[whataretheysaying] Mary Madigan: Smoke 'em if you've got 'em

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Posted by Mary Madigan:
Smoke 'em if you've got 'em
http://whataretheysaying.powerblogs.com/posts/1169829530.shtml


   This is [1]good news, sort of...

   First the bad news...

     For more than a year, U.S. forces in Iraq have secretly detained
     dozens of suspected Iranian agents, holding them for three to four
     days at a time. The "catch and release" policy was designed to
     avoid escalating tensions with Iran and yet intimidate its
     emissaries. U.S. forces collected DNA samples from some of the
     Iranians without their knowledge, subjected others to retina scans,
     and fingerprinted and photographed all of them before letting them
     go.

   WTF??? We caught them and released them to avoid escalating tensions
   with Iran???

     Last summer, however, senior administration officials decided that
     a more confrontational approach was necessary, as Iran's regional
     influence grew and U.S. efforts to isolate Tehran appeared to be
     failing. The country's nuclear work was advancing, U.S. allies were
     resisting robust sanctions against the Tehran government, and Iran
     was aggravating sectarian violence in Iraq.

     "There were no costs for the Iranians," said one senior
     administration official. "They are hurting our mission in Iraq, and
     we were bending over backwards not to fight back."...

     ...In Iraq, U.S. troops now have the authority to target any member
     of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, as well as officers of its
     intelligence services believed to be working with Iraqi militias.
     The policy does not extend to Iranian civilians or diplomats.
     Though U.S. forces are not known to have used lethal force against
     any Iranian to date, Bush administration officials have been urging
     top military commanders to exercise the authority.

   Okay, so we're finally changing a policy that was stunningly,
   gobsmackingly stupid. That's the good news. But why just kill the
   operatives in Iran.

   ...and why the press release?

References

   1. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/25/AR2007012502199.html?referrer=email