By Cernig
There's a lot going on out there...
- Despite claims from Maliki's office, the White House has denied apologising to Iraq over a US soldier who shot up a Koran. He did, however, express "deep concern". Translation - "it's those bad apples again, folks, and their perpetual presence has nothing to do with Republican policies of Islamophobic fearmongering at home, honest."
- The White House has also denied reports, based on the claims of an anonymous senior Israeli official, that Bush intends attacking Iran before his term ends. And if he does, then it will be because of the bad apples again, I'm sure... George Apple, Dick Apple, Red Mac, The American Apple Institute and the apple orchard in Congress.
- Gareth Porter on the "arms from Iran" that weren't and how they derailled US plans to catapult the propaganda: "The official list of weapons captured in Karbala includes nine mortars, four anti-aircraft missiles, 45, RPGs and 800 RPG missiles and 570 roadside explosive devices. The failure to find a single item of Iranian origin among these heavier weapons, despite the deeply entrenched Mahdi Army presence over many months, suggests that the dependence of the Mahdi Army on arms manufactured in Iran is actually quite insignificant." As Jeff Huber (USN, retd.) notes, the mainstream's coverage of this story has been hugely lacking.
- Realpolitiks: Europe can either get its gas from Iran or from Russia, which is increasingly using its energy exports as an instrument of aggressive foreign policy. Which means it isn't in Europe's interest to see an attack on Iran.
- Sarkozy, the American Right's only favored Frenchman, has been channeling The Clenis - his government has only had "contacts" with Hamas, not "relations". Appeaser! He'll be sorry when the Nazis Iranians are goosestepping through Paris!
- But then again, tough-talk rhetoric has actually helped Iranian hardliners consolidate national opinion behind their own version of flag-waving and fearmongering, so who exactly is the appeaser?
- Days late, the Sadr City ceasefire appears to be back on track as 10,000 Iraqi government troops move into the Baghdad slum. In accordance with the agreement, US troops are staying out of the area.
- A Justice dept. audit says the FBI has clean hands when it comes to actually practising torture - but it did collectively look the other way while torture went on.
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