February 11, 2006

No one knows better than the editors of the New York Times that Iran does not have nuclear weapons or a nuclear weapons program. The Times editors comb through mountains of information to determine the veracity of particular allegations, and yet, they fail to produce even one reliable source who can confirm their claim that Iran is building nukes.

Not one.

So what’s the game here? Is the Times willing to sacrifice what’s left of its ragged credibility just to pave the way to another unprovoked war?

It seems so.

Apart their from daily articles, which invariably suggest Iranian duplicity and foul play, (none of which can be corroborated) the February 8 editorial reiterated at least 5 times that Iran was developing nuclear weapons.

Huh?

According to the Time’s, Iran has continued to pursue "its two-decade long drive to build nuclear weapons", but it would be preferable if the Iranian government was "more willing to put the economic future of its people ahead of building nuclear bombs."

"Building nuclear bombs"?

Where?

If the Times has knowledge of such programs they should come forward and dispute the findings of the foremost nuclear weapons inspection team in the world (the IAEA), which has consistently found "no evidence" of nuclear weapons programs.

The Times spurious charges are also refuted by the NIE (National Intelligence Estimate) which projects that Iran will not be capable of building nuclear weapons for at least 10 years.

The Times, of course, needs neither evidence nor intelligence to fulfill its mandate of fabricating a crisis. They simply rely on a steady stream of baseless accusations that contribute to the rising public anxiety.

Judith Miller may have left, but her legacy of deceit still courses through the paper of record like a surging stream. The strategy for manipulating public opinion is unchanging. The media settles on a narrative grounded in pure fantasy and simply repeats the same fiction over and over again from its many outlets.

The Times has proved once again that the elite-media is a steadfast partner in mobilizing the masses for an unpopular war. Even though countless thousands of innocent people have already been killed by the Time’s reckless reporting and specious fear-mongering on Iraqi WMD, the editors continue to use the corporate bullhorn to call the nation to arms.

It is truly outrageous!

When America’s war of terror finally concludes, the international community will have to determine the culpability of the media in the vast devastation, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. No one should be surprised if the first group frog-marched to the gallows is the editorial staff of the New York Times. Their guilt was already established long before Iran.

Courtesy and Copyright © Mike Whitney