactions.

We did that shit in the 1950s and in 1980 we reaped the whirlwind.

[Texas_Kat]

17. Clark has been trying to tell us all it was on Bush's agenda

http://www.stopiranwar.com/

[Ilsa]

21. Clark is always ten steps ahead of everyone else.

Clark understands the typical road these neocons follow. He can anticipate what they are up to. Part of it is his experience. Part of it is his brilliance. But he'd be a formidable Sec State or President because he'd always be many moves ahead of the enemy or other party. I think this gift of his might make it difficult for the average voter to understand what he is talking about.

I'd go back to work for a Clark presidential campaign in a heartbeat.

[IndyOp]

18. Shit. Shit. Shit. (n/t)

[Enrique]

19. this story seems like part of a covert action against us

it seems planted, for whatever reason.

[AnneD]

20. Why hasn't this nut...

been impeached yet?

[Arugula Latte]

22. F@#$

This crazy sociopath president is determined to screw us all over as much as possible.