The Bush administration's plans to nuke Iran

Fortunately, there are still a few real journalists around. One of them, investigative reporter Seymour Hersh, is one of my personal heroes. He broke the story of the My Lai massacre and, more recently, the torture of detainees at Abu Ghraib.

Now, according to a press release from The New Yorker, their April 17 issue will include a report by Hersh on the Bush administration's real plans for Iraq.

An excerpt:
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"The Bush Administration, while publicly advocating diplomacy in order to stop Iran from pursuing a nuclear weapon, has increased clandestine activities inside Iran and intensified planning for a possible major air attack," Seymour M. Hersh reports in the April 17, 2006, issue of The New Yorker ("The Iran Plans," p. 30). Moreover, he writes, "There is a growing conviction among members of the United States military, and in the international community, that President Bush’s ultimate goal in the nuclear confrontation with Iran is regime change." One former senior intelligence official tells Hersh that Bush and others in the White House have come to view Iran's President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as a potential Adolf Hitler. "That’s the name they'e using," he says. A senior Pentagon adviser on the war on terror says, "This White House believes that the only way to solve the problem is to change the power structure in Iran, and that means war." The danger, he adds, is that "it also reinforces the belief inside Iran that the only way to defend the country is to have a nuclear capability." The former senior intelligence official, referring to activity at three U.S. military facilities, says, "The planning is enormous." He depicts it as hectic and operational—far beyond the contingency work that is routinely done. One former defense official tells Hersh that the military planning was premised on a belief that “a sustained bombing campaign in Iran will humiliate the religious leadership and lead the public to rise up and overthrow the government." He adds, "I was shocked when I heard it, and asked myself, What are they smoking?'" A government consultant with close ties to civilians in the Pentagon confirms that undercover units are working with minority groups in Iran, and that while one goal is to have "eyes on the ground," the broader aim is to "encourage ethnic tensions" and undermine the regime.

Hersh reports, "In recent weeks, the President has quietly initiated a series of talks on plans for Iran with a few key senators and members of Congress, including at least one Democrat." A senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, who did not take part in the meetings but has discussed their content with his colleagues, tells Hersh that the Administration is "reluctant to brief the minority." He adds, "The people they’re briefing are the same ones who led the charge on Iraq.... There’s no pressure from Congress" not to take military action. "The only political pressure is from the guys who want to do it." Speaking of President Bush, the House member said, "The most worrisome thing is that this guy has a messianic vision."
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[Read more.]

My April 10 issue arrived just a few days ago, so it appears that I'll have to wait a few more days to read it. For those of you who don't subscribe, please go out to your local newsstand next weekend and pick up a copy of the April 17 issue. Support The New Yorker and Seymour Hersh.