This piece in the NYT today is pretty irresponsible: Iran May Have Trained Attackers That Killed 5 American Soldiers, U.S. and Iraqis Say. Yes, indeed. It may have done so. But good golly the evidence for that right now is thin. The authors of the piece – two of them beavering away at the story! – are unable to come up with very much to support the theory. The idea seems to be that the attack was pretty sophisticated, and Iran is sophisticated. Just put two and two together! I think this is my favourite part:
The officials said the sophistication of the attack astonished investigators, who doubt that Iraqis could have carried it out on their own — one reason a connection to Iran is being closely examined. Officials cautioned that no firm conclusions had been drawn and did not reveal any direct evidence of a connection.
The last sentence gives everyone involved – from the officials to the reporters to the bloggers who pick it up and move the story along without the qualifications – a cover if it turns out to be nothing.
This isn’t just idle speculation. The Bush administration very much wants to broaden the confrontation with Iran. I’ve put my money on covert operations against Iran, but no actual bombing of the country. But the plan is to be much more aggressive in the future, and an important contribution to that effort is to convince the public that Iran is the source of all evil in the world. In that context, it’s not right for the NYT to amplify and transmit the administration’s messages about Iran’s evil, evil doings without having solid, independent reasons for thinking that they’re true. And putting in a weasel sentence admitting that the piece is a baseless speculation doesn’t really get them off the hook for doing it.
dagger aleph | 31-Jan-07 at 12:37 pm | Permalink
Awesome post.
Chris | 31-Jan-07 at 12:54 pm | Permalink
Thanks, but after I wrote it I noticed that I got totally pwned by Ogged. Maybe Iranians are behind everything bad in the world.
DC | 31-Jan-07 at 2:57 pm | Permalink
Shaken at all in your “no bombing” convictions. prediction-wise?
Chris | 31-Jan-07 at 4:18 pm | Permalink
Hrmmm, a bit rattled, but not quite shaken. We’ll see, we’ll see.
I do think that there will be – have been already! – covert operations in Iran which will amount to real acts of war on the part of the U.S. But a bombing campaign still seems unlikely to me.
upyernoz | 31-Jan-07 at 4:31 pm | Permalink
i’m in the early stages of applying for an iranian tourist visa. so i’m also betting no bombing in 2007. if i’m wrong, i guess i can just not get on the plane. what are the odds something like that will happen the two weeks i plan to be there?
Chris | 31-Jan-07 at 5:01 pm | Permalink
Do be careful! I would worry less about having a bomb land on my head than being accused by the Iranian police of being a Crypto-Zionist-Yankee-Imperialist, with all that that accusation entails.
upyernoz | 31-Jan-07 at 5:36 pm | Permalink
being accused by the Iranian police of being a Crypto-Zionist-Yankee-Imperialist
there’s no reason for me to fear. after all, i’m a leftist jewish atheist. they love those kinds of people.
isn’t crypto superman’s dog?
Chris | 31-Jan-07 at 5:39 pm | Permalink
I don’t have a lot of faith in the Iranian authorities.
DC | 31-Jan-07 at 7:50 pm | Permalink
I also have been a bit rattled of late. I think I read Matthew Yglesias too much. I’d be much more rattled though if I wasn’t worried by the likelihood that the things that are rattling me are empty gestures designed to rattle me (and possibly other people too).
Chris | 31-Jan-07 at 7:58 pm | Permalink
It’s funny to watch Yglesias get progressively radicalized. I speculate that living with Spackerman is quickening that up.
DC | 31-Jan-07 at 8:39 pm | Permalink
I don’t read Spackerman but he sounds Marvelous.
Chris | 31-Jan-07 at 8:58 pm | Permalink
He left the New Republic recently. See if you can tell.
DC | 01-Feb-07 at 5:55 am | Permalink
I was punning on Marvel comics there by the way.
Chris | 01-Feb-07 at 11:19 am | Permalink
Right over my head.
Chris | 01-Feb-07 at 11:50 am | Permalink
And while of course I don’t hold it against you personally for making me feel stupid, I do now suspect that the Irish may be behind all that is bad in my life.