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02/20/2006:

"What Bush Is Up To"

02/19/06 "ICH" -- -- I'm going to tell you what the real Bush administration policy is. I have no take-it-to-court proof. No one does, because the administration doesn't tell the truth and is very secretive.

But from conversations I've had with people from the Middle East and from extensive reading, I infer that the Bush administration's policy encompasses three goals:

One of the goals is to replace the present Syrian government with one the administration hopes will be more pliable in its policy toward Israel. Another is to construct four permanent bases in Iraq, and that means the administration has no intention of ever withdrawing all U.S. forces. The third goal is to attack Iran's nuclear facilities from the air. The propaganda campaign to justify this attack is already under way.
informationclearinghouse.info


US to finance Syrian opposition
THE United States will allocate $US5 million to finance the Syrian opposition, the State Department said overnight, two days after announcing a similar initiative for the Iranian opposition.

The State Department said in a statement that it will give the money "to accelerate the work of reformers in Syria."
The money would come from the department's Middle East Partnership Initiative, it said.

The grants "will build up Syrian civil society and support organizations promoting democratic practices such as the rule of law; government accountability; access to independent sources of information; freedom of association and speech; and free, fair and competitive elections," the statement said.

The State Department announced on Wednesday that it would seek $US75 million dollars to step up efforts, through extra broadcasts and other activities, to influence democratic change in Iran.