Here's MY application! Do I get the job?
Posted on 04/14/2006 7:52:19 PM PDT by nuconvert
U.S. Seeks a 'Change' in Tehran
April 15, 2006
The New York Times
Steven R. Weisman
WASHINGTON -- As the Bush administration confronts the Tehran government over its suspected nuclear weapons program and its alleged support for terrorism, a newly created office of Iranian affairs in the State Department is poring over applications for a rapidly expanding program to change the political process inside Iran.
The project, which is slated to spend $7 million in the current fiscal year, would become many times larger next year if Congress approves a broad request for $85 million that the Bush administration wants for scholarships, exchange programs, radio and television broadcasts and other activities aimed at shaking up Iran's political system.
The effort, which is being overseen by Elizabeth Cheney, a deputy assistant secretary of state who is the daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney, has been denounced by Iran's leaders as meddling in their country's internal affairs.
It comes at a time of escalating confrontation between Iran and the United States over Iran's nuclear program, exacerbated by reports, which the administration has played down, that military contingencies are being reviewed, too.
While the United States has marshaled international support for diplomatic pressure on Iran, some allies have expressed misgivings about other avenues of pressure, which are seen as aimed at undermining the regime in Tehran.
One Asian diplomat said the effort was reminiscent of the subsidies that the United States provided to Iraqi exile groups in the 1990s. "They don't call it 'regime change,' but that is obviously what it is," he said. But he had to be promised anonymity before he would discuss it, not wanting to create a rift between his country and the United States on a significant foreign policy matter.
To find people to promote change in Iran,
(Excerpt) Read more at iranvajahan.net ...
We tried this in Iraq and it was unsuccessful. Mind control (and accompanying fear) in a lot of the Middle East countries is very strong. The only way to force a regime change is to forcibly take out the leadership, dead or alive. Preferably the former over the latter.
Cool.
I vote that we send a bunch of high dollar diplomats to eat lunch at exotic Caribean locations to talk about what to do.
Oh, boo hoo hoo.
You just gotta love the lack of bias at the NYT.
snip
It comes at a time of escalating confrontation between Iran and the United States over Iran's nuclear program, exacerbated by reports, which the administration has played down, that military contingencies are being reviewed, too.
And of course, it's all Bush's fault. Iran was just an innocent, peace-loving, enlightened society until Bush started threatening to bomb them.
It's really disgusting, isn't it?
"The project, which is slated to spend $7 million in the current fiscal year, would become many times larger next year if Congress approves a broad request for $85 million"
1. This should have begun 4 years ago at the very least, it's pretty late to start this now.
2. The numbers will have to be in the billions, not the millions, and possibly include weapons to opponents of the mullahs.
I agree. It's late and it's not enough.
Hopefully not too late and not too little.
"I agree. It's late and it's not enough"
I'm just highly disturbed by the fact that the govt. doesn't seem to have taken up this cause until now. It seems like our intelligence agencies and state dept. are about 10 years behind the curve.
Definitely slow on the uptake. But I guess you couldn't expect much from Clinton, and we've been a little preoccupied with Afghanistan & Iraq among other things.
Scholarships: $3.5 million
Radio and TV Spots: $2.6 million
Leaving a big hole where Tehran once was: Priceless
"But I guess you couldn't expect much from Clinton, and we've been a little preoccupied with Afghanistan & Iraq among other things."
Clinton was vacant on reform in the middle east, and seemed to follow the "stability for it's own sake" school of thought on ME policy. But in fairness, Iran was not making rapid progress towards a nuclear bomb at the time and the political situation seemed to be improving on its own. Also 9/11 hadn't happened yet. One cannot simply pass-the-buck on this issue.
I also don't buy the "iraq and afghanistan" argument. I (along with many other conservatives) were making the case in the run-up to the Iraq war that the action against Iraq would not distract us from other aspects of the war on terror, so to fall back on that now would be disingenuous.
It is generally my hope that the US Govt. and Intelligence agencies are on the ball consistently (not just after something becomes a crisis), with effective operations that we civilians don't even know about. That hope is being dashed every day. Any observer of Middle East politics could see this crisis coming from at least 4 years away, so why are we just starting to play catch-up now?
Money allocated verbally means nothing. There was a $3 million "budgeted" last year, which appearently was never spent. Then the $75 million earmarked for "change" had about $50 million of it slated for Voice of America's useless and inept "broadcasts" which is run by a bunch of liberals with no idea of hbow to deal with Iranian psychology and mentality.
With Dick Cheney's daughter involved we might get to see some action but otherwise don't hold your breath.
Specially when a HISPANIC organization headed by a nice Jewish gentleman wanted to appropriate and handle some $5 million of this kind of money to promote change in Iran. And is on the list to received this amount. About which he and the Hispanics know what?
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