And the Democrats will own this next war as a result:
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. congressional leaders agreed late last year to President George W. Bush’s funding request for a major escalation of covert operations against Iran aimed at destabilizing its leadership, according to a report in The New Yorker magazine published online on Sunday.
[...] Funding for the covert escalation, for which Bush requested up to $400 million, was approved by congressional leaders, according to the article, citing current and former military, intelligence and congressional sources.
[...] Among groups inside Iran benefiting from U.S. support is the Jundallah, also known as the Iranian People’s Resistance Movement, according to former CIA officer Robert Baer. Council on Foreign Relations analyst Vali Nasr described it to Hersh as a vicious organization suspected of links to al Qaeda.
[...] None of the Democratic leaders in Congress would comment on the finding, the article said. The White House, which has repeatedly denied preparing for military action against Iran, and the CIA also declined comment.
they’re not allowed to comment to a reporter on the Finding, it’s a classified document. it’s illegal for them to talk to a reporter about the contents of a classified report.
so sure, i wish they’d done more to stop bush’s covert actions in iran–and maybe they have, what goes on in those back rooms is a complete mystery. but we can’t blame them for not telling the press about it when they are barred by law from doing so.
Thanks, Jeremy, I didn’t know that. That said, I don’t see any reason to give them the benefit of the doubt on this - they’re far too willing to go along with these military adventures.
The present-day Democratic party leadership is un-fuckin’-believable.
It has no concept of the purpose and responsibilities of being the opposition party.
Why does it even bother existing?
So the administration can declare anything classified and thereby muzzle Congress? Sorry, I don’t buy it. Wouldn’t it be great to have one brave legislator who’d challenge the farce?
Of course, that assumes the press would cross the administration, which they might not do. Not until they could make megabucks on the resulting book.