Regime Change in Iran

Democracy Now! has a fascinating conversation between Scott Ritter and Sy Hersh - two men who are committed to exposing the truth. They cover the complexities of the Middle East situation and the moves being made by the Bush administration towards regime change in Iran and Ritter introduces us to Israel's version of Ahmed Chalabi who is making the 'faith-based' case for war against Iran.

All of that comes with the backgroup of Thursday's news that Russia needs at least another day before it will be comfortable with the upcoming UN security council resolution that would impose sanctions on Iran's nuclear program while:

The Bush administration is weighing options for a naval build-up in the Gulf as a show of force and a warning to Iran on its nuclear programme and its support for Shia militias in Iraq, it emerged yesterday.

Under the proposed build-up, first reported by CBS television, the Pentagon would send an aircraft carrier to join one already in the region. The proposed deployment was described as a message to Tehran not to take provocative steps, and was not preparation for an attack.

Right. And we always believe what the Pentagon says, don't we?

SEYMOUR HERSH: Final question: given all this, are we going to do it [attack Iran]?

SCOTT RITTER: Yes, we're going to do it.

With Bush in charge and under pressure from the Israeli government, I don't doubt it.

Related: Friday's New York Times has a redacted editorial about Iran written by Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann which the White House censored without cause.