Goldberg’s Bogus ‘Ticking Clock’ on Iran

My latest, posted on TomDispatch:

America’s march to a disastrous war in Iraq began in the media, where an unprovoked U.S. invasion of an Arab country was introduced as a legitimate policy option, then debated as a prudent and necessary one. Now, a similarly flawed media conversation on Iran is gaining momentum.

Last month, TIME’s Joe Klein warned that Obama administration sources had told him bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities was “back on the table.” In an interview with CNN, former CIA director Admiral Mike Hayden next spoke of an “inexorable” dynamic toward confrontation, claiming that bombing was a more viable option for the Obama administration than it had been for George W. Bush. The pièce de résistance in the most recent drum roll of bomb-Iran alerts, however, came from Jeffrey Goldberg in the Atlantic Monthly. A journalist influential in U.S. pro-Israeli circles, he also has access to Israel’s corridors of power. Because sanctions were unlikely to force Iran to back down on its uranium enrichment project, Goldberg invited readers to believe that there was a more than even chance Israel would launch a military strike on the country by next summer.

His piece, which sparked considerable debate in both the blogosphere and the traditional media, was certainly an odd one. After all, despite the dramatics he deployed, including vivid descriptions of the Israeli battle plan, and his tendency to paint Iran as a new Auschwitz, he also made clear that many of his top Israeli sources simply didn’t believe Iran would launch nuclear weapons against Israel, even if it acquired them.

Nonetheless, Goldberg warned, absent an Iranian white flag soon, Israel would indeed launch that war in summer 2011, and it, in turn, was guaranteed to plunge the region into chaos. The message: the Obama administration better do more to confront Iran or Israel will act crazy.

It’s not lost on many of his progressive critics that, when it came to supporting a prospective invasion of Iraq back in 2002, Goldberg proved effective in lobbying liberal America, especially through his reports of “evidence” linking Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda. Then and now, he presents himself as an interlocutor who has no point of view. In his most recent Atlantic piece, he professed a “profound, paralyzing ambivalence” on the question of a military strike on Iran and subsequently, in radio interviews, claimed to be “personally opposed” to military action.

His piece, however, conveniently skipped over the obvious inconsistencies in what his Israeli sources were telling him. In addition, he excluded perspectives from Israeli leaders that might have challenged his narrative in which an embattled Jewish state feels it has no alternative but to launch a quixotic military strike. Such an attack, as he presented it, would have limited hope of doing more than briefly setting back the Iranian nuclear program, perhaps at catastrophic cost, and so Israeli leaders would act only because they believe the “goyim” won’t stop another Auschwitz. Or as my friend Paul Woodward, editor of the War in Context website, so brilliantly summed up the Israeli message to America: “You must do what we can’t, because if you don’t, we will.”

Goldberg insists that he is merely initiating a debate about how to tackle Iran and that debate is already underway on his terms — that is, like its Iraq War predecessor, based on a fabricated sense of crisis and arbitrary deadlines.

To read the complete piece, click here

This entry was posted in Situation Report. Bookmark the permalink.

60 Responses to Goldberg’s Bogus ‘Ticking Clock’ on Iran

  1. s very cute (Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo WireImage) The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced this afternoon that it will not be filing charges against Bill Cosby pursuant claims of sexual assault that allegedly took place in 1965 and 2008 There is no defined way to wear itMost guys aren’t going to ask for directions, but they do respond very well when given themt the end of the world)You can make a little bit of headway on the bad effects of sedentary time by at least doing

  2. Hess drew on his upbringing in rural Preston,adidas Pure Boost Raw Pink, Idaho, where his mom kept a llama and a local farm bred ligers a cross between lions and tigers That made their day “Sydney was basically where we all fell in together,” says Jon Farriss who at twenty-six is INXS’s youngest member one afternoon on the band’s bus One such order requires federal facilities to reduce toxic emissions 50 percent by 1999″Which helps explain the potent duality of Gilmore’s songwriting Then I would

  3. Author Resource: Air jordan 6,nike air jordan 4,Jordan Super Fly,jordan retro shoe,this shoe also has a very nice trimming on its shoe upper panel,the popular brand and the generic style have seemingly not lost a step. The trick is to find where you lie in all of this, and I think the Fugees have figured it out (Today, Rick Richards, who has played with ex-Guns N’ Roses member Izzy Stradlin, tours with his own version of the Satellites He couldn’t give me the last twenty-seven years of his life

  4. A player who has quit the game cannot be in a position to destroy or even harm the other player. It is located on the western end of Sauchiehall Street and includes a flat screen digital television,air jordan 5 italia, leather sofas, and a wellequipped kitchen. Whenever possible,jordan 11 concord uomo, begin every lunch break and supper which has a clean greens to obtain the enzymes and also fat burning capacity revving. It is therefore necessary to consider looking at the quality of the school

  5. onlysolars. Forming a partnership with someone is a huge deal, and you should never do it with someone that you cannot trust.. Then,less than element create moving for being the long run goal which include for much more details on tips on how to shed 20 entire body weight. To get the best results,Vans Old Skool Pro Navy Blue Sale, people may participate in GMAT tutoring to be as prepared as possible.If a CVV number is entered and is incorrect,Cheap Vans Classic Slip On White, the transaction wil

  6. Anything that you do and is repetitive needs to be mechanized. The most important contributions of research chemicals to the society are the production of the polymers. Please have a look at the article for additional facts!Article From Article Directory DatabaseUncovering Criteria In Antivirus Web-based Security 2009Maloof Coy   Submitted 2014-06-04 18:36:12 An application shouldn’t get hold of additional permissions that what it necessities.OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Ac

  7. You may say “what about NLP?” NLP is absolutely fantastic; it is an application of hypnosis – it was developed from Ericksonian hypnosis and applies hypnotic principles.Drive through your local community and take a look at existing job sites. It is important to check on your budget earlier purchasing women cruiser bike. Furthermore, if your accountant incorporates reconciled or undone reconciliation for any time period, any reconciliation your self did, will be undone every time your self import

  8. So go ahead and get your skateboard accessories now for a complete skateboarding experience.sina. We advise you to visit your local office supply store to inquire about generic refills or inserts. My heart breaks when I think about how the team would look if all the players were in the team,” said Vujosevic, complaining about the poor financial situation at the club that forces it to sell its best player every year to foreign clubs.) Not understanding the importance of marketing. These include t

  9. Fevbslofe says:

    viagra and dapoxetine160 mg wowviaprice.com buy viagra melbourne

  10. TeapleflY says:

    I think that is one of the such a lot significant information for me. And i am satisfied reading your article. However should statement on some normal issues, The web site taste is ideal, the articles is really great : D. Just right job, cheers
    http://agrodalma.com/index.php/es/forum/ideal-forum/923-cheapest-dramamine-online-visa-dramamine-purchase-online-europe-rate

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *