What is wrong with the Iranians?

[sitarro]

You didn't watch anything. and the Clintons should stand trial for Treason.
You think you got me figured out, but you are full of shit.

You know Paul,
Now that I see how you take care of your home and how you would post a photo that would indicate pride in your lack of cleanliness, I have a better understanding of why you post the crap that you do. You are obviously mentally challenged and I sincerely feel sorry for you. I am sure, wherever you live, there are programs for people with your affliction.

 

[eots]

globalization the new world order socialist agenda is a reality not a theory and the na union, the jailed border guards, the invasion and occupation of Iraq and 911 are all part of that agenda .Clinton ,skull and bones Kerry ,skull and bones bush ,all serve the same masters and the same agenda the left right crap is to give you the illusion of choice and to divide and conquer .the tinfoil hat line is simply meaningless and implies anyone who shares these belief is some how crazy if that is the case then it must also be true of these men,i like to call the the tinfoil hat crew .i feel they truly represent the intellect of your average hate the government support the terrorist truther


Louis Freeh – Director of the FBI, 1993 - 2001. Former U.S. District Court Judge for the Southern District of New York, appointed by President George H.W. Bush. Former Deputy United States Attorney in New York. Former FBI agent. Former officer in the United States Army JAG Corps Reserve.

Essay An Incomplete Investigation - Why did the 9/11 Commission ignore "Able Danger"? Wall Street Journal 11/17/05: "Even the most junior investigator would immediately know that the name and photo ID of Atta in 2000 is precisely the kind of tactical intelligence the FBI has many times employed to prevent attacks and arrest terrorists. Yet the 9/11 Commission inexplicably concluded that it "was not historically significant." This astounding conclusion--in combination with the failure to investigate Able Danger and incorporate it into its findings--raises serious challenges to the commission's credibility and, if the facts prove out, might just render the commission historically insignificant itself. … No wonder the 9/11 families were outraged by these revelations and called for a "new" commission to investigate." http://www.opin


Editor's note: The 9/11 Commission Report asserts that only three of the alleged hijackers were known to U.S. intelligence agencies prior to 9/11; Nawaf al-Hazmi, Salem al-Hazmi, and Khalid al-Mihdar. There is no mention in the Report that the names and photographs of alleged hijacker Marwan al-Shehhi and alleged ring-leader Mohamed Atta had been identified by the Department of Defense antiterrorist program known as Able Danger more than a year prior to 9/11 and that they were known to be affiliates of al-Qaida. Able Danger also identified Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdar. http://www.foxnews.com. See also Rep. Curt Weldon, Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer, Capt. Scott J. Phillpott, Major Erik Kleinsmith, and James D. Smith.


Bio: http://www.fbi.gov/libref/directors/freeh.htm




Edward L. Peck
Edward L. Peck – Deputy Director of the W

Morgan Reynolds, PhD – Chief Economist, U.S. Department of Labor under George W. Bush 2001 - 2002. Former Director of the Criminal Justice Center at the National Center for Policy Analysis. Professor Emeritus, Economics, Texas A&M University.

Video 6/2/06: "I first began to suspect that 9/11 was in inside job when the Bush-Cheney Administration invaded Iraq. … We can prove that the government’s story is false." http://video.goo
m

Essay 6/9/05: "It is hard to exaggerate the importance of a scientific debate over the cause(s) of the collapse of the twin towers [each 1300+ feet tall, 110 stories] and building 7 [570 feet tall, 47 stories, and not hit by an airplane]. If the official wisdom on the collapses is wrong, as I believe it is, then policy based on such erroneous engineering analysis is not likely [to] prove to be sound." http://www.l...


Bio: http://nomoregames
Major General Albert Stubblebine, U.S. Army (ret) – Former Commanding General of U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command, 1981 - 1984. Also commanded the U.S. Army’s Electronic Research and Development Command and the U.S. Army’s Intelligence School and Center. Former head of Imagery Interpretation for Scientific and Technical Intelligence. 32-year Army career.

Video 7/11/06: "One of my experiences in the Army was being in charge of the Army’s Imagery Interpretation for Scientific and Technical Intelligence during the Cold War. I measured pieces of Soviet equipment from photographs. It was my job. I look at the hole in the Pentagon and I look at the size of an airplane that was supposed to have hit the Pentagon. And I said, ‘The plane does not fit in that hole’. So what did hit the Pentagon? What hit it? Where is it? What's going on?" http://www.und


Editor's note: For more information on the impact at the Pentagon, see Colonel Nelson, Lt. Col. Kwiatkowski, Major Rokke, Capt. Wittenberg, and Steve DeChiaro.


Bio: http://www.canadiansub.com/Board



Col. Ronald D. Ray

Col. Ronald D. Ray, U.S. Marine Corps (ret) – Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense during the Reagan Administration and a highly decorated Vietnam veteran (two Silver Stars, a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart). Appointed by President George H.W. Bush to serve on the American Battle Monuments Commission (1990 - 1994), and on the 1992 Presidential Commission on the Assignment of Women in the Armed Forces. Military Historian and Deputy Director of Field Operations for the U.S. Marine Corps Historical Center, Washington, D.C. 1990 - 1994.

Article 7/10/06: "The former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense under the Reagan Administration and a highly decorated Vietnam veteran and Colonel has gone on the record to voice his doubts about the official story of 9/11 - calling it ‘the dog that doesn't hunt.’ ‘I'm astounded that the conspiracy theory advanced by the administration could in fact be true and the evidence does not seem to suggest that's accurate,’ he said." http://www.knowledgedriven


Bio: http://www.firstprinciplespress.org



Col. Robert Bowman, PhD

Col. Robert Bowman, PhD, U.S. Air Force (ret) – Director of Advanced Space Programs Development under Presidents Ford and Carter. U.S. Air Force fighter pilot with over 100 combat missions. (PhD in Aeronautics and Nuclear Engineering, Cal Tech).
Video 9/11/04: "A lot of these pieces of information, taken together, prove that the official story, the official conspiracy theory of 9/11 is a bunch of hogwash. It’s impossible. … There’s a second group of facts having to do with the cover up. … Taken together these things prove that high levels of our government don’t want us to know what happened and who’s responsible.…

Who gained from 9/11? Who covered up crucial information about 9/11? And who put out the patently false stories about 9/11 in the first place? When you take those three things together, I think the case is pretty clear that it’s highly placed individuals in the administration with all roads passing through Dick Cheney.

I think the very kindest thing that we can say about George W. Bush and all the people in the U.S. Government that have been involved in this massive cover-up, the very kindest thing we can say is that they were aware of impending attacks and let them happen. Now some people will say that’s much too kind, however even that is high treason and conspiracy to commit murder." http://video.go


Signatory: Petition requesting a reinvestigation of 9/11:
"We want truthful answers to question. … As Americans of conscience, we ask for four things:
An immediate investigation by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer
Immediate investigation in Congressional Hearings.
Media attention to scrutinize and investigate the evidence.
The formation of a truly independent citizens-based inquiry." http://www.911truth.org/article



Bio: http://bowman2006.com/about



Col. George Nelson

Col. George Nelson, U.S. Air Force (ret) – Former U.S. Air Force aircraft accident investigator and airplane parts authority. 34-year Air Force career.

Essay: "In all my years of direct and indirect participation, I never witnessed nor even heard of an aircraft loss, where the wreckage was accessible, that prevented investigators from finding enough hard evidence to positively identify the make, model, and specific registration number of the aircraft -- and in most cases the precise cause of the accident. ...

The government alleges that four wide-body airliners crashed on the morning of September 11 2001, resulting in the deaths of more than 3,000 human beings, yet not one piece of hard aircraft evidence has been produced in an attempt to positively identify any of the four aircraft. On the contrary, it seems only that all potential evidence was deliberately kept hidden from public view. …

With all the evidence readily available at the Pentagon crash site, any unbiased rational investigator could only conclude that a Boeing 757 did not fly into the Pentagon as alleged. Similarly, with all the evidence available at the Pennsylvania crash site, it was most doubtful that a passenger airliner caused the obvious hole in the ground and certainly not the Boeing 757 as alleged. …

As painful and heartbreaking as was the loss of innocent lives and the lingering health problems of thousands more, a most troublesome and nightmarish probability remains that so many Americans appear to be involved in the most heinous conspiracy in our country's history." http://www.physics911.net


Editor's note: For more information on the impact at the Pentagon, see General Stubblebine, Lt. Col. Kwiatkowski, Major Rokke, Capt. Wittenberg, and Steve DeChiaro.


Member: Scholars for 9/11 Truth and Justice Association Statement: "Scholars for 9/11 Truth and Justice is a non-partisan organization consisting of independent researchers and activists engaged in uncovering the true nature of the September 11, 2001 attacks."


Member: Pilots for 9/11 Truth Association Statement: "Pilots for 9/11 Truth is an organization of aviation professionals and pilots throughout the globe that have gathered together for one purpose. We are committed to seeking the truth surrounding the events of the 11th of September 2001. Our main focus concentrates on the four flights, maneuvers performed and the reported pilots. We do not offer theory or point blame. However, we are focused on determining the truth of that fateful day since the United States Government doesn't seem to be very forthcoming with answers."



Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski, PhD

Lt. Col. Karen U. Kwiatkowski, PhD, U.S. Air Force (ret) – Former Political-Military Affairs Officer in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Also served on the staff of the Director of the National Security Agency. 20-year Air Force veteran.

Contributor to 9/11 and American Empire: Intellectuals Speak Out 8/23/06: Account of Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski, Pentagon employee and eyewitness to the events at the Pentagon on 9/11. "I believe the Commission failed to deeply examine the topic at hand, failed to apply scientific rigor to its assessment of events leading up to and including 9/11, failed to produce a believable and unbiased summary of what happened, failed to fully examine why it happened, and even failed to include a set of unanswered questions for future research. ...

It is as a scientist that I have the most trouble with the official government conspiracy theory, mainly because it does not satisfy the rules of probability or physics. The collapses of the World Trade Center buildings clearly violate the laws of probability and physics. ...

There was a dearth of visible debris on the relatively unmarked [Pentagon] lawn, where I stood only minutes after the impact. Beyond this strange absence of airliner debris, there was no sign of the kind of damage to the Pentagon structure one would expect from the impact of a large airliner. This visible evidence or lack thereof may also have been apparent to the secretary of defense [Donald Rumsfeld], who in an unfortunate slip of the tongue referred to the aircraft that slammed into the Pentagon as a "missile".

... I saw nothing of significance at the point of impact - no airplane metal or cargo debris was blowing on the lawn in front of the damaged building as smoke billowed from within the Pentagon. ... all of us staring at the Pentagon that morning were indeed looking for such debris, but what we expected to see was not evident.

The same is true with regard to the kind of damage we expected. ... But I did not see this kind of damage. Rather, the facade had a rather small hole, no larger than 20 feet in diameter. Although this facade later collapsed, it remained standing for 30 or 40 minutes, with the roof line remaining relatively straight.

The scene, in short, was not what I would have expected from a strike by a large jetliner. It was, however, exactly what one would expect if a missile had struck the Pentagon.

... More information is certainly needed regarding the events of 9/11 and the events leading up to that terrible day."


Editor's note: For more information on the impact at the Pentagon, see General Stubblebine, Colonel Nelson, Major Rokke, Capt. Wittenberg, and Steve DeChiaro.


Bio: http



Major Douglas Rokke, PhD, U.S. Army (ret) – Former Director U.S. Army Depleted Uranium Project. 30-year Army career.

Article 8/19/05: Regarding the impact at the Pentagon on 9/11/2001 "When you look at the whole thing, especially the crash site void of airplane parts, the size of the hole left in the building and the fact the projectile's impact penetrated numerous concrete walls, it looks like the work of a missile. And when you look at the damage, it was obviously a missile." http://www.rense.com


Editor's note: For more information on the impact at the Pentagon, see General Stubblebine, Colonel Nelson, Lt. Col. Kwiatkowski, Capt. Wittenberg, and Steve DeChiaro.


all facts known to the 9/11 case." http://video.go



Capt. Gregory M. Zeigler, PhD

Capt. Gregory M. Zeigler, PhD, U.S. Army – Former U.S. Army Intelligence Officer

Statement to this website 9/19/06: "I knew from September 18, 2001, that the official story about 9/11 was false. ... [A]nomalies poured in rapidly: the hijackers' names appearing in none of the published flight passenger lists, BBC reports of stolen identities of the alleged hijackers or the alleged hijackers being found alive, the obvious demolitions of WTC 1 and 2 [each 1300+ feet tall, 110 stories], and WTC 7 [570 feet tall, 47 stories, and not hit by an airplane], the lack of identifiable Boeing 757 wreckage at the Pentagon ... Link to full statement


Member: Scholars for 9/11 Truth and Justice Association Statement: "Scholars for 9/11 Truth and Justice is a non-partisan organization consisting of independent researchers and activists engaged in uncovering the true nature of the September 11, 2001 attacks



Capt. Russ Wittenberg

David L. Griscom, PhD – Research physicist, retired in 2001 from Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in Washington, DC, after 33 years service. Fellow of the American Physical Society. Fulbright-García Robles Fellow at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México in Mexico City (1997). Visiting professorships of research at the Universities of Paris and Saint-Etienne, France, and Tokyo Institute of Technology (2000 - 2003). Adjunct Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Arizona (2004 - 2005). Winner of the 1993 N.F. Mott Award sponsored by the Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids, the 1995 Otto Schott Award offered by the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung (Germany), a 1996 Outstanding Graduate School Alumnus Award at Brown University, and the 1997 Sigma Xi Pure Science Award at NRL. Principal author of 109 of his 185 published works, a body of work which is highly cited by his peers. Officially credited with largest number of papers (5) by any author on list of 100 most cited articles authored at NRL between 1973 and 1988.
Personal blog 1/5/07: "David Ray Griffin has web-published a splendid, highly footnoted account of The Destruction of the World Trade Center: Why the Official Account Cannot Be True: This scholarly work, rich in eyewitness accounts, includes 11 separate pieces of evidence that the World Trade Center towers 1, 2, and 7 were brought down by explosives.

... I implore my fellow physicists and engineers who may have the time, expertise, and (ideally) supercomputer access to get to work on the physics of the World Trade Center collapses and publish their findings in refereed journals like, say, the Journal of Applied Physics.

The issue of knowing who was really behind the 9/11 attacks is of paramount importance to the future of our country, because the “official” assumption that it was the work of 19 Arab amateurs (1) does not match the available facts and (2) has led directly to the deplorable Patriot Act, the illegal Iraq war, NSA spying on ordinary Americans, repudiation of the Geneva Conventions, and the repeal of habeas corpus (a fundamental point of law that has been with us since the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215).

Surely these Orwellian consequences of public ignorance constitute more than sufficient motivation for any patriotic American physicist or engineer to join the search for 9/11 Truth!" http://impactglassman


Member: Scholars for 9/11 Truth and Justice Association Statement: "Scholars for 9/11 Truth and Justice is a non-partisan organization consisting of independent researchers and activists engaged in uncovering the true nature of the September 11, 2001 attacks."


Bio: http://impactglassman.blogspot.com/

Lon J. Waters, PhD
No photo available
Lon J. Waters, PhD Mathematics – Former staff member of the Maui High Performance Computing Center, a U.S. Department of Defense funded high performance computing and research facility. Former staff member of Sandia National Laboratories, a major research facility of the National Nuclear Security Administration, U.S. Department of Energy. Member Advisory Editorial Board, Journal of 9/11 Studies.

Signatory of Petition of Solidarity to the Attorney General of New York for a new independent grand jury investigation of 9/11 11/19/04: "We the undersigned: a) think that there is ample evidence and probable cause to believe that many grave and still unresolved crimes were committed by US officials prior to, during and after the events of 9/11; b) observe that most of these apparent crimes, including but not limited to abetment of mass murder, criminal negligence, insider trading, and obstruction of justice fall well within the jurisdiction of New York's top law enforcement officials ..." http://www.justicefor911.org


Member: Scholars for 9/11 Truth and Justice Association Statement: "Scholars for 9/11 Truth and Justice is a non-partisan organization consisting of independent researchers and activists engaged in uncovering the true nature of the September 11, 2001 attacks."

U.S. INTELLIGENCE SERVICES AND LAW ENFORCEMENT


Raymond L. McGovern

Raymond L. McGovern – Former Chairman, National Intelligence Estimates, CIA, responsible for preparing the President’ Daily Brief (PDB) for Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. 27-year CIA veteran. Former U.S. Army Intelligence Officer.

Video 7/22/06: "I think at simplest terms, there’s a cover-up. The 9/11 report is a joke. The question is: What’s being covered up? Is it gross malfeasance, gross negligence, misfeasance? … Now there are a whole bunch of unanswered questions. And the reason they’re unanswered is because this administration will not answer the questions. … I just want to reassert, what Scott [Ritter, former Major in the U.S. Marines Corps, former Chief Weapons Inspector for the United Nations Special Commission in Iraq] said and this is the bottom line for me, just as Hitler in 1933 cynically exploited the burning of the parliament building, the Reichstag, this is exactly what our President did in exploiting 9/11. The cynical way in which he played on our trauma, used it to justify attacking, making a war of aggression on a country that he knew had nothing to do with 9/11. That suffices for me, I think Scott is exactly right, that’s certainly an impeachable offense." http://video.google


Endorsement of 9/11 and American Empire (Vol I) – Intellectuals Speak Out: "It has long been clear that the Bush-Cheney administration cynically exploited the attacks of 9/11 to promote its imperial designs. But the present volume confronts us with compelling evidence for an even more disturbing conclusion: that the 9/11 attacks were themselves orchestrated by this administration precisely so they could be thus exploited. If this is true, it is not merely the case, as the Downing Street memos show, that the stated reason for attacking Iraq was a lie. It is also the case that the whole 'war on terror' was based on a prior deception." http://www.interlinkbooks.com


Signatory: Petition requesting a reinvestigation of 9/11:
"We want truthful answers to question. … As Americans of conscience, we ask for four things:
An immediate investigation by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer
Immediate investigation in Congressional Hearings.
Media attention to scrutinize and investigate the evidence.
The formation of a truly independent citizens-based inquiry." http://www.911truth.org/article



Bio: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_mcgovern


William Christison

William Christison – Former National Intelligence Officer and Director of the CIA's Office of Regional and Political Analysis. 29-year CIA veteran.

Essay Stop Belittling the Theories About September 11 8/14/06: "I now think there is persuasive evidence that the events of September did not unfold as the Bush administration and the 9/11 Commission would have us believe. … An airliner almost certainly did not hit The Pentagon. … The North and South Towers of the World Trade Center almost certainly did not collapse and fall to earth because hijacked aircraft hit them." http://www.dissidentvoice.org


Article 9/7/06: "David Griffin believes this all was totally an inside job - I've got to say I think that it was too. … I have since decided that....at least some elements in this US government had contributed in some way or other to causing 9/11 to happen or at least allowing it to happen. … The reason that the two towers in New York actually collapsed and fell all the way to the ground was controlled explosions rather than just being hit by two airplanes. … All of the characteristics of these demolitions show that they almost had to have been controlled explosions." http://www.prisonplanet.com


Audio interview 9/29/06: "We very seriously need an entirely new very high level and truly independent investigation of the events of 9/11. I think you almost have to look at the 9/11 Commission Report as a joke and not a serious piece of analysis at all. It gave the administration what it wanted to support their official story on what happened on the date of September 11 and that's all they cared about. ... It's a monstrous crime. Absolutely a monstrous crime." http://www.electricpolitics.com


Bio: http://www.amalpress.com/







Robert David Steele (Vivas)

Robert David Steele (Vivas) – U.S. Marine Corps infantry and intelligence officer for twenty years. Second-ranking civilian (GS-14) in U.S. Marine Corps Intelligence from 1988 - 1992 and a member of the Adjunct Faculty of Marine Corps University. Also former clandestine services case officer






Capt. Russ Wittenberg, U.S. Air Force – Former Air Force fighter pilot with over 100 combat missions. Commercial pilot for Pan Am and United Airlines for 35 years, flying 707, 720, 727, 737, 747, 757, 767, and 777 ’s. Had previously flown the actual two United Airlines airplanes that were hijacked on 9/11 (Flight 93, which impacted in Pennsylvania, and Flight 175, the second plane to hit the WTC).

Article 7/17/05: "The government story they handed us about 9/11 is total B.S. plain and simple." … Wittenberg convincingly argued there was absolutely no possibility that Flight 77 could have "descended 7,000 feet in two minutes, all the while performing a steep 270 degree banked turn before crashing into the Pentagon's first floor wall without touching the lawn."…

"For a guy to just jump into the cockpit and fly like an ace is impossible - there is not one chance in a thousand," said Wittenberg, recalling that when he made the jump from Boeing 727's to the highly sophisticated computerized characteristics of the 737's through 767's it took him considerable time to feel comfortable flying." http://www.arcticbeacon.com


Audio Interview 9/16/04: Regarding Flight 77, which allegedly hit the Pentagon. "The airplane could not have flown at those speeds which they said it did without going into what they call a high speed stall. The airplane won’t go that fast if you start pulling those high G maneuvers at those bank angles. … To expect this alleged airplane to run these maneuvers with a total amateur at the controls is simply ludicrous...

It’s roughly a 100 ton airplane. And an airplane that weighs 100 tons all assembled is still going to have 100 tons of disassembled trash and parts after it hits a building. There was no wreckage from a 757 at the Pentagon. … The vehicle that hit the Pentagon was not Flight 77. We think, as you may have heard before, it was a cruise missile." http://911underground.com


Editor's note: For more information on the impact at the Pentagon, see General Stubblebine, Colonel Nelson, Lt. Col. Kwiatkowski, Major Rokke, and Steve DeChiaro.



Capt. Daniel Davis

 

[red states rule]

So let me get this straight. You've dedicated your life to following Red States Rule around the internet and warning everyone about him copying and pasting links and not thinking for himself. Well what the fuck is that shit you posted up there? Fucking youtube and nutty conspiracy sites? Give me a fucking break. Most of RSR's shit comes from newsbusters and world net daily. Most of your shit comes from kooky retards like Alex Jones and Charlie Sheen. Which one are you the pot or the kettle?

Also, I post from Real Clear Politics and other credible sites. Paul is in need of serious help, as is consumed with hate and rage

I damn near pity him

 

[red states rule]

ABC Suggests Bush 'Lashing Out' at Iran Could 'Inflame' Standoff, Not 'Cool-Headed'
Posted by Brad Wilmouth on April 1, 2007 - 01:35.
On Saturday's World News, ABC's David Kerley characterized President Bush's statement regarding the standoff between Britain and Iran as "lashing out," presumably because the President referred to the captured British soldiers as "hostages," as the ABC anchor suggested that Bush risked "inflaming" the situation. After relaying that the "outspoken" Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, today called Britain "arrogant" while still demanding an apology, Kerley also suggested that Bush's statement was not "cool-headed" as he introduced a story by correspondent Mike Lee playing up the possibility of a diplomatic solution. Kerley: "In spite of that rhetoric [from Ahmadinejad] and those remarks from President Bush today, there were some new signs that cooler heads may be prevailing." (Transcripts follow)

By contrast, while ABC saw in Iran a "sharp turn away from the tough talk," the NBC Nightly News contended that "there are no visible signs that Iran is backing down," and gave more focus to Ahmadinejad's defiant comments. NBC also reported Bush's criticism of Iran without undermining the President's words.

During the teaser for ABC's World News, Kerley announced: "Tough talk: President Bush lashes out at Iran, calling the 15 British sailors 'hostages,' and demanding their release." Kerley then opened the show contending that Bush was "stepping forcefully into the fray," and that he was running the risk of "inflaming an already tense situation." This opening was then followed by a clip of the President saying he supports the British government's attempts to "resolve this peacefully," while also saying "the Iranians must give back the hostages."

Kerley: "The standoff between Iran and Britain over the capture of 15 British navy personnel is nine days old. And until today, the White House has largely stayed out of it, trying not to inflame an already tense situation. But at a Camp David news conference late this afternoon, President Bush stepped forcefully into the fray."

Bush, from press conference: "And it's inexcusable behavior. And I strongly support the Blair government's attempts to resolve this peacefully. And I support the Prime Minister when he made it clear there were no quid pro quos. The Iranians must give back the hostages."

After Kerley mentioned that Ahmadinejad called Britain "arrogant" and demanded an apology, correspondent Lee still saw signs that both Iran and Britain were taking a "sharp turn away from the tough talk," a view likely shared by Kerley as he introduced the segment saying that "cooler heads may be prevailing."

Kerley: "For its part, Iran insists the sailors were trespassing, and today Iran's outspoken president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, called Britain and other countries 'arrogant' for not apologizing. In spite of that rhetoric and those remarks from President Bush today, there were some new signs that cooler heads may be prevailing. ABC's Mike Lee reports from London."

Mike Lee: "As the British captives began their second week in Iranian custody, their government today suddenly abandoned rhetoric and talked only of diplomacy. It is a sharp turn away from the tough talk from British and Iranian officials, during a week that included anti-British protests in Iran, an apparently doctored letter of apology from a British sailor, and a so-called 'video confession.'"

After featuring a soundbite of former Ambassador to the UN John Bolton arguing that it is important to make the the Iranian government believe that force could be used against them because "weakness is provocative," Lee then provided a soundbite in support of the "tried and tested" strategy of diplomacy supported by Middle East analyst Rosemary Hollis, who argued that "force doesn't solve everything," and that the "British tradition of diplomacy" could succeed without "behaving like a cowboy," possibly referring to President Bush.

Below is a complete transcript of the relevant stories from ABC's World News and the NBC Nightly News, while the CBS Evening News was preempted by basketball:

From the Saturday March 31 World News:

David Kerley, in opening teaser: "Good evening. I'm David Kerley, and this is World News. Tough talk: President Bush lashes out at Iran, calling the 15 British sailors 'hostages,' and demanding their release."

George W. Bush, from press conference: "The Iranians must give back the hostages."
...

Kerley: "Good evening. The standoff between Iran and Britain over the capture of 15 British navy personnel is nine days old. And until today, the White House has largely stayed out of it, trying not to inflame an already tense situation. But at a Camp David news conference late this afternoon, President Bush stepped forcefully into the fray."

Bush, from press conference: "And it's inexcusable behavior. And I strongly support the Blair government's attempts to resolve this peacefully. And I support the Prime Minister when he made it clear there were no quid pro quos. The Iranians must give back the hostages."

Kerley: "Now, President Bush would not say whether the U.S. would have reacted militarily if the sailors had been American. But, as you just heard, he said he backs British efforts at diplomacy. For its part, Iran insists the sailors were trespassing, and today Iran's outspoken president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, called Britain and other countries 'arrogant' for not apologizing. In spite of that rhetoric and those remarks from President Bush today, there were some new signs that cooler heads may be prevailing. ABC's Mike Lee reports from London."

Mike Lee: "As the British captives began their second week in Iranian custody, their government today suddenly abandoned rhetoric and talked only of diplomacy. It is a sharp turn away from the tough talk from British and Iranian officials, during a week that included anti-British protests in Iran, an apparently doctored letter of apology from a British sailor, and a so-called 'video confession.'"

Unidentified British soldier from video: "I would like to apologize for anything-"

Lee: "But today the Iranian state news agency backed away from earlier reports the sailors could face trial and punishment, saying there had been a poor translation. British officials today said they would give diplomacy a chance to work."

Margaret Beckett, British Foreign Secretary: "Things have gone a little quieter, and so we hope that that is a good sign and that people are thinking afresh, 'What is the way out of this situation?'"

Lee: "But a former American official disagrees with Britain's low-key approach, saying that Iran is using the boat incident to test Western resolve, which might be challenged in a showdown over its nuclear program."

John Bolton, Former Ambassador to UN: "The government in Tehran needs to understand that force is a viable option. If they think they are immune from the use of force, they will behave accordingly. Weakness is provocative."

Rosemary Hollis, Royal Institute of International Affairs: "Force doesn't solve everything."

Lee: "In London, Middle East analyst Rosemary Hollis says that while the British response may conflict with the American approach, it is tried and tested."

Hollis: "A British tradition of diplomacy, which is about literally relishing the complexity of the situation and finding what is achievable without having to behave like a cowboy."

Lee: "For better or worse, British officials have chosen quiet diplomacy, at least for now. Mike Lee, ABC News, London."

From the Saturday March 31 NBC Nightly News:

John Seigenthaler, in opening teaser: "President Bush demands the release of British troops held by Iran."

George W. Bush: "The Iranians must give back the hostages. They're innocent. They've done nothing wrong."
...

Seigenthaler: "Good evening, everyone. President Bush joined America's strongest ally today in demanding the release of 15 British marines and sailors held in Iran. Speaking publicly about the situation for the first time, the President made a point of calling the 15 'hostages' and said their detention was inexcusable. But after a nine-day standoff with Britain, there are no visible signs that Iran is backing down. We have two reports tonight, beginning with NBC's John Yang at the White House. Good evening, John."

John Yang: "John, this was the first time President Bush has spoken out about the captured British troops. And he made clear the he supports the tough stand being taken by British Prime Minister Tony Blair."

Bush: "The Iranians took these people out of Iraqi water, and it's inexcusable behavior. And I strongly support the Blair government's attempts to resolve this peacefully. And I support the Prime Minister when he made it clear there were no quid pro quos. The Iranians must give back the hostages. They're innocent. They were doing nothing wrong, and they were summarily plucked out of water. And it is, as I say, it's inexcusable behavior."

Yang: "Right now, there are two U.S. aircraft carrier groups off the waters of Iran, the Stennis and the Eisenhower. They're conducting military exercises in the Persian Gulf. Officials here at the White House and at the Pentagon stress that they are not seeking a confrontation with Iran in the Persian Gulf. And, John, it's interesting he did not answer one part of the question he was asked, and that's about what he would have done if these were American troops who had been taken."
...

Seigenthaler: "From Iran today, more defiance. Despite diplomatic efforts to find a solution to the crisis, tension between Iran and Britain appeared to be growing today. NBC's Stephanie Gosk reports from London."

Stephanie Gosk: "As the crisis reached its ninth day, the president of Iran blamed what he called the 'world arrogant powers.' During a speech, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the British sailors trespassed in Iranian waters when they were seized, but, quote, 'arrogant powers, because of their arrogant and selfish spirit, are claiming otherwise.' These comments come as a British official struck a measured tone at the European Union meeting in Germany."

Margaret Beckett, British Foreign Secretary: "What we want is a way out of it. We want it peacefully, and we want it as soon as possible."

Gosk: "The British have been denied access to the 15 prisoners, though their pictures have appeared on Iranian TV. Behind the scenes, the British government says there is a high-stakes diplomatic effort under way, including meetings in the exchange of letters, but still no breakthrough. Today a European Union official demanded the prisoners' release after Iran suggested they might be put on trial. Concern that the prisoners may be tried was sparked today by a Russian TV interview with the Iranian ambassador in Moscow. The Iranian government later said the ambassador's words had been translated incorrectly. But the threat of a trial still looms, and quick release of the troops seems unlikely."

Bruce Reidel, Iran expert: "The Iranians are going to get something before they give these guys up. They're not just going to say, 'Oops, here are your people back.' That's not how Iran works."

Gosk: "The 15 were taken in disputed waters long a cause of friction between Iran and Iraq. And one opposition group says Iran's leaders planned the capture to gain leverage for the country's nuclear program."

Hossein Abedemi, National Council of Resistance of Iran: "This was a carefully and meticulously concocted operation which has ... the approval of the highest authorities of the regime to gain concessions."

Gosk: "But as frustration builds among Britain and its allies, concessions, for now, seem unlikely. Stephanie Gosk, NBC News, London."

http://newsbusters.org/node/11743

 

[Gurdari]

Why are the Iranians allowing the British detainees to smoke? Don't they know that smoking kills? And they are feeding them decent food. What’s with that? Why no black hoods and orange jump suites and severe beatings and the burns ? Where are the dogs? Why no waterboarding and electric shocks with unspeakable items shoved into bodily orifices? If they are going to put them on television, they should be wearing bags on their head so nobody knows for certain that is really them and that they are okay. And duct tape, they should be duct taped to make it hard to breathe and impossible to speak. How are we going to believe anything these British prisoners say if they aren’t tortured first? Why offer to release them in exchange for a mere admission that they were in the wrong place? Why not throw them in a cage with indefinitely? These Iranians must be barbarians, they no concept of civilized behavior. They need to look to the Bush administration to see how to treat prisoners properly.

Maybe Iran should overthrow the British or US governments? That would be a good first step on the way to 'civilization'.

 

[sitarro]

Maybe Iran should overthrow the British or US governments? That would be a good first step on the way to 'civilization'.

You do know that Iran wouldn't have a hail stone's chance in hell of doing that right? Now if you would have said overthrow Canada's government it might be true except that you are lucky enough to be right next door to the most generous country in the world and the United States would kick Iran's ass for even attempting to hurt our friends even though the feelings aren't reciprocated.