Ray Takeyh of the Council on Foreign Relations figuratively leaps about flaying his ribbon above his head in an effort to blame Iranian terrorism in Iraq on America.
Behold (tip to Real Clear Politics):
And while Washington bitterly complains of Iran's mischief and intervention in Iraqi politics, blame for Iran's influence in Iraq rests not with Ahmadinejad but with an ill-advised American invasion that facilitated the rise of Shi'ite parties closely associated with Iran.
Wow! '9.6!' I'm sure the former East German judge will give him the coveted '10' but I remain pure to the art form of apologizing for enemies.
Terrorism is what Takeyh means when he lightly tosses off Iranian actions as "mischief" and "intervention." You know, those stories about how Iranian supplied explosively formed "mischief" killed a good portion of our troops in Iraq during the last couple months. Or how the Iranian-backed Shias "intervened" with a series of night-time murders of Sunni civilians. You know, perfectly harmless and reasonable actions like that.
If only we hadn't liberated Iraq from a genocidal and aggressive tyrant, Iran would not have intervened with such terrorism?
We provide a framework for democracy and the Iranians naturally resort to terrorism, apparently.
The Iranians resort to terrorism despite Takeyh's assertion that we facilitated the rise of Shia parties close to Iran. I guess those pro-Iranian Shias aren't the majority or the Iranians wouldn't have to pay for terror to help the local thugs seize power.
Why the fact that some local Iraqis are pro-Iranian means our liberation was wrong and that Iranian terrorism to support that minority of pro-Iranian Shias is justifiable or understandable is not made clear.
I guess you have to learn those sorts of things when you are a senior fellow at CFR. That and directions to the office kitchenette, I suppose.
It is always so comforting to have the judgments of the foreign policy elite assure us that the real problem is always America.
Maybe I've just been making a horrible assumption that they are an American foreign policy elite. Perhaps we know what our real problem is, after all.
