Would look at another attack in the US with suspicion?

[Postman]

Do you feel the table is being set by this administration for an excuse to attack Iran?

[seemslikeadream]

1. YES

will probably have something to do with the Kurds or Turkey

[Mojambo]

2. How could you not? n/t

[lynnertic]

3. Wot no poll? A: yes

[robinlynne]

4. yes. and I don't think it's about Iran. more about fisa, and republican control.

and maintaining all the "national security secrets".

[MessiahRp]

5. Yes

But for another reason as well. Besides an attack on Iran, it gives this President a reason to cancel the elections and thus maintain power indefinitely. This is not a crew that will voluntarily give any power up (as we have learned) and a staged attack is the only way for them to keep it.

Rp

[zanne]

6. I think that we on DU would be suspicious...

Unfortunately, I think it would probably work again as an excuse for more war.

[NOLALady]

7. Definitely!

[malaise]

8. Duh!!

Is the pope catholic?

[scarletwoman]

9. Yes, but I don't think the attack on Iran will be launched because of anything happening on US soil.

I think it much more likely that the causis belli for bombing Iran will be some sort of mass military casualty event in Iraq.

They'll save a domestic "terrorist" incident for later, when they need to quell dissent over their attack on Iran -- and/or when they decide to implement martial law.

sw

[liberal N proud]

10. No doubt about it

These bastards practice the Machiavelli principle all the way to the bank.

[msongs]

11. hapless Dems need to speak up about another attack in advance as the fault of BUSH

even though bush is complicit in 9/11 by ignoring warnings such an attack was forthcoming, dems let him off the hook.

Now, congressional dems should be saying loudly and at every opportunity that another attack will be OWNED by bush and the republicans because THEY are in charge and have had control of everything for 6 years. LOUDLY and often warn the USA that another attack will be
the fault of bush.

will the dems do this? no

so if another attack comes,bushco will paint congressional dems as weak on terror bla bla bla and the dems will cave in as usual
because that's what they seem to do best with some exceptions ... maybe.

Gee the congressional dems could do the same thing regarding attacks on Iran, except they seem to be beating that drum right along with their republican friends.

Msongs
www.msongs.com

[Nitrogenica]

12. YES, and it's about winning elections.

[cosmik debris]

13. I'd keep an open mind

Remember Timothy McVeigh?

[seemslikeadream]

14. Ever hear of the State Department's "Office of Iranian Affairs"??

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x303476

Embedded Journalism and the Disinformation Campaign for War on Iran

http://www.counterpunch.org/leupp05302006.html

May 30, 2006

Embedded Journalism and the Disinformation Campaign for War on Iran
Now Introducing, the Office of Iranian Affairs (Formerly Doing Business as the Office of Special Plans)
By GARY LEUPP

According to Laura Rozen of the Los Angeles Times, the Office of Special Plans has been reincarnated as the Office of Iranian Affairs, apparently housed in the same Pentagon offices inhabited by its predecessor and involving some of the same slimy personnel. Notably, Abram Shulsky, who headed the OSP under Douglas Feith, is back. His crew will be reporting to none other than Elizabeth Cheney, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, and daughter of the Vice President. Dick Cheney is generally understood to be the strongest advocate for an attack on Iran in the administration. (He is also, by the way, architect of Bush's "signing statements" appended to laws entitling him to ignore them. He is the man behind the throne, surrounded by neocon acolytes.)

As I wrote last November, "it is too soon to speak of the 'twilight of the neocons' while Hannah, Hadley, Luti, Wurmser, Elliott Abrams, John Bolton, John Negroponte and other neocons remain in power, with Ledeen and Shulsky still skulking about."

This was the same month that Democrats staged an abortive mini-rebellion in the Senate, demanding that the Intelligence Committee's long-delayed Phase II investigation focusing on Feith's OSP finally get off the ground. But this seems to have been deliberately delayed by the initiation of a separate in-house investigation of Feith's office by the Pentagon's inspector general. Feith's successor and fellow neocon Eric Edelman and Rumsfeld's intelligence chief Stephen Cambone are supposedly cooperating on that. I wouldn't expect any startling report detailing the disinformation campaign leading to the Iraq war anytime soon.

Meanwhile, Abram Shulsky, the neocon's neocon, a scholar of Leo Strauss and Machiavelli, who has written about the application of Strauss's thought to intelligence, is back. The Straussians of course uphold the use of disinformation ("noble lies") to prepare the public for the difficult choices they, the Wise, have made. Already there is evidence for the deliberate planting of bogus stories planted in the press, such as occurred in the months leading up to the Iraq attack. Amir Tahiri's report on the front page of Canada's National Post about a religious dress code adopted by the Iranian parliament was immediately, eagerly embraced by State Department spokesman Sean McCormick, who at a May 19 press briefing was asked by James Rozen of Fox News the following:

QUESTION: On Iran, are you aware or is the Department aware of published reports stating that the Iranian parliament this week passed a measure that would require non-Muslims to wear badges that identify them as such?


Allawi Pays $300k for Anti-Maliki US Campaign
Bush's Former Envoy to Iraq is Top US Lobbyist for Key Iraqi Critic of Iraqi PM




Documents obtained by IraqSlogger show Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki's chief Iraqi opponent, Ayad Allawi, is paying Washington lobbyists with close ties to the White House $300,000 to help with Allawi's efforts in the U.S. to promote himself and undermine Maliki.

The powerhouse Republican firm retained by Allawi is Barbour, Griffith, & Rogers (BGR), and its BGR International unit is headed by President's Bush's one-time White House point man on Iraq, Robert Blackwill, who will lead the lobbying efforts on Allawi's behalf.

Allawi signed the BGR lobbying contract with Blackwill, who served as Presidential Envoy to Iraq in 2004 when Allawi was appointed the country's interim prime minister with the U.S. government's blessing.




Blackwill assumed the position of BGR International president after leaving the Bush administration following the 2004 elections.

Allawi, who called for Maliki's ouster in a Washington Post op-ed August 18, is believed by many Iraq observers to positioning himself to be Maliki's successor.

White House photo
President Bush and Robert Blackwill in the Oval Office in August 2004.As previously reported exclusively by IraqSlogger, the Republican lobbying firm Barbour, Griffith, & Rogers, LLC, began its work for Allawi August 17 by registering the domain name Allawi-for-Iraq.com. In recent days, BGR sent hundreds of e-mail messages in Allawi's name from the e-mail address [e-mail].

Those e-mail messages to Congressional staffers and others in Washington included Allawi's Washington Post op-ed and the text of a statement from Democratic Senator Carl Levin calling for Maliki to quit.

Federal regulations allow a 10-day window for lobbyists to register their work on behalf of a foreign principal, and BGR filed papers with the Department of Justice Monday to represent Allawi's interests in Washington. The DOJ has yet to process the registration forms, but IraqSlogger has acquired copies of all the relevant documentation.

Under terms of the contract, signed August 20 but backdated to commence August 1, BGR will be paid $50,000 a month through the end of January 2008 for providing "strategic counsel and representation for and on behalf of Dr. Ayad Allawi before the US government, Congress, media, and others."

Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty
Cairo: Ayad Allawi at a March news conference.That's $300,000 over six months, with an option to extend the arrangements longer.

While the BGR contract is with Allawi, who is required to pay the $300,0000, it's unclear whether Allawi himself is funding the lobbying campaign.

Allawi has a full team from BGR assigned to his contract, with four top lobbyists in addition to Blackwill having filed papers to work with him: Edward Rogers, BGR chairman and founder; Andrew Parasiliti, vice president; and Walker Roberts, vice president; and Dan Murphy, principal.

The filings stipulate that Allawi is not supervised by, owned by, directed by, controlled by, financed by, or subsidized by any foreign government, foreign political party, or other foreign principal.

While BGR registers him as an individual, rather than as a political party, they do identify him as head of the Iraq National Accord, and indicate they will not only represent Allawi, but also "his moderate Iraqi colleagues."

BGR is already serving other "moderate Iraqi colleagues" of Allawi, representing the interests of the Kurdistan Regional Government.

The KRG office in DC declined to officially comment on the situation, but another KRG representative indicated displeasure at the latest development.

[emilyg]

15. Absolutely.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

16. YES. nt

[blues90]

17. At this point , what other conclusion can one come to ?

They are not just going to give away all the power they have grabbed . They have not put all these new power grabs in place for the next president unless they know the next president will be one of them .

They have been trying to find a way to attack Iran for some time now , and now they are running out of time .

we won't know their plans or reasons in advance anymore than we saw 9/11 coming , but you can safely bet they have plans ready to go and the TV news speak and graphics ready .