“Cheney created Iran as a menace”

So says Middle East expert Juan Cole, based on ex-Powell right-hand man Col. Lawrence Wilkerson’s interview with BBC. Overriding State Department interest, says Wilkerson, Cheney blew-away what appeared to be serious Iranian overtures in 2003 that would help the U.S. on a number of fronts in the Middle East, including Iraq and the Palestinians. This made it to the Christian Science Monitor. Let’s hope the rest of the American press now makes it front-page news, which it deserves to be. If the administration is going to take us into another war, wouldn't it be Journalism 101 that the American people should be told this front-and-center?

Here is Cole:

Cheney is the most fascistic high official in US government in history. He recently implied that al-Qaeda is glad that the Democrats won the mid-term elections, as his way of trying to create the impression that anyone who disagrees with him is a terrorist-loving traitor. . . .

Fascism depends on the creation of straw man enemies said to be dire threats to the Homeland. Iran is a poor weak third world country and poses no threat to the US. It hasn't aggressively invaded another country for over a century. But Cheney needs Iran to substitute for the old Soviet Union, otherwise how could he get you to agree to let him listen in on your telephone calls without a warrant, or let him torture people?