U.S.: Iran giving weapons to kill troops.

That’s the headline given this Associated Press story posted online at the Houston Chronicle website. Here’s the relevant excerpt:

WASHINGTON — Deeply distrustful of Iran, the White House expressed skepticism Monday about Tehran’s plans to greatly expand its economic and military ties with Iraq, where the United States has accused Iran of supporting terrorism and supplying weapons to kill American forces. […]

“If Iran wants to quit playing a destructive role in the affairs of Iraq and wants to play a constructive role, we would certainly welcome that,” National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said. But, he said, “We’ve seen little evidence to date (of constructive activities) and frankly all we have seen is evidence to the contrary.”

The White House says there has been growing evidence over the last several months that Iran is supporting terrorists inside Iraq and is a major supplier of bombs and other weapons used to target U.S. forces. In recent weeks, U.S. forces have detained a number of Iranian agents in Iraq.

Please note very carefully, what the Bush administration reportedly stated to this AP reporter. They have “seen evidence” and they claim there is “growing evidence” that Iran is supporting “terrorists inside Iraq” by supplying them with “bombs and weapons” to be used against “US troops.” This is a masterful example of how to spin a “story,” or more accurately promote a lie.

(cont.)

What and Where is the Evidence?

We are not told what “evidence” has been discovered, seen, found, examined, what have you, by the Bush administration, our intelligence agencies or the military in Iraq which supports this claim. Presumably, if they had solid evidence of these “bombs and weapons” Iran is providing, the US military commanders in Baghdad, or Pentagon officials would “show” that “evidence” to the press, would they not? In the past, we have certainly seen enough “dog and pony” shows by the Pentagon, Defense department officials and even the odd Secretary of State when they claimed to have evidence of WMD, or proof that the US military forces had targeted military, as opposed to civilian, targets. So if there is evidence, where is it?

This is not a mere trifling objection. We have seen too many examples over the last few years where the Bush administration and/or the military has lied or misled the American public about what is happening in the “War on Terror” and specifically with regards to Iraq. Here’s a few examples of things we have been told by our President, his senior officials and/or the US military that later proved to be false:

We were told that there was no doubt Saddam had WMD which could reach British troops in Crete within 45 minutes and that they knew where these monstrous weapons were stored.

We were told there would be only 30,000 US troops in Iraq by the end of 2003.

We were told US troops did not use white phosphorus munitions in its assault on Fallujah.

We were told the abuse and torture at Abu Ghraib was just the fault of a few rogue National Guardsmen” deployed there as military police.

We were told there was no massacre of Iraqi civilians by Marines in Haditha.

We were told that an Iraqi police official, a source for stories the AP office in Baghdad reported, did not exist.

Well, you get the point. And that’s a short list of the many lies, evasions and untruths that our government has told us regarding the Iraq war. So excuse me if I want something a little more than mere allegations by Bush and his officials that Iran is providing these weapons. In short, show me the weapons that are coming from Iran, if you have them, or show me whatever other evidence (photographs, witnesses with personal knowledge, etc.) that supports these claims.

Is that really too much to ask? Especially when very similar claims were debunked by our coalition allies as recently as 4 months ago:

ON THE IRAQ-IRAN BORDER — Since late August, British commandos in the deserts of far southeastern Iraq have been testing one of the most serious charges leveled by the United States against Iran: that Iran is secretly supplying weapons, parts, funding and training for attacks on U.S.-led forces in Iraq. […]

There’s just one thing.

“I suspect there’s nothing out there,” the commander, Lt. Col. David Labouchere, said last month, speaking at an overnight camp near the border. “And I intend to prove it.”

Other senior British military leaders spoke as explicitly in interviews over the previous two months. Britain, whose forces have had responsibility for security in southeastern Iraq since the war began, has found nothing to support the Americans’ contention that Iran is providing weapons and training in Iraq, several senior military officials said.

“I have not myself seen any evidence — and I don’t think any evidence exists — of government-supported or instigated” armed support on Iran’s part in Iraq, British Defense Secretary Des Browne said in an interview in Baghdad in late August.

But that’s how the “big lie” technique works. You don’t stop telling it when confronted with contradictory facts, you just keep repeating it over and over, in order to drown out the truth and firmly fix the lie in the minds of those who are gullible and fearful, and this willing to accept rumor as fact, and unproven assertions as gospel.

Who are the Terrorists receiving Iranian weapons?

Please note the nomenclature employed to describe the recipient of these “weapons” which are used “to kill” our troops. Iran is not claimed to be providing arms to the Sunni insurgents, nor to Al Qaeda in Iraq or even to foreign fighters. Iran is not even described as having provided Shi’a militias with these weapons. Instead, the vague, but definitely loaded term, “terrorists” is used to define those who are claimed to be the beneficiaries of Iran’s largesse. Because terrorists are always the enemy.

It really doesn’t matter that the situation in Iraq is divided among a myriad of factions, some who are fighting each other, some who are fighting our soldiers there, and some who are even working with our troops to kill their sectarian or factional rivals. Let’s just refer to them all as terrorists. That’s simpler, easier for those who don’t wish to understand the true situation in Iraq to digest. It’s a battle of good and evil. Insurgents, competing Shi’ite militias, Iraqi police units, interior ministry sponsored death squads, the small number of foreign fighters — they’re all terrorists. So to whomever Iran may be providing assistance doesn’t really matter. Whoever it is, they must be evil, they must hate us, and they must be killing Americans.

That’s what terrorists do.

The Disinformation Campaign Re: Iran.

As for any proof that Iran is handing weapons to terrorists who are using them to kill our troops, that isn’t deemed necessary, apparently, by the administration. We are supposed to take their word for it. Just like we took their word for it that Saddam had ties to Al Qaeda, had a viable nuclear program, had sought to buy uranium from Niger and had WMD ready to be deployed at a moment’s notice. All claims made by them in the run-up to the Iraq war

But these accusations regarding Iran is just a continuation of a long running disinformation campaign by the administration and the Pentagon which has been targeted, not at our enemies, but at you and I and every other American citizen. Initially it was aimed at justifying and rallying public support for an invasion of Iraq in the wake of 9/11. Now it is directed to achieve the same goals for an long planned for attack on Iran.

We are now seeing many published stories in the media which support this campaign to misinform and mislead us into another Middle Eastern conflict. I’ve blogged about it before (most recently here, here, here) and here), and probably will again.

This AP story, which essentially provides the White House the opportunity to freely spread these unsupported allegations without any comment form those with differing opinions, and without reference to stories which contradict the Bush administration’s preferred narrative that Iran is now the “clear and present danger” to our “liberties and freedoms,” is just one more example of the information war being waged against the American people. And It won’t be the last.

Because this Big Lie isn’t going to stop until Bush leaves office or we attack Iran.

[PRESIDENT BUSH] “The Iranian regime and its terrorist proxies have demonstrated their willingness to kill Americans — and now the Iranian regime is pursuing nuclear weapons. The world is working together to prevent Iran’s regime from acquiring the tools of mass murder. The international community has made a reasonable proposal to Iran’s leaders, and given them the opportunity to set their nation on a better course. So far, Iran’s leaders have rejected this offer. Their choice is increasingly isolating the great Iranian nation from the international community, and denying the Iranian people an opportunity for greater economic prosperity. It’s time for Iran’s leader to make a different choice. And we’ve made our choice. We’ll continue to work closely with our allies to find a diplomatic solution. The world’s free nations will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon.”