On Iran Weapons, Major Papers May Have Second Thoughts

[133724]

NEW YORK On Saturday, The New York Times featured on its front page a lengthy story by Michael Gordon warning that the "deadliest weapon" killing Americans in Iraq come from Iran. On Sunday, the paper carried at the top of its Web site -- and then the following day on the top of its front page -- an account by James Glanz of a briefing in Baghdad, by thoroughly unnamed officials, on the same weapon, as the war of nerves with Iran continued.

On Tuesday, however, the same paper's editorial page casts strong doubt on all this -- and, at least by extension, argues against giving this evidence the kind of respect offered for three days by its news editors

A Times news story on Tuesday, meanwhile, by Helene Cooper and Mark Mazzetti, is titled: "Skeptics Doubt U.S. Evidence on Iran’s Actions in Iraq."

An article by Karen DeYoung in The Washington Post on Tuesday also raises doubts, after that paper carried its own Iran weapons story in an equally prominent way for most of Sunday and Monday.

Young leads with: "Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said yesterday that he has no information indicating the Iranian government is directing the supply of lethal weapons to Shiite insurgent groups in Iraq.


http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003544949

[Eric J in MN]

1. During the runup to the Iraq War, the NY Times...

...similarly had articles by Michael Gordon (and Judith Miller) about Iraq WMD, and editiorials saying that we shouldn't go to war with Iraq at this time.

[global1]

2. Who is Major Papers?...........

Who did he replace? Is this his first tour in this quagmire?

[nolabels]

5. He is just part of the new exclamation

http://www.mrboffo.com/mbarchives/mbarch.html

[saltpoint]

3. "Any major rag with half a brain surely will tell you my friend..."

Possibly some of those editorial boards realize that their standing as the Fourth Estate has taken some grievously serious hits lately, not least because of their genuflection toward Dubya's discretionary war against Saddam, and they've resolved not to get burned again.

This time yesterday, I was concerned that the same media hacks --print and screen -- would pimp an assault on Iran, just as they did against Iraq.

Possibly some of the pressure calls from the White House aren't getting returned this time.

[Skink]

4. Plausible deniability.

[NI4NI]

6. why would Iran send Iraqi Sunni's weapons?

If it's the Iraqi Sunni insurgents and foreign AlQaeda terrorists who are killing Americans and Iraqi Shiites, and if Iraq is dominated by Shiite militias who helped put the present Iraqi Prime Minister in power (who America supports), and if Iran supports the Iraqi Shiites, why would Iran send weapons to help the Sunni's?
My quess is, the "Iranian made" weapons being claimed as "evidence" (IF TRUE) have been confiscated from Shiites who were using them to kill insurgents and terrorists, not Americans.