One has to wonder if working for the Washington Post fits the Obama definition of a "shovel-ready" job given the paper's penchant for burying the lede.
Deep within his July 9-filed story "Protesters Clash With Police in Iran," Washington Post Foreign Service correspondent Thomas Erdbrink noted a very interesting development bearing implications on the Obama administration's foreign policy regarding Iran and handling of the global war on terror.
The last six paragraphs of Erdbrink's 18-paragraph story -- which ran in the July 10 print edition on page A12 -- note how the theocratic regime in Tehran praised the Obama administration for its relative silence on the Iranian election aftermath just one day before the U.S. government released Iranian detainees captured two years ago in Iraq (emphasis mine):
Story Continues Below Ad ↓Meanwhile, the U.S. military on Thursday released five Iranian officials who were detained in January 2007 in northern Iraq on suspicion of aiding Iraqi Shiite insurgents, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari and Iranian officials said.
"We have no information yet about their physical or psychological condition or where they were kept the past two years," said Amir Arshadi, a spokesman for the Iranian Embassy. "We are still waiting for them."
The U.S. military had no comment.
Iranian leaders have repeatedly demanded the release of the officials, calling their detention a kidnapping that violated diplomatic protocols. At the time of their arrest, U.S. authorities said the men included the operations chief and other members of Iran's elite Quds Force, which was accused of arming and training Iraqi insurgents. Officials in Washington and Baghdad maintained that the men had no diplomatic status.
The surprise release came a day after unusually positive comments about President Obama by a top adviser to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who said Obama had tried to remain silent on the country's election outcome.
The comments suggest that Iran's decision makers are still interested in discussing possible diplomatic relations with the Obama administration. "America accepts a nuclear Iran, but Britain and France cannot stand a nuclear Iran," Ali Akbar Velayati, a former foreign minister, said in an interview on state television on Wednesday.
Remember, this was all buried at the close of Erdbrink's story. No separate story about the release of the detainees was printed in the July 10 paper, despite the fact that the released detainees were suspected of plotting to foment a terrorist insurgency.
—Ken Shepherd is Managing Editor of NewsBusters
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Comments Policy
It's been beneath contempt
Fri, 07/10/2009 - 14:01 ET by bigtimerIt's been beneath contempt the silence from the msm of all venues regarding all of your story Ken...all of it.
Still spinning for Obama...always will too...at the expense of others and their lives, including our military that are right next door.
Deplorable. ..nothing like omission it when it suits their agenda.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Friends
Fri, 07/10/2009 - 14:02 ET by JDWI read this elsewhere
If they are going to prevent our military from smoking what's the point?
JDW
DAILY WAVE
When people fear their government there is tyranny.
When government fears the people there is liberty.
JDW...I heard about that
Fri, 07/10/2009 - 14:05 ET by bigtimerJDW...I heard about that this morning on Rush's show with Mark Davis.
Smoke came from our ears here in this house.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
BT
Fri, 07/10/2009 - 14:24 ET by JDWYou research everything
JDW
DAILY WAVE
When people fear their government there is tyranny.
When government fears the people there is liberty.
These morons have never
Fri, 07/10/2009 - 14:14 ET by bassndudeThese morons have never experienced a smoke after a heated fire fight. Sure helps calm the nerves. I have known alot of guys that never smoked untill after a few moments of panic. Nothing like the Army to promote smoking. We used to get smokes in our rations.
Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!
bass... ...and nothing
Fri, 07/10/2009 - 14:18 ET by bigtimerbass...
...and nothing like the power of the socialist govt here to tell our militiary what to do if they want a smoke...a legal product so far.
Infuriating.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
BT, you know I quit smoking
Fri, 07/10/2009 - 14:31 ET by bassndudeBT, you know I quit smoking some years back. Never gave up the copenhagen tho. I started smoking when I was in the Army, and took up copenhagen with smoking while in VN.
It irks me to no end that these pompus group of chair shiners, that have never served a day in combat, want to dictate what our troops can and cannot indulge in.
Bunch of wimps.
Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!
bass... Hear!
Fri, 07/10/2009 - 14:36 ET by bigtimerbass...
Hear! Hear!
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Volunteer Protection
Fri, 07/10/2009 - 14:33 ET by JDWOur troops are worn out by repeated deployments. Cigarettes help ease stress yet the WH pinheads want to end the sale of them? This is the first step in total control. If passed, how difficult will a gay military be?
JDW
DAILY WAVE
When people fear their government there is tyranny.
When government fears the people there is liberty.
JDW... Total control
Fri, 07/10/2009 - 14:39 ET by bigtimerJDW...
Total control indeed...that's why we were fuming here...and the audacity to start with our most important people we have in this country for our very freedoms is despicable.
They are strangling our freedoms daily here, one way or the other...and people do not see it until it is far too late.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Total Control
Fri, 07/10/2009 - 15:04 ET by JDWNot just our military, but how does it affect our cigarette industry? More than 30% of these soldiers are smokers. And the taxes end.
JDW
DAILY WAVE
When people fear their government there is tyranny.
When government fears the people there is liberty.
JDW... Point well
Fri, 07/10/2009 - 15:08 ET by bigtimerJDW...
Point well taken.
Pop and alcohol next.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Gay military?? Kinda gives
Fri, 07/10/2009 - 14:47 ET by bassndudeGay military?? Kinda gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "butt stroke", dont it?
Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!
Gay Military
Fri, 07/10/2009 - 15:06 ET by JDWFewer smokers?
JDW
DAILY WAVE
When people fear their government there is tyranny.
When government fears the people there is liberty.
I smell a back-room deal
Fri, 07/10/2009 - 14:16 ET by c5thenIran agrees to "stay out of Iraqi affairs" and the Obama administration agrees not to get tough with Iran's nuclear program.
Obama selling out our strategic saftey for a quick political "win"?
Throw 'da bums out!
no one re-elected who voted for socialism or debt
www.loyaltoliberty.com
You're Right, c5then
Fri, 07/10/2009 - 14:20 ET by rammingspeedI say "nice catch" c5then, regarding your back room deal suspicion. It's a shame we have to be so cynical, but it is what it is.
Sorry, Ken
Fri, 07/10/2009 - 14:29 ET by ThisnThat...despite the fact that the released detainees were suspected of plotting to foment a terrorist insurgency
After Obama declared the end of terrorism, he justified the release of anybody who was previously charged with terrorism. There simply isn't any such thing as terrorism in the world anymore. Yeah, there might be a few man-made catastrophies here and there, but you'd be hard-pressed to show any catastrophy caused by these gentlemen.
The only surprise here is that these people were released back to Iran. What? No tropical island resorts for them? Must be due to budget cuts somewhere.
Frankly, I'm a little tired of all this terrorist talk. Let's get back to something important, like Michael Jackson, can we?
___________________________________
An optimist thinks that the glass is 1/2 full; a pessimist 1/2 empty; a realist thinks the glass is twice a big as it needs to be
Bamster Negotiating w/Iran
Fri, 07/10/2009 - 15:06 ET by slickwillie2001Here's more in this important story:
Did Obama Do A Quid Pro Quo With Iran?: http://wolfhowling.blogspot.com
Betraying America's Soldiers; Iranian War Criminals Go Free: http://www.americanthinker.com
[quote] On Jan. 20, 2007, five American soldiers were killed and three seriously wounded in Iraq. As Bill Roggio relates at the Long War Journal, it was a daring operation: a twelve-man terrorist team disguised as U.S. servicemen attacked our troops as they held a previously arranged meeting with local officials in Karbala. Four of the soldiers were alive when they were abducted from the scene. They were handcuffed and murdered in a remote location when the coalition forces attempting to rescue them closed in.
A few months later Qais Qazali, Laith Qazali and Ali Mussa Daqduq were captured, along with documents that confirmed they were agents of Iran responsible for organizing and directing terror cells in Iraq. [endquote]
We are at war with Iran, in Iraq. The sooner we face this the better. When taking prisoners or not, our soldiers need to consider the nature of this new President that we are unfortunately stuck with for a few years.
I thought
Fri, 07/10/2009 - 19:59 ET by UpNorththat this country didn't negotiate with terrorists? Oh, that's right, they aren't terrorists, they are murderers. And they were not protected by the Geneva Conventions, but the Americans were. So much for those protections, right Mr. Holder? Mr. Obama? What's that I hear? Crickets.
Of course, this does make it easier for the troops in the field, just don't take prisoners, Obie will just give them back to whoever he can find to give them to.
The "Democratic
Fri, 07/10/2009 - 20:31 ET by RR GOPThe "Democratic strategists" will say this if confronted on the matter:
"Well, His Holiness actually arranged for these detainees to be released in exchange for the release of Roxana Saberi. He's just too modest to make a big deal about this masterful use of His masterful personality and His masterful diplomatic abilities."
One of the 34% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 61% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory (yep...approval for Congress now at 39%...do you believe that!?).