Andrew Cockburn comments on a new US covert initiative that is truly frightening in its scope… “Six weeks ago, President Bush signed a secret finding authorizing a covert offensive against the Iranian regime that, according to those familiar with its contents, "unprecedented in its scope." Bush’s secret directive covers actions across a huge geographic area – from Lebanon to Afghanistan – but is also far more sweeping in the type of actions permitted under its guidelines – up to and including the assassination of targeted officials. ...More »

Since the advent of the nuclear age, only two nuclear weapons have ever been employed, both in August of 1945 on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. While many will argue that their use was required to avoid directly invading the Japanese islands, an effort that the government and military at the time claimed would cost the lives of upwards of a million US soldiers, the reality was that most of Japan has been decimated by conventional fire bombing, that the government of Japan ...More »

If you’re labouring under the misconception that the Bush Administration is going to leave office without first confronting the Iranians, it’s time to start paying serious attention. The propaganda machine is in full swing, led by a new report by the State Department that labels Iran the most active sponsor of terrorism. If you can believe it, the Sudanese government actually ranked lower despite the fact that it has been complicit in supporting the Janjiweed who have been responsible for a genocidal campaign in Darfur. ...More »

The Bush administration is running out of time. Since President Bush singled out Iran as a member of his auspicious Axis Of Evil, the gears have been turning with regards to how best to confront the Iranians. Obviously, condemnation of Iran’s nuclear program was never going to provide substantial pretext given the precedent set during run up to the invasion of Iraq and the wholly erroneous information provided the Security Council, and others, pertaining to Iraq’s quest for nuclear materials, among other things. The best ...More »

Gareth Porter goes to town regarding the recent Hormuz incident and the Pentagon’s involvement in sensationalizing it… “Senior Pentagon officials, evidently reflecting a broader administration policy decision, used an off-the-record Pentagon briefing to turn the Jan. 6 U.S.-Iranian incident in the Strait of Hormuz into a sensational story demonstrating Iran's military aggressiveness, a reconstruction of the events following the incident shows. The initial press stories on the incident, all of which can be traced to a briefing by deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs in ...More »

Mr. Bush and company have roughly one year and five months left before vacating the halls of power. As was the case in 1968, the President will exit the White House with the nation at war, leaving the problem for another to solve. In the meantime, more American fighting men and women will perish, more Iraqis will perish, the world will become more insecure, and the divisions between its peoples will grow. Over the next year and five months, one vital question remains with regards ...More »

You simply can’t cut an arms deal with certain nations in one of the world’s most conflict ridden regions without cutting another to counterbalance it. So that is precisely what the United States is in the midst of doing. The US is currently preparing an arms deal with the Saudis and other Gulf states worth $20 billion dollars over the next decade. But as expected, the Israelis aren’t entirely too happy about the prospect of it, so the United States plans to extend to them ...More »

There comes a point when you have to seriously wonder why the need for convolution is required when it comes to confronting Iran. The United States has made it very clear, in numerous ways, that it has intentions with regards to Iran, so why not simply pull the trigger? Iran is a member of President Bush's illustrious 'Axis Of Evil', a state sponsor of terrorism, etc. The US has used Iran’s nuclear program as a center piece for their condemnation of the country and its goals. They have ...More »

Sitting up last night reading the morning editions of the European Daily’s, I cam across the trailer for Michael Moore’s new film ‘Sicko’ which has, of course, already caused controversy in the US and it’s not even slated for release in theatres until June 29th. The best clip in the trailer is when Moore shows up in the waters just off of the US base at Guantanamo in a boat with three sick 9/11 rescue workers who have been unable to get the assistance they ...More »

A few days ago I posted an entry that I then retracted because I wanted to compile more substantial information before proceeding. The entry was about US plans to, according to ABC’s The Blotter… “…mount a covert ‘black’ operation to destabilize the Iranian government…a CIA plan that reportedly includes a coordinated campaign of propaganda, disinformation and manipulation of Iran’s currency and international financial transactions”. The same day that The Blotter posted that entry, The Guardian newspaper in the UK ran a piece entitled Iran's secret plan for ...More »