US general says no proof Iran behind Iraq arms

[Judi Lynn]

US general says no proof Iran behind Iraq arms
Tue Mar 14, 2006 2:41 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. military officer said on Tuesday the United States does not have proof that Iran's government is responsible for Iranians smuggling weapons and military personnel into Iraq.

President George W. Bush said on Monday components from Iran were being used in powerful roadside bombs used in Iraq, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said last week that Iranian Revolutionary Guard personnel had been inside Iraq.

Asked whether the United States has proof that Iran's government was behind these developments, Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a Pentagon briefing, "I do not, sir."

"Unless you physically see it in a government-sponsored vehicle or with government-sponsored troops, you can't know it," Rumsfeld said at the same briefing. "All you know is that you find equipment, weapons, explosives, whatever, in a country that came from the neighboring country."
(snip/...)

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID=2006-03-14T194139Z_01_N14358184_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAQ-USA-IRAN.xml

[ingac70]

1. Bush just pullin' "facts" out of his ass....

As usual.:eyes:

[CrazyOrangeCat]

3. Yeah, and brain-dead Rummy . . .

. . . spewing more of the same.

Same murderous thugs, different week.

[Critters2]

15. Catapultin' the propaganda

:banghead:

[babylonsister]

2. Wow, a general going against his "boss"? May this

become an everyday occurrence!

[saigon68]

6. It won't

Ask Gen. Eric Shinseki what happens when you disagree with the draft dodgers and Chicken Hawks in Charge.

[VegasWolf]

21. I think General Pace's career is over now. Bush is petty and holds

childlike grudges.

[BOSSHOG]

4. A man of honor close to bush?

He will surely have some sort of allergic reaction. Will General Pace now have to start planning his retirement ceremony ala General Shinseki?

Imagine first lieutenant bush counseling General Pace on spin.

Lying has to be part of "conservative" DNA. Just say whatever the fuck the lunatics want to hear. Truth is irrelevant.

[Mithras61]

5. What?!?!?

"Unless you physically see it in a government-sponsored vehicle or with government-sponsored troops, you can't know it," Rumsfeld said at the same briefing. "All you know is that you find equipment, weapons, explosives, whatever, in a country that came from the neighboring country."

Let's see... that sounds like Rumfilled just said "You can't know it came from a neighboring country unless you just "know" it came from the neighboring country."



I MUST be loosing my mind, because I KNOW our leaders wouldn't say stupid sh!t like that... :sarcasm:

[Don Claybrook]

13. This will help you to understand

You see, there are knowns, and there are known knowns. With me so far? Good. Now, there are also known unknowns, as well as unknown unknowns. That is to say, there are things we don't yet know that we don't know.



http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/d/donaldrums148142.html

[Critters2]

16. Everytime I read this crap

my brain hurts.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

7. but I saw the welds - the same as iranian steel welds. Proof positive!

Yeah, too many people just happen to know that one expert weld is impossible to tell apart from another. And if you use machine welding, they all look alike. SO much for claiming that the IEDs show telltale "Iranian welds."

[underpants]

8. GD thread:"Why does General Pace hate America?"

:evilgrin:

[TheCowsCameHome]

9. He doesn't believe the Chimp-in-Chief, eh?

He'll be scrubbing pots shortly.................

[Lochloosa]

10. Why does this man question our leader. He must hate America!

:sarcasm:

[Dhalgren]

11. Hmmm..."Pace"....what kinda name is that, anyway?

[AtTheEndOfTheDay]

12. And if their clothing

is Chinese and they drink coca cola that obviously implicates both China and the U.S.
These guys are just stupid beyond all reason.

[tabasco]

14. I'm surprised Peter Pace contradicted Bush.

He is usually a loyal yes-man.

Maybe he is finding his moral courage. We can only hope.

[nolabels]

17. Probably just some kind of prop they will use later.

Like they will say it's all being secretly done by Iran and forces on the ground are in hot pursuit of the evidence, sort of like WMD's in Iraq :shrug:

[Joanne98]

18. He just couldn't get out of it. He loves Bush!

[george_hurley]

19. ***PETITION TO SIGN: NO WAR WITH IRAN ***

Hello,

For the past year, the growing tensions mounting between the US, Israel, and Iran are reaching a point where military action against Iran is w/in months of becoming reality. The repercussions are terrifying as such military action could involve countries such as China and Russia as they share massive energy/economic interests w/ Iran. The most likely scenario we would face would be the collapse of the US economy as the combination of a massive rise in oil prices and a run on the US dollar would surely be the weapon many countries would use to fight back against a preemptive US or Israeli strike.

For a collection of articles and resources on this subject you can visit this link: http://reseaudesign.com/research/iran/iran_summery.html

I'm starting up a petition which I will be sending out to as many members of Congress as possible. I'm asking for help to get this signed by as many people, possible in the next month. Send it to as many people you can.

http://www.petitiononline.com/n0war1rn /



Also, here is another petition you can sign from another group:
http://stopwaroniran.org/statement.shtml




Thanks for your time

[lovuian]

20. John Negroponte where is your evidence better tell Rummy

"Some of the most powerful IED's we're seeing in Iraq today include components that came from Iran," said President Bush. "Our Director of National Intelligence, John Negroponte, told the congress Tehran has been responsible for at least some of the increasing lethality of anti-coalition attacks by providing Shia' militia with the capability to build improvised explosive devices in Iraq. Coalition forces have seized IED's and components that were clearly produced in Iran."

Does what hand know what the other is doing!!!

[goforit]

22. Hmmm....Generals disagreeing with the thugs? A brief bit of fresh air.

[TacticalPeek]

23. Pace is different. He's a Marine.

QUESTION: Sir, taking on his question a bit -- and I can give you actual examples from coalition forces who talked to me when I was over there about excesses of the Interior Ministry, the Ministry of Defense; and that is in dealing with prisoners or in arresting people and how they're treated after they're arrested -- what are the obligations and what are the rights of U.S. military over there in dealing with that?

RUMSFELD: . . . . Obviously, the United States does not have a responsibility when a sovereign country engages in something that they disapprove of. However, we do have a responsibility to say so and to make sure that the training is proper and to work with the sovereign officials so that they understand the damage that can be done to them in the event some of these allegations prove to be true."

QUESTION: And, General Pace, what guidance do you have for your military commanders over there as to what to do if -- like when General Horst found this Interior Ministry jail?

PACE: It is absolutely responsibility of every U.S. service member if they see inhumane treatment being conducted, to intervene, to stop it. . . .

RUMSFELD: I don't think you mean they have an obligation to physically stop it, it's to report it.

PACE: If they are physically present when inhumane treatment is taking place, sir, they have an obligation to try to stop it."

http://www.tpmcafe.com/story/2005/11/30/11448/218

:patriot: