Sanger is New York Times
chief Washington correspondent. Previously he held other posts. He's
reported on foreign policy, globalization, Asian issues, and nuclear-related
ones.
Cooperatively with other Times correspondents, he won two Pulitzer Prizes.
Its board might consider retracting them.
After Obama's 2009 inaugural address, his characterization of the new
president was dishonest and delusional. He called his new administration
"a stark repudiation of the era of George W. Bush and the ideological
certainties that surrounded it."
His connection to Chicago politics and monied interests reflected otherwise.
So did his Illinois and US Senate records. Policies he supported told
all. Few took time to check.
He backs the worst of ideological extremism. As president, his agenda
reflects it. The pseudo-left still backs him. Not a dime's worth of
difference separates him from Romney and other hardline Republicans.
Sanger's reporting on Iran is hostile and biased. Pro-Western misinformation
substitutes for truth and full disclosure.
On May 27, he and another Times correspondent headlined, "After Talks
Falter, Iran Says it Won't Halt Uranium Work," saying:
Statements by Iran's nuclear program head, Fereydoon Abbasi, suggests
Iran is "veering back to a much harder line after talks in Baghdad with
the West....ended badly."
Fact check
Western demands were unreasonable. Iran complies fully with Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty provisions. Washington spurns them. So does
Israel.
Iran's entitled to be treated like all other nuclear states. Chief negotiator,
Saeed Jalili, affirmed its right. It doesn't engage in nuclear talks
to surrender. Its legitimate rights are inviolable. Good journalism
recognizes them.
It negotiates in good faith. Washington and other P5+1 countries spurn
it. Resolving issues equitably can't happen without willing partners.
From inception, the Islamic Republic lacked them. They have no Western
ones now.
Sanger's new book is titled "Confront and Conceal." It discusses Obama's
foreign policy. NPR's Terry Gross interviewed him. On air he called
Obama aggressive. The "essence of the Obama doctrine," he said, is "act(ing)
quite strongly and quite unilaterally" when America "has (a) direct
interest."
He pressures others to participate and share costs. He discussed AfPak,
the so-called Arab Spring, China and North Korea inaccurately. US television
news viewers are profoundly uninformed. So are readers of Sanger's book.
He called Iran's nuclear program a "direct threat to the US."
Iran hasn't attacked another country in over two centuries. It threatens
none now. Western states, Israel, and regional states know it. Nonetheless,
they claim otherwise.
In contrast, America wages permanent wars on humanity. It ravages nations
one at a time or in multiples. It seeks unchallenged global dominance.
Replacing independent regimes with puppets is policy. Sanger didn't
explain.
Like other Times correspondents, he points fingers the wrong way. He
betrays readers. He gives them managed news, information, and analysis.
Accurate reporting isn't his style.
His book discusses Obama's wars. He discussed "his surprising use of
American power." Why surprising wasn't explained. All presidents in
US history were belligerent. Since established, America has been at
war at home and/or abroad every year in its history.
Perhaps Obama surprised by waging so many and planning more. The peace
candidate prevents it to wage war. His appetite is insatiable. Hawkishness
defines his agenda. So is talking out of both sides of his mouth at
the same time.
One war leads to others. Proxy ones are waged. Perhaps he has a nuclear
one in mind. Enormous sums are spent. Secret amounts aren't disclosed.
Homeland needs go begging. Warmaking may eventually leave only roaches
and bacteria behind.
For years, Washington pushed the envelope with Iran. So far, it's been
short of hot war. It involves sanctions, subversion, destabilization,
fake accusations, targeted assassinations, a failed color revolution,
isolation, agitprop, and cyberwar.
In spring 2010, Iranian intelligence discovered Stuxnet malware contamination.
The computer virus infected its Bushehr nuclear facility. At the time,
operations were halted indefinitely.
Israel was blamed. Washington was also involved. Had the facility gone
online infected, Iran's entire electrical power grid could have been
shut down.
A more destructive virus called Flame malware is known. Internet security
experts say it's 20 times more harmful than Stuxnet. Iran's military-industrial
complex is targeted. So is its nuclear program. Maximum disruption is
planned.
Sanger's "Olympic Games" chapter covers the scheme. It's code language
for joint US/Israeli subversion. Key is corrupting Iran's nuclear enrichment
program. Centrifuges are targeted.
What harms Iran can disrupt US and Israeli computer systems and infrastructure.
Subversion cuts both ways. Effectiveness depends infecting computers.
One way is by loading the virus into thumb drives Iranian nuclear technicians
use privately.
Perhaps unknowingly they'll plug them into government computer systems.
Destroying them depends on infecting and controlling them.
Plant operators were "clueless," said Sanger. "There were no warning
lights, no alarm bells, no dials gyrating wildly. But anyone down in
the plant would have felt, and heard, that the centrifuges were suddenly
going haywire. First came a rumble, then an explosion."
"Olympic games is an effort to get into the Iranian centrifuge system
with a computer worm that was a very elaborate effort to get through
the defenses the Iranians had built up…send in a worm that would speed
up or slow down those centrifuges until they began to blow up."
It's also about waging war other ways. Flame potentially may do more
damage than bombing.
New millennium warfare reflects this type sophistication. Opposing sides
vie with each other to be most disruptive.
Kaspersky Lab researchers discovered Flame malware. They call it the
most sophisticated cyber weapon known.
Kaspersky chief security expert Aleks Gostev said:
"Flame can easily be described as one of the most complex threats ever
discovered. It's big and incredibly sophisticated. It pretty much redefines
the notion of cyberwar and cyberespionage."
It raises cyberwar stakes. ZDNet's Zack Whittaker calls it "an attack
toolkit." Iran's been hit hard. PC Mag.com's Chloe Albanesius said its
operations have at least 189 infections. Israel/Palestine is second
with 98 known. Syria has 30.
Computer Business Review's Steve Evans says exact entry points and methods
used to penetrate are unclear. However, once Flame infects a network,
"it can start to sniff traffic and can perform other tasks such as taking
screenshots, recording audio conversations and intercepting the keyboard."
Wired's Kim Zetter says it opens a backdoor to infected systems. It
lets attackers "tweak the toolkit and add new functionality."
According to ITProPortal's Rawiya Kameir:
The "sheer complexity of Flame suggests it is a government operation
and not the work of petty cybercriminals." Its origins are unknown.
Eugene Kaspersky said cyberwar risks are "one of the most serious topics
in the field of information security for several years now." Worldwide
concerns are raised.
Flame is the newest and most sophisticated weapon. Washington and Israel
use it against Iran, Syria and other enemies.
Sanger said Obama supporters are surprised by his aggressiveness. Cyberwar
is one of many ways. He's been "very direct" in the use of US power.
Olympic Games mainly targets Iran. Tehran knows what's going on and
who's responsible. Obama's directly involved. So are top Israeli officials.
Cyberwar is waging conflicts by other means. Non-lethal weapons can
be more destructive than conventional ones. Iran is target one. Washington
and Israel are vulnerable.
Disruption cuts both ways. Expect whatever works well to become more
sophisticated. Non-lethal wars can precede and/or accompany hot ones.
America and Israel represent global threats. Misreporting by Sanger
and others like him facilitate their schemes.
Instead of urging peace and conflict resolution, scoundrel media promote
wars and regime change.
Imagine the good they could do by supporting right over wrong. Imagine
the benefits of peace, good will, and mutual respect. Imagine a world
safe to live in. Why not if enough people work hard enough for it.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized
Banking, Government Collusion and Class War"
http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge
discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News
Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time
and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy
listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
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