Perino Dismisses Sy Hersh And ‘All His Anonymous Sources’ On Iran
Perino Dismisses Sy Hersh And ‘All His Anonymous Sources’ On Iran
Seymour Hersh, The New Yorker’s Pulitzer-Prize winning investigative journalist, has a new article warning that there is “a significant increase in the tempo of attack planning” for war with Iran inside the Bush administration. He reports that the administration has switched its rationale for war, from a broad bombing attack against Iran’s nuclear facilities to “surgical” strikes against Revolutionary Guard Corps facilities in Tehran and elsewhere.
In today’s press briefing, reporters questioned White House spokeswoman Dana Perino about Hersh’s article. Perino refused to address the substance of the piece, instead dismissing Hersh’s journalism and credibility:
Every two months or so, Sy Hersh writes an article in The New Yorker magazine and CNN provides him a forum in which to talk about his article and all the anonymous sources that are quoted in it.
Watch it:
Unwilling to accept her talking points, reporters continued to pepper Perino with questions. “We are pursuing a diplomatic solution with Iran,” she repeatedly insisted. One reporter shot back, “That’s what he [Bush] said before we went to Iraq, too.”
It’s no wonder that Perino is unwilling to discuss the facts in Hersh’s piece. As Bill Kristol noted, Hersh’s revelations are “scar[ing] people away” from a “limited and credible military option against Iran.”
Transcript:
QUESTION: Dana, can I follow on that? This weekend, The New Yorker magazine came out with an article claiming that this summer the president, or at least the White House in general, asked the Joint Chiefs to redraw plans to attack Iran. Is that true?
PERINO: Look, you know, I’m glad you brought it up. Every two months or so, Sy Hersh writes an article in The New Yorker magazine and CNN provides him a forum in which to talk about his article and all the anonymous sources that are quoted in it.
(CROSSTALK)
PERINO: Look, the president has said that he believes there is a diplomatic solution that we can use to solve the Iranian problem. And that’s why we’re working with our allies to get there.
QUESTION: That’s what he said before we went to Iraq, too.
QUESTION: But what’s the — can you answer as to the substance of whether or not the White House asked? I mean, if it’s not true, then you can say Sy Hersh is wrong and CNN was wrong to air it. You can say it.
PERINO: We don’t discuss such things.
(CROSSTALK)
PERINO: We don’t discuss such thing. What we have said and what we are working toward is a diplomatic solution in Iran. What the president has also said is that as a president, as a commander in chief — and any commander in chief would not take any option off the table — but the option that we are pursuing right now is diplomacy.
QUESTION: But the article very specifically said that this summer in a video conference, a secure video conference, with Ambassador Crocker, the president said that he was thinking about, quote, hitting Iran, and also that…
PERINO: I’m not going to comment on that. One, I don’t know. I wouldn’t have been at that type of meeting. I don’t know. I’m not going to comment on any possible — any possible scenario that an anonymous source continues to feed into Sy Hersh. I’m just not going to do it.
QUESTION: Why should anybody believe that the president wants a diplomatic solution. He said that before he went to Iraq. PERINO: Because he’s sought a diplomatic solution in Iraq, and Saddam Hussein defied the U.N. Security Council 17 times.
QUESTION: Well, the history we’ve learned since suggests otherwise.
PERINO: That the president didn’t — that Saddam Hussein defied 17 U.N. Security Council resolutions?
QUESTION: No. The president was intent on going to war in Iraq in any case.
PERINO: No, the president has pursued a diplomatic option. He went to the U.N. Security Council, and then we proceeded.
QUESTION: Would he consult — would he tell Congress before he attacked Iran — before he attacks Iran?
PERINO: We are pursuing a diplomatic solution with Iran.
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43 Responses to “Perino Dismisses Sy Hersh And ‘All His Anonymous Sources’ On Iran”
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Naturally, since Sy was totally discredited on “Abu Ghraib” (sarcasm).
October 1st, 2007 at 2:12 pmThe administration and their apologists are hard at work making the case for war. I’ve never seen such a coordinated and aggressive effort at starting a pre-emptive war. This may even go past the initial steps leading towards the war with Iraq…
Look at how explicit FOX News is in their desire for war. They ran an entire special making the case for military action. If you cant see all of these clips at least watch the preview - more people need to know about this propaganda effort:
Preview – Iran: The Ticking Bomb
http://beta.redlasso.com/ Community/ ClipPlayer.aspx?i=d339823c-4fb8-4dbb-bb0d-24377bbf2a61
Iran: The Ticking Bomb pt 1
http://beta.redlasso.com/ Community/ ClipPlayer.aspx?i=95a410d3-da38-4a84-9aeb-25cc9977d5ec
Iran: The Ticking Bomb pt 2
http://beta.redlasso.com/ Community/ ClipPlayer.aspx?i=9b9a26b1-b316-4c1a-955c-48a1b3af47a9
Iran: The Ticking Bomb pt 3
http://beta.redlasso.com/ Community/ ClipPlayer.aspx?i=702cf5a5-9945-41b5-a6ca-89fb1a49a21a
Iran: The Ticking Bomb pt 4
October 1st, 2007 at 2:15 pmhttp://beta.redlasso.com/ Community/ ClipPlayer.aspx?i=292c6dbd-4e2c-4dfd-8a5d-fe80c19eb6fd
she is so naive.
October 1st, 2007 at 2:15 pmThere is no “limited and credible military option against Iran.†Any attack on Iran will achieve the exact opposite of what we want. They will not decide to stop pursuing nuclear research. An attack on Iran would cause them to really want nuclear weaponry. Being that they probably don’t want to wait five years to build it, they would simply buy it from Pakistan. After American airstrikes, they will not just decide they love Israel. They will not decide to stop funding and supplying the Badr militia. And this “limited, surgical” strike would be the beginning, not the end.
October 1st, 2007 at 2:17 pmGreat, either we’re going to get higher gas prices due to “…market fears of another war…” or more war ; either one of those are going to be a net positive money maker for Bush Inc…
You know, America should have REALLY REALLY thought about putting an oil man in charge of the US…
No, really really thought about it
October 1st, 2007 at 2:17 pmfunny how they never address their critics comments, they just dismiss them. you know you’re a liar when…
October 1st, 2007 at 2:18 pmshe is also pretty
October 1st, 2007 at 2:19 pmshe is such a jiveass
October 1st, 2007 at 2:19 pmParaphrased Perino:
“What does Seymour Hersch know, anyways? It’s not like he’s journalist or anything!”
The WH press corps is going to shred Dana Perino alive.
October 1st, 2007 at 2:20 pmI can’t wait for the day she breaks down sobbing, and Limpwad and O’Really will attack the liberal media for being mean and cruel.
How many Pulitzer Prizes does Kevin O’Halloran or William “The Bloody” Kristol, or Jonah Goldberg, or any of the other long list of sycophantic stooges that the White House has cited to prop up and “catapult the propoganda” have again?
The fact that our media finds it convenient to provide a pulpit for men that spew falsehoods and then expect to be taken seriously would be funny if it weren’t so sad and frightening. How many times do you need to be proven wrong to no longer be able to call yourself an expert?
Sy Hersh is an American treasure and should be lauded as such. I would trust him before anyone the bush administration puts forth as an expert (or even as a “credible” journalist) without hesitation or reservation. He’s been right far more often than he’s been wrong which is a lot more than Bush can say!
October 1st, 2007 at 2:20 pmthis is also the dumbass that couldn’t say whether or not the VP was part of the executive branch.
October 1st, 2007 at 2:21 pmwhat a ditzy little twit she is…
October 1st, 2007 at 2:22 pm“He’s been right far more often than he’s been wrong which is a lot more than Bush can say”
Bush couldn’t even say “”He’s been right far more often than he’s been wrong” without three stammers, one long, painful pause, and a hehehe at the end.
October 1st, 2007 at 2:22 pm“I’ve never seen such a coordinated and aggressive effort at starting a pre-emptive war.”
Are you 3 years old? We saw exactly this before bushco attacked iraq.
October 1st, 2007 at 2:23 pmWow, I think that’s the first time I’ve heard them ask a question that wasn’t sugar coated.
October 1st, 2007 at 2:23 pmWow, I think that’s the first time I’ve heard them ask a question that wasn’t sugar coated.
Comment by Keith H. — October 1, 2007 @ 2:23 pm
That fake-out trip to austrailia probably put their panties in a bunch.
October 1st, 2007 at 2:24 pm…Hersh’s revelations are “scar[ing] people away†from a “limited and credible military option against Iran.â€
well, GO! sy hersh!
i’ve been thinking lately that all these warnings and conspiracies
we’ve been hearing about - that don’t happen -
have not been happening because of the leaks and investigations…
thank the gods for the leakers and investigators!
thank the gods, and al gore, for the internets!
October 1st, 2007 at 2:25 pmnever let ‘em take it away from us!
!
Perino is such an idiot.
While she lacks Snow’s evil, she more than makes up for it in sheer stupidity.
First, she says: “Look, you know, I’m glad you brought it up.”
October 1st, 2007 at 2:25 pmthen as she fails to answer the question, she notes: “I’m not going to comment on that.”
My wife and I have two Ragdoll Cats They are very pretty, and very stupid. ’nuff said.
October 1st, 2007 at 2:26 pmHere we go again: The Daily Show with Dana Purina on today’s spin on crapola.
October 1st, 2007 at 2:28 pmholy ef krazny!! that was funny!!
October 1st, 2007 at 2:29 pmTell me, who still trusts these psychos??
I don’t think that anyone would mind if our cowardly congress stopped funding these “idiot crusades.”
October 1st, 2007 at 2:30 pmHigher gas prices IS Bush’s diplomatic solution! http://rawstory.com/ news/ 2007/ Cheney_to_address_top_secret_conservative_0928.html
October 1st, 2007 at 2:31 pmIf by “diplomatic solution” you mean VP Sureshot Dick “diplomatically” meeting with neocons, hardcore evangelical christians and oil bigwigs to “diplomatically” agree to begin aggressions with Iran. The neocons get richer off no-bid defense contracts, the evangelicals get the beginning of the Rapture and the oil bigwigs make even more money through inflated oil prices. Everybody wins…..well at least this traitorous pack of warmongers wins. The rest of the world, unfortunately, loses.
Who’s on first?
No. Who’s on second. I Don’t Know’s on first?
Christ…we’re living in an Abbott and Costello routine.
October 1st, 2007 at 2:33 pmIf by “diplomatic solution†you mean VP Sureshot Dick “diplomatically†meeting with neocons, hardcore evangelical christians and oil bigwigs to “diplomatically†agree to begin aggressions with Iran. The neocons get richer off no-bid defense contracts, the evangelicals get the beginning of the Rapture and the oil bigwigs make even more money through inflated oil prices.
Comment by A Patriot Acting — October 1, 2007 @ 2:31 pm
I believe the Star Chamber Illuminati met in Utah over the weekend.
October 1st, 2007 at 2:35 pmI don’t know wether to be relieved that the press is finally asking real questions or terrified that they are finally scared enough to try and stop our fearless leader. This means they must suspect it is really coming and we are all toast.
October 1st, 2007 at 2:40 pmshe is so naive.
Comment by rjmadrid05 — October 1, 2007 @ 2:15 pm
No, she believes we (American Voters) are stupid.
Too bad we proved her right by electing Bush, Twice!!
October 1st, 2007 at 2:40 pmMy wife and I have two Ragdoll Cats They are very pretty, and very stupid. ’nuff said.
Comment by Krazny
But Kranzy, they are pretty. And they kind of remind me of Ms. Perino with that vacant look in their eyes.
October 1st, 2007 at 2:41 pmI got a diplomatic solution for you:
IMPEACH, NOW!!!
This whole thing is both infuriating and utterly predictable at the same time =[
“It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his job depends on not understanding it.”-Upton Sinclair
October 1st, 2007 at 2:41 pmTo bad the White House outed the CIA covert agent Plame who was working in Iran to find out if they were making WMDs. Now that more then 2/3 of the trained and experienced CIA agents quit it’s only a guest for what’s going on. Here’s an idea have Powell come back to give a speak to the UN and show with a power point that there are Weapons. It worked before with fake pictures it could work again and Bush could tell the UN and Americans we can go it alone. I don’t think the threats to other countries will work again as looks like countries are getting their Nukes ready for a possible attack for the real Axis of Evil aka United States of America.
October 1st, 2007 at 2:43 pmQUESTION: Would he consult — would he tell Congress before he attacked Iran — before he attacks Iran?
PERINO: We are pursuing a diplomatic solution with Iran.
A very telling and scary non answer answer.
October 1st, 2007 at 2:49 pmshe is also pretty
Comment by rjmadrid05
There are also alot of “pretty” people in Iran and in the Military who are going to die when WE strike Iran.
“Pretty” is irrelevant here.
RIP
October 1st, 2007 at 2:51 pmSGT Stephen R. Sherman
C CO 1-5 IN (STRYKER)
KIA 3 Feb 2005
Mosul, Iraq
That stupid watercarrying bimbo ought to be ashamed of herself.
October 1st, 2007 at 3:08 pmshe is so naive.
Comment by rjmadrid05 — October 1, 2007 @ 2:15 pm
Well, that’s a nice way of putting it. I think a better term would be “professional”. (Just so everyone understands the usage, think “the world’s oldest profession”.)
October 1st, 2007 at 3:42 pmNo, she believes we (American Voters) are stupid.
Too bad we proved her right by electing Bush, Twice!!
Comment by Wayne — October 1, 2007 @ 2:40 pm
Well, no, we didn’t “elect” Bush “twice”. The Supreme Court put him into office after the 2000 election and the 2004 election had so many voting irregularities (especially in Ohio) that it’s unfair to say he was “elected” then. (And, I’ll guarantee that had Al Gore prevailed at the Supreme Court in 2000, and the same type of voting irregularities had happened in 2004 to favor the Democrats, the right-wing would be pressing for so many investigations that the Clinton witch-hunt would have seemed like Carnaval in Rio by comparison.)
October 1st, 2007 at 3:48 pmThe war propaganda continued:
VIDEO -
October 1st, 2007 at 4:19 pmhttp://beta.redlasso.com/ Community/ ClipPlayer.aspx?i=971bbec6-9037-4ec3-8576-77dc5fd68922
Why does this joke have to take place everyday? Whomever stands behind that rostrum in a lair!!!
October 1st, 2007 at 4:52 pmAdministration and Military officials willing to leak information…plus an aggressive and persistant press corps….might just prevent Bush’s plans for World War III.
I just wish the press had been doing their job before the Iraq invasion.
October 1st, 2007 at 5:02 pmNot something you hear enough in the press briefings: “reporter shot back.” Would be nice to know who it was- Helen?
October 1st, 2007 at 5:50 pmOh, let me see. Should I believe Seymour Hersch or Dana Perino?
By the way, Perino is not naive, pretty, or a ditzy little twit. Her position as Bush’s press secretary in our White House is a calculated move to divert attention from the reality of Bush’s disasters — at home and across the world. Like Snow, she lies — with a snarky attitude. She avoids direct questions, she is rude to reporters, and she blows off serious concerns about Bush & Cheney’s plan to attack Iran.
And we all get to pay her salary. Such a deal.
October 1st, 2007 at 6:23 pmMy wife and I have two Ragdoll Cats They are very pretty, and very stupid. ’nuff said.
Comment by Krazny — October 1, 2007 @ 2:26 pm
I bet your cats still have more brains in the sense of what it is necessary for felines to know than Dana Peroxide. Mine certainly do!
October 1st, 2007 at 10:02 pmI generally do not like to comment on looks. But, yes, at first I thought mostly from seeing photos or not watching her carefully on TV that she was cute. But recently I watched her closely for the first time on CNN, and her beady eyes really bothered me.
October 2nd, 2007 at 12:19 amMy cats, by the way (see #46), have lovely eyes.
Yes, it’s the credibility of a newbie empty-headed flack against a legendary Nobel Prize winner. There is a special place in hell for these sorts of enablers who know better.
October 2nd, 2007 at 2:19 am