Many probably remember "Curveball", an Iraqi defector who supplied "intelligence" on Saddam's WMD (chemical/biological) program that became a significant piece of the case for the run-up to Gulf War II. Essentially his bogus story was believed because many in the CIA and others in the Bush Administration wanted to believe it. See here: Salon Magazine 2007. We know what happened as a result. This last week, Iranian scientist, Shahram Amiri showed up at the Pakistani Embassy in DC and told the Iranian representatives there that he wanted to return to Iran. While the question of whether Amiri defected or was kidnapped in Saudi Arabia last summer remains a tantalizing one, the real question should be why the US seemed to put such emphasis on a nuclear scientist in his early thirties. It appears that the attempt at Curveball II and a justification for an attack against Iran has not only been missed by the catcher, but the ball went wild and allowed the runner to steal home.
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