With Iraq reaching previously unimaginable levels of violence, with the US military stretched to the breaking point and with America's international reputation in tatters, it's remarkable that any sane person could argue for a preemptive US attack against Iran. But there do seem to be some in government and the media calling for this course of action.
Last month, The Guardian reported that the balance in the internal White House debate over Iran has shifted back in favor of military action before President George Bush leaves office in 18 months. Dick Cheney--no surprise!--is said to be strongly in favor of an attack while Condoleezza Rice and Robert Gates are resisting him. More recently, ex-CIA agent Robert Baer writing in Time magazine argued that an attack could be imminent.
You'd think that complete failure in Iraq would give even the neo-cons pause here but the drumbeat has now been taken up by Fox News, which, as an important new video by Robert Greenwald and Brave New Films shows, has been using jingoistic programming to push the nation into an attack. Unproven allegations detailing Iran's supposed rapid nuclear arms build-up (sound familiar?) are juxtaposed with military "experts" making the case for war without the nuisance of having to debate voices opposed to a military strike.
Peter Rothberg
With Iraq reaching previously unimaginable levels of violence, with the US military stretched to the breaking point and with America’s international reputation in tatters, it’s remarkable that any sane person could argue for a preemptive US attack against Iran. But there do seem to be some in government and the media calling for this course of action.
Last month, The Guardian reported that the balance in the internal White House debate over Iran has shifted back in favor of military action before President George Bush leaves office in 18 months. Dick Cheney–no surprise!–is said to be strongly in favor of an attack while Condoleezza Rice and Robert Gates are resisting him. More recently, ex-CIA agent Robert Baer writing in Time magazine argued that an attack could be imminent.
You’d think that complete failure in Iraq would give even the neo-cons pause here but the drumbeat has now been taken up by Fox News, which, as an important new video by Robert Greenwald and Brave New Films shows, has been using jingoistic programming to push the nation into an attack. Unproven allegations detailing Iran’s supposed rapid nuclear arms build-up (sound familiar?) are juxtaposed with military “experts” making the case for war without the nuisance of having to debate voices opposed to a military strike.
Watch the video below:
Then, pass it on and join your name to almost 40,000 other Americans on a letter to Fox’s fellow networks asking them not to follow Fox down the road to war.
Peter RothbergTwitterPeter Rothberg is the The Nation’s associate publisher.