Philip Giraldi: AIPAC Declares War

The American people don't particularly want a new war in the Middle East, but apparently Congress and Washington's most powerful lobby do. Thirty-two senators have co-sponsored a resolution that will constrain the White House from adopting any policy vis-a-vis Iran's "nuclear weapons capability" that amounts to "containment." The senators include the familiar figures of Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, both of whom have persistently called for military action. They, and the other senators have presented their proposal in a particularly deceptive fashion, asserting that they are actually supporting the White House position, which they are not. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta repeated on February 16 that Iran does not have, and is not currently building a nuclear device. Before Christmas, he stated clearly that the red line for the United States is actual Iranian possession of a nuclear weapon. Even Israel's intelligence services agree that Iran is not building a bomb. What we are seeing play out in Congress is the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) position, which is that Iran has already crossed a "red line." The AIPAC argument will no doubt be spelled out in more detail next month at the group's annual convention in the nation's capital, a meeting that will be addressed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and will attract nearly all of Washington's power brokers.