From the AP:

Elite Iranian Corps Enmeshed in Iraq CAIRO, Egypt — Iran’s secretive Quds Force, accused by the United States of arming Iraqi militants with deadly bomb-making material, has built up an extensive network in the war-torn country, recruiting Iraqis and supporting not only Shiite militias but also Shiites allied with Washington. Still unclear, however, is how closely Iran’s top leadership is directing the Quds Force’s operations — and whether Iran has intended for its help to Shiite militias to be turned against U.S. forces.

Me: First of all, thank goodness the AP says it’s true because that means it must be.*

Second, this has been discussed a bit already, I know. But, tell me, how does the top leadership in a totalitarian or authoritarian regime get to say “we were out of the loop”? The whole point of unfree societies is that the state is responsible for everything. They are the loop. They can’t plausibly blame rogues or mavericks or suggest that some Iranian Ollie North was working out of some basement somewhere. Now, of course, there can be independent elements in any regime, but since when — and why — should the Iranian regime get the benefit of the doubt here? I mean if we learned that Canadian troops were “enmeshed” in Iraq, I think we’d all agree that it must be some sort of rogue operation at work, until proven otherwise. But Iran? Perhaps the world’s chief sponsor of terrorism is supposed to get the presumption of innocence? It’s just weird to me.

*Update: Momma G . beat me to this line.