Report: U.S. Escalating Covert Operations Against Iran

[The Reaper]

1. Which side are Hersh and the New Yorker on? Should they be held accountable for reporting sensitive and classified information?

Covert is not printed in a national magazine.

2. If true, is this headed in a good direction, or is it more of the pre-war Iraq funding of opposition leaders who never did anything substantive?

TR

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,373407,00.html

Report: U.S. Escalating Covert Operations Against Iran
Sunday, June 29, 2008

Late last year, Congressional leaders agreed to a request from President Bush to fund a major escalation of covert operations against Iran, The New Yorker magazine reported.

An article published online Sunday by the magazine cites current and former military, intelligence, and congressional sources and said the operations were described in a highly classified Presidential Finding signed by Bush and are designed to destabilize the country’s religious leadership.

Even though some legislators, including top Democrats, were troubled by the Finding, the $400 million funding for the escalation, which includes gathering intelligence about Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program, was approved.

While clandestine operations against Iran are not new, the article by reporter Seymour Hersh cites officials as saying the scale and scope of the operations in Iran have been significantly expanded.

Some of the operations that have taken place within the past year include seizing members of Al Quds, the commando arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, for interrogation purposes and the pursuit of 'high-value targets.'

“The Finding was focused on undermining Iran’s nuclear ambitions and trying to undermine the government through regime change,” the article quotes a person familiar with its contents as saying, and involved “working with opposition groups and passing money.”

The covert activities involve support of the minority Ahwazi Arab and Baluchi groups as well as other dissident organizations, the article states.

The article states that federal law requires, at minimum, the Finding be made known to Democratic and Republican leaders in the House and the Senate as well as to the ranking members of their respective intelligence committees.

[Pete]

Well if its in the newspaper then it ain't covert or clandestine.

I quess SECRET just means "print it quick" to the MSM.

I guess SECRET just means "How can I use this to further my political fortunes" to a politician and "How can I screw my ex boss" to a former military person.

Sigh

[JJ_BPK]

I venture to guess that someone wants the El Quids and their a$$Hoo buddies to know Bush is still the top dog,, and has enought time left to make their lives miserable,, and maybe short??

It also gives McCain and Obama something to argue about.. By making a very public statement,, the two will have to take a position,, before the election..

Of course, they could be making it all up. No sources excepts guesses and imagination. If they are later shown to be wrong, no one will remember. If they guessed right about any of it, they will crow about it and the "sources" they have.

[Pete]

Originally Posted by Remington Raidr

Of course, they could be making it all up.....

True or not it's a black eye politically for the US, will be used as propaganda by our enemies and will be an excuse to round up troublemakers for execution in a certain police state.

I guess the MSM is OK with the first two and will just deny the last one.

[jatx]

It looks like an intentional leak to me.

[rubberneck]

Considering how willing Hersh has been to report classified information in the past I wonder if he is unwittingly being used to tweak the regime in Iran. I don't discount the possibility of disloyal career civil servants, the type put politics ahead of national security, leaking classified info to the New Yorker. One day someone should actually get prosecuted for this type of behavior.

edited to add:

I don't know why any American would be upset with an increase in covert activity against Iran. They are "covertly" killing our soldiers in Iraq daily. I just wish we had the political will to slap these clowns around overtly.

[QRQ 30]

Originally Posted by jatx

It looks like an intentional leak to me.

Agreed.

Some planned leaks worked well in the original weeks of the invasion. Sadahm's troops were in the wrong places or otherwise unprepared for the actual operation.

[Philkilla]

CNN's follow up: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/...iref=polticker


This reminds me of the Vietnamese General's memoirs that said we would have won the war had it not been for our media.