So now the “evidence” of Iran’s supposed meddling in Iraq has been “presented” to a select number of people and is being used as further reason to bomb the country back to the Stone Age. Well, sorry for not being whipped into a feverish bloodthirsty frenzy, but it seems an awful lot like “been there, done that”.
And since this “evidence” was only presented to certain people in the military and we are supposed to trust those who are telling us “no really, this time we are serious, there really is evidence”, I still have a few questions. Excuse me for being the skeptic, but I think We the People are owed an explanation and just a wee bit more detail.
How do we know that this evidence actually exists? If all we are seeing are pictures of purported evidence, how do we know that these pictures aren’t the same “cheap forgeries” that related to another country a few short years ago?
How do we know that this information has anything at all to do with Iran’s government when even General Pace doesn’t think there is a link? How do we know that the source of this evidence is any more credible than my sister’s husband’s cousin’s uncle’s grandchild’s babysitter? How do we know that, even if this “weapons cache” was used in Iraq that it wasn’t specifically planted by Sunni insurgents as a false flag?
How do we know that the US isn’t being played (just as it was by Ahmad Chalabi) by Sunnis in order to divert attention towards Iran and the Shiites in Iraq? How do we know that the intelligence community is in agreement about this supposed evidence, especially when National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley recently called it “overstated”? How do we know that this evidence, which was also recently called “scant” actually even exists?
How do we know that this evidence didn’t come from sources other than the ever-credible “sources” like discredited arms dealers who were involved with Iran-Contra? How do we know that this evidence isn’t being “stovepiped” like the evidence on Iraq? How do we know that Office of Special Plans evidence manipulator Abram Shulsky isn’t manipulating evidence again?
How do we know that, even if this “evidence” is accurate, that it is being used in attacks against our troops? How do we know that Saudi Arabia ISN’T at least as involved or even more involved in the financing for weapons that are shooting down our helicopters? How do we know that Pakistan isn’t harboring terrorists and turning a blind eye towards attacks by the Taliban against our troops in Afghanistan?
How do we know that you aren’t lying once again? How do we know that you aren’t going to lie this country into war again? How do we know that the pre-dawn raid in December that led to the detaining of Iranian diplomats wasn’t specifically meant as an act of aggression? How do we know that your intentions are any different you’re your intentions on Iraq, where war was predetermined regardless of the facts?
Sorry to burst your bubble here, but this world already got suckered once. You fooled us once. And before you fool us twice, just know that, um, you can’t get fooled again.
