Decontructing Neocon Propaganda - An example from the Headlines

[lies]

I hope this spurs you all to email the AP and give 'em hell.

Their email address is:

[e-mail]

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As we speak, Drudge is running a story with this link:

"Group Claims Iran Speeding Up Nuke Plans..."

This links to a story by the AP:

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080221/D8UUC2H01.html

Which, in part, says:

An exiled Iranian opposition group claimed Wednesday that Tehran was speeding up a program to develop nuclear weapons. "The Iran regime entered a new phase in its nuclear project," said Mohammad Mohaddessin of the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran.

This article, supposedly news, does have a number of caveats such as:

It was not possible to independently verify the NCRI claims.

A recent U.S. National Intelligence Estimate said Iran halted a nuclear weapons development program in 2003 because of international pressure.

and even

The NCRI is the political wing of the People's Mujahedeen of Iran, which advocates the overthrow of government in Tehran. The Mujahedeen has been designated a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union as well as Iran.

But...

The real issue is, why if the AP can't verify the information, information from a terrorist group, would it run this story?

Well, the devil, as they say, in the details.

A quick search for info on the NCRI turns up some very interesting info:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopiranwar/message/129

14 October 2003 FOX News introduces Mojahedin spokesman Alireza Jafarzadeh as its Iran expert

25 November 2003 Iran Ready to Offer Amnesty for Low Ranking MKO Members: Jalil Talabani

30 December 2003 Al Jazeera airs videotape secretly filmed by Saddam Hussein's Intelligence officials of Massoud Rajavi accepting tanks, and money from Saddam's Secret Service

27 January 2004 Iraqi newspaper Al Mada revealed Mojahedin received illegal oil money from Saddam

29 January 2004 Pentagon Advisor Richard Perle criticized for speaking at Mojahedin fundraiser

24 May 2004 UK Labour MP Steve McCabe accused of supporting terrorism as he attends NCRI meeting.

30 June 2004 Ali Reza Jaafar Zadeh, MKO spokesman in FOX News, continues to be exposed as a peddler of unsubstantiated rumours.

13 September 2004 Mojahedin duped Swedish schoolchildren into attending a pro-MKO demo in Brussels, along with paying tens of Afghan refugees to pose as Iranian supporters

30 September 2004 Chief U.S. weapons inspector Charles Duelfer reports Saddam Hussein used the United Nations-managed Oil-for-Food program to provide millions of dollars in subsidies to Mojahedin

In fact, there's entire article online and in print, comparing this sort of story to the kind of crap that got us into Iraq. From the Asia times:

Friendly fire and the US in Iran
By Neda Bolourchi

In recent months, the Mujahideen-e Khalq (MEK) and its attempts to prove that the Islamic Republic of Iran intends to develop nuclear weapons garnered widespread media coverage and speculation. While bringing forth a modicum of new information, the attention fails to illuminate just how dangerous the MEK could be to the United States.

Grappling in Iraq, the Bush administration now faces an analogous yet graver situation in the Islamic Republic. In the years leading up to the Iraq war, Ahmad Chalabi led the exiled Iraqi National Congress. In courting Bush officials like Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz to stoke the war flames in Iraq, Chalabi materialized defectors who affirmed suspicions about Saddam

Hussein's ethereal weapons of mass destruction. Chalabi then secured administration support by seducing it with visions of Iraqis showering American liberators with flowers and a quick handover of a well-ordered Iraq from US troops to his Free Iraqi Fighters.

Today, Maryam Rajavi, the so-called president-elect of the MEK's National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), conjures up the same desert visions for Iran.

Like the case of Chalabi, who offered information on the seemingly impenetrable Iraq, reliance on Rajavi and her supporters superficially makes sense. Given the US's lack of human intelligence inside the Islamic Republic's government, supporting the MEK would naturally appeal to the US administration as a means to quickly develop and install agents who can provide reliable information regarding the Islamic Republic's nuclear advancements.

http://www.google.ie/search?q=NCRI+Richard+Perle&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a

So, why of why is the AP running this garbage?

I can already hear Bill Kristol on Meet the Press:

"Well, listen, the AP recently ran a story about how the Iranians were actually secretly speeding up their push for nuclear weapons, so I think that Bush is correct to continue to accuse them of not complying with the wishes of the International community".

Please write the AP.

[ixion]

1. the AP used to set the standard for investigative journalism, now however

they're just another GOP noise machine. Very sad.

[lies]

3. exactly right

I think they may not even know in this case...

send some mail!

[meegbear]

2. The AP is not known for their "liberal bias" ...

so this is no surprise.

Here's an example of one of their 'writers', John Solomon, from Media Matters.

[Echo In Light]

4. "But...but...conspiracies don't exist!!!"

[lies]

5. haha

"we're through the looking glass here people..."

[lies]

6. Kick

Now that the McCain thing is a bit quieter