McCain’s Gaffes Reflect Bush’s Iran-Qaeda Myth
WASHINGTON - Sen. John McCain’s confusion in recent allegations of Iranian training of al Qaeda fighters in Iraq is the result of a drumbeat of official propaganda about close Iran-al Qaeda ties that the George W. Bush administration and neoconservatives have promoted ever since early 2002.
McCain, the Republican nominee for the presidency, was confusing the Bush administration’s charges of Iranian training of Shi’a militiamen associated with the Mahdi Army with the administration’s propaganda theme of Iranian tacit or explicit support for al Qaeda operatives in Iran — charges which have amplified by right-wing media.
During a press conference in Jordan Tuesday, McCain brought up the charge that Iran with training al Qaeda operatives
and sending them to Iraq, then corrected himself after Sen. Joseph Lieberman, a Democrat from Connecticut, whispered in his ear. It was the fourth time in a little over three weeks, however, that McCain had made the same charge.
McCain’s confusion has been widely characterised as demonstrating his inability to distinguish Sunni al Qaeda from Shiite Mahdi Army. But more fundamentally, McCain’s gaffes were a reflection of how thoroughly he had internalised a favourite theme of the Bush administration and neoconservatives — that Iran has tolerated and even covertly assisted al Qaeda agents operating inside Iran.
Those administration charges have continued despite the repeated release of information by Iran and other countries about its arrest, detention and repatriation of al Qaeda suspects.
That charge has been given credence by mainstream news media for years.
The theme of an Iran-al Qaeda link first appeared in the wake of the defeat of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. Although most al Qaeda cadres escaped to Pakistan, a much smaller number crossed the border into Iran. Despite the fact that U.S. officials later said Iran had been responsive to U.S. communications about intercepting al Qaeda cadres at the border, then Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld stated on more than one occasion in 2002 that Iran was “harbouring” al Qaeda officials.
That was same term Bush had used in his Sep. 20, 2001 speech as criterion for considering a nation to be a “hostile regime” in regard to terrorism.
The Bush propaganda line was taken so seriously by the news media that the Washington Post reported Aug. 28, 2002 that “Arab intelligence sources” were saying that two high-ranking al Qaeda officials were being “sheltered in Iran along with dozens of other al Qaeda fighters in hotels and guesthouses in the border cities of Mashad and Zabol.”
The Post said the report “supported the Bush administration’s long-standing assertion that Iran — or at least hardliners in the conservative clerical line of authority that controls the army and intelligence services — is harbouring al Qaeda fighters.”
In spring 2003, Iran declared that it was holding senior members of al Qaeda but refused to divulge their identities and proposed to exchange information on its al Qaeda detainees in return for the U.S. providing Iran with information on the anti-Iran terrorist group Mujihidden e Khalk (MEK) which had surrendered to U.S. troops in Iraq. But hardliners in the Bush administration rejected such a deal, on the grounds that MEK should be protected from Iran.
After the May 12, 2003 terrorist bombing in Saudi Arabia, which killed eight U.S. citizens and 26 Saudis, Rumsfeld declared, “We know there are senior al Qaeda in Iran…presumably not an ungoverned area.” Then CBS news reported, “U.S. officials say they have evidence the bombings in Saudi Arabia and other attacks still in the works were planned and directed by senior al Qaeda operatives who have found safe haven in Iran.”
That was an obvious ploy to insinuate that Iran was deliberately allowing al Qaeda operatives to plan terrorist attacks from Iranian territory. The New York Times reported May 26, 2003, however, that the Rumsfeld statement was disputed by another unnamed administration official who observed that the intercepted messages did not necessarily refer to the Saudi bombing at all.
Former U.S. officials familiar with the intelligence on the matter say there was never any clear evidence that any al Qaeda detainees were being allowed to operate freely. Paul Pillar, the intelligence officer on Iran at the time, said in an interview in 2006, “It was very fuzzy whether they were free to do things or not.”
Lawrence Wilkerson, later chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell, recalled in an interview, “The Iran experts agreed that, even if al Qaeda had come in and out of Iran, it didn’t mean the Iranian government was complicit.”
Iran did hand over 225 suspected al Qaeda operatives to their country of origin in 2003, and provided their names to the United Nations. Saudi Arabia confirmed that Iran had repatriated suspected al Qaeda of Saudi nationality.
Nevertheless, Bush administration officials carried out a determined campaign of press leaks in 2003 and 2004 suggesting covert Iranian support for al Qaeda terrorism.
A typical example of such press leaks is a CNN story on Oct. 27, 2003 quoting “U.S. intelligence officials” as saying that the “Quds Force” of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps “may be sheltering some al Qaeda leaders, including its military commander, Saif al-Adel and Saad bin Laden, son of the al Qaeda leader.”
On Mar. 24, 2003, the New York Times reported from Tel Aviv that senior al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi had “turned up in Iran” under the protection of Iranian security forces, according to senior Israeli and U.S. officials.
But in the Arab-language London daily Asharq Alawsat, usually known for its anti-Iran coverage, published an article by Mahammed Al Shafey in 2005 which quoted an internet posting by al-Adel in which he recalled that approximately 80 percent of the group of al Qaeda operatives led by al-Zarqawi which had fled to Iran had been arrested and the rest had fled to Iraq.
According to Al-Adel, “The steps taken by Iran against us shook [us] and caused the failure of 75 percent of our plan.”
The high point of the Iran-al Qaeda theme was the spate of stories in the week before the publication of the 9/11 Commission report in July 2004, reporting that the Iranian government had facilitated the transit of eight Sep. 11 hijackers through Iran.
But CIA Deputy Director John McLaughlin said the CIA had “no evidence” of any official Iranian approval of the transit.
In July 2005, Iran’s intelligence minister Ali Younessi said Iran had apprehended more than 1,000 members of al Qaeda since late 2001. Younessi said that some al Qaeda agents had taken refuge in Iranian cities but had been arrested “because they intended to use Iranian territory to launch terrorist strikes on other countries”.
He also referred to the arrests and trial of a number of Ansar al Islam operatives who he said were “still in prison”.
*Gareth Porter is an historian and national security policy analyst. The paperback edition of his latest book, “Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam”, was published in 2006.
Copyright © 2008 IPS-Inter Press Service
Porter, as always, is brilliant in his analysis.
I would only add the importance of seeing the obvious in the big picture of the Iraq situation: violence by resistance forces against occupying foreign fighters, such as the US regular and mercenary forces in Iraq, may be legitimate. This was affirmed by the UNGA in 1987. And that Iran has the right to attack US forces under Article 51 of the UN Charter if the US threats against Iran and the military buildup around Iran continue. (Just like if China conquered Canada and was now threatening the United States as its carrier battle groups cruised along our own coasts.)
What is more scary about McCain? Believing the Bush, Cheney, & Co. big lie about the Iran-Al Qaeda myth or continuing to put it out there in order to get elected? Considering his suffering for a prior war that was also based on lies, it adds an element that should send a chill down the spine of any non-brain dead person.
If Osama is alive, he has no real power.
Whenever there is resistance to any Bush occupation, it is called al Queda or al Quida.
It is a psyop Job by both Bush and bin Laden.
The best creative reverse Psyops job a new president could do would be to say “OK Osama, you win. Now what?”
That puts in in their court and since all they want is to not get caught, you probably won’t hear a peep out of them again.
Sounds like Iran has captured, arrested and expelled more al-Qaeda than the U.S. could ever dream of. Yet the Bushies get away with lying that Iran is supporting al-Qaeda.
In case of a McCain presidency, I’m hoping he’s as big a liar and traitor to his supporters as many Democrats are.
McCain would be a disaster.
Our Republican friends should be reminded that the sick puke thought he was very clever and cute to sing the old
Beach Boys song “Barbara Ann” to some old vets…
The idea of Killing hundreds of thousands of Iranians is cool to him and his crowd.
“Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, Iran”…”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-zoPgv_nYg
————————————————–
A Page From McCain’s Past
Washington Post, United States - Mar 10, 2008
The tale of that photo and how an obscure Cuban psychologist came to interview McCain in Vietnam when he was a POW.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/10/AR2008031003141.html?hpid=topnews
Barral said McCain was “boastful” during their interview and “without remorse” for any civilian deaths that occurred “when he bombed Hanoi.”
The government lies. Always. At least in my opinion. I will not believe the government if it says the sky is blue and the earth orbits the sun. Lies, lies, lies. They all, every representative, every senator and every president and vice president. All they do is lie, lie, lie. Its time for a taxpayer revolt. They can’t put us ALL in prison. Problem is, they’ll put SOME of us in prison and no one wants to take that chance. They’d rather continue to support the war. And we ALL support the war with tax dollars, like it or not. You are NOT antiwar and I am NOT antiwar as long as we contiune to pay taxes to the criminal government. So. I am not yet willing to take the real action of a real patriot yet. When will I be? When will you be?
– Kent Shaw
McCain makes Gen. Jack Ripper of “Dr. Strangelove” look less psychotic.
Would McCain keep Cheney as VP for life?
Isn`t that just great? All McWar knows is what the genius Bush has programmed him to say, so Lieberman has to go around practically tied to him so his misinformation can be corrected. That is the future we have to look forward to unless we put either of the Democrats in office.
How about “No Brain, McCain” for a political slogan? McWar likes cute remarks so he should appreciate that one. This guy could make Bush look good so people had better start pulling together to beat him or we will be toast.
I know there’s a minimum age for someone to be elected to the presidency, why the hell isn’t there a maximum one? Reagan was ancient when elected, and senile long before he left office. Had his dementia led him to launch missles at the commie horde we wouldn’t be writing on cd…
McCain is too freakin old to run a country, I don’t think someone of his age is too old to be in the senate or the house (hell, even judges can be old but useful) or another electoral body like that. But goddam, don’t you think it’s time there was a maximum age on the president’s job?
Mr McCain. You did your duty as you saw fit in VietNam, thank for that service.
Here is some advise from another Zoñyan Bway: You did your piece; now get out the sand!
With Lieberman whispering in his ear, bomb, bomb Iran keeps playing in my head.
Wasn’t Lieberman Obama’s mentor?
And Hillary has the entire Zionist NY delegation whispering in hers.
If Obama really wants change without getting shot, he’d better call Mike Gravel.
For anyone who can recognize the signs, it is obvious that McCain is suffering the first stages of alztheimer’s. At this point in History there can be no more worthy president for the U.S.A., because it surely presages the acceleration of their demise.
McCain and Lieberman are a marriage made in hell, aren’t they? All Muslims must look alike to McCain and his AIPAC sponsors. It doesn’t much matter whether they are Sunni or Shia or Arab or Persian if you want them all dead anyway.
To my thinking though, the last thing we want from leaders who are taking us in the wrong direction is competence. As nasty as Bush and his people are, it is a blessing that they are so oblivious and misinformed and reckless. If we must have militant leaders it is better that they are dumb and likely to quickly fail, making a long ugly crusade into a short ugly misadventure. McCain may be vicious, but thank god he’s senile.
It’s like Bush says, if you say something enough times people will believe it. McCain is not senile, he is practicing for war with Iran. A McCain Lieberman ticket is the nightmare ticket for America and the dream ticket for Israel.
McCain - Lieberman
In all the world there is no God but the god of Israel. What is the attraction of this ancient tribal war god?
Hope number one: Obama is our next president.
Second best: Hillary is the next president.
Third best: McCain doesn’t bring in Lieberman, fires the neocons, realizes he needs help and brings in a lot of good rational centrist people.
Heaven help us all if the neocons stay in the White House.
jmacneil, Mar 22 - you stole my thunder. He absolutely has early stage alzheimers. I went through it with my mother, and now with two sisters. I was for McCain in 2000, and have watched the changes in him since then. This past year he’s turned into a different person than he was then. The way he sometimes seems to be staring off into space, and a few times I’ve though he seemed quite confused. I know he’s known for his temper, but I heard he’d really lost it awhile back, haven’t learned what that was about, but of course the media left it alone since it wasn’t Obama or Clinton. Sudden flashes of temper is another sign.
I think this issue is an issue we shouldn’t let pass, but should be demanding he have a mental evaluation before November. He did submit his medical statement, but that was just about his physical condition.
Then again, “they” may be well aware of his condition, but if they put Leiberman in as his VP, or keep Cheney, McCain will still be able to show more brain power than bush has.
I wouldn’t worry about McCain, he was just having a few “Senior Moments”.
My goodness, we have the Republican candidate for President claiming al Qeada and Iran are in cahoots with one another. How STUPID and, unfortunately, dangerous can it get???? The sad thing is millions will believe it. There is something to be said for having the bulk of the masses uneducated and woefully ill equipped to understand the realities of our world today, totally incapable of separating bullshit and myth from reality. Come to think of it, the nobility and organized religion depended on this very thing…….it has worked for them for thousands of years. Todays’ leaders are counting on an unknowing population once again……
“…anti-Iran terrorist group Mujihidden e Khalk (MEK) which had surrendered to U.S. troops in Iraq. But hardliners in the Bush administration rejected such a deal, on the grounds that MEK should be protected from Iran.”
So the USA is harboring terrorists in Iraq (MEK)…as well as Miami. They are also arming Al Qaeda in Iraq, as most of them have joined the Sunni Security forces that the USA has created to thwart progress of the Shia led government
I wonder if Lie-berman changes McCains Depends as well
“McCain, the Republican nominee for the presidency, was confusing the Bush administration’s charges of Iranian training of Shi’a militiamen associated with the Mahdi Army with the administration’s propaganda theme of Iranian tacit or explicit support for al Qaeda operatives in Iran — charges which have amplified by right-wing media.”
Did I miss something?? McCain is not YET “the Republican nominee for the presidency” at best, he is the PRESUMED Republican nominee for the presidency. “It ain’t over till its over”
I too surmise that he has beginning alzheimers, but since we are so adapted to the dry drunk idiot in the white house now, who cares!!
Just wait until the Repug convention when he walks out on stage and forgets his pants. He’s clearly losing his mind.
We Americans Fail To Get The Picture:
Again, the Iranians have turned over Al Qaeda prisoners to their nation of origin, Saudi Arabia.
Get your heads out of your ______s!
World Trade Center #7 was a planned “Demolition” and the NIST can not disprove it after six years! There were 14 alleged terrorists from Saudi Arabia on board four jet airliners. Most of those were being trained in the United States, not Afghanistan.
The Shiites are supported by the Iranaians. The Sunnis, who have been labelled “Insurgents” and “Al Qaeda” by the Bush Administration are supported by, you guessed it, Saudi Arabia.
Pastor Wright is correct when he attacks the United States for supporting “terrorists and “Terrorism”. “Operation Cyclone” was the recruitment of 100,000 Islamic Militants by the CIA and Pakistan´s ISI. That “Army” of Islamic Militants was paid for by the United States and Saudi Arabia to the tune of over 12 billion dollars. And, if you wondered where the 3 trillion dollars worth of arms and supplies from the Department of Defense went, the Islamic Militant Army is a good guess (Donald Rumsfeld stated in a press conference in 2002, “The Department of Defense can not account for 2 trillion dollars worth of arms and supplies.” The next year, 2003, The GAO submitted a report stating that the Department of Defense could not account for an additional 1 trillion dollars worth of arms and supplies.)
That Islamic Militant Army was aided by Osama Bin Laden in fund raising and used to put the Taliban, supported by the United States, in power in Afghanistan and to help the Kosovars in the Balkan Wars.
Until the American People are told the “Truth” and taught about the U.S. Economic Interests in the Caspian Sea and Middle East, the Political Elite will control the U.S. Military for their own personal greed!
BobBeaSea, you are right, as long as the media (controlled by the government), keep feeding the ignorant, slothful public a diet of mulch, then the majority will be lulled into an uncaring slumber, and will accept any lies or propaganda without question.
Whenever the supposed ties between Al Qaeda and Iran are brought up by the BBC, there never seems to be a lone voice saying “I think you have got that wrong”.
At the end of the day, it will be Iran who have to prove a false negative in order to avoid war.
They will have to show that their atomic research is not for weapons.
They will have to show that there are no ties to Al Qaeda.
They will have to disprove a direct link between Tehran and insurgent attacks in Iraq.
Unfortunately, if they manage to convince the rest of the World that all of this is fiction, then the US will simply manufacture an incident to force an armed conflict.
There is another way of course, and this would involve what many diplomats have suggested, unconditional talks at a very senior level between the US and Iran. I have a feeling that this could have happened on several occasions, but that US policy (they have backed themselves into a corner with rhetoric such as “we do not talk to terrorist states”) together with Israel’s alliance has ruled this out.
“by Gareth Porter
WASHINGTON - Sen. John McCain’s confusion in recent allegations of Iranian training of al Qaeda fighters in Iraq is the result of a drumbeat of official propaganda about close Iran-al Qaeda ties that the George W. Bush administration and neoconservatives have promoted ever since early 2002.”
This is absurd on its face. McCain is confused because he can’t tell the difference between facts and Bushes lies? McCain, who has access to as much intel as anyone on the Senate?
The only possibilites are three:
McCain is conflating threats for his own purposes, or
He really never has troubled to learn the differences, or
He has a terrible memory, to the point that I wouldn’t want him visiting the Oval Office, let alone inhabiting it
That McCain, the quintessential insider, has fallen for propaganda is preposterous. Gareth should know better.
Duh: Al Qaeda’s followers - starting with Bin Laden - are Sunni. Iran is a Shiite nation. It would never train Sunnis or Al Qaeda. The real story should have been that McPain doesn’t know the difference and is therefore unfit to even be in Congress.
And when will everyone quit calling this village strafing and bombing, civilian slaughtering, baby killing war criminal a war hero?
Goiter-face gots my vote! Heez tuff on terra!
Oh Yeah!! It’s the Kool-Aid man singin’ his song to McSame. McSame believes every lie that Dubyuh has put out there for 8 years. Reality has a well known librul bias! The corporate media has given him a Nobel Prize and a Phd in foreign affairs. The fact that the average house cat knows more than he does is rarely allowed to seep through the MSM filter. Give this guy a blankie and send him off to bed before he hurts anyone else.
Another excellent report from Gareth Porter, just as he did after the hyped provocation in the Strait of Hormuz involving (supposedly) Iran. Keep up the good work!
However, I have one criticism of the article, to wit: there is nothing mainstream about the corporate media and it’s right-winged bent. Let’s not grant that they are mainstream at all. Indeed, they represent the hawkish, militaristic war machine and its cheerleaders!
Iran was fighting al-Qaida terrorists before Americans had even heard of the group.
In 1995, the holiest shrine in Iran, located in the city of Mashad in the east of the country, was bombed by al-Qaida killing over 50 people. In 1998, when the Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif fell to the Taliban, the Iranian consulate there was attacked by al-Qaida fighters allied to the Taliban. All 13 Iranian diplomats there were killed.
The neo-cons believe that a lie repeated enough times becomes the truth. In this case, McCain and his apologists just look dumb and dumber.
AndyUK - You have gotten it wrong, the media isn’t controlled by the government the government is controlled by the media and those who own it, the media are the ventriloquists and our representatives are the dummies in every sense of the word.
I agree with others’ observations that Old Man McCain looks a whole lot older lately. He almost shuffles when he walks, looks weak.
Lieberman is an improved Jonathan Pollard ,can`t be a spy if your one of the Policy makers .
KC: I would agree to a certain extent, but in the US, most of the current neocons are themselves totally connected with big business. I would doubt that the media controls Cheney, Rove, Rumsfeld or Wolfowitz, but I would agree that the Murdoch empire, along with other powerful lobby groups can influence decisions and some policy. They can also present news in such a way that it favours their chosen person.
McCain has always been a maniac, his age has nothing to do with it. These “gaffes” are just more confirmation that the neo-cons don’t give a rat’s ass about the truth. They can’t even keep track of their lies!
McCain’s record of crashing expensive military planes and years in the Hanoi Hilton, followed by jingoism in Washington, doesn’t make him the expert on military and foreign policy he claims to be. He got into the Naval Academy because of his father’s influence and graduated near the bottom of his class. Sound like another GOP Commander-in-Chief? He is trying hard to convince us that igniting a civil war in Iraq and replacing a dictatorship with anarchy is worth 4000 American and a million Iraqi lives, 3 trillion dollars, the hatred of the world, increased terrorism and a deep recession. He has largely supported Bush’s sordid agenda and is now endorsing the few parts he previously opposed to gain the support of the party faithful–evangelical Christians, conservative Catholics, right-wing Jews and greedy business people. If you’re pleased with Bush’s record and results, you’ll love McCain. If you’re not certifiably psychotic, deeply comatose or severely intellectually disabled, you won’t.
What’s McCain going to do, have Lieberman on his shoulder at all times correcting his mistakes? Then elect Lieberman instead.
What a mess this country is in. And they’re worried about Obama’s preacher. What a bad joke!
if mccain wins, the ship of state that is already floundering will surely sink as all empires eventually do. but what’s that mean for all of us? it’s hard to predict the shape of things to come but a synergistic blend of economic collapse, martial law, peak oil, extreme effects of climate change, and nuclear war, could deplete our population from 7 billion to a much more sustainable 3 billion by 2050 or so. that’s within the earth’s carrying capacity but the majority of those remaining 3 billion may well have ptsd. still better than alzheimer’s, though. think i’ll move to canada if maccain gets elected and find or found an intentional community dedicated to the next 7 generations. however: anyone else worried like i am that we might not even get to the next election…a little martial law, anyone?
What is the difference between Neocon & Likud?
For the sake of honesty, let’s lose ‘neocon’ a transparently obvious attempt at obfuscation and pre-emptive prevarication.
When Feith and Perleman and Kristol etc call it home it’s just more nazi-zionist Goebbels lies and propaganda. But not using the word neocon would be a good step toward etymological integrity.
Because it’s nazi israel pushing to bomb iran, and it was nazi israel that helped drive the tanks into baghdad. and f opinion polls; i read via those polls most israelis don’t support Gaza etc., bs they rejoice over it.
Interesting spin here on why we might want to attack Iran.
http://www.webofdebt.com/articles/war-with-iran.php
To protect our bankers from the evils of Islamic banking practices. Imagine that.
“Islamic scholars have been seeking to devise a global banking system that would serve as an alternative to the usury-based scheme now in control internationally, and Iran has led the way in devising that model. Iran is characterized as a democratic Islamic republic, which enforces Islamic principles not only morally but legally and politically. The American-backed Shah of Iran was overthrown in 1979, ending 2,500 years of monarchical rule. All domestic Iranian banks were then nationalized, and the government called for the establishment of an Islamic banking system that would replace interest payments with profit-sharing. Iran’s state-owned central bank issues the national currency, with the seigniorage accruing to the government rather than to private banks.16 The Iranian government is among the few to have very little foreign debt. It uses its state-owned banks to make loans and credits available to industrial and agricultural projects. The most unique feature of the Iranian banking system, however, is that it follows the Islamic proscription against usury. That means loans are made interest-free.17
At least, that is true in principle. To make their system work with the prevailing scheme, Islamic economists have had to come up with some creative definitions of “interest.” Assuming Iran can develop a workable alternative model, however, it might well threaten the usury-based banking system that now dominates international finance and trade. If governments were to start doing what banks do now – advancing “credit” created out of nothing with accounting entries – they could sidestep the hefty interest that is the principal cost of most government programs today. It has been estimated that eliminating interest charges could cut the average cost of infrastructure, sustainable energy development, and other programs in half.18 Third World economies might finally escape the iron grip of the international bankers, bringing a 300-year global banking empire crashing down. ”
It’s really that simple. Those who go up against the bankers, get assassinated (Lincoln, JFK), Spitzerized, regime changed or invaded.
Usury is the means of global control.
Jesus threw the money changers out of the temple. Jewish religion forbids charging interest to their brothers, and only allows it to be charged to foreigners. It is forbidden by Islam. Hence the war on Islamofascists.
“What bankers call the “miracle” of compound interest is called “usury” under Islamic law and is considered a crime. It was also a crime under Old English law until the sixteenth century, when Martin Luther redefined the offense of “usury” to mean the taking of “excess” interest. Modern Islamic thinkers are not averse to a profitable return on investment when it takes the form of “profit-sharing,” with investors taking some risk and sharing in business losses; but the usurer gets his interest no matter what. In fact he does better when the borrower fails. The borrower who cannot afford to pay off his loans sinks deeper and deeper into debt, as interest compounds annually to the lender.
The debt trap that snapped shut in 1980 was set in 1974, when OPEC was induced to trade its oil only in U.S. dollars. The price of oil then suddenly quadrupled, and countries with insufficient dollars for their oil needs had to borrow them from international lenders. By 2001, enough money had flowed back to First World banks from Third World debtors to pay the principal due on their original loans six times over; but interest had consumed so much of those payments that the total debt had actually quadrupled.8 In 1980, median income in the richest 10 percent of countries was 77 times greater than in the poorest 10 percent. By 1999, that gap had grown to 122 times greater. In December 2006, the United Nations released a reported titled “World Distribution of Household Wealth,” which concluded that 50 percent of the world’s population now owns only 1 percent of its wealth, while the richest 10 percent of adults owns 85 percent. At interest compounded annually, the debts of the poorer nations can never be repaid but will just continue to grow.”
And we thought it was a war over oil. It is, because we are on the oil standard that supports the dollar that uses usury to enslave nations and it’s own citizens. Oil and for our bankers who have been responsible for virtually every major war for over 100 years, including WW I and WW II.
Get her book. The Truth will not set you free though, just a bit upset.
McCain and Lieberman, now there’s a duo for you! Yeah, the world’ll be a safer place with those two in the White House. Perhaps Sharon will make a recovery and he’ll take Rice’s place. Then we’ll have some real fireworks, eh?
The world has entered the Dark Ages again. Vampires are about. Satan has come to claim us! God has left for another Universe, one where there are no humans. He was seen at the airport shaking His head and muttering something about a ‘complete and utter failure.’
www.dangerouscreation.com
Quoting from the article:
“The high point of the Iran-al Qaeda theme was the spate of stories in the week before the publication of the 9/11 Commission report in July 2004, reporting that the Iranian government had facilitated the transit of eight Sep. 11 hijackers through Iran.”
HA, HA, HA, HA, …. A “dead giveaway” of the 9-11 Commission lying, and so incompetent at this that they pronounce claims that couldn’t possibly be true; not even remotely possible, given they’re absolutely impossible. Not improbable, am I saying, but [impossible]! If something is impossible, then only fools would waste time with trying to determine a probability; impossible meaning that probability is absolutely ZERO.
NO ONE survived the Sep. 11, 2001, hijacked planes that were all and totally destroyed, including absolutely every occupant of these planes; it’s impossible for any of the passengers and crew members to have survived, unless they ejected, and with the use of parachutes, which is something that definitely did NOT happen.
Given the hijackers were human beings and on those planes at the moment they became totally destroyed, it’s impossible that any hijackers survived.
Oh well, this isn’t the sole example of the Bush administration obviously being a factory of lies.
If McCain does become president, then I sure hope he WAKES UP to [reality]; else this world is in for a lot more trouble. We already know that both Billary and Obama not explicitly, but still inherently promise to continue the war of the imperialist-West on Iraq, and that must be ended and justly so. I hope that they’re not making the same mistake McCain is on this Iran-Al Qa’ida matter (non-reality) too.
Obama still dufously (dufusly for non-French) believes the war on Afghanistan is justified and promises to maintain this, and has clearly and strongly sided with attacking legitimate Iran, so I hope he is not confused like McCain clearly is.
All of the folly of believing blatant and obvious enough LIES needs to STOP once and for all. But when and if this starts to significantly happen, then we’ll probably have RP-or-DP-what’s-the-difference Nancy Pelosi and her gang of hypocrites, hegemons, etc., act up again; again against the U.S. Constitution and intl law, and more (everything even remotely good).
Maybe McCain’s problem is that he’s suffering from long-undiagnosed and -recognised PTSD, for he’s confused about something very easy to not be confused about; he’s certainly delusional. I believe that that’s a technically correct way of putting it, but if it isn’t, then I’ll still use it.
In the above post, I said:
“Oh well, this isn’t the sole example of the Bush administration obviously being a factory of lies.”
That’s a little off-based, given the text I had quoted from the article doesn’t mention the Bush administration; only referring to the 9-11 Commission having committed the blatant lie about Iran helping 9-11 hijackers escape from the U.S. However, it fits with the conduct of the Bush administration, anyway; it’s very usual, quasi-100% constant conduct.
Also, “Maybe McCain’s problem is that he’s suffering from long-undiagnosed and -recognised PTSD, …”, should says ‘-unrecognised’.
The secret to winning American elections is to keep the message simple. All the candidates do it. The more nuanced your message, the more votes you lose. McCain is running on the Protect America platform, and as far as he is concerned all of America’s enemies are in cahoots and are directed by al Qaeda. My guess is that the number of people who will buy into that simple equation is in the neighborhood of 59 million.
Watch PBS Frontline “Bush’s War” Monday and Tuesday. McCain will have to get his Iraq/Iran/al queda story cleaned up after that.
Poor John McBomb-bomb. So many countries to invade,with such similar-sounding names, with so many similar-sounding ethnic groups, and so little time. God knows the details would be hard enough to keep track of, even if you were’nt suffering from Alzheimers.
I would imagine when you have told as many lies as the Bush Administration has it’s hard to keep track of all of them. They must have an official play list that their candidate whips out when he needs a good scapegoat for Bush’s failures.
They are consistent in linking Al Qaeda to what ever country they have their sights set on invading. Al Qaeda is the new bogeyman where communism was 30 years ago.
The type of people who feed on fear need that impetus to keep their sheepl following behind them. Terrified if they vote someone else into office the roof will cave in on them. It’s sad the voting public keeps buying into this sick message. You would think that eventually they would wake up to the fact that they are being conned and led around by the nose.
But, I look for sad sack McCain to win. I don’t think the voting populace is smart enough to figure out he is a Bush clone and the mess will continue for years with him.
Not too long ago, McCain made a joke at a campaign stop when he sang parts of the old Beach Boys song “Barbara Ann” to his own lyrics: Instead of “Ba-ba-ba, Ba-barbara Ann,” McCain sang “Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb-bomb Iran.”
This says a lot about McCain’s point of view, apparently in sync with the Bush-Cheney bunch. The fact that he would joke about it is also interesting.
The recent “resignation” of Adm. William Fallon reminds us that the time may be at hand when an attack on Iran by the Bush-Cheney elements may be launched.
More on this in the articles:
“Will Bush, Cheney Attack Iran? When and Why?”
Truthout.org
02 February 2007
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/020207A.shtml
- - -
“Military Draft Needed for War With Iran and Syria?”
Truthout.org
20 September 2006
http://www.truthout.org/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi/64/22754
Interesting posts. One thing I didn’t see mentioned is, McCain is in his position of authority as the Republican nominee because he garned the most votes. ___ Scary.
Do we really want a president who is a member of the childish Tail Hook club? That “bomb bomb Iran” song is how he actually thinks.
HAMMO — Scary Truth!
It is possible that
McLame is more qualified to seek
a recording contract,
than the presidency.
Namaste
I have a Canadian friend who told me that decades ago the Canadians knew that Americans absolutely love to make war. Since we have the world’s strongest military and the most advanced lethal weapons, nukes, etc., we can’t let them go to waste now, can we. Can we?
John McCain even makes up songs about bombing a country — Iran — that is NO threat. How pathetic and immoral is that. If you want more unnecessary war, vote for a Republican Mad Dog of War like McCain.
Actually, I’m not so sure about the Democrats either, as they go along with and support the Dogs of War.
This is a real education!
“MiMiCcS March 23rd, 2008 12:57 am
Interesting spin here on why we might want to attack Iran.
http://www.webofdebt.com/articles/war-with-iran.php
To protect our bankers from the evils of Islamic banking practices. Imagine that.”
Thanks for the link, MiMiCcS.
Compound Interest must really be the miracle the banks claim because when I looked it up on my Mac I got “compound interest” could not be found.
I remember the curent admin declaring that Saddam / Iraq was working with Al Q terrorists, so how is this new fiasco a surprise - fact is: facts are irrelevant - they know the majority of citizens of the US are brain dead and action-averse therefore they can get away with their actions.
Heres a sickening thought. Mccain and Lieberman win the Whitehouse and Alzheimer Mccain dies, and we are left with President Lieberman. Now where did I leave my passport….
Change of opinion. The Frontline story tomorrow won’t make McCain get his facts straight. We will kick it around here, but most people really just don’t care, and a lot of them will vote for McCain.
Some of you guys are making me feel bad.
I’m a year older than McCain is and my youngest daughter sent me a $50 check for my birthday present. That really made me feel my age. ___ Hey, Benjamin Franklin was over 70 when he managed to do his very best diplomacy with France. It isn’t McCain’s age, it’s the fact that he’s acting like a teenager, he always has.
This is a bit of a tangent, and hair-splitting to boot, but as a reader of Joseph Campbell, I must point out that lies and myths are both factually
untrue, but myths are devised to point at the truth whereas lies are devised to mislead. The Iran/Al Qaeda connection is not a myth, but a lie…
and a very transparent one.
After the Clinton’s enable McCain to gain the White House, as they did W., we’ll see in short order, a draft. No deferments; all the boys and girls will get to fight in Iraq, Afganistan, Iran, perhaps Syria, maybe Lebannon, and domestically, our failed wars on drugs and illegal immigration and, of course, our soon to be declared war on those citizens who dare dissent. So now, with the stock market in retreat, it is the perfect time to load up on stocks that cater to our warrior culture. Since much of our material for soldiers is made in China, we’ve got the double benefit of being able to invest in growth stocks while supporting the communist/totalitarian country where they’re made.
Sweet. But with McCain, we get the added bonus of keeping our Bush tax cuts, the better to further us in our battle against nation solvency. I’ve never been prouder to be an American.
In most polls, the number one issue with voters is the economy. McCain admits that he doesn’t
know much about economics but is reading up on the subject. At least he knows how to read.
Hope he’s not reading, “The Theory Of Economics”.
To: Militant Liberal: the Democrats haven’t done what we all hoped they would. Bush has effectively hamstrung them. Nevertheless, if it weren’t for the Democrats feeble attempts we would have nothing and Bush would be the only one on the ballot. It may still turn out that way. Instead of bitching and pulling your hair, tell us what you have done to improve the situation? How many letters to Editors have you written, how many to your Senators and Representatives? How many people do you alert every day to the dangers we face? Or are you just another bitcher?
There is far too much bandwith expended here discussing Whitebread McCain (all due respect). This is passe and two-dimensional. Historians will file Whitebread McCain under NDR (No De-encryption Required).
elmeztisogordo - “The Iran/Al Qaeda connection is not a myth, but a lie…
and a very transparent one.”
I can’t really add to this, but to say that the media are continually lying to us, and that the US/UK leadership have lied to us for the past seven years, in order to get what they want.
John McCain has made several remarks trying to link Iran and Al Quaeda, and so has the rest of the administration. They have also bullied the UN into placing sanctions on Iran, and for what - alleged breaches of the NPT.
Debra Cagan has made remarks, claiming that she “hates all Iranians”, whilst McCain sings about bombing Iran.
My personal thoughts on this whole situation, have progressed to the point, where I think the US (and possibly the UK) should be thrown out of the UN, because they cannot be trusted to behave honestly.
There is no doubt in my mind, that an attack on Iran, would involve the whole region in a war, which would make the Iran/Iraq war pale into insignificance.
You in the US, have elected and re-elected a bunch of people, who are the most greedy, cowardly cabal of hyenas, who have ever been in office. They are prepared to unleash unimaginable horror on a region thousands of miles from you, against a people who have never attacked you.
Don’t waste time wondering how they sleep at night, because they are not like the rest of us. They do not have a conscience, they do not care about anyone else, not even their friends or families.
The rest of the World cannot help you in the US right this problem, but you have to put it right and soon, because I don’t want to see millions of people dying in a holocaust initiated by the US.
According to the MSNBC polls this weekend, McCain is ahead of both Hillary and Obama. America seems to have embraced being in Iraq for a hundred years. Americans have learned nothing from the past eight years, the koolaid drinkers.
If McCain names Dick Cheney as his vice president, then he would have all
the information he needs about Sunni vs. Shiite etc. at his finger tips. Imagine what a resource Cheney would be to the next president! Furthermore, with Cheney as vice president, the transition to the McCain administration would be a cake walk. ( People often remark on how practical I am. )
Why 4K? http://icasualties.org/oif/
U.S. Deaths Confirmed By The DoD: 3992
Reported U.S. Deaths Pending DoD Confirmation: 8
Total 4000
DoD Confirmation List
Latest Coalition Fatality: Mar 23, 2008
03/23/08 MNF: 4MND-B Soldiers attacked by IED
Four Multi-National Division - Baghdad Soldiers were killed at approximately 10 p.m. March 23 after terrorists attacked them with an improvised-explosive device in southern Baghdad while conducting a mounted vehicular patrol.
03/22/08 MNF: MND-B Soldiers attacked by IED
Three Multi-National Division - Baghdad Soldiers were killed when an improvised explosive device struck their vehicle during a patrol northwest of Baghdad March 22. Two Iraqi civilians were also killed in the attack.
Kem;
It’s not just about age, it’s about what you’re doing as you get older. An elder can do a lot of good in the world - Franklin - or pull some really dumb shit as he topples into senility - Reagan. How old was Wilson when he was pres, and might his age have had an effect on his presidency? (I should google this, but am chronically lazy.) The art of diplomacy is not as taxing on an individual’s health as is running a country. That’s why I argued that there should be an upper limit to those considered for the presidency, the older you get the less stress you should be willing to undertake.
I agree ~Skippy~, 60 should be the limit, they should also have to pass a drug test, a psycho exam and be free of venerial disease. Of course then we might not have any candidates.
These war profiteering hawks have the nerve to condemn abortion while dropping bombs on babies in the middle-east. If they had a billion people killed, they’d consider it “Mission Accomplished.” I guess that’s why they are against abortion; they want a fresh supply of people to kill for endless war.
Tired old lie: “We fight them over there so we don’t have to fight them over here.” Iraq never planned to attack the U.S., had no weapons to do so, and had nothing to do with 9/11. Why is it no one ever challenges the liars on that one? It’s like the reporters are scared silly to ask even one hard question.
Is he really that goofy?
Or is he bending over and taking it for the bush boy again?
McLame, McSame, it is hard to believe the DePublicans are offering up a candidate stupider than President Bush.
Ya know ~Twoblueday~, I don’t think it’s fair to take the one thing Bush has going for him away like that. Even Bush deserves a legacy of some type.
Differences between GWB & OBL:
1. Which one of them sends his own people to die in the process of killing other people who have not attacked them?
2. Which one of them arouses fear and animosity among most of the nations of the world?
3. Which one never exposes himself to the general population where he lives – who only appears in the midst of carefully screened supporters?
4. Which one claims Divine guidance?
5. Which one accuses the other of satanic alliance?
6. Which one promotes ethnic animosity and discrimination?
7. Which one substitutes arrogance, demagoguery and violence for statesmanship?
8. Which one pursues policies that diminish the quality of life for large numbers of people while concentrating wealth and power among a few?
9. Which one relies on financial and political support from powerful sources suspected or convicted of illicit activities?
10. Which one relies on a following of true believers who exhibit a blind faith in his statements when rational people find them absurd?
11. Which one of them was not elected by a majority vote?
* * * * * * * *
It seems to go unnoticed (or at least unmentioned) that GWB and OBL have a symbiotic relationship. Each depends on the other for political fuel that neither could have acquired on his own.
Respondents to this survey generally fall into to two groups:
• Those who do not like the questions.
• Those who do not like the answers.
What about the Osama-al Qaeda myth? 9/11/01 was an inside job!
The only video you need to see regarding the collapse of the WTC:
Warning: naughty words and controversial ideas: 9/11 The Emperors Clothes
Suspects:
Heinz Alfred Kissinger
Ronald S. Lauder
Michael Chertoff
Larry Silverstein
Peter S. Lowy
Frank Lowy
Uzi Arad
Benjamin Netanyahu
Buzzy Krongard
Mayo Shattuck
Jerome Hauer
Maurice Sonnenberg
Richard Bruce Cheney
Don Radlauer
Philip Zelikow
John Deutsch
Paul Wolfowitz
Richard N. Perle
Douglas Feith
Stephen E. Herbits
Maurice “Hank” Greenberg
Michael G. Cherkasky
Peter G. Peterson
David Rockefeller
Lewis Paul “Jerry” Bremer III
Tom Brokaw
Andrea Mitchel Greenspan
Heinz Alfred Kissinger
Urban Moving Systems
The names of the five Israelis arrested on 09/11/01 are:
Sivan Kurzberg (AKA Sylvian Kurcheil),
Paul Kurzberg (AKA Paul Kurcheil),
Yaron Shmuel(AKA Vyron Shmuel),
Oded Ellner and
Omer Marmari.
The men were employees of Urban, which is believed to have
been a Mossad front company, and was owned by an Israeli Citizen named
Dominik Suter, who fled the United States almost immediately.
Heinz Alfred Kissinger
It has always been unplausible to me that the GWB administration does not completely understand the situation they’ve hopelessly mired us in in the Persian Gulf. Rather than blindly invlolving us there (the incompetence theory,) they understood very well the succession of events likely to follow should we destabilize Iraq. The target all along has been Iran, we invaded Iraq because they were weak.
It was physically and culturally impossible for Iran not to become “involved” in the power struggle in Iraq. The GWB goons know this, and because of the fantastic propaganda success that led to the invasion of Iraq, they are confident that any inevitable ties between Iran and Iraq can be characterized as official governmental “meddling” by Iran. Pretty simple really, but then what do you expect from such simple minds.
Will that xenophobic and militaristic segment of America (they are not the majority!)that still supports the PNAC vision of The New American Century be able to shout down the rest of humanity opposed to a criminal air assault on Iran?
I think John McCain has one guiding principle. He believes that we should have completed the destruction of Viet Nam and is sure that had we “done it right” we’d have no problems today with would-be challengers. A very sick man.
3 million dead Vietnamese, 65,000 dead Americans, a land poisoned who knows haw far into the future resulting in highly-elevated rates of cancers and birth defects, probably thousands of tons of unexploded ordinance ready to remind the Vietnamese of our intervention. And McCain believes we should have done more?
Only the Democrats can lose this election, because I’m sure McCain will step on his dick so often and so obviously, that he will be seen to be the simple-minded doddering buffoon that he really is.
skeptimist March 24th, 2008 8:22 am
Differences between GWB & OBL:
bin Laden is dead.
Here’s a big clue as to who was behind the 9/11/01 terrorist attacks: The Henry A. Kissinger CFR Roundtable on Terrorism
John McCbush will just be another tragic 4 years for the US.
Anybody voting for him and his “loser policies,” ought to be ashamed to show their faces at the pols.
Like America needs another 4 years of this crap. Instead of voting for republicans, America ought to be telling republicans to pack and go!
With any luck the door will hit them in the arse on their way out; might actually knock some sense into them.
The beast is just dreaming of what fun he had killing from the air, living a lifetime at our expense in the greatest welfare program in history - the Amerikan military.
Hetware writes:
“What about the Osama-al Qaeda myth? 9/11/01 was an inside job!
The only video you need to see regarding the collapse of the WTC:”
Hetware, check out http://www.debunking911.com/ for a more scientific view.
It is true that Israel Intel and many other Intel services know it was coming… but Bush ignored it all since he and his Dad were illegally set up in business by the Saudi King and did not want to open the snake pit but it will come out when they are gone.
Atta was bein trained here in Florida with money from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
It was in many ways an Inside Job but it was a clever one that did not need an impossible Demolition theory (except as a distraction) that would have blown the whole plan….there are no secrets anymore just official denials.
You got it half right but need more study.
A better way to defeat John McCain than criticizing his foreign policy is to squarely tag him with the evangelicals as being a long time beneficiary of the beer business. The idea of following a recovering alcoholic (Bush) in The White House with someone who gets rich on the beer business of a second wife (McCain)—someone who MAKES alcoholics for profit is anathema a real Christians. Most of them just don’t know about this. Google: Cindy McCain + Beer, read, learn and tell people. McCain’s war stance is not his main detriment. With proper publicity of the beer, he CANNOT win.
What’s wrong with beer? All of the Christians I know drink beer and wine. They fuck too.
Hetware, check out http://www.debunking911.com/ for a more scientific view. The debunking911 site is a farce. It is nothing more than a mockery of the gullible. I have spent the better part of two years researching 9/11 from the political connections to the quantum statistical mechanics of blackbody radiation.
Our treasonous media are willfully derelict in upholding their end of the social contract. Their complicity in the cover up is criminal. Those not guilty of high treason are at least guilty of misprision of treason.
The reason you do not see links to valid 9/11 research sites is because Common Dreams blocks any posts containing them. They are more than willing to facilitate the promulgation of lies, but they do not tolerate the honest communication of relevant and factual information.
Daniel David March 24th, 2008 10:00 pm
Google: Cindy McCain + Beer
Try McCain+Greenbaum