Note: this is my first diary here in four years so I'm kinda out of practice. My last effort was written a week before Barack Obama's 1st inauguration. Not that that has any relevance. But I digress.
I'm writing this as kind of an unofficial post script to (though in no way in conjunction with) Rachel Maddow's upcoming special documentary, "Hubris: Selling the Iraq War" due to be broadcast on Monday evening, February 18th, 2013 @ 9:00pm est.
I urge everyone to tune in. Rachel promises that it's gonna ShAkE things up!
That said:
Back in 2001, aluminum tubes purchased by Iraq were intercepted in Jordan. Subsequently, in September 2002, those particular tubes were cited in public by the Bush administration as clear evidence of Saddam Hussein's quest for nuclear weapons. The New York Times reported at the time that:
In the last 14 months, Iraq has sought to buy thousands of specially designed aluminum tubes, which American officials believe were intended as components of centrifuges to enrich uranium. American officials said several efforts to arrange the shipment of the aluminum tubes were blocked or intercepted but declined to say, citing the sensitivity of the intelligence, where they came from or how they were stopped.
Many [rightly] questioned the validity of those claims during the run up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, citing other possible uses for the tubes. (albeit; most likely for more conventional types of weaponry) Those who did the questioning of the administration's claims were instantly and consistently met with equal doses of vehemence and marginalization.
Unfortunately, we know all too well who won that argument. And, as they say... the rest was history.
As it turned out, after the invasion, the Iraq Survey Group determined that the best explanation for the tubes' use was to produce conventional 81-mm rockets; no evidence was found of a program to design or develop an 81-mm aluminum rotor uranium centrifuge.
Fast forward to today... er, um, yesterday.
Yesterday's front page of The Washington Post contained an article written by Post reporter Joby Warrick entitled: Iran’s bid to buy banned magnets stokes fears about major expansion of nuclear capacity
The article emphasized that recent reports of the purchases could be tantamount to:
"... according to experts and diplomats, a sign that the country may be planning a major expansion of its nuclear program that could shorten the path to an atomic weapons capability.
Of course, predictably, due to the "sensitivity of the matter" the experts and diplomats cited by Warrick chose to stay anonymous.
Warrick went on to say:
Purchase orders obtained by nuclear researchers show an attempt by Iranian agents to buy 100,000 of the ring-shaped magnets–which are banned from export to Iran under U.N. resolutions–from China about a year ago, those familiar with the effort said.
Those "ring magnets" are made of a unique alloy known as
barium strontium ferrite -- both reasonably-priced and available in large quantities -- and according to experts cited by Warrick as having a singular purpose. Centrifuges.
However, Wikipedia says differently:
Ferrites are chemical compounds consisting of ceramic materials with iron(III) oxide (Fe2O3) as their principal component.[1] Many of them are magnetic materials and they are used to make permanent magnets, ferrite cores for transformers, and in various other applications.
Beyond a foreboding sense of déjà vu, a clear determination of what's real in this particular article and what's plainly propaganda for pursuance of war with Iran is above my scope of cognitive capabilities. But it's undeniable that the similarities are uncanny if not disturbing.
It is interesting to note though, that; an article on the website, F.A.I.R: (Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting) adds a bit more mystery to the equation...
Back in 2002 there was one newspaper that poured cold water on the Iraq tubes story. It was the Washington Post. The reporter? The same Joby Warrick who wrote this story about Iranian magnets. And whose expertise did he rely on? David Albright of ISIS–the very same person pushing the Iran story now
I don't know what it all means. But I do know that we can't allow history to repeat itself.
We should listen to this guy...
"There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again." — President George W. Bush, Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002
Perhaps our media will decide to ferret out the truth...
this time.