Iran Remains Defiant, Nuclear Agency Says
By DAVID E. SANGER and WILLIAM J. BROAD; Published: Sep. 6, 2010
WASHINGTON -- Three months after the United Nations Security Council enacted its harshest sanctions yet against Iran, global nuclear inspectors reported Monday that the country has dug in its heels, refusing to provide inspectors with the information and access they need to determine whether the real purpose of Tehran's program is to produce weapons....Imagine that! Iran doesn't trust what might happen when you cooperate with the IAEA. What events in history could cause not just the Iranian enemy, but any reasonable person to doubt the motives of Washington?
Writer and former CIA presidential briefer Ray McGovern recently has pointed to the obvious answer -- Iran hawks in the White House are trying to figure out how to re-run the fall 2002 George W. Bush playbook. Despite a few skeptics like Admiral Blair (who was fired last spring), "pressure is building" to come up with some sort of "Curveball II" so the null 2007 nuclear estimate on Iran can be rewritten in time for Democrats to run a fear campaign in October. THIS STORY by McGovern from July lays out the case. An Iranian scientist, Shahram Amiri, who had been in the U.S. for 14 months until earlier this summer did not quite fill the bill. But as can be seen from the story above, there is plenty of dry powder left in the armory.
For those unfamiliar with Curveball, THIS long post from the old blog is a detailed examination of the "mobile bioweapons labs" canards -- the famously non-existent "Winnebagos of Death."
Today's particular story about Iran not filing reports to the liking of it's enemies eerily reminds me of a story from exactly eight years ago this week:
Bush, Blair make case against Iraq
CNN; September 7, 2002
CAMP DAVID, Maryland (CNN) -- President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Saturday there is ample evidence that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction, but critics questioned that conclusion and late Saturday some of the evidence the leaders cited was brought into question....I dare say there was more critical reporting then than there is now. It's almost like the War Party has learned better how to manage media than major media has learned about how to report skeptically on official claims.
Blair said on Saturday morning, "We only need look at the report from the International Atomic Energy Agency this morning, showing what has been going on at a former nuclear weapon site."
He said satellite pictures indicate new construction in Iraq at "former nuclear weapon sites."
Blair said he had just read about a number of attempts by Saddam to conceal weapons of mass destruction and concluded that he must act. "A policy of inaction is not a policy we can responsibly subscribe to," he said.
From a political point of view, I highly doubt that the U.S. Democratic administration in power can get the same mileage out of Iran fear mongering that the Republicans did in 2002. It just doesn't work the same for Democrats.
About former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, isn't there a dock for him somewhere at The Hague? At least the sickening image of Blair strutting around his new book like a puffed-up peacock is being met by vigorous and healthy protest:
When Mr Blair visited Dublin, protesters threw shoes and eggs and one attempted to perform a citizen's arrest. He has now confirmed his second public appearance, an event at a branch of Waterstone's in Piccadilly, will be scrapped.
Mr Blair said: "I have decided not to go ahead with the signing as I don?t want the public to be inconvenienced by the inevitable hassle caused by protestors."
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