Political Quotes

“I would like to place in the Record an article from the Christian Science Monitor entitled, ``Used-car salesman as Iran proxy? Why assassination plot doesn't add up for experts,'' and also from Mother Jones, ``Four Things You Need to Know About the Iran Bomb Plot.'' [From The Christian Science Monitor--CSMonitor.com, Oct. 12, 2011] Used-Car Salesman as Iran Proxy? Why Assassination Plot Doesn't Add Up for Experts (By Scott Peterson) The U.S. has blamed the specialist Qods Force in an Iran assassination plot. But those who track the group say the plot doesn't reflect the careful planning, efficiency, and strategy the Qods Force is known for. How careful is Iran's Qods Force when it comes to covert operations abroad? This wing of the Revolutionary Guard was accused by U.S. military commanders in Iraq in 2007 and 2008 of jeopardizing the efforts of more than 150,000 American troops on the ground, of backing militias of all stripes, and of exercising strong influence on Baghdad's rulers. Yet how many Iranian Qods Force operatives did that take? One U.S. diplomat posted to Baghdad at the time had the consensus answer: There were just eight Qods Force men in all of Iraq. IN PICTURES: Iran's military might Indeed, the Qods Force has a reputation for careful, methodical work--as well as effective use of local proxies, and ultimately their pragmatic deployment by Tehran as covert tools to expand Iran's influence across a region in flux.…”