Sounds Like Cheney's at it Again--Linking Al Qaeda and Iran

May 22 (LPAC)--The British newspaper The Guardian published an article today citing "unnamed US officials" saying, "Iran is secretly forging ties with al-Qaeda elements and Sunni Arab militias in Iraq in preparation for a summer showdown with coalition forces intended to tip a wavering US Congress into voting for full military withdrawal." By this, the devious Iranian strategy is to "discredit the US surge and foment a decisive [C]ongressional revolt against Mr. Bush." These statements are then followed by more, with no solid evidence ever offered, everything to be taken at face value.

Sounds like Dick Cheney is at it again. Reports of Iraq's alliance with al-Qaeda, all of which turned out to be discredited or false, were circulated in the months before the Iraqi invasion. They were widely circulated around news-talk shows by administration officials, including Cheney himself.

Now, we are being asked to believe that the Iranians are somehow successfully negotiating a highly unlikely alliance between warring factions of Sunnis, Shia and al-Qaeda, all conveniently timed to peak just ahead of the first "benchmark" report on the surge. In addition, the Guardian article retails just about every "talking point" of administration against Iran: Iran is collaborating with Syria, Iran is now aiding Taliban in Afghanistan, they are aiding sectarian violence, and generally trying to "force an American retreat." In other words, if Congress votes against the surge (which the administration must now sense is a real possibility), the terrorists win, is the White House logic.

The warning that the White House is engaging in falsification of intelligence about Iran, was one of the charges made on May 7 at an.

Cheney and the administration have clearly been stung by recent diplomatic efforts which seek to include Iran and Syria in a larger peace process which would include a solution to the Israel-Palestinian problem. With calls for his impeachment rising at home, Cheney is losing his political base, and the desperation level is increasing, leading to an article such as this.