Those treacherous Russians?

Why on Earth would the U.S. government publicly divulge that the Russians may have shared U.S. military intel on Iraq with Saddam Hussein before it bothered to confront the Russians about it directly?

The only logical answer is that this revelation -whether true or not - was meant solely for the public's consumption. And while some may believe this sets up an excuse for the United States' failures in Iraq, I'm not convinced that this is the sole rationale.

Given the growing intensity of the debate surrounding Iran's apparent nuclear ambitions, the Bush administration needs to paint the Russians as being untrustworthy, especially as it relates to their efforts to broker a deal that would simmer the possibility of military conflict with Iran.

Clearly, much as we saw with Iraq, the Bush administration wants to provoke conflict with Iran. It's almost "deja vu all over again", as Yogi Berra would say. By painting the Russians as being untrustworthy, it eliminates them as viable peacemakers in the public's eyes. In turn, that gives the U.S. an excuse to downplay any effort the Russians may expend to secure an agreement. And it opens the door for unilateral military action by the U.S.

The mind games continue from our glorious leadership.