Iraq, Lies, and the Drums Of War

Both Washington and the news media are bending over backwards to drum up support for a war with Iran. In the proud tradition of incubator babies and yellowcake, they are both twisting the facts and outright lying. The further you go to the right-wing of the news media, the bigger and more belligerent the lies.

First of all, let's look at some examples.

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The so-called mainstream media isn't much better.
Consider the WashPost.

Instead of might, the besieging of the embassy showed that the United States could be humiliated. The militants, posing as “protesters” despite many wearing military fatigues and carrying militia banners, smashed through the main gate, battered down doors and set fires inside the compound before setting up camp outside. Their actions are a slap to the face of America’s self-perception as a force to be reckoned with and whose deterrence capability is enough to allow it to act unchallenged. As made clear by senior U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Washington aimed Sunday’s retaliatory strikes at “deterring Iran and protecting American lives.”

Clearly, however, Iran did not get the memo.

Through all of these articles you would never guess two simple, undeniable facts that would completely change the way Americans would look at the situation if they were properly informed.

#1) Both the militia members we killed in the air strike, and the protesters who tried to storm the U.S. embassy are Iraqis, not Iranians!
The media making it sound like Iranians are attacking us reminds me of 2002, when the news media decided that the best way to stop al-Qaeda was to attack a country where they weren't - Iraq.

#2) I'll let the Iraqi Prime Minister Mahdi explain this one.

"American forces acted on their political priorities, not those of the Iraqis," a statement said, adding that such strikes "violate the sovereignty of Iraq." The attacks "force Iraq to review its relations and its security, political and legal framework to protect its sovereignty," the government added.

"The prime minister described the American attack on the Iraqi armed forces as an unacceptable vicious assault that will have dangerous consequences."

We attacked "the Iraqi armed forces", not Iranian armed forces.
Those militias have been part of Iraq's security forces since 2016.
In other words, it was an act of war against Iraq, not Iran.

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Yes, the militias were originally formed by Iran and are still pro-Iranian, but that pales in comparison to the facts that we are killing Iraqis in Iraq's security forces.

That should be enough right there, but if you've read this far you deserve a bonus point. So let me present you with a bit of irony from just two years ago.

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Yes, the same guys we bombed the other day can be seen here driving around in $1 million U.S. taxpayer supplied Abram tanks.

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edg's picture

Whether it's Trump delaying free missiles to Ukraine or a future Democratic president trying to end the war with Iran that started in 2020, the Deep State is not going to idly stand by and watch defense contractor profits take a hit. Impeachment, assassination -- nothing is off the table when it comes to bringing recalcitrant presidents back onto the reservation.

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@edg
Besides the fact that we cannot win that war, it would be a disaster for mainstream politicians in an election year.

meanwhile...

“It’s a question of political will,” he said, alluding to the central issue of whether Iraq will choose to sustain its U.S. partnership, which many Iraqis see as an infringement on their sovereignty.
...“We haven’t seen sufficient action on their part,” he said, adding that Iraqi leaders must “get the Iranian influence out of the country.”
...Asked specifically about the likelihood of further provocations by Kataeb Hezbollah following the embassy attack, Esper said, “Do I think they may do something? Yes, and they will likely regret it.”
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CB's picture

@gjohnsit
are the party of war.

The current Democrat mouth pieces, NYT, WaPoo and CNN have been cheer-leading America's wars since the late 80's. Trump got elected because he promised to get the US out of the wars Obama had either started or continued. The only reason he can't do that now is because the current Democrat supported Deep State/MIC has him by the nuts. Every time he says he wants to bring the soldiers home, they squeeze.

The Democrats loudly oppose war on principal but will vote for it when given the chance. When they are in power, they are hawks. Just look at what Clinton and Obama have accomplished in their terms. Clinton had even set up the conditions during his second term for Bush to go into both Afghanistan and Iraq. The war plans for those countries was drawn up under the Clinton Administration.

Obama started wars in Libya and Syria. He dropped bombs in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen. Mr. Nobel Peace Prize President ran a war presidency for the entire 8 years of his term - a national record.

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@CB
executive, congress and justice are all in for war
somebody will nuke the machine soon enough
asking for it
not in my name

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@CB
are the war mongers while the left opposes war.

That's still true. It's just there is no party on the left.
Hasn't been one for a long time.

Trump got elected because he promised to get the US out of the wars Obama had either started or continued. The only reason he can't do that now is because the current Democrat supported Deep State/MIC has him by the nuts.

I think you give him too much credit. It was his idea to steal Syria's oil, not the Pentagon (he used to say we should have stolen Iraq's oil).
The bombing in Afghanistan and Somalia has increased dramatically under Trump.
Plus he's expanded Africom and been much more belligerent to Iran and Venezuela.

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CB's picture

@gjohnsit
WWI, WWII, Korea, Viet Nam, Bosnia, Yemen, Libya, Syria have all started under a Democrat president.

The other 80 or so interventions since the turn of the 20th century were effectively joint efforts. I don't think there is actually a non-war party in the US.

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@CB
I mean have you ever seen a right-wing anti-war protest? Ever? Anywhere in the world?

I also clearly remember the Repubs making a special effort to claim the Invasion of Iraq as their own, and calling any liberal who asked questions guilty of treason.

I remember being slandered by my christian right-wing relatives for questioning the wisdom of invading Afghanistan.

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edg's picture

@gjohnsit

A small portion of Fox News viewer comments regarding Iran just in the last 15 minutes:

  • How about we start with putting Iran's navy at the bottom of the Persian Gulf!
  • best way to deter iran is to make several cities and all military sites into glassy parking lots . syria could be the next target . and why stop there when there are so many good places to cleanse ?
  • Identify and strike pro-Iranian forces within Iraqi borders. The Iraqi forces sympathetic to Iran must be eliminated BEFORE they either allow Militants to attack us or attack us themselves. Also, do this immediately! Stop waiting around for more American Soldiers to die. The US acts like there is parity in military power between us and Iran. Really gutless attitudes.
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snoopydawg's picture

@edg

America is exceptional attitude. Put Iran's navy on the bottom of the Persian Gulf for what reason? How can anyone not see all of the damage we've done to countries that were no threat to ours? Maybe one day Americans will see what it's like to be invaded. I want to slap some sense in people who think like that.

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

snoopydawg's picture

I dunno, but if I was a group of militants I think I would wear the outfit I'm wearing whilst I'm fighting.

The militants, posing as “protesters” despite many wearing military fatigues and carrying militia banners,

Lots of people who were upset when Hillary was dragged before congress for the Benghazi debacle and said that she did nothing wrong are now insisting that Pompeo be dragged before congress for the Iraq debacle. As usual it's the f'cking hypocrisy.

Some idiots in my state think that we should go after for once and for all and teach them a lesson about how we will not tolerate their agression towards our troops and our property gosh darn it! Besides they have been fighting over there forever and.... the pro war is much higher than the bring the troops home crowd.

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CB's picture

of U.S. Special Operations.

"We want to be everywhere, know everything."

This over reliance on SOCOM to engage in dozens of localized conflicts worldwide has come at the expense of neglecting the regular forces. The US is ill prepared to fight a conventional conflict against adversaries such as Russia or China.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MVTHdzOw_A]

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snoopydawg's picture

The Baghdad airport was attacked and Iran of course is being blamed for it. How would we know if it was our country doing the attacks just to set up Iran? Anyone put it past us? Then there's this.

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ggersh's picture

@snoopydawg Buckle up

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/rocket-attack-shuts-down-baghdad-...

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjIjKNcr_fk&feature=emb_logo]

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I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish

"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"

Heard from Margaret Kimberley

snoopydawg's picture

@ggersh

Thanks for the link.

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Anti-Iranian article by The Intercept. Seems like the current agitprop mirrors what the article contained implying the riot was Iran directed. Published in mid-November.

A SPY COMPLEX REVEALED
Leaked Iranian Intelligence Reports Expose Tehran’s Vast Web of Influence in Iraq
https://theintercept.com/2019/11/18/iran-iraq-spy-cables/

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snoopydawg's picture

@MrWebster

Suleimani is the guy that just got killed. I'll wait for moon of Alabama's report on this because I don't trust the AP. BTW. Most articles come from them according to a chart I saw.

It was not the first time Suleimani had been dispatched to Baghdad to do damage control. Tehran’s efforts to prop up Abdul-Mahdi are part of its long campaign to maintain Iraq as a pliable client state.

Now leaked Iranian documents offer a detailed portrait of just how aggressively Tehran has worked to embed itself into Iraqi affairs, and of the unique role of Suleimani. The documents are contained in an archive of secret Iranian intelligence cables obtained by The Intercept and shared with the New York Times for this article, which is being published simultaneously by both news organizations.

The unprecedented leak exposes Tehran’s vast influence in Iraq, detailing years of painstaking work by Iranian spies to co-opt the country’s leaders, pay Iraqi agents working for the Americans to switch sides, and infiltrate every aspect of Iraq’s political, economic, and religious life.

Sources are plied with gifts of pistachios, cologne, and saffron. Iraqi officials, if necessary, are offered bribes.

Pot and kettle much? Kinda reminds me of when we pay warlords and the Taliban ungodly sums of money while we're stealing the country blind.

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@snoopydawg we give cash and guns.
USA! USA!

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

fakenews's picture

@on the cusp Tulsi is the only candidate out there saying that in order to have Butter (social programs) we must reduce the Guns (bloated pentagon spending). No one else in the democratic race can even begin to explain how we can afford both.

Peace - AND I MEAN IT!!!
FN

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"Democracy is technique and the ability of power not to be understood as oppressor. Capitalism is the boss and democracy is its spokesperson." Peace - FN

@fakenews

Tulsi is the only candidate out there saying that in order to have Butter (social programs) we must reduce the Guns (bloated pentagon spending).

Sanders also proposes military cuts to pay for social programs.
Proposaed at the start of his campaign
PS: He actually has a chance of winning.

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if anyone needs to wag a dog, it's him. I don't think he gives a crap about the consequences for the US. If they don't grant him immunity for corruption I think he'll pull the trigger and bomb Irans nuclear sites and drag us along into war.

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fakenews's picture

The Iranians that experienced the western way of life are now in their 70s, the young Iranians have never experienced the "Moody Blues" like their grandparents. Too bad we meddled with their country, the trajectory of life was good but we insisted on keeping "our" guy in power. Pictures of Iran in the 1970's are hard to fathom now. iran 70s.jpg

More photos here:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-4148684/Stunning-...

Peace
FN

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"Democracy is technique and the ability of power not to be understood as oppressor. Capitalism is the boss and democracy is its spokesperson." Peace - FN