UPDATE: A massive lie is unfolding right before us. Jay Elias and a few others have been watching a story evidently planted by Bushco just hours ago, morph and enter the news stream. Join us.
Present at the Birth of a Lie: Basically what happened is that a story surfaced in the JP reporting that Iran was going to purchase 250 fighters from Russia. Drudge didn't initially carry it, neither did Fox, nor did Instapundit or the NRO. It was picked up by the Freepers and a few other crank blogs early. Now it's alive. Not a shred of corroboration. The Russia-Iran deal is part of the US doesn't torture and Rice is respected in the ME fantasy world of FOX, which, as Zwoof reminds us, is the only news network to fight in court for the right to lie.
I came across a different account. This diary is about how the story has morphed into "more evidence Iran wants to destroy Israel" and "why we can't afford to wait to attack".
Bushco Only Plays Offense. We think we've got them on the ropes. Fact is: they're kicking the shit out of the American military, civil rights, the courts and Constitution even as Congress tries to ramp up a response.
Now this.
BBC Reports Bush Arms deal response to Iran Threat. We've seen it before: The massive US arms deal with Saudi Arabia, and other US allies in the region, is necessary, says Condi in the BBC:, " to counter the negative influences of al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Syria and Iran". Israel might be expected to raise an eyebrow but doesn't because Bush bumped US military aid to Israel by 25% to $30 billion, explicitly promising a qualitative advantage, as well. So what happened?
By some uncanny coincidence, just as the US arms story breaks, we learn that Iran is "actively seeking" 250 nuclear bombers from Russia. Funny how the two stories come out about the same time!
Who could have imagined?
We're right back through the looking-glass one more time.
Remember those stories about yellow-cake and aluminum tubes buried in the Feb 6, 2003 Wapo?
This time it's aircraft. Even as we see reports that the US "has to" ship huge amounts of weapons into the region to "counter the threat from Al Quaida, Syria, Hezbollah and Iran", we get this breathless report: Iran will buy 250 long-range Sukhoi 30 Russian fighters according to the Jerusalem Post. The Sukhoi 30 is the long-range fighter/bomber capable of delivering nuclear weapons thousands of miles.
India and China both use the Su-30 as their primary nuclear weapons attack platform. From a 2005 article on India's nuclear attack force:
"... India is well on its way to setting up a nuclear command and control system and the Su-30MKI will be an important component of this system. In the long-range bomber role it should serve as the main delivery platform for nuclear weapons, especially the sub-kiloton bombs tested during the 1998 Pokhran nuclear tests."
The Debka story is already all over the net. Islamic Jihad is about to rain terror from the skies. AAAGGGGGHHHHH!!!
There's just one tiny problem.
Ha'aretz published reports from the Russian arms agency denying any new sale of Su-30s to Iran. Iran already has older versions of the Su-30, as well as assorted US and French aircraft. Iran is much more interested in air-defense systems. From Ha'aretz, we learn that Syria, not Iran, will take delivery of five new MIG-31E Interceptors, a completely different sort of system.
Why report that Russia will send 250 Sukhoi-30 long-range nuclear bombers to Iran when the actual sale is to Syria and consists of just 5 Mig-31E Interceptors?
Global Security Org provides a few hints. From their analysis of the Mig 31E Interceptor.
The most capable Russian air defense interceptor aircraft...
More detail on the Mig31E:
... It is a purely defensive fighter, designed to be used over friendly territory to defend against massive air assaults...Any country that is seriously preparing to meet the US military on the battlefield, as Iran seems to be, would want to have such a jet to meet an air assault complemented with hundreds or thousands of cruise missiles...
We're in the middle of exactly the same kind of mis-information campaign that preceded the attack on Iraq. Cheney and Lieberman are promoting war with Iran and too many Dems have already handed the administration a free pass to "fire when ready". All Bush wants is a reason to pull the trigger.
As Jay Elias points out in comments: "We're early in the cycle, it gets picked up by a couple of blogs, then fast-tracked through Drudge and then onto CNN and the NYT. Sure enough, that's exactly what's happening.
Great way to drive those impeachment stories off the front page.
Bush proxies are claiming Iran is aggressively seeking large numbers of nuclear bombers capable of "wiping Israel of the face of the map."
What's really taking place?
Iran is spending $1 billion, according to UPI. (check the hyper-ventilating)
Report: Iran to fund Syrian arms deals.
DAMASCUS, Syria, July 21 (UPI) -- Iran has reportedly agreed to help Syria acquire a massive arsenal of weapons in exchange for Syria refusing to enter into peace talks with Israel.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Syrian President Bashar Assad reached the agreement last Thursday in Damascus, Ynetnews.com reported Saturday, quoting a story published in the London-based al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper.
Iran has agreed to transfer $1 billion to Syria to buy 400 advanced T-72 Russian tanks, 18 MiG-31 warplanes, eight Sukhoi fighter jets and eight Mikoyan helicopters, it was reported.
$43 billion, Bush; $1 billion, Tehran.. Bush is pressuring Iran to spend money, threatening an attack. Bush and Cheney want regime change in Iran as badly as they wanted in Iraq, maybe more.
When Iran responds Rice and Cheney rush out to explain that all the US weapons in the region are purely a response to Iranian aggression.
Free Republic, at least one hysteric and No Talent's posse are "all over" the Iran wants long-range fighters story. It's in the system.
David Frum, NRO "big thinker", in an all neo-con bhtv diavlog, makes Eli Lake cry like a baby by declaring the battle over Iraq: "is not with the left, but with the facts...". The same applies here, now, with this story and is always our principal challenge. Frum and Eli are at war with reality.
Problem is: the war party isn't just sitting still. Bushco is on offense big-time even now. Nothing demonstrates more clearly their pure disdain for the will of the American electorate.
This isn't just about another massive subsidy to Bush's warmongering pals in the defense industry.
This is a blatant attempt to dis-inform the public. Bushco is caught, busted cold. They're using the JP and DEBKA to spread blatant falsehoods suggesting Iran is attempting acquire offensive weapons when Iran is seeking defensive weapons, in large part to thwart an anticipated US attack. Blatant lying.
UPDATE: Fox News is now twisting the truth along with Drudge, exactly as Jay predicted. How many times have we seen this sort of trash unfold? Incredible.
Completely Unsubstantiated. Can you believe it? The White House news agency is re-casting Iran's defensive moves as offensive. Iran purchases weapons to defend against a US/Israeli attack. Bushco changes the name of the aircraft and multiplies the numbers. An act of defense, becomes an act of aggression.
We know from experience there are too many folks too lazy to look for the truth. Bush could conceivably use these reports to justify a pre-emptive attack on Iran. Don't think he doesn't want to. The cash deal with US allies offers plenty of opportunity for rulers in the region to "placate" themselves.
The massive arms deal is as much a huge bribe to folks in the region to turn a blind eye to Bush bellicosity as it is an opportunity to claim Iran is trying to attack Israel.
The only questions are: who planted the bogus story and what are we going to do about it?
This is the sort of provocation that starts wars.
Congress has to act and remove these criminals before they can do any more damage.
Finally, a heartfelt thanks and special shout-out to mcjoan, BarbinMD, kos, Adam B, Devilstower, Meteor Blades and all the folks on the Front Page. Cheers!
UPDATE: Jay Elias and Lithium Cola are taking an active part in this diary. If you happen to see any diaries on this topic and you feel it's important please rec them up. I'll be back and forth for a bit.