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The Real Reason Bush Spied on Maliki

By Patrick Cockburn, Independent UK. Posted September 8, 2008.


Although Bob Woodward doesn't mention it in his book, the true aim of the U.S. has been to figure out Baghdad's real relationship with Iran.

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The United States has spied extensively on Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki and other Iraqi government leaders, the American investigative journalist Bob Woodward has revealed.

"We know everything he says," the journalist quotes one source as saying, in his fourth book on George Bush's presidency. The U.S. administration's decision to spy continually on Mr. Maliki shows deep distrust of the Iraqi leadership by the U.S. The surveillance took place even while Mr. Maliki was speaking to Mr. Bush by video-phone once a week.

The Iraqi government reacted furiously today and said it would ask the United States for an explanation, although Mr. Maliki and other Iraqi leaders are unlikely to be shocked or surprised that the U.S. has been spying on them. "If it is true … it reflects that there is no trust," government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement.

The prime aim of U.S. espionage targeting Iraqi officials has been to find out the true relations between the Baghdad government and Iran, though this motive is not referred to in Mr Woodward's book. Washington has been deeply suspicious of Mr. Maliki and his predominantly Shia government for maintaining close relations with Tehran even while the U.S. was threatening to go to war with Iran.

At one moment in 2006-7 U.S. officials in Iraq were complaining privately that they could not get enough information about more sophisticated and lethal roadside bombs killing American troops because so much of the U.S. intelligence effort was focussed on the Iraqi government. "Hundreds of our people were doing nothing but listening to Iraqi officials," said a source.

The American troop 'surge' of 2007 when 30,000 additional U.S. troops were sent to Iraq to pursue more aggressive tactics was not the main reason for the fall in violence in Iraq over the last sixteen months says Mr. Woodward in The War Within: A Secret White House History, 2006-2008.

Instead he claims that "ground breaking" new covert techniques enabled U.S. military and intelligence officials to find, target and kill insurgent leaders in rebel groups, particularly in al-Qa'ida in Iraq. In its summary of Mr. Woodward's book, to be published on Monday, the Washington Post, of which he is associate editor, says he does not reveal the code names of this assassination campaign because of national security concerns.

The origin and degree of success of the 'surge' is politically important in the U.S. presidential election because the Republican candidate John McCain says that he was an early advocate of the strategy and it has brought the U.S. close to military victory.

Denying this, Mr Woodward concludes that there were four factors leading to the reduction in violence in Iraq: covert operations, troop reinforcements, the decision by the Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to restrain his Mehdi Army militia, and the rise of the Awakening Movement in the Sunni community opposing al-Qa'ida in Iraq.

There certainly was an increase in assassinations of Sunni rebel leaders in early 2007 timed to coincide with the beginning of the "surge." But the weakening of al-Qa'ida came primarily because al-Qa'ida alienated the Sunni by trying to take full control of the anti-American resistance and also provoked a sectarian war with the Shia in which the Sunni were largely defeated.


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no need to get distracted by details when you have a big picture.
Posted by: avatar_singh on Sep 8, 2008 4:53 PM   
Current rating: 1    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
what I wrote 11years ago still holds true and itis the anglosaxon conspiracy to loot the rest of the world (including europe) after fall of soviet union(done through agents and propaganda).

year--1997
Irak is right in demanding ouster of anglo-saxon spies from hollowed Iraki's soil.In name of uno, and before that leage of friends ,and now Amnesty International, this heyena country called england has installed a lot bof speis all over World and has virtually hijacked Americans to do their domestic and foreign policies for furtherance of british (england's ) interest than even American 's interest.


These days for last few years a lot of Kurdish refugees(who by the way are more aryans than all the europeans combined-though it is irrelevant here)are escaping from Turkey because of Turkish pressure. But nobody has ever stopped Turkey from having her air space nor has anyone bobed them. and why should anyone?Who has given right to a handfull of countries to be a policeman? Could they dare demand such thing at time of so called cold war? Every december,ever since gulf war there is a show of bullying tactics by anglo-saxons in middle east. There is really no ground but excuse is created because this race feels uplifted when others are insultated. Also there is a low cost exercise in bullying any other nation by military postures. Why should Iraq not have weapons as he desires?in 1981, when the israelis had bombed the iraqui nuclear reacto(a few days before going critical) it was britain)govt, and british media) who had vwhemently opposed Israeli daring action and did a lot of anti-jewish propaganda. Atleast Begin had a reason to fear from the arab enemy of israel. even in '82 Lebanon war it was britain which was most vociferous in criticizing Isreali militay action at the same time minimizing the Isreali Airforce's achievement in destroying Bacca's valley missiles through high tech method.In fact What americans did in gulf war was what Isreali had achieved way back in '82 in Lebanon war and America obtained that military know-how from Israelis after Lebanon war. But gulf war is justifiable on basis of military superirity but not Lebanon war. In fact when an american general said that america learned a lot from Israelis' achievement then the american defense minister Winnberg said that itAmerica learned not from Israeli but from British. Ofcourse we all know that Wnnberg was (awarded sir) more of anbritish defense minister than american one. He was pro-british and anti-jewish (and antirussian and all others aswell). In fact in lebanon war the american foreign secratary was changed because the british did not like Hague's attitude. This much britain exercises influence in american affairs. Now having installed all the stooges in Arab world britain has discarded her sham veil of Arabists and openly insults(through america ofcouse because on own britain is not even a fourh grade power)the arab world.Talking about the stooge, have you wondered why these days even Yeltsin's bad health no longer makes any headline news in anglosaxon world?Before any cold that Yeltsin had was niticed and still before that any peon from Russia had a headline news ' material. The reaon is simple. Britain has installed in Russia not only a mad man likes yelstin but also a second line of stooge successor to him. After Yelstin usefullness is over then he will be replaced by those second line of british stooge who at the moment are already controlling Russia and destroying her everyday. Democracy ,as understood today, basically means any system which gives free hand to britain to exploit other races. If their is one example of what an evil this so called capitalism is and what a saviour communism(britain does not dislike communism, she dislikes other's prosperity and independence whether it comes from communism, nationalism or what ever)is: this ruinous example of Russia is the real lesson. China is right

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He needs a reason?
Posted by: ahmlco on Sep 9, 2008 2:50 AM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Bush doesn't need anything as prosaic or mundane as a reason to spy on anyone, including his own citizens. He is, after all, king... er... President.

Rules don't apply to presidents.

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Foolish administration effort to demonize Iran
Posted by: Garvagh on Sep 9, 2008 10:37 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Now that it is clear British and American intelligence had virtual proof no WMD existed in Iraq, before the invasion, it follows that Dick Cheney's crowd intentionally deceived the US public to bring on a profitable war (profitable for the private contractors, that is). The idiotic effort to portray Iran as a "threat" to the US is equally ludicrous, but American newspapers fail to lay out for the public the fact Iran's nuclear facilities have been subjected to 14 surprise inspections by the IAEA, and no diversion to a military use of any of the nuclear materials supplied by Russia (for the power plant) has been found.

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US could have good relations with Iran
Posted by: Garvagh on Sep 9, 2008 4:09 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The president of China was in Tehran this past weekend, and you can be sure China opposes any idiotic Israeli or American attack on Iran. For that matter, Turkey and Russia also oppose such lunacy.

It truly is remarkable the effort to demonize Iran, relentlessly engaged in by the AEI and the Israel lobby (and the neocons, who are much the same thing).

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Study the maps
Posted by: jeffreytaos on Sep 10, 2008 2:28 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
World affairs seem even more intriguing when you start looking at the maps. Today I was looking at the google maps again. Notice the location of Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, China, North Korea, and also India, Sri Lanka, but don't forget to look at that little country, Georgia, and then you can slowly make sense of all this. China supported Russian military actions in Georgia, though it pits China policy against the USA. China also returns refugees to North Korea, exposing it's alliance to Kim Il Jong, reported missing lately. The Tamil Tigers are operating in Northern Sri Lanka causing problems in India. North Korea in turn has relations with Iran, Russia, and Syria. Don't jump to any conclusions and try to choose sides, but just study these maps. It does look like WWIII is now. The domination and control of these areas becomes critical to the new superpowers, China and Russia. The threat of nuclear attacks is more than ever before. A Russian General threatened Poland recently. Look at the location of Poland. It's the entry point to Europe. These wars are not only about oil, they are about reorganizing the control of the worlds resources. Saudi Arabia is hardly ever mentioned, but look at all the development in that country and who they align themselves with. Yes, it's very complicated, and it is easy to be distracted by "the surge', and Sarah Palin's daughter, and the possibility of a "shotgun wedding" in the Whitehouse. It's very easy to be distracted. When North Korea tells the world that they have no weapons, but proudly marches their ten million soldiers, men and women on the anniversary of the founding of their imaginary kingdom, we should be concerned. Be concerned about all these alliances. The idea that the US will remain a superpower and take control of these strategic nations remains to be proved. It's obvious to me that neighboring superpowers have no interest in seeing the US succeed. All too often, these various regimes are using US strategies against us. If Mao was right, they can win with patience as we wear ourselves out fighting these wars without end.

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» RE: Study the maps Posted by: luzmejor