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Politics & ReligionWell Since every damn forum has one. Might as well leave it out there. This place is loosely moderated and should not be entered if you're weak of heart.
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Bush: Iran Intelligence Report is Warning Signal
Quote:
Bush: Iran Intelligence Report is Warning Signal
By William Branigin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 4, 2007; 1:12 PM
President Bush asserted today that Iran's nuclear program remains a danger to international security despite an assessment in a new U.S. intelligence report that the Tehran government stopped work four years ago on a suspected effort to build nuclear weapons.
In a White House news conference, Bush argued that Iran continues to develop the capability to enrich uranium and that this know-how ultimately could be transferred to a new clandestine weapons program.
"Look, Iran was dangerous," Bush said. "Iran is dangerous. And Iran will be dangerous if they have the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon."
In response to persistent questioning about the new National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), a declassified summary of which was released yesterday, Bush emphasized the review's finding that Iran had a covert nuclear weapons program until 2003, when Tehran halted it under international scrutiny and pressure.
"What's to say they couldn't start another covert nuclear weapons program?" he asked. "I still feel strongly that Iran's a danger. Nothing's changed in this NIE that says, okay, why don't we just stop worrying about it. Quite the contrary."
Congressional Democrats called on Bush to abandon what they described as his overheated rhetoric on Iran and conduct a fresh review of U.S. policy toward that country with an emphasis on diplomacy.
The news conference, Bush's first in nearly seven weeks, was devoted largely to a defense of his credibility on Iran in view of the new intelligence estimate, which contradicted a 2005 assessment that Iran "is determined to develop nuclear weapons despite its international obligations and international pressure."
Bush has repeatedly accused Iran of using a nuclear power program as cover for a secret scheme to build atomic bombs, and he warned as recently as Oct. 17 that allowing Iran to have such weapons would risk "World War III."
Asked if he were still convinced that Iran is trying to build a nuclear bomb, Bush replied: "Here's what we know. We know that they're still trying to learn how to enrich uranium. We know that enriching uranium is an important step in a country whose desire it was to develop a weapon. We know they had a program. We know the program was halted."
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If Iran "were to develop the knowledge that they could transfer to a clandestine program, it would create a danger for the world," he said. "And so, I view this report as a warning signal that they had the program, they halted the program. And . . . they could restart it."
Bush said the intelligence review "provides an opportunity for us to . . . continue to rally the community to pressure the Iranian regime to suspend its program." He said he was personally "working the phones," along with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, to urge U.S. partners to keep up their efforts.
Pressed to explain the new intelligence estimate, Bush said he could not discuss "sources and methods." But he added, "I believe that the intelligence community has made a great discovery, and they've analyzed the discovery, and it's now part of our government policy."
He denied that he knew about the new assessment before his Oct. 17 remarks, saying he was briefed on the latest NIE only last week. He said the director of national intelligence, John M. McConnell, informed him in August that the intelligence community had "some new information" about Iran's program. "He didn't tell me what the information was. He did tell me it was going to take a while to analyze."
Bush also used the news conference to repeat his demands that congressional Democrats abandon efforts to tie funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to troop withdrawals from Iraq. He called on Congress to send him an emergency funding bill with no strings attached.
Bush said intelligence professionals are waiting for Congress to extend legislation set to expire in February that gives them the ability to "effectively monitor terrorist communications." He referred to the Protect America Act of 2007, which temporarily allows the wiretapping of communications that originate or end in a foreign country without a warrant issued by a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court.
"Allowing the law to lapse would open gaps in our intelligence and increase the danger to our country," Bush said in opening remarks.
He also urged Congress to pass legislation that he said would "protect middle-class families from the burden of the alternative minimum tax." Without Congressional action, the parallel tax system, originally aimed at the super-rich, will affect millions more families this year, most of them upper middle class.
In a statement, Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) denounced Bush's "heated rhetoric on Iran," including his comments raising the specter of World War III. He charged that the remarks "further diminish the credibility of a president with a dangerous record of overstating threats."
In light of the new intelligence report, Reid said, Bush should "announce a top-to-bottom review of his Iran policy and a diplomatic surge to advance U.S. interests with regard to Iran." He said the secretaries of state and defense should be "prepared to meet anytime, anywhere with their Iranian counterparts to conduct vigorous diplomacy to advance U.S. interests and address the challenges of Iran."
The United States needs to "ratchet up our diplomacy and continue working with the international community," Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) said in a separate statement. "But it's time for the president to look at the cold hard facts on Iran and walk back from the overheated rhetoric. The last thing America needs is to be misled into another war based on hype and trumped-up intelligence."
Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) called Bush's news conference a "congressional finger-pointing session." While Bush "complains and blames," he said, "our troops are stuck in Iraq with no political strategy to aid them, our Iranian policy is without direction, the president refuses to sign a kid's health care bill while more Americans than ever lack health care coverage, and the economy skids into a recession while the president and his economic advisers choose to attack the Congress." Emanuel added, "The country needs cooperation and compromise from the president, not confrontation and complaints."
In addition to Iran, Bush was asked at today's news conference about Venezuelan voters' rejection of constitutional amendments championed by President Hugo Chavez, an ardent Bush critic who had sought to control the country's finances, appoint governors and run for reelection indefinitely. Domestic opponents had accused Chavez of seeking long-term, dictatorial powers; under the current constitution, he has five more years in office and cannot be reelected.
"The Venezuelan people rejected one-man rule," Bush said. "They voted for democracy."
He took the opportunity to call on Congress to approve a free trade agreement with Colombia, saying that "the biggest fear in South America" is not Chavez but the prospect of rejecting the trade accord, which he said would be "an insult to a friend."
Asked about a rape case in Saudi Arabia in which the victim faces punishment from a Saudi court, Bush said his first thought was "how would I react" if this had happened to one of his daughters.
"I would have been very emotional, of course," Bush said, searching for words. "I'd have been angry at those who committed the crime. And I would be angry at the state that didn't support the victim." He said the administration's views on the case were expressed by White House spokeswoman Dana Perino and that he did not remember "if that subject came up" during a recent telephone conversation he had with Saudi King Abdullah.
Pressed on why he would not discuss the matter directly with the king, Bush said, "He knows our position loud and clear."
Fucking pinhead. For once I actually agree with Harry Reid.
Continuing his march into the history books. What's interesting about this NIE is that the White House held it up for a year and wasn't able to make it go their way. I hope that means that the intelligence community has self-corrected. If that's true, it also means that they told the Bush Administration to go screw themselves, a patriotic coup of sorts.
I suspect it became known that the report would leak if the White House continued to stonewall it. We may have the CIA to thank for not invading a country (for a change.)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jim schmidt
Continuing his march into the history books. What's interesting about this NIE is that the White House held it up for a year and wasn't able to make it go their way. I hope that means that the intelligence community has self-corrected. If that's true, it also means that they told the Bush Administration to go screw themselves, a patriotic coup of sorts.
I suspect it became known that the report would leak if the White House continued to stonewall it. We may have the CIA to thank for not invading a country (for a change.)
Bush: Iran is dangerous, they will be even more dangerous if we don't bomb the fuck out of them.
Hmmmmm...I wonder how dangerous?
Dangerous enough to drop not one, but TWO nuclear weapons on civilian targets, atomizing hundreds of thousands of civialians and burning alive thousands more?
Dangerous enough to march into an unwinnable land war in a small asian country on a theory that was so far from proven, it was barely understood?
Dangerous enough to kill tens of thousands of people while claiming to liberate them from a dictator that has killed LESS in his entire career as their dictator?
Dangerous enough to fix an election by preventing black votes from being counted, then winning by a margin smaller than that number of votes?
Dangerous to lie to its own people and take advantage of their fear and sorrow after the worst act of terrorism in their history?
Yeah, Iran sounds like they might be really dangerous, and Bush should know, he wrote the fucking book on dangerous.
There is a lot of good news in the latest intelligence assessment about Iran. Tehran, we are now told, halted its secret nuclear weapons program in 2003, which means that President Bush has absolutely no excuse for going to war against Iran. We are also relieved that the intelligence community is now willing to question its own assumptions and challenge the White House’s fevered rhetoric. The president and his aides are apparently too worried about getting caught again shaving intelligence to stop that.
"The focus should be on limiting Iran to its current uranium centrifuge capability and putting in place extensive IAEA safeguards.... "
Daryl Kimball, Arms Control Association, Washington, D.C.
But there’s also a lot of worrisome news in there that must not be overlooked.
First, the report says “with high confidence” that Iran did have a secret nuclear weapons program and that it stopped only after it got caught and was threatened with international punishment. Even now, Tehran’s scientists are working to master the skills to make nuclear fuel — the hardest part of building a weapon.
OTHER SIDE OF MOUTH
Anyone who wants to give the Iranians the full benefit of the doubt should read the last four years of reports from United Nations’ nuclear inspectors about Iran’s 18-year history of hiding and dissembling. Or last month’s report, which criticized Tehran for providing “diminishing” information and access to its current program. In one of those ironies that would be delicious if it didn’t involve nuclear weapons, an official close to the inspection agency told The Times yesterday that the new American assessment might be too generous to Iran.
Unfortunately, this report — preceded by months of White House saber rattling — is going to make it harder to keep up the international pressure on Iran to curtail its fuel program and cooperate fully with inspectors, the only way to ensure that it doesn’t get back into the secret weapons business. BAHAHAHAHAHA fucking liars
After Iraq and Guantánamo and Abu Ghraib, it is hard to imagine that this administration could do any more damage to this country’s credibility. Then it does. BAHAHAHAHAHA
Less than two months ago, Mr. Bush was warning that Iran’s nuclear ambitions could unleash World War III. Yesterday, the president insisted that he found out about the new assessment only last week. He also said that his top intelligence adviser told him in August that analysts were looking at “new information.” We know that the president is an incurious man, but given all his fears about Iran, and those missing weapons in Iraq, it’s hard to fathom why he wouldn’t have asked for a preview. OK LET'S PLAY GOTCHA!
The new report is not an argument for anyone to let down their guard when it comes to Iran’s nuclear ambitions. What it does say is that some combination of intensified pressures and opportunities might — “if perceived by Iran’s leaders as credible” — prompt Tehran to “extend the current halt to its nuclear weapons program.”
Yesterday, Mr. Bush insisted that he believes in a carrot-and-stick approach. But he has yet to make a serious offer of comprehensive talks and real rewards if Iran is willing to give up its fuel program and cooperate fully with inspectors. He is going to have to send someone a lot higher ranking than the American ambassador in Baghdad to deliver the message. We suggest Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for the job. YEAH, LETS OFFER THEM SOMETHING FOR THEIR LYING
We don’t know if the Iranians will find any offer credible, or if they even want to. It is the least Mr. Bush can do to try to salvage his credibility with the American people and America’s allies. BLOW ME
Bush: Iran Intelligence Report is Warning Signal
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