This article may have been a misrepresentation of her intent but certainly not her writing. She claims that she is merely trying to identify the “emerging debate” for more aggressive action against Iran. But all the people and institutions she cites are well recognized and on the record for advocating the military option for quiet some time now.

Second, I don’t think anyone accuses the press for not identifying early enough the arguments made FOR going to war with Iraq. To the contrary, there was a massive failure on the part of the media not publicizing the cases AGAINST it.

Furthermore, my problem with her article has little to do with the excerpts from the people she quotes as they’ve been singing the same tune for a long time. The only reason they’ve been getting a little louder lately is because the Iraqi fiasco has caused a mass exodus of their once consenting and more agreeable audience.

What troubles me is that she repeats some of the very same baseless arguments these people have been peddling on a daily basis to prepare a war-wary public to favor a more aggressive action against Iran — “Failed carrot-and-stick diplomacy”, Iran intent on “subverting it’s uranium-enrichment program for a nuclear bomb”, Iran responsible for “one-third of U.S. combat deaths last month in Iraq”, or “no one questions that Iran is working on weapons of mass destruction” just to name a few.

Isn’t it time for the more respectable members of media like Ms. Wright to carefully examine these claims and accusations before we are all led to yet another military conflict with far more disastrous consequences?

I think Wright, and other journalists in the mainstream media, need to realize that being in the business for a long time doesn’t necessarily make one good at it, nor does it excuse lazy, sloppy reporting.

Hi, Anti-American Troll. I don’t believe You picked the right day to post, Petey. Because Yesterday was the day that I decided to fight you. So if you want to continue to commit treason, you must now move out of my great country. The Peters must go!

Real Americans Have Just Said Enough!
The Revolt Has Started!

NOW

Observer, it may be true that in the past Sean Penn’s wife was a good journalist, but she shot herself in the foot with this one.

Furthermore — she’s exactly right. She is a reporter–not an editorial writer. Few have the elusive combination of journalistic integrity, intelligence, and understanding that she has.

Good for Robin for sticking up for herself and for the Post. And I commend Think Progress on owning up to its overstatement, as well.

Seriously, when was the last time this asshat was right about Iraq? Hell, even a broken clock has a higher hit rating than Bill Kristol.

In other words, she is more than willing to repeat the unfounded claims that Iran is involved in Iraq, in order to sway public opinion in favor of a confrontation with Iran.

Her whole piece reads like a casus belli against Iran, and she is very careful to casually drop claims like the above as if they were facts.

the context for this article was also misunderstood and misrepresented.

I read the whole thing and, in context, the article is reminiscent of what was published about Iraq in the print media during the run-up to the invasion of that country, down to drawing a comparison between Hussein/Ahmadinejad and Hitler, as if either posed the same qualitative threat the Austrian madman did over 60 years ago.

I am merely presenting the news–and this development.

No, she isn’t. She is spinning the facts, and presenting unsubstantiated claims as if they were facts. That is not to be “merely presenting the news”.

If this woman had any journalistic integrity, she wouldn’t write this kind of tripe. Sadly, it would seems she is more than willing to fill the role Judith Miller vacated.

Comment by BARTLEBEE — August 9, 2007 @ 6:07 pm

I dunno if anyone covered this already but they don’t have Arabs in Iran. Except maybe a couple who are there on business or escaping prosecution or whatnot. But otherwise they’re mainly Persians with some Kurds and Armenians and a few assorted Turkics. Just thought I’d point that out.

“Tehran, in turn, has allegedly increased supplies of roadside bombs, mortars and even 240-mm rockets to Iraqi militias; resupplied Hezbollah after its war with Israel; given Hamas tens of millions of dollars when international aid was cut off after its election; arrested Americans in Iran on charges of undermining Iran’s national security; and reportedly provided small arms to its old Taliban enemies to use against U.S. troops in Afghanistan.”

Sounds like she is drumming up support for a war with Iran to me. Oops, there go my lying eyes again!

Also, as William “The Bloody” Kristol hasn’t been right about ANYTHING regarding Iraq, why would any of his comments be considered news? I always thought reliable sources were key.

Robin needs to rethink her complaints. Her column was hardly “news”.

… Comment by Peter Abelard …

…. Exley ??? … Is that you, Exley ??? … Dude??? …

Second, the press is constantly coming under attack for not identifying early enough the arguments made for going to war with Iraq. I am trying to make sure that the press is devoting attention to what is beginning to be a critical mass for this argument on Iran. This was meant to be a benchmark piece in covering the emerging debate, which is no longer focused just on Iran’s alleged nuclear program but is also now tied to Tehran’s role in Iraq.

Back in May 2007, Wright was obviously trying to re-kindle the anti-Iranian sentiment felt by some Americans in the 1980s when Shia Islamic fundamentalists took hostages and then made demands to secure the release of the Kuwait 17, 12 of whom were Iraqis in the al-Dawa party of Al-Maliki. (NB: Kuwait 17 attacked the US and French Embassies)

She tried to re-kindle the anti-Iranian sentiment in Maericans by using the word “hostage”.

In at least two articles, she sociopathically exploited for ulterior motives the horrible and unfortunate capturing of Dr Esfandiari by labelling Esfandiari as a “hostage” in order to re-kindle the anti-Iranian sentiment describe above.

The problem with and the deep sickness in Wright’s “hostage” in the case of Esfandiari is that the Iranian government had NOT made any demands to secure her release.

Without making any demands, Esfandiari is NOT a hostage.

Can it be that Wright does not know what a hostage is?

Is it that she is that stupid or is it that she is just apparently longing to have a few more thousand people maimed, raped, tortured, malnutritioned, beheaded, hanged, etc and a few more hundred billions dollars spent?

Wright is to Iran what Judith Miller was to Iraq.

Tehran Jails Iranian American Scholar After Long House Arrest, May 9, 2007, WaPo

Esfandiari is one of three “soft hostages,” all dual U.S.-Iranian nationals, whose passports have been confiscated by the Iranian government, rendering them unable to leave the country.

A New Iranian Hostage Crisis Tehran Calls Scholar Esfandiari a ‘Velvet’ Revolutionary, May 23, 2007, WaPo

Esfandiari is a most unlikely hostage.

Keywords: Robin Wright, Fanny Esfandiari, Iranian hostage Crisis, Khomeini, Kuwait 17, 1983 bombings of the American and French embassies, Dawa prisoners, Poindexter, Charles Dunbar, Ed Meese, Oliver North, Ronald Reagan, arms-for-hostages dealings, Hezbollah in Lebanon]

“its not my JOB to find out if its TRUE; its my job to write WHAT THE ADMINISTRATION IS THINKING!!!!”
– Judith Miller

We know Ockham was you. The fact is Bush has had no real foreign policy. The Gates/Rice talks in Saudi, even with 20 billion in arms, resulted in no help securing Iraq.

Are you suggesting war with Saudi because of failed diplomacy?