Letters to the Editor
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Bill Owen and war in Iran
Here is what I think it going on. A big fight. And I don't mean in Iraq.
Hersh was absolutely correct on the evidence. At one point America had half, half, its navy in the Persian Gulf! Then there was the steady drumbeat of rather clumsy propaganda about EFP's, some of it denied by General Pace even at the time.
Then we heard from Adm. Fallon who said, "not on my watch". I have observed that senior serving officers rarely take the time to deny things that aren't on the table. (Fallon now denies saying this now) I think Fallon took the wind from their sails. For a time.
Since then it's been a pretty steady rain, of Iran this, Iran that. Then came the NIE that said there was no program. It was a huge message to Bush from saner elements in the intelligence community and the Pentagon. Unfortunately, Bush and Chtheny simply routed around the damage, saying that they did not believe it and started bloviating about "capacity". The Israelis of course chimed in with what they said was their own assessment -- that in fact there was a program.
Bill, only a fool would underestimate this administration's capacity for evil. If they see that Obama is going to win in a landslide as I have thought for some time and they launched a real shooting was with Iran that spread --- could they just call off the elections? It has happened in other places and I seem to recall some flap about national emergency plans last summer.
What if some Iranian bastard caused a '9-11 type event' just months or weeks before the election and Bush declared a national state of emergency. Would Americans have the balls to fight him?