It's all Iran again
Yesterday, Defense Secretary Bill Gates tried once again to raise Iran as the primary enemy in Iraq.
And, in the WaPo,
Similar comments by Ryan Crocker in the NYTimes.
(Of course, according to Petraeus yesterday, the Basra fiasco was mainly a failure of Maliki's government.)
The Iranians are unquestionably acting inside Iraq, but I think it's important to look at the timing and political utility of how and when Iran is brought up. Having that external enemy has a utility in shaping and selling the war effort.
(Someone in the GOP needs to make sure John McCain knows that Iran is Shia.)
Iranian support for militias in Iraq has grown, top U.S. defense leaders said Friday, asserting that recent battles in Basra gave the Iraqis an eye-opening view of Iran's increased negative role there.
And, in the WaPo,
Last week's violence in Basra and Baghdad has convinced the Bush administration that actions by Iran, and not al-Qaeda, are the primary threat inside Iraq, and has sparked a broad reassessment of policy in the region, according to senior U.S. officials.
Similar comments by Ryan Crocker in the NYTimes.
“I don’t think a proxy war is being waged from an American point of view.” But, he added, “When you look at what the Iranians are doing and how they’re doing it, it could well be that.”
(Of course, according to Petraeus yesterday, the Basra fiasco was mainly a failure of Maliki's government.)
The Iranians are unquestionably acting inside Iraq, but I think it's important to look at the timing and political utility of how and when Iran is brought up. Having that external enemy has a utility in shaping and selling the war effort.
(Someone in the GOP needs to make sure John McCain knows that Iran is Shia.)
posted by mikevotes at
6:55 AM
6 Comments:
They had a segment on Glenn Beck too. Looks like an orchestrated effort.
By
Anonymous, at 11:48 AM
I think it is. If you'll remember there was also a campaign pushing Iran around "the surge" selling, and then another around Petraeus' last report.
By
mikevotes, at 1:44 PM
The big selling point now is that the US is protecting Iraq from the evil Iranians (who also have nukes pointed at Europe).
By
Anonymous, at 2:03 PM
Yeah.
There's also the exceptionalism assumption that the US has the right to interfere in Iraq and the Iranians don't.
By
mikevotes, at 2:08 PM
Did you hear about Bush's speech the other day which stated that America's two biggest threats are Iran and al Qaeda?
Iraq is where the threats converge. Brilliant framing. The media publishes the whole thing without mentioning they are not connected.
Just like Saddam and 911. Never said they were connected, but if you mention it in the same breath enough times, people will connect the dots themselves.
By
Praguetwin, at 3:23 PM
Right.
And you have the Republican candidate out doing the same thing.
By
mikevotes, at 3:26 PM
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