U.S. steps up covert ops in Iran

The question remains:

"Sure, Dick -- you, and what army?"

 

We'll go in, topple the regime, get greeted as liberators, use oil to finance the reconstruction and leave with a burgeoning democracy in the Middle East.

What could go wrong?

 

That really made me laugh. I think the Republicans are just setting up for a win in 2012.

 

Here's a partial list, for the sarcasm-impaired.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/06/30/iraq.mistakes/index.html

 

My point is that, regardless of the administration, we should be conducting covert operations to keep an eye on our enemies and, more often than not, the public will never know if we are.

We'll never know about all the cladestine operations that took place under Clinton's watch (or any other president) but we can assume he was doing something.

And that's not a bad thing.

 

I hear there's a large group of journalists who are now out of work. They can be put in the draft pool.

 

So tell me, AQB, if we do not do covert ops against our so-called enemies in Iran, what will happen?
So you honestly think Iran is going to lanch an unprovoked nuclear (or nucular for those who speak Bush) attack against the United States?

 

I've got zero problem with covert ops in virtually any nation. What they (covert ops people) know (or should know) is a lot more than what we know.

My problem is that I fear this is a ramping up of efforts to take real military action against Iran. And that is unthinkable at this point.

 

The problem with that view, AQB, is it doesn't sound like we're merely talking about routine espionage procedures to "keep an eye on our enemy" here, at least not if this piece is accurate. Re-read this excerpt:

Now, from my reading, that basically means we're illegally going into Iran to kill and/or kidnap targeted Iranian citizens. And WITH presidential approval. That ain't just spying. If another country were doing that in the United States, I've no doubt we'd be clamoring to go to war.

 

For those here broadly in favor of our "covert ops" overseas, how differently would you feel to find out that Iran or North Korea or Russia were running them here, against us?

 

C'mon, jg. You're smarter than that.
You know it's OK for us to do it but it's an act of war for them to do it.

 

I'm actually not. I rely mostly on sunny ignorance and hopeless optimism.