U.S.
Will Tip Its Hand
Before Attacking Iran
By David Swanson
19 October, 2007
Afterdowningstreet.org
If
Bush and Cheney attack Iran, we will almost certainly know it's coming.
For months prior to the invasion of Iraq, even while the corporate media
bombarded us with the pretense that Bush and Cheney had not yet decided
on war, other stories further back in the pages of newspapers and on
the internet informed us, or should have informed us, that an attack
was coming.
Many of these stories involved
the deployment of troops. (We were told that they were deploying "in
case" there was to be a war.) With so many troops already in the
area now, and with the attack on Iran likely not to include ground forces,
we may not see the same volume of reports of this sort. Still, it is
unlikely that no troops will let the word slip that an attack is really
coming.
During the lead-up to the
invasion of Iraq, there were also stories about weapons production.
Long before shocking and aweing Iraq with all those bombs, a major increase
in bomb production and conversion to "smart bombs" was needed.
This ought to be the case with Iran as well. Has anyone checked?
There were also numerous
reports on the military's plans for attacking Iraq and (primitive and
delusional as they were) plans for the post-war occupation. We have
seen reports on plans to attack Iran, but not reports of military commanders
putting them into place, no reports on plans for a post-apocalypse Iran,
and no reports on anything like the rehearsal war games in Qatar that
preceded the Iraq attack.
The most telling reports
prior to March 19, 2003, were those on statements made by the Bush-Cheney
gang. They plastered the insides of our brains with the idea that the
United States would have to reluctantly demolish Iraq if Saddam Hussein
did not destroy the weapons he had long ago destroyed. Informed Americans
knew that Bush and Cheney were knowingly demanding the impossible. Every
statement they made about the closing of the window for avoiding war
was an obvious announcement that war was coming.
The marketing of an attack
on Iran has not reached the ultimatum stage. No series of events have
been set up that can compel the White House to "reluctantly"
launch another genocide. Certainly, we've seen the same sorts of justifications
attempted, but they have not progresses to anything like the point they
did before the invasion of Iraq.
Unless a provocation from
Iran can be created or pretended, it seems unlikely the United States
will attack Iran with the marketing campaign for such an attack still
in such a premature state.
Of course, we learned a lot
about the fraudulent campaign for an attack on Iraq after the fact.
But here is some of what we knew prior to March 19, 2003, that should
have made us aware what was coming. All of this was reported at the
time:
March 17, 2003, There were
211,000 U.S. troops deployed to the area.
March 17, 2003, Bush gave
Saddam Hussein 48 hours to get out.
March 12, 2003, The United
States advertised its testing of the largest ever non-nuclear bomb.
March 11, 2003, Bush said
30 days was too long to wait before launching war.
March 9, 2003, Powell said
United States would use military force to compel Saddam Hussein to comply
with UN resolutions he'd already complied with. Rice said United States
would lead a coalition to change the Iraq regime.
March 5, 2003, Rumsfeld said
that if the United States attacked Iraq it would be to change the regime,
and General Tommy Franks said he was ready to attack Iraq.
March 4, 2003, U.S. military
officials said they had 225,000 troops in the area awaiting orders to
attack.
March 4, 2003, Marines and
amphibious units deployed to Iraq, and Franks reviewed completed Iraq
War plans with top commanders.
February 28, 2003, There
were 153,000 U.S. troops in the area, and Deputy National Security Advisor
Stephen Hadley published his thoughts on post-war Iraq.
February 27, 2003, A sixth
carrier battle group was sent to Iraq, B-52 stealth bombers were sent
to Diego Garcia, and a high ranking US diplomat John Brady Kiesling
resigned in opposition to coming attack on Iraq.
February 24, 2003, Rice claimed
no new UN authorization needed to attack Iraq, Powell suggested the
war might come in March, and media reported United States was training
Iraqi rebels in Hungary.
February 22, 2003, There
were 126,000 U.S. troops in the area.
February 21, 2003, Under
Secretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith told the media his thoughts
on a post-war Iraq.
February 20, 2003, Rumsfeld
said coalition forces were ready to attack Iraq.
February 17, 2003, There
were 106,000 U.S. troops in the area, and the 3rd Armored Cavalry just
deployed to Iraq.
February 13, 2003, The Pentagon
had by this point called up 150,000 Reserve and National Guard troops.
February 12, 2003, Hadley
laid out thoughts on post-war Iraq, and Powell said U.S. would attack
if Iraq did not destroy the weapons it had long since destroyed (a fact
that was publicly available).
February 11, 2003, Feith
gave Senate his thoughts on post-war Iraq.
February 10, 2003, There
were 100,000 U.S. troops in the area, and Rumsfeld enlisted commercial
airlines to get them there.
February 7, 2003, Rumsfeld
told nations of the world to prepare for a war on Iraq, and sent a fifth
carrier battle group to the area.
February 6, 2003, U.S. Army
ships helicopters to Iraq.
February 3, 2003, U.S. military
officials detail Iraq war plans to media. There were 70,000 troops in
the area. And Time reported that CIA had been doing pre-war work in
Iraq for months.
January 31, 2003, massive
U.S. airstrikes were weakening Iraq in preparation for war, and four
carrier battle groups were sent to Iraq with a fifth on the way. U.S.
troops in Germany were told to pack for Turkey.
January 30, 2003, Bush says
it will be weeks, not months. United States send weapons to Jordan to
protect against retaliation by Iraq. U.S. troops in the area of Iraq
were approaching 90,000 with known plans to increase to between 180,000
and 250,000. The Penatagon admitted that the CIA was already in northern
Iraq.
January 29, 2003, US ambassador
to the UN John Negroponte said the window was closing, and Jordan allowed
US troops to stage attack on Iraq from Jordan.
January 24, 2003, US and
UK military lobbied Turkey unsuccessfully for permission to attack Iraq
from there.
January 23, 2003, US military
ships headed to Iraq raising presence to 4 battle groups. Australian
troops also headed to Iraq.
January 22, 2003, Guard and
Reserves were called up in the US, while British troops and equipment
headed to Iraq. Iraq claimed, as it had also on December 23rd, to have
shot down an unmanned U.S. plane.
January 21, 2003, British
troops prepared to go to Iraq.
January 20, 2003, There were
57,000 US troops in the area. Rumsfeld said troops were running out.
British troop deployment was announced.
January 19, 2003, Powell
said time was running out. British troops mobilized.
January 12, 2003, Rumsfeld
signed orders to add 62,000 to the 60,000 U.S. troops in the area.
January 11, 2003, Australian
troop deployments announced.
January 10, 2003, Gen. Meyers
described US troops training Iraqis in Hungary.
January 9, 2003, US soldiers
called up.
January 8, 2003, Central
Command moved to Qatar and announced US troop deployments.
January 6, 2003, US ships
arrived in Gulf.
January 2, 2003, Bush sent
elite forces to Iraq.
December 24 - 29, 2002, U.S.
troops received deployment orders.
December 23, 2002, 52,000
troops were in the area.
December 22, 2002, Iraq invited
the CIA in to inspect, and the CIA said no.
December 18, 2002, Hungary
agreed to let the United States train Iraqi exiles there.
December 15, 2002, British
Royal Navy announced deployment to Gulf. Dozens of teams of elite American
soldiers and intelligence specialists had already been sent into Iraq
with millions of dollars in cash to woo key tribal leaders away from
Saddam Hussein.
December 11, 2002, United
States made deal with Qatar to use bases there to attack Iraq.
December 9, 2002, United
States rehearsed Iraq attack with war games in Qatar.
December 8, 2002, US troop
deployment plans announced.
December 4, 2002, British
Ministry of Defense reported 300 percent increase since March in bombs
dropped on southern Iraq.
December 3, 2002, US carrier
battle group deployed to gulf, and Rumsfeld claimed US could attack
Iraq without UN approval.
December 2, 2002, United
States set up headquarters in Qatar.
November 2002 – March
2003, United States launches 120 air strikes in Iraq, compared with
110 in previous 34 months.
November 21, 2002, United
States was recruiting force in northern Iraq.
November 7, 2002, U.S. base
for B-2s set up on Diego Garcia.
November 5, 2002, U.S. battle
group deployed to Gulf.
November 4, 2002, Kuwait
allowed United States to attack Iraq from its bases.
November 3, 2002, Pentagon
outfitted units with river-crossing equipment for the Euphrates.
November 2, 2002, U.S. pilots
practiced bombing southern Iraq.
November 1, 2002, U.S. Navy
sought merchant ships to transport huge amounts of ammunition to the
Gulf.
October 31, 2002, Boeing
tested 500 lb. "smart bomb".
October 29, 2002, U.S. ships
deployed to Gulf.
October 23, 2002, The CIA
set up two stations in northern Iraq.
October 14, 2002, The United
States stationed six spy satelites over Iraq.
October 14, 2002, Boeing
factory went to double shifts to produce kits to turn "dumb bombs"
into "smart bombs," enough "smart bombs" to attack
Iraq.
Et Cetera.
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