It would be nice of more mainstream media outlets picked up on how bush is trying to lie to start another war. And since he does what he wants regardless of what the people wish it's time serious discussion were brought about impeachment.

...article to the notion that there is no Iranian involvement? The conclusion would seem to be that the evidence is "scant" - the evidence cited would seem to indicate that the is something there, but at a far lower level than it could be if the Iranian intention was to hurt the Americans as much as possible. The movement of supplies asserted involves movement of quite a small volume of high value materiels - charges and initiators for off route mines and a small number of anti-armour mines. If the main objective of this sort of traffic is to have influence with groups across the Iraqi border, really one doesn't have to move very much more than this (and movement of information is likely to be even more valuable than the materiel). Why would one move large volumes of materiel into the arms dump that is the former Iraq?

The major point for debate would seem to me to be the conclusion to be drawn from all of this. Is it a cassus belli (and I would strongly argue that it is not) as being billed in some quarters? Or is it a strategy with the twin objectives of building Iranian influence in Iraq and keeping the Americans from the constructive engagement that would dangerously weaken the ultra-conservative power base? If the latter is the case (and I strongly suspect that it is - keep in mind that there are other options in between and maybe even beyond these to "extremes") the proper response to my mind is not to treat it like the handy political distraction the administration is treating it as.

"At this moment, therefore, two distinct myths emerged, fuelled by the trauma of a shared experience and amplified by the existence of a hungry mass media eager to disseminate images of the world's first televised revolution." - Ali Ansari

IAEA chief says attack on Iran would be catastrophe
25 Jan 2007 22:16:42 GMT

(Updates with new quotes and background)

By Stella Dawson

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 25 (Reuters) - An attack on Iran would be catastrophic and encourage it to develop a nuclear bomb, Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said on Thursday.

"It would be absolutely counterproductive, and it would be catastrophic," ElBaradei said at a discussion on nuclear proliferation at the World Economic Forum.

The Bush administration in recent weeks has toughened its stance against Iran, which the West has accused of seeking to secretly build an atomic bomb, raising fears among political and business leaders that the U.S. plans an attack.

President George W. Bush has moved an additional aircraft carrier into the Gulf and told Iran that he would not allow it to provide weapons and support to insurgents in Iraq.

Israel has refused to rule out pre-emptive military action against Iran on the lines of its 1981 air strike against an atomic reactor in Iraq, although many analysts believe Iran's nuclear facilities are too much for Israel to destroy alone.

The United Nations imposed sanctions in December to prevent Iran using its nuclear energy programme for military weapons, and Iran this week banned 38 IAEA nuclear inspectors.

ElBaradei, head of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, has been engaged in meetings here at the gathering of world political and business leaders. He said diplomacy is the only way forward, and talk of military action can only backfire.

"This strengthens the hands of those in Iran who say 'let's develop a bomb to protect ourselves," he said.

The Bush administration has said it wants a diplomatic solution and that it is not preparing to attack either Iran or Syria.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz also warned against an attack, while Iran's former president Mohammad Khatami urged calm to reduce tensions over Iran's nuclear programme.

"If there is military action, it will have catastrophic results, not only in the region, but the whole world," Aziz said.

"I hope they would be good enough in managing the situation. We deeply need patience and understanding and not to get too emotional," Khatami said.

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