"There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe."
Posted on 09/02/2010 5:24:13 AM PDT by Kaslin
If Iran needed reassurance that their proxy warfare strategy is working ..
The entire idea behind Iran’s proxy warfare is to have deniability so the regime can escape retribution and still position itself as the power broker that all must cater to. If the Iranians needed any reassurance that their strategy is working, they got it from Vice President Joe Biden on August 23.
In an address in Indiana to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Biden made the remarkably ignorant and damaging statement:
Iranian influence in Iraq is minimal. It’s been greatly exaggerated.
To prove his point, Biden said that Iran had spent over $100 million to influence the last Iraqi election, and “they utterly failed.” Biden is right that the election was a major defeat for Iran, and the regime has lost the war for the hearts and minds of the Iraqis, but Iran’s campaign is much more than a popularity contest.
The pro-Iran religious Shiite parties may have been walloped in the election, but the two top vote-getters — the blocs of Iyad Allawi and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki — are still forced to jockey for their support in forming the next government. In effect, because of Allawi and al-Maliki’s failure to reach a compromise, the parties tied to Iran get the deciding vote. Al-Maliki is actively courting the Supreme Islamic Council of Iraq, and Allawi has gone to Damascus to meet with Bashar Assad and Moqtada al-Sadr, the Iranian-backed militia leader who led a revolt against coalition forces and the Iraqi government. Sadr is being educated in Iran so he can be declared an ayatollah.
The number one problem facing Iraq is still security, and it is here that Iran continues to exercise its might in the hopes of being granted veto power over the fate of its neighbor. Iranian involvement is so steep that American generals have consistently spoken out about the problem, probably as a way of giving their political leaders a discreet nudge to do something about it. General Ray Odierno complained in July that Iran was using three extremist Shiite groups to carry out attacks on U.S. bases: Ketaib Hezbollah, the League of the Righteous, and the Promise Day Brigade, which split off from Moqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army. These forces also actively fight the Iraqi government. Iranian munitions continue to be seized around the country, and Abu Dura — a slayer of thousands of Sunnis with brutality that has given him near horror-movie villain status — has returned to Iraq from his safe harbor in Iran.
The Iranian regime barely hides its fingerprints on these radical Shiite elements, sending the Iraqis and their Western allies the message that Iran is the one whose wishes must be granted. The regime is more careful to conceal its ties to al-Qaeda. General Petraeus said in March that al-Qaeda “continues to use Iran as a key facilitation hub, where facilitators connect al-Qaeda’s senior leadership to regional affiliates.” In other words, al-Qaeda is connected to its affiliates in places like Iraq via Iran. The Iraqi intelligence service has reached the same conclusion, reporting that Iran is sending its terrorist allies to Iraq through other countries like Syria to cloak their responsibility.
The sectarian violence that continues to plague Iraq is also partly the result of Iran’s playing of both sides. It is no secret that Iran supports the Shiite end of the violence, but the regime also is involved in Sunni attacks on Shiites.
On January 9, 2008, the Treasury Department blacklisted Ahmed Forouzandeh, a brigadier general in the Revolutionary Guards’ elite al-Quds Force. Forouzandeh’s Iranian intelligence staff was attacking Iraqi officials and security personnel, and in mid-February 2007, they were commanded to attack Shiites in order to provoke sectarian violence. Of course, the U.S. still refuses to drop the myth that Islamic extremists of different ideologies don’t work together, causing the Iraqi foreign minister to criticize America’s close-mindedness on the issue.
Furthermore, the Iraqi intelligence chief resigned after massive bombings shook Baghdad in August 2009. He had reportedly received proof of Iranian involvement, but Prime Minister al-Maliki told his staff not to officially accuse Iran. This continued a long-standing practice of only referring to “neighbors” when discussing the terrorists’ backers.
If Iranian influence is so “minimal” as Biden said, then why is there such a reluctance to state the obvious truth?
The August 2009 bombings carry another lesson. The Iraqis had enough of Syrian support for terrorism in their country and took matters into their own hands. They bluntly threatened the Assad regime and released proof after proof of Syrian sponsorship of terrorists, including al-Qaeda, and publicly blamed Syria for the Baghdad bombings. They even tried to get international support for a UN tribunal to prosecute Syrian officials and terrorists harbored in Syria (which the U.S. disappointingly did not support).
Terrorism in Iraq fell 75 percent during the ensuing diplomatic crisis, proving two things: Syria and Iran are the primary instigators of the violence in Iraq and their behavior can be influenced through exposure and confrontation.
The implication of Biden’s statement is that Iran can sleep at night knowing the U.S. doesn’t recognize the depth of its role, and therefore won’t do anything. The Iranians continue this destructive activity simply because it works and it’s worth it to them. They’d be crazy to stop with this lax and non-responsive U.S. attitude.
And Joe Biden’s remark will only further persuade Iran that meddling in Iraq is a risk-free investment.
Excellent
biden truly believes whatever he says, his narcissism overrules his contact with reality.
in his mind, if he says it, it is true. he believes internally this to be the reality because he said it.
the clinical term for this disorder (mangled spelling) is polymyorphichyperdystophoria.
i once met a man who swore his head was cut off in a car accident and reattached. he maintained this position in front of a bunch of people and reached the point of anger when others laughed at him. biden daily demonstrates such disorder.
Based on Biden’s keen observation that he saw neither the monkey man nor Iranian flags in Iraq. He should go back to stealing speeches from those who are competent.
These guys are living on another planet, what a dork!!!
Jeeeez, Iran is the key to the southern part of Iraq having any peace, they don’t need to fight because they can freely pass anything they want through Iraq Shite territory to the sea or other countries..
They let Bite Me speak wihout a teleprompter to make Imam Obamah look intelligent by comparison.
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Bite Me's boss is no slacker either... He lies about every detail that slithers out of his mouth. The form, substance, background, data, interpretation and meaning of every detail. He lies about his birth, his associates, his appointees, his policies, his activities, his thoughts, his family, everything. It's as if he can't speak a word without turning it into a dozen lies. Does anybody truly believe he has been a citizen from birth. Does anybody truly believe that he rejects the venom of Wright, Ayers, Jones, and hundreds of others, including his own spouse? Does anybody truly believe that he loves this country and wants the best for its people?
There can be no doubt that what Obama seeks is to overthrow the Constitutional Republic that we have enjoyed for the past 230+ years.
Look at what we have become in 18 months.
He must be thrilled. Time for some hoops. Time for some ice cream. Time for a swim. Up yours America.
Liar = Obama.
Cheater = Feds.
Thief = Congress.
Con artist = Piss-Stream Media.
If we do not get this man out of office through impeachment as soon as possible, we might not have a nation by the time 2012 comes around.
Re: “...Iranian influence in Iraq minimal
RUBBISH!!! Many of the mortars aimed at our FOB’s, places like the Green Zone and LSA Anaconda were manufactured in Iran. Biden needs to keep his mouth shut and stop displaying his ignorace about issues like this.
Oh yes - I think my last count was 21 separate mortar/rocket/missile attacks - not 2 or 3 - like 9+ - up to 30 or more on each attack down where I was at...
The great thing about these progressives - they speak - it gets recorded - and we can play it back - over and over and keep reminding people that they don’t know a thing. They don’t belong in office. The wierd thing is - these progressives tink we can’t distro the information...the News Media is irrelivant sicne the Internet came on line...
Oh Biden was my first large diplomatic operation back in OCT 2005 when he came to Hillah to view the election - he was clueless about the danger and threats out in the town...walked around and smiled the whole time - I got photos’ of it...and now he’s VP! Stranger things have come out of Babylon!
I checked your web site and found it very intersting. Great pix of the Crossed Sabers at Saddams drill field.
Another guy I was with - we were both working for Blackwater - crawled up in his hand - we had to go down in that dark lair full of water - walk through there to climb up just to take pictures over at the other hand...so basically - I was inside Saddam’s Hand - I also saw the hand when it was damaged by a missile - I think they are goign to tear them down??? last I heard...
Thanks on the website - please share it with all you know...
I have a deep respct for Blackwater as they saved my bacon more than once. When we flew out to the mass graves, we always had Blackwater with us.
If you went to the ones out in Karbala AO - then those were one of my teams - the ground PSD - the helo bys were all out of Baghdad...then there were the ones out by Tampa...and those East of Al Kut...we did several of those overwatch digs...
I believe the graves we went to were out of Karbala. I have some pictures of the Blackwater guys that were with us that may be of interest to you.
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