Many thanks to the Pajamasmasters for inviting me to blog here. I hope you find it worthwhile. One of the great things about blogging is that there is no template, and so I will feel free to post very short and very long blogs if that’s the way it comes out.
This one takes off from one of the Big Stories on Thursday, with ABC News telling us that “Iranian Weapons Arm Iraqi Militia.” It says that American officials in Iraq now have “smoking gun” evidence that our troops are being targeted with Iranian-made weapons, which have been provided by the Iranian Government to Shi’ite killers, notably the Mahdi Army of Moqtada al Sadr.
That’s big news: a breakthrough, in fact. Up until this article, so far as I know, no American official was willing to blame the Iranian regime for the lethal equipment. They acknowledged that Iranian-made stuff was in Iraq, but they always gave the regime some wiggle room.
No more. They’ve now blamed the regime…for an act of war against the United States.
What’s new is not that we suddenly discovered the connection; we’ve known that for quite some time, as Bob Woodward repeatedly noted in his latest opus. Each time, some high-ranking government official is quoted as saying or thinking, “this is an act of war,” and then, immediately thereafter, “omigod, if the president sees this he may do something violent.”
In the battles in Fallujah and Hilla a couple of years ago, the Marines and Special Forces units discovered abundant evidence of the Iranian role, including photographs–taken in Syria–showing Iraq terrorists alongside Syrian and Iranian spooks, notably from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps. They also found phone lists, computer files, and handwritten materials of Iranian provenance. How do I know this? I spent time with one of the interpreters who personally translated the stuff. And then I confirmed it with some military people.
What’s new is that our military guys are finally going public with their knowledge. I guess–it’s only a guess–that somebody at a high level of the military decided it was unconscionable to permit our soldiers to get blown up by Iran, and so he went public in the usual way: tell the journalists. The same thing has happened in Britain, by the way; every now and then the Telegraph or the Times would carry stories about evidence of the Iranian hand.
This may also mark a defeat for the old-line CIA crowd, which has done its very best to stigmatize anyone who argued in favor of supporting pro-democracy forces in Iran. General Hayden, the current head of CIA, has shown a refreshing ability to think things through, and he may have played a role in the latest revelations. There should be a lot more such information, if anyone is interested, but there’s a lot of political opposition to it, both inside and outside the government, since it is seen as good for Bushitler, and hence taboo. We’ll see.
You’d think that this would put an end to the jolly talk about “negotiating” with the mullahs and their Syrian pals. And you’d also think this would compel our leaders to look for ways to make life difficult for Tehran and Damascus. But then, you’d have thought that quite a while ago, wouldn’t you? I certainly did.
Faster, please. Every day lost produces more victims at the hands of the mullahs.
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15 Comments
Winston:This is fantastic. That’s wonderful to have him here and I believe it will be a voice for the victims of the Islamic regime of Iran.
Thank You Pajamas…
Dec 2, 2006 - 2:18 am David Smithson:I would have thought America would have rebelled long ago and demanded that our military be allowed to return fire at the Iranians.
Dec 2, 2006 - 7:03 am Dan:But that was before I realized that nearly half of America doesn’t care about the military or America.
And it won’t care until something rather large in blown up (again) in this country.
When enough liberals die a few of the rest of them might decide it is time to fight back for a few weeks.
Can we destroy the mullahs in such a short time?
That’s the only question that makes me curious.
Excellent read! I truly appreciated reading commentary from those individuals who “get it” This is an extremely volatile world we live in, yet the media portrays America as the cause of this evil. Yet, people believe this nauseating propaganda the liberal media spews. I’m a 30 year old Operations Manager for a loan company and live a pretty comfortable lifestyle. I’ve recently decided to join the fight. I “get it” and am prepared to give up my lifestyle for that of a soldier and help defend this wonderful country we all call home. Keep writing and lets hope more people can comprehend the serious threat these savages pose.
Dec 2, 2006 - 12:42 pm Chris Meitzen:Regarding the march of Islamo Facism…the extent of daily negative “details” is enough to drive any civilized person absolutely mad. This happens.. that happens.. then, this happens.. and, this person responds by saying this.. then that.. Fox chimes in with its “News Alert”.. and CNN’s Wolf Blitzer jabs his pen at the camera.. Rush Limbaugh blames a democrat.. an airport security screener gets “edgy” and stops a Muslim, who is black, at JFK.. CAIR goes public denouncing the “mistreatment” as unjust and the poverty pimps Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton are on the evening news calling it racism.
… And, the beat goes on.
ALL I KNOW FOR SURE is that we Americans are slowly but surely tightening the noose around our necks. As time goes by, we occassionally find the slightest space from which to adjust our hand in the straighjacket. So, we use that space to grab the belt and tighten the jacket. We are living in an age of political self destruction. While politicians blatantly lie to us, cater to constituents whose goals are altogether anti-American, masterfully engage in misdirection, and otherwise do whatever it takes for them to win, they are merely engaging in collective grave digging.
Not that I actually need to tell anyone the following.. but, somehow, someway, this detail of information manages to elude the evening news every single night of the week - the Islamo Facists are educated, capable, intent, wealthy, suicidal religious zealots who DO NOT share the same crippling politics of self destruction that we do. While we sit around and point fingers at each other, they simply further their nuclear weapons programs. We say, “you cannot pursue this technology”. They say, “we are pursuing this technology”.. We say, “you must not test this technology”.. they test the technology.. We say, “you must not proliferate these weapons”.. they proliferate the weapons. WE ARE ACTING LIKE FREAKIN’ COWARDS!!!! And, sooner than later, they will effectively control and areas of Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Syria, Iraq, and Iran. Yes, Israel WILL be destroyed. WHY NOT? - We are all sitting around here pondering our navals and pointing fingers at each other and throwing around completely and embarrasingly empty threats. If not us, WHAT will stop them? History IS repeating itself. However, this time around, the X-factor is nuclear weapons. I’d say the stakes are higher than they have ever been in any previous global conflict - wouldn’t you?
America has the greatest military machine to ever exist. Yet, it appears that we are going to save our military might for RESPONSE purposes. Rather than turn Iran into a parking lot TODAY, it appears that we are going to wait until Israel is blown up, Iran is blackmailing the entire world, and via it’s (or Al Qaeda’s, or both) agents - the U.S. will be effectively held hostage (while some of our cities lay in ruins). Oh yea, right.. i forgot.. perhaps we can use diplomacy!! perhaphs we can negotiate with them!! So, it appears that we are waiting until that day that we are put into a position of absolute desperation. This is inevitable (heck, even our political frauds say, “it’s not a question of if, but when”). And, sadly, it’s like watching a major car wreck occur in slow motion.
Dec 2, 2006 - 1:42 pm Nick Guariglia:Good to see you on this blog… As usual, you hit it on the head. We’re too busy trying to decide what a civil war constitutes, and are ignoring the regional war right before our very eyes. This need not be military. Support the dissidents. Destabilize.
For all his mistakes, Rumsfeld was a force for transformation both within the ranks and across the Mideast. His resignation and Gates’ hiring may signal a return to the old classic realpolitik.
Dec 2, 2006 - 2:28 pm Chris Meitzen:Dan - first of all, let me say that your intentions are the ultimate in noble. And, America ought to thank God for patriots such as yourself. It’s the men on the front line that have thus far kept this country free.
The concern that I am developing is with our “leadership”. And, the particular concern that I have causes me to fear that noble patriots such as yourself are simply being discounted in leu of a political war.
While our leadership gets on a conference call and discusses the best possible date for everyone to fly into Camp David so as to discuss a “plan/direction for Iraq”.. and, the appropriate people decide what dinner ought to be served.. and all of the political attendees pre-sort all of their hidden agendas, our brave soldiers are forced to flounder in a guerilla war in which their hands are often tied behind their backs. Perhaps you will be asked to fight hand to hand combat with non-uniformed armed terrorists in a graveyard in Sadr City - God forbid we opt instead to call in an airstrike and erase the Iranian/Syrian-backed terrorist murders from the planet. No, you will likely be asked to search for them - one-by-one - by knocking on doors. And, Dan - at that moment, although you will be under more pressure than any other person living on the planet, DO NOT dare shoot anyone. If you do, you may very well find yourself in shackles in the brig at Camp Pendleton, facing a court martial, and completely abandoned by the leadership that you originally opted to fight for.
Drastic times call for drastic measures. Our leadership is trying to kill a mound of ants by sitting naked in the antbead and individually squishing each ant with a pair of tweazers. War is horrific. War is dirty. Colateral damage happens. If we do not fire up our B-52s and stealth bombers soon, the only colateral damage we’ll know is that of our own American cities. Ground forces are meant to secure an area that has been devastated by an air assault. The idea of dropping good-intentioned patriotic soldiers into an extremely volatile region in which the enemy combatants look like the civilians!! Then, the leadership imprisons soldiers who accidentally shoot civilians!! The longer we wait before using brute force, the more brute the force will eventually have to be.
or, we can just keep being cowards and hope the islamo facists go away.
Dec 2, 2006 - 2:34 pm Coosa1944:If readers are not emailing this information, these blog addresses, to their State and Federal legislators and to the President and Vice President and their State Governor then I encourage you to do so.
Mine know my name and phone number and actually do read what I mail them.
I know emails can be deleted just as easily as written letters can be “round filed” but I still encourage everyone to get to know your State and Federal legislators.
Thanks for this article. I want to commend Michael Ledeen for being an “International Sex Symbol.” Tough job but someone has to do it.
Dec 2, 2006 - 3:48 pm MarcH:Welcome, oh Great Prognosticator!
Too bad you haven’t been running NSC these past 5 years.
Fire up the Ouija!
Sincerely,
Your friend in Allah(pundit).
Dec 2, 2006 - 6:03 pm Sina:wow this is just great!
Thank you so much Pajamas. We needed someone like Mike in the blogging world. Cannot wait to read more posts and hopefully more often.
Thanks!
Dec 2, 2006 - 9:20 pm Sina:Why don’t we send more troops to Iraq just to protect the borders with Iran and Syria. I think this is the only way to tackle those terrorists down. I am a British-Iranian and it really breaks my heart when I hear that the brave Britiah and American soldiers are being killed by Iranain made weapons on a daily basis.
On the other note:
I hope the white house doesn’t proceed with this so called talks with Iran and Syria. You don’t negotiate with the Evil.
Can someone please let Prsident Bush know if you talk to Iran and Syria this will send a message to all Anti-west world (Castro and co) that Iranian and Syrian dipolmacy works!!!!
Dec 2, 2006 - 9:28 pm Matthew:Sir,
First off, great to see you in the blogosphere.
The Islamic Republic provides equal amunition to both Hezbollahis and critics of the Mullahs. One of the most recent swipes at free speech from from the Supreme Guidance Council is an announcement for their new regulations for Iranian blogs.
http://www.webna.ir/news/?id=-1934604533
Forms of speech listed as illegal activity are:
- Atheism, rejection or reduction of principles and values of Islam, insulting Islam and its holy values, insulting Imam [Khomeini] or Khamanei.
- Insulting divine religions and their holy books or their prophets and their saints.
- Encouragement for committing any act against security, respectability, and interests of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
- Tampering with ideas of an imam or the Supreme Leader, tampering with the Islamic Revolution of Iran and insulting its values.
- Any act against the constitution or attacking the unity and sovereignty [of Iran] or transferring negative ideas or hopelessness to people regarding the lawfulness of the regime.
- Insulting ethnic and religious minorities.
- Unveiling secret documents.
- Spreading immorality.
- Offending people and organizations.
- Illegal businesses, like money laundering and pyramid companies.
- Advertising illegal sites.
- Teaching people how to pass filtering. (the Islamic Republic recently blocked one of the best sites, anonymouse.org)
- Spreading falsities.
- Any link to a site which is illegal, according to what is mentioned in the above.
- Any act against the Sharia [Islam] or any law.
They have also launched a team of Islamic Revolutionary bloggers to go and gum up the conversations in the Iranian blogosphere. You can read a write-up here:
http://unitediranianfront.blogspot.com/.
The link to Arash Kamangir’s site will give you a taste of what the Sepahi Elektrouni does.
Keep up the good work.
Dec 3, 2006 - 5:57 am John Jones:The arguements for more troops are compelling, but I believe Victor Davis Hanson and others are probably right. There are enough troops. What is missing is the political will in the USA and in my country, the UK, to see this through to victory. Do our respective populations understand what is at stake here? Bush is right to at least publicly consider talking to the vile regimes in Syria and Iran. Demonstrate he has done all he can. And prepare to deliver an eleventh hour blow, after all the talk has failed, as it must. Faster please!
Dec 3, 2006 - 8:05 am Ran Hay:Smiles, Dr. Ledeen.
First when I read of ABC’s report. “Ledeeeeeeen” came to mind with a smile.
Next when bumping into this blogpost today (Sunday). I’ll do my duty and link to it.
Cheers!
Dec 3, 2006 - 10:24 am mineral:Let’s see. Iranian weapons against the Israeli democracy. Iranian weapons against the Iraqi democracy, and soon Iranian weapons against the Lebanese democracy.
I think I spot a pattern.
Dec 3, 2006 - 10:38 pm Matthew:“Iran yesterday shut down access to some of the world’s most popular websites. Users were unable to open popular sites including Amazon.com and YouTube following instructions to service providers to filter them.
Similar edicts have been issued against Wikipedia, the internet encyclopaedia, IMDB.com, an online film database, and the New York Times site. Attempts to open the sites are met with a page reading: “The requested page is forbidden.”
To read more click on the link:
Dec 4, 2006 - 2:16 amhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,,1963166,00.html