US Intelligence fears Iran duped hawks into Iraq war (frontpage guardian)

[AussieInCA]

http://digital.guardian.co.uk/


CNN just showed it...that will stir the pot

article:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1224075,00.html

An urgent investigation has been launched in Washington into whether Iran played a role in manipulating the US into the Iraq war by passing on bogus intelligence through Ahmad Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress, it emerged yesterday.

US intelligence fears Iran duped hawks into Iraq war

· Inquiry into Tehran's role in starting conflict
· Top Pentagon ally Chalabi accused

Julian Borger in Washington
Tuesday May 25, 2004
The Guardian

An urgent investigation has been launched in Washington into whether Iran played a role in manipulating the US into the Iraq war by passing on bogus intelligence through Ahmad Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress, it emerged yesterday.
Some intelligence officials now believe that Iran used the hawks in the Pentagon and the White House to get rid of a hostile neighbour, and pave the way for a Shia-ruled Iraq.

According to a US intelligence official, the CIA has hard evidence that Mr Chalabi and his intelligence chief, Aras Karim Habib, passed US secrets to Tehran, and that Mr Habib has been a paid Iranian agent for several years, involved in passing intelligence in both directions.

The CIA has asked the FBI to investigate Mr Chalabi's contacts in the Pentagon to discover how the INC acquired sensitive information that ended up in Iranian hands.

The implications are far-reaching. Mr Chalabi and Mr Habib were the channels for much of the intelligence on Iraqi weapons on which Washington built its case for war.

"It's pretty clear that Iranians had us for breakfast, lunch and dinner," said an intelligence source in Washington yesterday. "Iranian intelligence has been manipulating the US for several years through Chalabi."

Larry Johnson, a former senior counter-terrorist official at the state department, said: "When the story ultimately comes out we'll see that Iran has run one of the most masterful intelligence operations in history. They persuaded the US and Britain to dispose of its greatest enemy."

[gratuitous]

1. "The Iranians had us for breakfast, lunch and dinner"

Golly, I hope the president's "new clear vision" accounts for the fact that some people might lie to us or try to manipulate us into doing things against our own interests.

What the hell is Stupidhead going to run on? That this was just a "warm up" or a "practice" term? That he wasn't really ready to be president, so please, please, please give him another term, 'cause this time he'll get it right, and try not to let the Pentagon get attacked. Again.

[ablbodyed]

2. The Iranians were just....

telling the neo-thugs what they wanted to hear. Conservatives are so stupid; they have no grasp of history or culture. The Iranians are laughing as I write this.

[bemildred]

3. Oh, this is brilliant.

This will teach them to piss off the CIA.

[TacticalPeek]

4. Their only viable defence against treason is mental incapacity.

Prison, or rubber room?

[Trajan]

5. Wow ....

This is mindblowing ....

GEEEZ .... Im still in shock ....

CHENEY ! .... RUMSFELD ! .... PERLE ! ..... WOLFOWITZ ! ...

What FUCKING slimeballs !!!

[k in IA]

6. CIA asks FBI to investigate the Pentagon.

Oh, yeah, we'll get to the truth - A$$croft to the rescue.

[killbotfactory]

7. Chalabi punk'd the neocons

It would be funny if there weren't so many people dead as a result.

[Bozita]

8. convicted con man outcons neocons

No congrats to the neocons.

[TacticalPeek]

9. The gears shift. Poor naive cons.

An intelligence source in Washington said the FBI investigation into the affair would begin with Mr Chalabi's "handlers" in the Pentagon, who include William Luti, the former head of the office of special plans, and his immediate superior, Douglas Feith, the under secretary of defence for policy.

snip

The CIA allegations bring to a head a dispute between the CIA and the Pentagon officials instrumental in promoting Mr Chalabi and his intelligence in the run-up to the war. By calling for an FBI counter-intelligence investigation, the CIA is, in effect, threatening to disgrace senior neo-conservatives in the Pentagon.



Fitzgerald should start looking around for additional office space.

[calimary]

17. MAN! Looks like I might get my wish...

I have hoped and prayed that the neocons and knuckledraggers and the bush crime family would be set back for a generation (which is about how long it's going to take us Good Guys to fix everything they've fucked up).

They need to be set back so far that they can NEVER recover. EVER. Salt sown into their land so nothing will grow. These people need to be permanently discredited.

[Stephanie]

18. This is incredible! DISGRACE!

Nobody has ever deserved it more than these assholes.

Let's see.

"senior neo-conservatives"

Let's try to guess.

Feith, Cambone, Perle

Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld

CHENEY?

[Lone_Wolf]

10. We're cutting Chalabi loose

Iran didn't trick the chickenhawks, neocons, and the CIA. Chimp needs an excuse for this fiasco. Chalibi will be the fall guy so that Chimp, the neocons, and the CIA come out looking like "innocent" victims.

[gardenista]

11. Precisely! And if they play it right, it's an excuse to go into Iran

Chalabi is singing all over the place because Bushco wants him to.

[RainDog]

13. not exactly

I think we're also seeing a power struggle between the neo cons and the Powell-ites...and the Powell-ites are winning. (I'd include Zinni, Richard Clarke, and other "real politic-ers"... even Scowcroft and General Odom in this).

They will take down Luti and Feith and hopefully also Wurmser and Wolfowitz and Rummy...if we're lucky.

then on the other hand, Libby and Cheney are still facing the Plame investigation outcome.

so even if Bush steals another election, the neocons will be discredited, and possibly facing criminal charges.

but I think that the "powers that be" realize how much the Bush junta has fucked up this country and our foreign policy, esp., and they will make sure he does not win.

[IranianDemocrat]

12. Wow this is great.

We just did Iran's dirty work, now the mullahs are just going to sit back, pour endless money into the mahdi army, and let the shiites gain control of the Iraqi government.

[salib]

14. Hold on here!

Think about this:

1. We go to war based upon "intelligence" from the DIA, CIA, etc., that supposedly relied heavily upon Chalabi. Whatever.

2. We say that "intelligence" from somewhere (read DIA, CIA, etc.) says that Chalabi and associates are really "with the Iranians."

Shall we say it together: "WHATEVER."

Without that "intelligence" that Chalabi is with the "enemy" (i.e. Iran, or whatever), this whole thing would be B.S.

What do you think?

[nefarious]

15. Unfortunately, our appointed leaders are checkers players

...trying to play a complex game of chess in the Middle East.

We should expect nothing less than the cluster-fuck that's unravelling now.

[Stephanie]

16. My gut says this is bullshit

I will read it and learn more, but I think they knew perfectly well that they were lying and the intelligence was all fabricated crap. They've had this plan since the end of the first Gulf War. The plan actually originated with Kissinger. It was dropped for years and then brought back by Wolfie and pals. I think they would LOVE to blame it on Iran and Chalabi, now that they are caught not only lying but losing.

[Tellurian]

19. Oh boy! I saw this coming when the news broke about Chalabi..

IT'S ALL CHALABI'S FAULT!

sorry, this won't wash!

[Athame]

20. Pure, unadulterated, steaming, putrid

BULLSHIT!

:grr: