Gary Samore – who served on President Clinton’s National Security Council staff – told an audience last week at the United Arab Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research: "I think if negotiations between Iran and the Europeans fail – and Iran resumes its enrichment program – I think there is a real risk of increased tension and at least a serious consideration in Washington of using military force. Obviously, there are many negative consequences of using force, but I think there is a real danger that the president will feel he has no choice if there is no diplomatic option."
Now, obviously, there is no possibility of U.S. overt use of force against Iran.
We haven’t got enough troops to pacify Iraq, much less invade Iran.
And if we bomb Iran, our fleet in the Persian Gulf would quickly be sunk by Russian-made or Chinese-made supersonic sea-skimming anti-ship missiles.
Well, how about covert action?
Until recently, the "Dirty Commies" were the enemy. They wanted to destroy us. To change our way of life. To subvert the values of the "Land of the Free."
Dirty Commies didn’t play by the rules. They lied, cheated, bribed, manipulated, murdered, and did whatever else they had to do to win. Which meant that if we wanted to win, we’d have to do the same.
So, how about a Bay of Pigs redux?
Except substitute "Islamic Terrorists" for "Dirty Commies," "Iran" for "Cuba," and the Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MEK) for the Cuban "exiles."
On March 17, 1960, President Eisenhower approved a CIA plan entitled "A Program of Covert Action Against the Castro Regime."
The plan envisioned: (1) the creation outside Cuba of a "responsible" and unified Castro opposition group, (2) the establishment outside Cuba of a powerful radio and newspaper network to beam propaganda to the Cuban masses, (3) the creation and development of a covert intelligence and action organization within Cuba that would respond to the orders and directions of the Castro opposition group, and (4) the development of a paramilitary force outside Cuba for future guerrilla action.
First Eisenhower, then Kennedy, after he became president – as well as other high-ranking U.S. officials – denied any plans to attack Cuba. But as early as Oct. 31, 1960, Cuban Foreign Minister Raúl Roa was able to provide details to the UN General Assembly about the recruitment and training of the Cuban "exiles."
The invasion – which came as no surprise to Castro – began early Sunday morning, April 16, 1961. The invading force, consisting of 1,500 men, had been trained in Guatemala by the CIA, was transported to Cuba by the CIA/Navy, and was supported by the CIA/Air Force, flying from bases in Florida.
By noon, President Kennedy had gotten a communication from Premier Khrushchev:
"It is a secret to no one that the armed bands invading this country were trained, equipped, and armed in the United States of America. The planes that are bombing Cuban cities belong to the United States of America; the bombs they are dropping are being supplied by the American government.
"As far as the Soviet Union is concerned, there should be no mistake about our position: We will render the Cuban people and their government all necessary help to repel an armed attack on Cuba."
As a result of the U.S. failure at the Bay of Pigs and the diplomatic embarrassment that ensued, President Kennedy fired longtime CIA Director Allen W. Dulles, Deputy Director Charles P. Cabell, and the one principally responsible for the operation, Deputy Director Richard Bissell. Kennedy assumed full responsibility for the failure, although he secretly blamed the CIA and ordered a full investigation of the operation.
The CIA inspector general’s report concluded that ignorance, incompetence, and arrogance on the part of the CIA were responsible for the fiasco. It criticized nearly every aspect of the CIA’s handling of the invasion: misinforming Kennedy administration officials, poor planning, use of faulty intelligence, and conducting an overt military operation beyond "agency responsibility as well as agency capability."
Aside from being a major embarrassment for Kennedy and the CIA, the "covert" Bay of Pigs operation set the stage for a major overt confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union: the Cuban Missile Crisis, which brought the world to the brink of nuclear war.
Do you suppose that if some non-neo-crazy sat Dubya down and told him about the Bay of Pigs fiasco he’d still feel that he "had no choice" but to launch – or condone – a covert CIA-Israeli-MEK military operation against Iran?
