Yes, the product roll-out has been officially launched. As Andrew Card told The New York Times in 2002 before the White House's big Iraq war sales job: "From a marketing point of view, you don't introduce new products in August."
Now that it's September, the sales pitch for U.S. war with Iran is definitely on. General Petraeus loaded his comments yesterday with the case for war against Iran. It looks like the MSM is dutifully reporting on the Iranian menace, just like its unquestioning reporting in 2002 on mushroom clouds, mobile weapons labs and aluminum tubes.
And it looks like even the RW bloggers are being assembled as part of the "street team" to market the new product. And apparently "fear" will be a big theme, as will "our government knows best." I ran into this on the ultra-RW Human Events website.
Digesting The Iraq Report
by Ericka Andersen
Posted: 09/12/2007 Kirk Johnson, formerly the Deputy Director for Assessments in the Joint Strategic Planning and Assessment office at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad,
met with bloggers yesterday to help the community understand the elements that comprise the security improvements in Iraq that result from the troop surge. Fresh from Iraq (he left less than two weeks ago), Johnson relayed his take on the progress report, mentioning that the surge was initially put forth last year as a “new way forward.”
<snip>
Newspapers printed overheated “troop reduction” headlines yesterday. But those are misleading: there is not going to be a permanent or complete withdrawal. America has to keep a presence there to deal with
the Iranian threat facing the entire region. “Iran wants us out because we are the locus of power,” said Johnson. To accomplish this, they want to “destabilize Iraq for the short term” so they can eventually stabilize it for the long term according their motives.
Attacks and threats from Iran have increased greatly in recent weeks. Johnson said munitions are more frequent, noting that on his last day in the green zone, there was a large rocket attack -- and similar occurrences are happening daily. “If we want to capitalize on security gains…we must continue to see these efforts forward,” said Johnson. “It may be a hard road ahead but there would be a great disaster if we were to leave.” He noted that Petraeus and Crocker are both extremely concerned with those consequences.
Only recently has the military opened up about the grave threats from Iran. Petraues’ and Crocker’s testimony both went farther than any senior leader has before in specifying Iran’s involvement in the insurgency and the fact that it’s killing Americans in Iraq. Those who advocate troop withdrawal, like both front-running Democratic presidential candidates, ignore the fact that Iraq is part of a larger war, which includes both Iran and Syria. Further, Iran’s history proves they refuse to abide by UN sanctions or cooperate diplomatically.
Johnson said the American people should be fearful of Iran because the government knows “far more about what is going on in Iran” than the public is being told. <snip>
***************************
And look at all this great press for the new product! These are just some of the articles about the General's accusations. Many appear to take the sales pitch at face value, just like the good old days in 2002. And, after all, it's the 5-year Iraq War "brandiversary," -- time to pimp a new and improved war.http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF-8&tab=wn&resnum=0&ct=property-revision&cd=2&ncl=1120679929 Petraeus says Iran involvement in attacks 'clear'
AFP - 3 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AFP) — The top US commander in Iraq said Wednesday there was hard evidence of Iranian involvement in attacks on US soldiers but demurred on ...
Petraeus Says Iran Wants Iraqi 'Hezbollah' Force
Voice of America - 3 hours ago
By Al Pessin The commander of US forces in Iraq says there is hard evidence of Iranian efforts to establish a permanent militia presence in Iraq, ...
Petraeus: Iran Trying to Bolster Influence in Iraq
Washington Post, United States - 5 hours ago
By William Branigin Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, accused Iran today of seeking to "create a Hezbollah-like force" in Iraq to ...
Tehran rejects accusations from congressional testimonies of US ...
International Herald Tribune, France - 11 hours ago
AP TEHRAN, Iran: Iran on Wednesday dismissed the latest accusations by US ambassador and top military commander that Tehran was being unhelpful in Iraq and ...
US may attack, but will Iran fight back?
Asia Times Online, Hong Kong - Sep 11, 2007
By Alan G Jamieson. For several years tensions between the United States and Iran over the latter's nuclear program have waxed and waned. ...
WHAT ARE IRAN'S INTENTIONS?
Washington Post, United States - Sep 10, 2007
"On a less encouraging note, none of us earlier this year appreciated the extent of Iranian involvement in Iraq, something about which we and Iraq's leaders ...
Petraeus says Iran weapons flow into Iraq rising
Reuters - Sep 10, 2007
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The commander of US forces in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, said on Monday the flow of Iranian weapons into Iraq has increased but that ...
Iran fighting 'proxy war in Iraq'
Independent Online, South Africa - Sep 10, 2007
Washington - Iran is fighting a "proxy war" through Shi'a militias against the Iraqi state and United States-led forces in the war-torn nation, ...
» Iranian special-ops unit flees Iraq to avoid capture «
Examiner.com - 1 hour ago
by Rowan Scarborough, The Examiner Fearing capture, a special-operations unit that reports directly to Iran's ruling mullahs has fled Iraq, ...
Out of the frying pan...
Guardian Unlimited, UK - 3 hours ago
The good news from Petraeus is that US withdrawal from Iraq starts soon. The bad news is that this makes US military action against Iran more likely. ...
Larijani: Petraeus and Crocker should keep their feet on the ground
ISNA, Iran - 5 hours ago
TEHRAN, Sep. 12 (ISNA)-Iran's supreme national security council secretary said it was a surprise to see some countries were displeased with Iran-IAEA ...
Instead of going home, British troops headed to Iranian border: Report
Raw Story, MA - 8 hours ago
As tensions between the United States and Iran have steadily increased in recent months, military action along the Iran-Iraq border has intensified. ...
Tehran-Washington talks hinges on Petraeus-Crocker report results
ISNA, Iran - 10 hours ago
TEHRAN, Sep. 12 (ISNA)-An Iranian official said that the next round of talks between Tehran-Washington over Iraq hinges on the results of Petraeus and ...
Iran dismisses Petraeus-Crocker report
PRESS TV, Iran - 13 hours ago
Iran's foreign ministry reacts to the Iraq report to the US Congress by the commander of US occupation forces and the US ambassador to Iraq. ...
Digesting The Iraq Report
Human Events, DC - 14 hours agoby Ericka Andersen Kirk Johnson, formerly the Deputy Director for Assessments in the Joint Strategic Planning and Assessment office at the US Embassy in ...
Iran Playing 'Destabilizing Role' in Iraq, Crocker Says
Blackanthem.com, MI - 21 hours ago
By Carol L. Bowers, American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, DC - US officials are giving Iran's present role in Iraq "a hard look," US Ambassador to Iraq ...
About The Other Surge — Iran In Iraq
Investor's Business Daily (subscription) - 22 hours ago
Mideast: Gen. Petraeus has spoken this week not only of the progress America has made in Iraq but also the progress Iran has made there. ...
Haass: Petraeus, Crocker Blunt Congressional Criticism on Iraq
Council on Foreign Relations, NY - Sep 11, 2007
Richard N. Haass, president of CFR and a longtime expert on the Middle East, says the congressional testimony by General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan ...
Petraeus Reports: Part II
Human Events, DC - Sep 11, 2007
by Jed Babbin Yesterday the House committees -- with nearly one hundred members in attendance -- failed to notice what may be the most compelling proof that ...
Quds Force Training Iraqis In Iran Safer Than Within Petraeus' Reach
ThreatsWatch.Org - Sep 10, 2007
By Steve Schippert Today, General Petraeus said in his statement to Congress that Iran has withdrawn from Iraq its Quds Force as well as its Lebanon-based ...
Re: Re: Ackerman and Andy and Drawdown
National Review Online Blogs, NY - Sep 10, 2007
Kate and Rich, with (enormously) due respect, the central problem in the war and the central problem in Iraq is Iran ... next door to Iraq. ...
Key points from US general on military progress in Iraq
Turkish Press, MI - Sep 10, 2007
WASHINGTON - The following are the main points from testimony by the US commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, on the security situation in Iraq before ...
Iran unwilling to help Iraq, US ambassador says
Earthtimes.org - Sep 10, 2007
Washington - Iran has failed to take steps to help the security of Iraq despite pledging to do so in public statements, the US ambassador to Iraq said ...
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