Clinton Flogs Alleged Iranian Role in Iraq - Even More Than Bush

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/11/17/5292/

Clinton Flogs Alleged Iranian Role in Iraq - Even More Than Bush
by Robert Naiman

In Thursday night’s debate, defending her vote for the Kyl-Lieberman amendment — which critics have charged was intended to escalate towards military confrontation with Iran — Senator Clinton said, “The Iranian Revolutionary Guard has assisted the militias… in killing…Americans.”

This unsubstantiated allegation echoes unsubstantiated claims by Senator Lieberman and the Bush administration that both Lieberman and the administration have claimed would justify U.S. military attacks on Iran. But, as Senator Clinton surely knows, the Bush administration has not produced evidence to substantiate these allegations. Why is she repeating them, now, when even the Bush administration has moved away from them?

On February 12, the Washington Post reported on a much-awaited U.S. military briefing in Iraq that was supposed to substantiate these claims. “The officials offered no evidence to substantiate allegations that the ‘highest levels’ of the Iranian government had sanctioned support for attacks against U.S. troops.,” noted the Post, adding that “the U.S. government has never publicly offered evidence proving the allegations.”

Iraq’s deputy foreign minister said the Iraqi government remains in the dark about the U.S. investigation into Iranian activities in Iraq. “It is difficult for us here in the diplomatic circles just to accept whatever the American forces say is evidence,” he said. “If they have anything really conclusive, then they should come out and say it openly.”

snip//

Regardless of what was true in the past, U.S. military officials are now saying that Iran has halted the smuggling of bombs into Iraq. “We have not seen any recent evidence that weapons continue to come across the border into Iraq.” Army Maj. Gen. James Simmons said, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday. “We believe that the initiatives and the commitments that the Iranians have made appear to be holding up.”

It’s very unfortunate, to say the least, that Senator Clinton is still pushing the claim that Iran is responsible for the deaths of U.S. soldiers in Iraq when even the Bush administration is moving away from it. “Aktar maliki min il malik,” as they say in Arabic — more royalist than the King.

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Robert Naiman is Senior Policy Analyst and National Coordinator at Just Foreign Policy.

So what is it that Fox News said about the bombing of Iran? Was it after the primaries but before the general election?

This rhetoric would be right on schedule. If * cannot pull it off then the anointed next-POTUS will have to do it. If * does, then she has to excuse the occupation.

(Praying that I'm a cynical, worry-wart, conspiracy-theorist loser.)

to DU!

Glad to be here. Having fun. :hi:
What a great refuge from this neocon/Bush world!

than a continuation of the cycle.

Every Bush or Clinton so far has bombed the middle east. It seems like Iran will be Hillary's target of choice if Bush doesnt beat her to it.

She even said that she would use nukes on Iran when she spoke to the AIPAC Convention this past February, the infamous "all options on the table."

Kyl-Lieberman laid the legal basis for bombing Iran. After 9-11 Congress already authorized Bush to go after terrorists anywhere.

We have a warmongering running for President on the Dem ticket.

She's toeing the BushCo and neocon lines, that were once instantly smacked
down on DU.

Not one person rationalized or came to the defense of Lieberman when he pulled
this exact same warmongering bull.

Now, when Hillary wraps up the same crapola and presents it to us---it's somehow
tolerated.

I don't get it either. It's truly mystifying and very upsetting.

All I can do is speak out very assertively against her--and for a Progressive--in the
Iowa caucuses.

I hope other Iowans are planning to do so as well.

Anyone but Hillary. I'm sick of war, sick of the neocons, sick of the lies and sick of
the corruption.

spring (March I think) through early fall.

released/written today. Not too old imo.

Hillary was discussing the situation as she believes it stands now. As I mentioned, the K/L data is from Spring through this fall. Not the old data it references.

There surely hasn't been any released to the public. This is just a case of repeating a lie often. The Bush administration was full of it when they first started saying it, never produced any evidence that it was true but just continued saying it.

worthy she is......

of my knowledge, there has been no evidence presented to link the Iranian government to attacks on the illegal occupation forces in Iraq.

Thanks!

and right on target!