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The mainstream media is up to no good again. Brian Ross, the gun grabbing advocate at ABC news appears to be the latest “journalist” to tip Iran off to a covert CIA operation aimed at destabilizing the terrorist nation. (h/t Wizbang)

Before you read the extent of this report consider the following short list of Iran’s involvement in fueling violence and terrorism throughout the Middle East:

• Iran is a primary player in fueling the insurgency in Iraq. The nation is reportedly arming both sides of the insurgency in an effort to destabilize the new government, cause a civil war and kill American citizens.
• Iran is pursuing a program to develop a nuclear weapons. Concurrently they openly seek to destroy Israel and pit the world against the United States with an open declaration that both will soon die.
• Hezbollah terrorists are discovered to have been armed with Iranian weapons after abandoning their weapons caches in Lebanon
• Iran has been implicated in abductions and the murder of U.S. Soldiers along the Iran-Iraq border.
• Thousands of Iraqi Shias are reported as being trained in advanced guerrilla warfare tactics at a secret camp near the Iranian capital. The goal is to kill American soldiers.
• Iran is defying the United Nations and continues to seek Nuclear weapons technology.

Now read the following ABC report by Brain Ross and see if you can figure out why they would tip off Iran to a covert operation by the CIA to destabilize the government and undermine the terrorist friendly state.

Bush Authorizes New Covert Action Against Iran

May 22, 2007 6:29 PM
Brian Ross and Richard Esposito Report:

The CIA has received secret presidential approval to mount a covert “black” operation to destabilize the Iranian government, current and former officials in the intelligence community tell the Blotter on ABCNews.com.

The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject, say President Bush has signed a “nonlethal presidential finding” that puts into motion a CIA plan that reportedly includes a coordinated campaign of propaganda, disinformation and manipulation of Iran’s currency and international financial transactions.

“I can’t confirm or deny whether such a program exists or whether the president signed it, but it would be consistent with an overall American approach trying to find ways to put pressure on the regime,” said Bruce Riedel, a recently retired CIA senior official who dealt with Iran and other countries in the region.

Amazingly the ABC report has only just begun. Note the insinuation that this is an illegal operation by comparing it to the Iran contra affair with the following pullquote in the middle of the article:

Ross even follows it up with an expert to bolster the insinuation.

“There are some channels where the United States government may want to do things without its hand showing, and legally, therefore, the administration would, if it’s doing that, need an intelligence finding and would need to tell the Congress,” said ABC News consultant Richard Clarke, a former White House counterterrorism official.

Let’s consider that the U.S. government wanted to do things without its hand showing. If true, and I can’t imagine why that particular statement wouldn’t be true, then what could explain the reason that ABC feels it needs to publish such information and tip our hand to Iran?

Wizbang puts forth the possibility that this leak may be intentional by the Bush administration. That may be true; one can only hope. Unfortunately current trends by the mainstream media, particularly the New York Times, lead me to have little hope that this is the case. Rampant hate for the Bush administration has supplanted common sense and national security concerns typically take a back seat to that derangement.

If this is the case then ABC has plenty of explaining to do.

Update: It took the left a few hours to catch on to the story but they have finally come to the rescue of Brian Ross and ABC. The first hours worth of comments were almost exclusively by those showing disdain for ABC. I imagine that somewhere along the line the Daily Kos or Huffington Post picked it up and the pro-Iranian left is weighing in, their take, the U.S. and the CIA are the real terrorists.

• I can’t believe there are so many superignorant hillbillies in the states. No wonder you are hated all over the world. Bush and his clique do their best to destabilize the planet and guess what the other countries will strike back! The sad part that all people including those who do not support the criminals currently in White House will also suffer.
• Why is it, that when U.S.A. activly destabalise another country its called intelligence gathering, and considered ok. When it happens to U.S.A. its called terrorism??? What a double standard. No wonder U.S.A. is hated world wide. Yankes go home, you are the problem.

  Posted by: Rob | May 23, 2007 4:17:39 AM

• I place my bets on Iran winning. If you have to choose between fanatics, Iran beats USA by the slightest of margins.

  Posted by: Lee Harvey | May 23, 2007 3:27:55 AM

• History repeats itself. America became the thug of the world.

  With current flow of the government actions and american policy I see a future police state of america and long line for food rations.

  Posted by: Terry | May 23, 2007 3:19:04 AM

• It’s frightning what this administration has been getting away with.
  I also can’t believe there are still people who support this uneducated monkey.

  Posted by: Julie, CA | May 23, 2007 3:08:20 AM

• Kudos to ABC for having the courage to behave like true patriotic Americans. At this stage in America’s history, when the real terrorists and traitors live amongst us, sowing discord, clamoring for war, and fanatically rooting for Bush, every example of actual journalism is sorely needed.

  Posted by: Izzy Smart | May 23, 2007 3:04:48 AM

• Come on people - ABC is reporting this because they were told to and if any of you actualy think the Iranians don’t already know, where have you been for the last 30 years. The CIA overthrew their democracy and installed the Shah who killed thousands of their people before they rose up against him. They hate us for that and they will definitely try to attack us, but don’t we want them to attack us first so all of you will believe we’re justified in bombing them? That strategy worked really well in 1941 and in 2001, so why not 2007? Didn’t any of you study history?

  Posted by: Fred Peters | May 23, 2007 4:19:54 AM

• [~snip]
  Bush and Cheney have lied again and again to the American public, to the Congress, and to America’s allies. Neither man can be trusted to conduct the affairs of the nation intelligently nor honorably.

  I am calling for the Congress to introduce articles of impeachment against both President Bush and Vice-President Cheney immediately for high crimes against the United States.

  The Founders of our nation gave us a process by which we could rid ourselves of a corrupt, dishonest, and even treasonous government. That process is called impeachment, and we must use it before Bush and Cheney start World War III, and before more of our troops, and more innocent civilians, die in a futile war for empire.

  No blood for oil.

  Impeach Bush and Cheney NOW.

  Posted by: Daniel Bradford | May 23, 2007 3:50:18 AM

• The States are no better that Iran if not worst. They now have a neo-nazi administration and keep killing and torturing Moslems at an incredible rate.
  Disgusting place indeed….

  Posted by: bluenomad | May 23, 2007 3:02:58 AM

• re: the side issue. Iran “attempting to draw up plans” for a (pre-emptive? defensive?) strike against renegade terroristic nations? Wow. Guess they’ve decided to play by the rules we use. Of course, we can’t have any of that!

  Posted by: ffoulkes | May 23, 2007 2:47:28 AM

Believe me, there’s plenty more but you get the point. Most of these lefties will have to take a break to do their morning bong or drop off their kids at pre-school and campaign for the Democrats but it’s good to know where the enemy within stands. Every time I think the Republicans in Congress are as bad as it gets I am reminded that the Democrats were put into power by courting people who make comments such as what I emphasized above.

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