Larisa quotes a "senior intelligence official" who is "close to the Joint Chiefs of Staff" and "familiar with the plans" as saying:
"The JCS has accepted the inevitable..."Gulp! Inevitable??
Larisa's recent report, along with previous reports from Seymour Hersh in the New Yorker and Michael Duffy in Time Magazine, indicate that the Pentagon is prepared to use nuclear as well as conventional weapons in America's upcoming ("inevitable") war of choice against Iran.
Adding to the concern of both military and intelligence officials alike is the nuclear option, the possibility of pre-emptive use of nuclear weapons...So far, the plans have been kept secret from the lawmakers who theoretically have the power to declare war.
An April New Yorker report by Sy Hersh alleged that the nuclear option was on the table, and that some officers of the Joint Chiefs had threatened resignation.
"The attention given to the nuclear option has created serious misgivings inside the offices of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he added, and some officers have talked about resigning," Hersh wrote. "Late this winter, the Joint Chiefs of Staff sought to remove the nuclear option from the evolving war plans for Iran -- without success, the former intelligence official said."
The senior intelligence official who spoke to RAW STORY, along with several military intelligence sources, confirmed that the nuclear option remains on the table. In addition, the senior official added that the Joint Chiefs have "come around on to the administration's thinking."
[I]t would seem that at least some members of the Senate Armed Services Committee have not been briefed on deployment orders or on any strike plans, even contingency plans. The Senate Intelligence Committee is attempting to get a grasp on what is and has been going on.According to Larisa's sources, the plans developed so far deal with issues such as the inevitable reaction in Bahrain, where the US Fifth Fleet is based, and efforts to secure routes for oil transportation out of the Middle East.
The pretext for the "inevitable" attack will be unsubstantiated allegations that Iran is attempting to develop nuclear weapons. Thus far, the only allegations which have been substantiated concerned American attempts to lie about the situation on the ground in Iran.
As we know from bitter experience, the truth of the situation in Iran is irrelevant if the intelligence is being fixed around the policy. If such is the case, then it would have to be done without the knowledge or consent of a great many people.
With allegations of a plan in place and contingency scenarios in play, several military and intelligence experts see this as proof of a secret White House order to proceed with military action.Well, then ...
***
I apologize for the condition of this post. It was published before I was ready. Blogger to the rescue again... Not!
Here are some interesting links provided by my friends at The BRAD BLOG, in response to my previous item about Iran, the IAEA and the lies being told about the current situation...
Michael Duffy's article from Time Magazine is available on Time's website to subscribers only, but it is also available here.
The Whole World At War? Some scenarios:
War scenarios
Fixing the intelligence around the policy:
In a replay of Iraq, a battle is brewing over intelligence on Iran
Iranian weapons systems and capabilities are much scarier than those of Iraq:
C-802
BrahMos
Hizballah Brings out Iranian Silkworm to Hit Israel Navy Corvette
Concerning those deployment orders:
Showdown: Battle groups head for Mideast
Converging U.S. Navy aircraft carrier groups in Middle East send strong message to Iran and Syria