Meshuggah over Iraq and Israel stories Or, The Israeli evacuation story that won't go away.

Despite Haaretz recanting its first version of events at the Radisson SAS in Amman, Jordan, Israeli sources are saying they have heard that the timeline of events is indeed true.

From the LA Times:
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Israelis staying at the Radisson on Wednesday had been evacuated before the attacks and escorted back home "apparently due to a specific security threat."

Amos N. Guiora, a former senior Israeli counter-terrorism official, said in a phone interview with The Times that sources in Israel had also told him about the pre-attack evacuations.

"It means there was excellent intelligence that this thing was going to happen," said Guiora, a former leader of the Israel Defense Forces who now heads the Institute for Global Security Law and Policy at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. "The question that needs to be answered is why weren't the Jordanians working at the hotel similarly removed?"
Okay, let's take this slowly.

1. Haaretz writer says Israelis were evacuated prior to the bombings. The Haaretz link makes the rounds on the internet, goes up on a few hundred blogs.

2. Several hours later, same writer, same url, but the story recants the earlier version and alludes to "contrary to earlier reports". Who reported this and who later denied the initial report is not mentioned.

3. LA Times decides to dig further and calls a former senior intelligence official who says he heard from sources in Israel about the pre-bombing evacuations.

Repeat: Sources in Israel. Not on this blog, no, Guiora did not call me and ask me for advice on what to tell the LA Times.

Nevertheless, some have come here comparing me to Hitler's anti-Jewish phobia while others said I was screaming conspiracy.

What conspiracy? I am merely doing your homework for you, showing you what some in the media are saying. You can draw your own conclusions based on your take of the above.

In fact, it seems to me that raising the conspiracy flag before anyone has even cried conspiracy is quite telling. Why?

A few days ago, this blog reported excerpts of General Karpinski's interview with an Arab TV network. She said Israelis had come to Abu Ghraib to train Americans on the finer points of ... ahem ... questioning.

Conspiracy!! was cried from the highest rooftop over that one.

A week ago, I wrote a blog called For the Love of Israel. Yes, indeed, without fail, the word conspiracy was brought up again.

Is anyone sensing a pattern here?

When an Arab or Muslim mentions the word Israel, eyebrows are raised. When the phrase "Israel behind" is used the raised eyebrows turn into a frown. Try and point to what others have said about the issue, and you are labeled everything from an Islamo-fascist to a Neo-Nazi.

No, thanks, I like my hair. Fine Mislawi stock.

But let us examine the word conspiracy for a second. Was there or was there not a conspiracy to unseat Mohammed Mossadaq (Mossadegh)?

You know, Mossadaq who was the Shah's finance minister and nationalized the oil industry in Iran in 1951. The man who was re-elected by parliament and chose to resign in 1952 over differences with the Shah. When another, Ahmad Qawam, became prime minister and retracted the nationalization, Iranians took to the street to demand Mossadaq's return.

He returned, fired several military officers and managed to earn top spot as persona non grata for the CIA and the Brits. So, in 1953, they conspired to remove him with the help of disgruntled former Iranian army officers (Gosh darn it, why does this sound familiar???!?!!?)

Go look up Operation Ajax, which was only revealed by the CIA in the 1970s, 17 years after Mossadaq was removed and put in house arrest.

Naturally, oil was put back in the hands of the western oil companies.

Oil, again, huh?

No, no, am an Islamo-fascist for mentioning this.

Back to Amman. Does no one find it at all strange that four Palestinian officials were killed, two of whom were senior PA security officials?

Does no one find it at all strange that three Iraqi oil ministry officials were killed?

Or that CNN quoted a witness who said the Jordanian Prime Minister's car was parked at one of the hotels?

Or that an eloquent, outspoken Arab nationalist film maker - Mustafa Aqqad - was also killed?

Is it a crime to ask questions?

And let's not go very far, let's talk about Iraq. Everyone who believes this war was to liberate the Iraqis and usher in freedom and democracy raise your hands.

Now, everyone not a Republican, not a pro-Bushist and not being paid to maintain a blog raise your hands.

Let's try word association. If I throw the word Libby at you, what will you think of?

How about Cheney? And Halliburton? Okay, I cheated there.

Let's try Steven J. Rosen and Keith Weissman. No? Too Jewish? Okay, excuse my chutzpah, I've been totally going meshuggah what with being an Islamo-Fascist and all.

Okay, more word associations: Niger?

Aluminum tube?

Mushroom cloud?

No? Boze, boze moj! (No, that's Serbian)

See, it's typical. Raise the lid a lil bit and they come after you like you bothered a hornet's nest.

See what happened to LA Times columnist Robert Scheer:

On Friday I was fired as a columnist by the publisher of the Los Angeles Times, where I have worked for thirty years. The publisher Jeff Johnson, who has offered not a word of explanation to me, has privately told people that he hated every word that I wrote. I assume that mostly refers to my exposing the lies used by President Bush to justify the invasion of Iraq. Fortunately sixty percent of Americans now get the point but only after tens of thousand of Americans and Iraqis have been killed and maimed as the carnage spirals out of control. My only regret is that my pen was not sharper and my words tougher.


Who did they hire in his place? Jonah Goldberg, good ol' Goldberg who is notorious for saying:
'Never again' was the new rule after 9/11, and — after ousting the Taliban — Saddam was the next obvious target. He applauded the attack, funded suicide bombers, defied the international community and, we now know, pretended he had WMDs. Remember: 'Regime change' became the official policy of the U.S. in 1998, not 2002. Post-9/11, where would you start?


I am not even going to go into the factual errors above, but hey what do I know, am just a lifeless Arab goylomim, huh?

Remember what happened to Phil Donahue, the only talk show host on network television to say invading Iraq was a bad idea? They fired him and hired Michael Savage, infamous homophobe.

So the LA Times fire someone who has the cajones to sense the pulse of the country and write about the folly of the Iraq war and hires someone who is a neocon Zionist (Hey, Wolfowitz, Douglas Feith called, he wants his hairpiece back) who still thinks the war was valid, and everything therein is holy duty.

Hmmm.

Maybe those screaming conspiracy would like to fire all the war veterans over at OpTruth.org for criticising Bush's 11/11 speech:

"Those of us who fought in Iraq deserve to know why we became Veterans in the first place. On today of all days there should be consensus on the need to rise above partisan bickering over who said what in Washington and begin real investigations into prewar intelligence. It’s unfortunate that the President doesn’t think he owes that to the people who have been unwavering in their bravery while carrying out his plans."
Polls show, oh hell, frag that, America, just fire yourself. Then you can have all the high-profile Goldbergs, Coulters, Krauthammers, and Limbaugh's do their own laundary instead of riding the backs of tax-paying Middle America.

Well, this was fun boys and girls, no? I want to thank God, my momma, the producers over at Hellblazers Movies, Emigre and you the fans. This blog wouldn't have been possible without you.