Interesting ...
About that Iranian nuke threat:
And I have to hand it to Stephen Hadley, because it takes a certain something to respond to news that the Iranians halted their weapons program four years ago by saying that it proves we were right to make a big fuss about it this summer, and to continue pressing for stronger sanctions now. Some might worry about the Orwellian aspects of such a stance, or worry about appearing as paranoid ideologue, but not Hadley. The Iranians stopped their weapons program in 2003, but that doesn't mean they aren't trying to build a nuclear bomb. Oh, no. Certainly not.
Indications are that the administration intends to continue its push for another UN resolution against Iran. This will continue its policy, also used against Saddam's regime in Iraq, to fiercely demand that adversaries stop programs they have already stopped, and then punish them when they fail to comply. Masterful diplomacy, that.
To be fair, it's true that Iran could resume the weapons program at any time. However, this news also means that it's quite likely that Ahmedinejad has been telling the truth when he's been saying they aren't working on nuclear weapons. It likewise further undermines the credibility those in the administration and on its right who have been arguing that Iran is an imminent nuclear threat. (Norman Podhoretz, I'm looking at you.)
I'd be curious to know when the intelligence community arrived at this conclusion about the Iranian nuclear program, and whether it was known to the White House during the summer, when Dick Cheney was making a bellicose speech on an aircraft carrier in the Mideast, and pundits were talking about plans to bomb Iran. I'm pretty sure the White House must have known in October when the President was talking about "World War III".
One of the things that I hate most about the Bush administration is the way they have made it a safe bet that the crazy foreign leaders are the ones telling the truth, and the White House gang are the ones who can't be trusted.
ABC News' Martha Raddatz, Jonathan Karl, Luis Martinez and Kirit Radia Report: In a stunning reversal of Bush administration conventional wisdom, a new assessment by U.S. intelligence agencies concludes Iran shelved it's nuclear weapons program over four years ago.The White House responded to the public release of this information with its typical style...
"We judge with high confidence that in fall 2003, Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program," reads a declassified version of the National Intelligence Estimate key findings.
The Bush administration reacted swiftly Monday, arguing that while the latest intelligence report is "positive news," they won't abandon their strategy of applying "intensified international pressure" on Iran.Of course, to the White House it isn't really "news", since the NIE was supposed to be sent to Congress last spring. The White House has, presumably, had the actual findings for a while now.
"It confirms that we were right to be worried about Iran seeking to develop nuclear weapons," read a statement by National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley about the NIE report. "It tells us that we have made progress in trying to ensure that this does not happen. But the intelligence also tells us that the risk of Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon remains a very serious problem."
And I have to hand it to Stephen Hadley, because it takes a certain something to respond to news that the Iranians halted their weapons program four years ago by saying that it proves we were right to make a big fuss about it this summer, and to continue pressing for stronger sanctions now. Some might worry about the Orwellian aspects of such a stance, or worry about appearing as paranoid ideologue, but not Hadley. The Iranians stopped their weapons program in 2003, but that doesn't mean they aren't trying to build a nuclear bomb. Oh, no. Certainly not.
Indications are that the administration intends to continue its push for another UN resolution against Iran. This will continue its policy, also used against Saddam's regime in Iraq, to fiercely demand that adversaries stop programs they have already stopped, and then punish them when they fail to comply. Masterful diplomacy, that.
To be fair, it's true that Iran could resume the weapons program at any time. However, this news also means that it's quite likely that Ahmedinejad has been telling the truth when he's been saying they aren't working on nuclear weapons. It likewise further undermines the credibility those in the administration and on its right who have been arguing that Iran is an imminent nuclear threat. (Norman Podhoretz, I'm looking at you.)
I'd be curious to know when the intelligence community arrived at this conclusion about the Iranian nuclear program, and whether it was known to the White House during the summer, when Dick Cheney was making a bellicose speech on an aircraft carrier in the Mideast, and pundits were talking about plans to bomb Iran. I'm pretty sure the White House must have known in October when the President was talking about "World War III".
One of the things that I hate most about the Bush administration is the way they have made it a safe bet that the crazy foreign leaders are the ones telling the truth, and the White House gang are the ones who can't be trusted.
posted by Paul at 11:17 AM |
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