Orange alert: Intelligence scams on Iran

More warnings that the Cheney-Bush administration is trying to scam the country into a needless - and criminal - war with Iran: In a replay of Iraq, a battle is brewing over intelligence on Iran by Warren P. Strobel and John Walcott, McClatchy Newspapers 09/15/06. McClatchy (formerly Knight-Ridder) in general and Strobel in particular have been some of the best in reporting on intelligence and Middle East issues.

In this article, they report:

In an echo of the intelligence wars that preceded the U.S. invasion of Iraq, a high-stakes struggle is brewing within the Bush administration and in Congress over Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program and involvement in terrorism.

U.S. intelligence and counterterrorism officials say Bush political appointees and hard-liners on Capitol Hill have tried recently to portray Iran's nuclear program as more advanced than it is and to exaggerate Tehran's role in Hezbollah's attack on Israel in mid-July.

This sounds dreaily familiar from the Iraq War experience, as well:

Some officials at the CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency and the State Department said they're concerned that the offices of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney may be receiving a stream of questionable information that originates with Iranian exiles, including a discredited arms dealer, Manucher Ghorbanifar, who played a role in the 1980s Iran-Contra scandal.

Officials at all three agencies said they suspect that the dubious information may include claims that Iran directed Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group, to kidnap two Israeli soldiers in July; that Iran's nuclear program is moving faster than generally believed; and that the Iranian people are eager to join foreign efforts to overthrow their theocratic rulers. (my emphasis)

Trust me, the Iran War will be a cakewalk!

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