Irancove @ December 5, 2007 # No Comment Yet
The NIE states that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003—based on the assumption that Iran did in fact have a nuclear weapons program at one point. Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich makes some good points challenging this notion:
Iran Intelligence Report: Another Psychological Warfare?
By Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich
December 5, 2007
Under […]
Irancove @ December 5, 2007 # No Comment Yet
NIAC memo on NIE:
With no weapon program, justification for suspension precondition eliminated
The President’s comments today further fueled the perception that the White House pursues policies detached from reality. In spite of the National Intelligence Estimate stating that Iran has ended its weapons program, the president insisted that the military option remains on […]
Irancove @ December 5, 2007 # No Comment Yet
via Las Vegas Sun:
Bush said the new conclusion - contradicting earlier U.S. assessments - would not prompt him to take off the table the possibility of pre-emptive military action against Iran. Nor will the United States change its policy of trying to isolate Iran diplomatically and punish it with sanctions, he said.
As many are […]
Irancove @ December 5, 2007 # No Comment Yet
Ehud Olmert thinks the Iran NIE calls for tighter sanctions.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Tuesday that a new U.S. intelligence report finding that Tehran halted its development of a nuclear weapons demonstrates the need for tighter international sanctions in order to ensure the Islamic republic can never acquire nuclear weapons.
“We discussed this report with leaders […]
Irancove @ December 5, 2007 # No Comment Yet
Farideh Farhi makes some excellent points about Bush’s press conference where he tried to blame the souring of US-Iran relations on Ahmadinejad’s presidency:
BUSH: “People say, would you ever talk to Iran? For you veterans here, for those who have been following this administration for a while, you might remember that I have consistently said […]
Irancove @ December 5, 2007 # No Comment Yet
Is Iran a threat to world peace? Some lawmakers and talking-heads continue to make that charge. This video examines some of the rhetoric.
Irancove @ December 5, 2007 # No Comment Yet
Interesting article in the Washington Post:
The Bush administration likes to boast that it has dramatically cut the size of the nation’s nuclear stockpile. Meanwhile, it’s busily trying to shore up congressional support for multibillion-dollar proposals to “modernize” the bristling U.S. arsenal. A world that’s skeptical about the last superpower’s intentions only gets more so when […]
Irancove @ December 5, 2007 # No Comment Yet
In response to Josh Marshall’s “little quiz,” as of 12:05am, December 5:
Irancove @ December 5, 2007 # No Comment Yet
According to Larry Johnson, despite ratcheting up rhetoric about Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons program, President Bush was briefed about the NIE over a year ago, which was delayed for political reasons.
This blog was one of the first to report that the NIE was being delayed for political reasons. George Bush tried his moron act again […]
Irancove @ December 5, 2007 # No Comment Yet
According to David Paul Kuhn who attended an on-the-record dinner with Mike Huckabee, Huckabee had not heard of the Iran NIE yet. (link via TPM)