historiblogography

i think that maybe there is a suspicion that perhaps sort of a little bit, maybe, if i may be permitted to speculate, in a purely speculative sense

which means that it's gospel truth!

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates:

"I think that there is some sense of an increased level of supply of (Iranian) weapons and support to these groups," said Gates, referring to what the military has termed "special groups" of Shiite militants. "But whether it's a dramatic increase over recent weeks, I just don't know."

The conclusion the Associated Press draws from that box of "I think that there is some sense of, but I just don't know" fudge:

Last year Gates said he was holding out hope that the U.S. presence in Iraq could drop to about 10 brigades — or roughly 100,000 troops by the end of this year. On Thursday, he told senators he had abandoned that hope.

Iran's role has been one of the complicating factors.

Iran's role has been a factor, full stop.

Some people haven't learned a fucking thing from the last seven years.

ADDED LATER:

The AP headline, btw, is "Gates: Iran boosts support for militias." I think that there is some sense of... becomes a flat claim. Fuuuuuucccckkkkkk.

posted by Chris Bray @ 2:22 PM