Seymour Hersh – US intentions for Iran and the Middle East

The question after his speech where an audience member asked if it was Bush or America’s ruling elite pushing for war was a good one.

I’m afraid Sy Hersh has it wrong when he attributes this policy solely to the messianinc zeal of Bush & a dozen or so neocons. Sure the oil company execs in Houston are scared, but they have never wielded that much influence over foreign policy, especially military affairs. Like many seasoned and knowledgeable pundits, Sy Hersh is grossly underestimating the power wielded by the Israel Lobby and how firmly ensconced they are among America’s ruling class.

Just look at the rhetoric coming from Giuliani, Clinton, Romney, McCain, and Obama. There is no reason to believe policy will change substantively if any of these people is elected. They have already said as much.

The US uniformed military, Secretary Gates, wall street, and the global business community (and I suspect Secretary Rice) all favor a peaceful resolution.

A military confrontation could have very negative implications for almost everyone.

Why is Khamenei risking a confrontation with irrational and anti-Iranian activities in Iraq and Afghanistan?

See comments under http://iraqimojo.blogspot.com/2007/10/more-trainers-for-afghan-security.html

Note that the Afghan defense minister is Iran’s friend and well wisher. Sayeed Muqtada, may peace be upon him, has publicly accused Iran (by extension Khamenei) of backing Al Qaeda inside Iraq on a couple occasions. Many have commented about Sayeed Muqtada’s comments, including the Iraq the Model brothers.

I couldn’t get the file to play. But I have heard Hersh before on this subject.

The sources for what I said are linked to.

Read the wise Mohammed here regarding Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, may peace be upon him, backing Al Qaeda:
http://iraqthemodel.blogspot.com/2007/06/sadr-bites-hand-that-feeds-him.html

Khatami and some parts of the Iranian government did make overtures to the US government. But the US government thought that Khatami and these pro-engangement factions did not have real power inside Iran or the sanction of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, may peace be upon him.

The Ayatollah is playing a dangerous game that is strongly against Iran’s national interests, Iran’s business/economic interests, and unpopular among the Iranian people.

See surging anti-Iranian sentiment in Afghanistan and Iraq. This is deeply unfair since only one Iranian is responsible, and the vast majority of Iranians love Iraq and Afghanistan.

VP Cheney makes no sense to me. A lot of his public and leaked private statements seem like the statements of a person with a 50 IQ. For years he has behaved like Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei’s, may peace be upon him, stick figure. Dutifully carrying out the Ayatollah’s instructions in overthrowing the Ayatollah’s fiercest, most hated and most feared enemies, the Taliban, Saddam, and Al Qaeda. VP Cheney also established Khamenei backed governments in Afghanistan and Iraq. VP Cheney did not spend America taxpayer money to support political parties in the Iraqi and Afghan national and local elections (actually the VP wanted to do this but was over-ruled, but it sounds better this way), while he countenanced Khamenei giving money to his favored candidates—who have swept all major elections in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Now VP Cheney is advocating military action against Iran. The VP makes little sense on a lot of issues. How in the world did he manipulate the president to appoint him VP and give him so much influence? The VP is going up against the global business community and energy companies. The last thing energy companies want is another war in the middle east. Moreover, all the major global energy companies want to invest in Iran. VP Cheney himself lobbied Congress very hard to let Haliburton invest in Iran until the year 2000. Naturally Iran wants as many multinational energy corporations to bid for energy business in Iran as possible, because that way Iran sell its energy resources for the most money. VP Cheney is again trying to defy all of them. Why? Is he completely ok in the head?

Unless Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, may peace be upon him, still has VP Cheney under mind control—and is trying to engineer this conflict. We all know that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, may peace be upon him, is much . . . much smarter than VP Cheney.

I wonder how Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, may peace be upon him, does it. As Trinity says in the Matrix Reloaded, “That is a neat trick.”

just caught this on kexp.org. thanks for posting this here so we can download it.