Francis Turner, an Englishman who lives on the Cote d’Azur and blogs under the rubric L’Ombre de l’Olivier [Don't be jealous.-ed. Moi?], shares the same concerns I do over MSM reportage of the recent terror alerts. He cites articles from MSNBC and the always “impartial” Reuters that lend credence to the idea that MSM (mostly New York Times in this case) drumming on the administration about “politicized” terror alerts forced the administration to reveal the true nature of their information early -thus compromising possible further intelligence.
Makes sense to me. It certainly goes with the MSM narrative — homicidal Islamists bad, Bush worse. Am I being extreme in this analysis? Well, as Nixon said, watch what I do, not what I say. And virtually every decision these people at the MSM make seems to follow that principle. Take a look at the lead graph of this morning’s top-of-the-fold NYT article Diplomacy Fails to Slow Advance of Nuclear Arms.
American intelligence officials and outside nuclear experts have concluded that the Bush administration’s diplomatic efforts with European and Asian allies have barely slowed the nuclear weapons programs in Iran and North Korea over the past year, and that both have made significant progress.
In a tacit acknowledgment that the diplomatic initiatives with European and Asian allies have failed to curtail the programs, senior administration and intelligence officials say they are seeking ways to step up unspecified covert actions intended, in the words of one official, “to disrupt or delay as long as we can” Iran’s efforts to develop a nuclear weapon.
This makes it sound as if the Bush Administration has failed. Yet those have been following the situation in Iran know it is far more complex and that the Europeans frequently obstruct administration efforts to isolate the mullahs diplomatically. This, however, does not fit with the Times’ narrative in which more consultation with our European allies is seen as “progressive,” even if the Europeans (alas the British, too, in this case) arguably have been bought and paid for by the mullahs with decades of cheap oil. This is not to say the Bush Administration has done everything it should on Iran. But in a certain way I think they have been boxed in by the same MSM that was so eager to say “gotcha” over last week’s terror alert.
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14 Comments
1. Steven Smith:Actually, it was John Mitchell who said that, not Richard Nixon.
Aug 8, 2004 - 9:36 am 2. Terrye:I have no reason to believe that the recent terror alerts were political but I think there is no debate as to whether the Democratic reaction was political. Of course it was. After all it is all about them, we are just window dressing. If something awful happens they will probably have Moore do a movie about how Dubya was really the master mind.
As for North Korea, why didn’t the NYT say something along the lines of “Like the Clinton administration before it the Bush administration has been unable to find diplomatic means to deal with the growing threat of nukes in North Korea.” You know be fair and acknowledge the fact that there is more to this than partisan one upmanship.
Aug 8, 2004 - 10:21 am 3. PeterUK:It is amuzing to wacth the MSM cling to diplomacy like a child to a security blanket,with no acknowledgement of what diplomacy actually entails.I think they fondly imagine that it is endless sensitivity meetings to reach out to the opposite number instead of the horse trading, power projection and arm twisting that is real diplomacy.
Nations will not abjure nuclear weapons until the price of having them is too high.
Aug 8, 2004 - 11:13 am 4. Ron Wrght:Troll In – Must Read – Sorry to intrude and being strident again.
Here’s some thing I just posted to some other groups. The revolt in Iran may be in it’s beginning stages. Great potential here for everyone to unite and support the Iranian people no matter where your political ideologies lie. Except extreme utilitarism and Islamofascist. The later would make you the enemy so don’t bother.
TROLL OUT
Ron Wright, Moderator
HSPIG Forums Site
http://www.hspig.org
*****
Sorry for a political diatribe which violates one of Ron’s little rules, but I thought this worthy in as much as Iran under current circumstances will have nuclear capability soon.
The strategic consequences of this to the free world is truly unimaginable. If we can support the Iranian people to overthrow this Islamofascist regime this would be a great thing.
If you believe in this purpose please circulate this message to all who will listen. For a more esoteric study of this see an earlier essay, “The Geo-Political Analysis on the War on Terror:”
http://hspig.org/ipw-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?t=1063
Ron Wright, Moderator
ie470net
*****
Project: ‘FREE IRAN!’ [activistchat.com]
Moderator’s Commentary: It’s beginning! It’s now time for the Blogospshere to boot up and focus the light of the free world on Iran. The power of the collective consciousness of the world will cause this repressive Islamofascist theocracy to crumble.
This is an effort where both “moonbats” and “wingnuts” can unite in a common cause to liberate the Iranian people from bondage. The ideologies of the left and the right should recognize the common good in this effort. Instead of bloviating in blog sites, here’s a purpose where all this creative thought and energy can be focused.
This could be one of those turning points in history where the power and politics of the blogosphere can actively engage in cyberspace warfare and change the course of human events!
LET’S RUMBLE!
Ron Wright, Moderator
HPSIG Forums Site
http://www.hspig.org
*****
http://activistchat.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3510
Zahedanis DiPsrupt Executions and Fight Back!
http://web.peykeiran.com/net_iran/irnewsbody.aspx?ID=17540
Clashes in Zahedan
Aug 6th
Peykeiran
Yesterday, Zahdan was very tense, the regime had announced on radio and TV that they would be executing 5 young Baluchis, on Thursday, at 5pm at the intersection of Amirolmomenin and Imam Khomeini streets. But the awakened Baluchis who have taken every opportunity to fight the regime, could not remain calm anymore after the first youth, a 25 year old, was publicly hung, and they exploded and started to attack the reimge by throwing stones, turning Zahedan into a street scene of Palestinians fighting the Israeli occupiers.
As the anti riot police stepped in, the city became quite chaotic. As I write this, 2 hours have passed since the hanging of the first youth, and the regime who was scheduled to hang 4 more, has settled for just one hanging, because of the severity of the situation. Clashs between the youth and the regime’s forces continue from Imam Khomeini street to Sa’adi street and also Shariati, Beheshti, Kamarbandi, and Mir Hosseyni streets as well. It is quite possible that tonight Zahedan will have a tense time, because the youth who are completely fedup with these executions and recent harrassments have sworn vengence, and promised to steal away sleep from the butchors. During these clashes approximately 20 young and teenage Baluchis have been arrested, and several of the regime’s forces have been injured from the stone throwing by the youth.
Ron Wright, Moderator
HSPIG Forums Site
http://www.hspig.org
Aug 8, 2004 - 12:04 pm 5. richard mcenroe:Needless to say Kerry Has A Secret Plan…
Aug 8, 2004 - 2:02 pm 6. Clio:You know, Roger, I nearly always agree with you. But here I think you’re a tad off kilter. I saw the headline and lead para in the NYT this morning and thought, “finally, they’ve stopped blaming Bush for not having a PLAN and are acknowledging that the Euros and S. Koreans have accomplished little more than buying time for the remaining two axes of evil.”
The NYT seems to be a bit more even handed these days while my beloved WaPo goes off the deep end. That’s my read at any rate.
Aug 8, 2004 - 5:08 pm 7. hollywood:Yeah right. Here’s how Bush is going to dirupt and delay. Can you say Paper Tiger? http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/06/opinion/06fri1.html
Aug 8, 2004 - 7:13 pm 8. hollywood:When I was growing up in Texas we had words for guys like W. Drugstore Cowboy, that was obvious. All Hat, No Cattle. Now, there’s some words that fit. To a Tee.
Aug 8, 2004 - 8:09 pm 9. holdfast:Clio:
The Wapo is funny – it’s Editorial page is often quite even-handed; no friend of Bush but willing to praise on occasion, and more importantly, to point out that Kerry is a BS artist. They also have a number of thoughful conservative columnits (in contrast to the tokenist NYT), although they (and we) suffered a huge loss with the death of Michael Kelly. Then you have the news pages with Dana Milbank et al – biased to a farethewell. It’s almost like they got the editorial and news pages mixed up.
Aug 8, 2004 - 10:11 pm 10. J_Crater:I noticed it took the NYT piece to nearly the end to mention the major success with Libya .. with references “Khan network sold to Libya” (bad) and “model of Libya, which disarmed earlier this year” (good).
“Diplomacy Fails to Slow Advance” of EU3 efforts, yes; in N. Korea, yes; in Libya, it has been stopped dead and reversed.
The headline is false. QED The proof is left to the student.
Aug 9, 2004 - 9:08 am 11. Kevin P:Hollywood:
In respose to your “paper Tiger” link. Your hope that somehow a international agreement is somehow going to be a cure to the proliferation issue shows that you think that countries like Iran and North Korea are going to follow or respect these treaties.If you spent 5 to 10 years negotiating and bribing these governments you might get them to sign the treaty. The problem is they would break the treaty as soon as they signed it. Look at Irans response to the IAEA.They have given the diplomatic miidle finger to europe and the world and the response of europe is to shrug their shoulders and say “Oh well, we tried and lets write them a nasty note and tell them we are dissapointed with them”.
Look at North Korea. Albright and her team were quite pleased when the Dear Leader signed the agreement to suspend development in exchange for billions in aid.After they signed the agreement they just moved their operations underground and continued them. when we caught them what was Albrights sugggestion? Go back and repeat the negotiation strategy that just failed.
is Bush’s strategy working. Not yet. But the Post is telling Bush to repeat the same failed process. Lets face it. north Korea and Iran have no intention of stopping their plans. Even if you struggle and get them to sign a piece of paper they have no intention of abidding by the rules.If you reward North Korea for breaking the agreement what does he learn? That he can thumb his nose at the world and get money for it. What has Iran learned about the IAEA. that it is the toothless tiger that you accuse Bush of being. if their is an agreement that includes massive punishment for violations then I would be all for it. But if the only punishment is going to be a scolding from Europe then it is a waste of paper.
Aug 9, 2004 - 9:51 am 12. Dirty Dingus:Thanks for linking to me. I wrote a follow up post about the journalistic responsibilty we aren’t seeing in the Khan case (and also linking to an interesting CNN transcript)
Francis
Aug 9, 2004 - 1:37 pm 13. HA:Roger,
Psssst! I’ve got a “secret” for ya! Iran has a “stealth” nuclear program. It’s true! Fareed Zakaria just said so:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5635447/site/newsweek/
Has he been reading your blog? This quote KILLS me:
It was an excellent agreement in which Iran pledged to stop developing fissile material (the core ingredient of a nuclear bomb) and to keep its nuclear program transparent. The only problem is, Iran has recently announced that it isn’t going to abide by the deal.
I guess it was an “excellent agreement” until the Iranians broke it. Just like the Norks did with their excellent agreement brokered by Jimmy Carter. Who would have thought the Iranians and Norks would break an “excellent agreement?”
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. God help us all. And if He won’t help us, I’m confident that John Kerry has a secret plan in the works for France to bail us out.
Aug 9, 2004 - 6:54 pm 14. Tom Grey:Sigh.
Probability of Iran getting a nuke; and then terrorists getting and using a nuke — in the next 4 years.
Under Bush — 10%
Under Kerry — 40%.
What is YOUR guess?
In any case, after Tel Aviv (Moscow? Miami? Mumbai? Baghdad?) is nuked, forcible democratization will occur throughout the ME.
The current race is to see if democracy can get there before a nuke is used.
Aug 10, 2004 - 4:05 am