NO EVIDENCE THAT IRAN IS SUPPLYING ARMS OR TRAINING TO SHIITE MILITIAS IN IRAQ

Juan Cole points out Gareth Porter's article on the spin of the U.S. military following the Bush/Cheney line that Iran is aiding and abetting Shiite militias which in turn are attacking and killing U.S. troops.

After four years of trying, the Bush/Cheney gang and their generals have not shown or exhibited one shred of evidence that Iran is training or equipping Iraqi militia. Furthermore, as Gareth Porter indicates, in spite of the U.S. claim that Iran is supplying EFPs (explosively formed penetrators) to Iraqi fighters to drive the Americans out, the U.S. military has discovered and uncovered mini-factories in garages and basements in Iraq itself manufacturing such weapons.

The evidence shows no Iranian involvement, although it does show increased resistance on the part of Al Sadr's Mahdi Army to the stepped-up patrols and raids of U.S. troops predominantly in Sadr City, a Shiite enclave in Baghdad.

The drumbeat of "evidence" alleged by the U.S. military, including people like Gen. Ray Odierno and Kevin Bergner, turns out to be nothing more than the unsubstantiated party line of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. The latter would like nothing less than bombing Iran and starting another war before they leave office in January 2009. The U.S. generals become their facilitators in demonizing Iran and making Iran out to be the "enemy."