Well, yes, you knew it was coming, right?
Ass kicking reports from the BBC, more trustworthy.
- What happened: Both the US and Iran say Iranian forces shot down a US drone. However, the two countries have given different reports on where it went down.
- What Iran is saying: Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it had shot down an "intruding American spy drone" after it entered into the country's territory Thursday. They added that the downed drone was a US-made RQ-4A Global Hawk.
- What the US is saying: A US official confirmed a drone had been shot down, but said the incident occurred in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz.
Okay, the obvious problem is you know that each country will claim that the drone flew over the area convenient to each narrative.
But, but, one has to look at this with serious skepticism, because to believe the American side, one has to believe that:
Iran MEANT to provoke the U.S. into more tension, AND
That the drone was so into their airspace they would be right to shoot it down, or at least threatened by it.
I am not buying it, nor should you.
***
Far too many in the Trump administration want a war, and will do what’s necessary to get it.
Charlie Pierce at Esquire predicted that something like this would happen … yesterday.
The trick will be what happens when this administration gins up an incident, or the Iranians do something stupid under pressure, or both. Pompeo will then no longer duck questions about the use of the old AUMF. He'll just do it. At which point, Congress will either stand up for itself or take us into another war that will end badly, if it ever ends at all.
Pierce is a fantastic writer as well as being an astute critic, but he’s not clairvoyant, this isn’t genius insight.
It is that obvious, obviously - right?
****
Like we needed another issue, upon which American lives (and Iranian) are slaughtered over … oil.
There is a reason Bolton et. al. want this war. No one talked about invading North Korea, a nation that HAS nukes.
What NoKo doesn’t have is the world’s fourth biggest petro station upon which their land floats.
So, with respect to war? Sesame Street is all over it: One of these kids is doing their own thing, one of these kids is not like the other ...
Right.
****
I know you know to be extremely cautious in these reports. When discussing with middle ground folks, it might be best that you predicted this before it happened, and have the stuff to back it up.
Hence this diary.
What else? Well, I’m not clairvoyant either, I just know how a “terrorist attack” would really up the drumbeat for war.
Look to Putin, or rogue US forces to stage it, Gulf of Tonkin style.
****
Think.
Yes, the U.S. does manipulate stuff to the current need of the president.
Bye y’all.
Peace.
Support your writers here. My novels also predict a bunch of manipulated stuff, too. But are funnier … at times.
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ETA: Lindsey Graham just said “All bets are off.”
No shit, Socrates? That’s the entire fcking point.