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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Pipes: anti-neocon leakers, not Chalabi, to blame for Iran code mess |
| 2004-06-23 |
| EFL Whichever scenario actually took place, the implication is identical: the brouhaha in D.C., not what Mr. Chalabi did or did not say, signaled Tehran that the Americans broke their code. That’s because anyone can assert that the code was cracked, but why should he be believed? The Iranians surely would not accept Mr. Chalabi’s assertion on its own and go to the huge trouble and expense of changing codes because of his say-so. They would seek confirmation from American intelligence; and this is what the unnamed sources who leaked this story did — they supplied that proof. Their fury at Mr. Chalabi instructed the Iranians to change codes. Americans might pay heavily for the rank irresponsibility of those in State and the agency who publicly confirmed the code break as part of their turf wars with the Defense Department and, more broadly, their fight with the so-called neoconservatives. |
| Posted by:someone |
| #4 Mitch, interesting. But don't crucify him in public. I don't know. In the double triple doublecross world, I have to think that maybe, just maybe, "old scam's" razor applies here. Somebody set Chalabi up with bait and he took it. |
| Posted by: B 2004-06-23 8:31:20 AM |
| #3 Well, Pipes is wrong if he thinks this clears Chalabi in any sense, but he's right that the fact that it got into the rumor mill, let alone the papers, is a fucking billboard advertising the fundamentally unserious attitude of far too much of the establishment, neocon or mainstream, towards operational security. This shit should have never, ever, been talked about. The codes shouldn't be mentioned, not even if a spy plane full of smoking guns gets taken down and recovered by a target nation. Pipes is right - I could stand here right now and tell you that we've got every code the Russians and Chinese use, and what are they going to do - change 'em all because some guy on a website said they're compromised? Great way to get the targets to put a lot of energy and work into changing codes that weren't even broken in the first place. On the other hand, if those that are expected to know start cutting each other up in public over a "leak", that's a lot of political pain to go through just for a codes headfake. The targets are going to give that a hell of a lot more credence than they would if it were some anonymous me doing the talking. Chalabi is about half of one, half of the other. He's exactly the sort of plausible denial, compromised channel scumbag who might be conceivably used to pass along a headfake. If the fucker actually compromised an active exposed channel, you could plausibly get the target nation confused as to whether it's a scam by flooding other, similar channels with "confirmation" of other, unbroken codes having been broken. Bury them under with bullshit. The last thing you want to do is kick up a public storm about an actual leak by coming down on Chalabi like a ton of bricks. That just confirms his information was good. Cut the sonofabitch off, and leave him in the figurative cold, sure. But don't crucify him in public. That validates the story. |
| Posted by: Mitch H. 2004-06-23 7:58:40 AM |
| #2 I respect Pipes, but this has the look and feel of wishful thinking to me. Here's another thought. Perhaps we never did break their code, but DC made up the brouhaha to get them to change them. I mean the possibilities are endless here. We'll never know, will we? I don't have a clue, but this whole Pipes piece just sounds like an exercise in tortured denial to me. |
| Posted by: B 2004-06-23 7:01:23 AM |
| #1 Off topic, but did any one else see the 'take down' O'Rielly did to former Clinton Chief of Staff, damn whatzhisname, Podesta(?). Dude looked like Goebels, methinks he be possesed, if Mucky saw it he could confirm, and I saw fangs, no really, fangs! O'Rielly can be a bit much but today he bitched slapped an evil punk. Then after that I saw the same piece of shit on MSNBC with Darla Kissme and she had a 'come hither' moment with the prick. Not a challenging question, nada! |
| Posted by: Lucky 2004-06-23 2:16:14 AM |