CNN, via TPMMuckraker:
"There's irrefutable evidence the Iranians are now doing this and it's a pattern of activity," U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns told CNN.
"If you see the Iranians arming Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza and the West Bank and, of course, arming Shia militants inside Iraq itself [sic]. It's very violent and very unproductive activity by the Iranian government."
And one that puts Tehran contrary to the U.N. Security Council, Burns said.
Before you freak out too bad, let's take a little trip down memory lane:
The Iraqi regime has in fact been very busy enhancing its capabilities in the field of chemical and biological agents. And they continue to pursue the nuclear program they began so many years ago. These are not weapons for the purpose of defending Iraq; these are offensive weapons for the purpose of inflicting death on a massive scale, developed so that Saddam can hold the threat over the head of anyone he chooses, in his own region or beyond... Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. There is no doubt he is amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies, and against us. And there is no doubt that his aggressive regional ambitions will lead him into future confrontations with his neighbors -- confrontations that will involve both the weapons he has today, and the ones he will continue to develop with his oil wealth.
--Vice President Dick Cheney, 103rd VFW National Convention, August 2002
'Irrefutable' and 'there is no doubt' mean pretty much the same thing. Like I keep saying, the administration has lost the benefit of the doubt. They need to prove this conclusively or shut the hell up.
For the record, I don't expect them to choose either option.
