U.S. Lacks Reliable Data on Iran Arms -LAT

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON — Although convinced that Iran is "vigorously" pursuing programs to produce nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, the U.S. intelligence community has few sources of reliable information on any illicit arms activities by the Islamic republic, current and former intelligence officials and Middle East experts say.

The United States has struggled to get more than glimpses and incomplete accounts of Tehran's weapons programs, they say, despite the fact that American spy agencies are in a better position to collect information on Iran since U.S.-led invasions and occupations of two of the country's neighbors in the last three years.

The dearth of quality intelligence has complicated American efforts to convince other nations to more aggressively confront Iran, and accounts for the caution expressed by some U.S. intelligence officials last week when Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said he had seen important new evidence that Iran was pursuing ways to mount a nuclear warhead on a missile.
.....
But Tehran "is particularly controlling and tight" in maintaining secrecy around its nuclear, biological and chemical weapons programs, the former official said.

"As with any country that may be pursuing WMD," he said, referring to weapons of mass destruction, "that's the most difficult nut to crack."

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iranintel27nov27,0,7718662.story?coll=la-home-headlines

Not being able to find them only adds to the case that they have them? US teams will be looking for wmd, convinced they are there, for years after the invasion.

[tk2kewl]

1. Bush: Take it on faith, I do.

O8) =:nuke:

[yorkiemommie1]

2. colin, colin, colon...

shaddup already.


we don't need evidence, remember?

we're the boss of the world!

(sarcasm off)

[Barkley]

3. We were attack on 9-11 with box cutters not WMD!

So why this obsession with WMD disarmament?

They say these could fall in the hands of terrorist.

But terrorists don't need states like Iran to get Bio
or chemical weapons.

Nuclear proliferation is an issue but it looks like
our allies (Israel-to-S. Africa and Pakistan-to-Iran
are mostly responsible).

"lacks reliable data" means you don't know!

[leesa]

4. And if YOU think that was pulled off with box cutters run by a guy

on dialysis in a cave in Afghanistan, well....

Wake up, man! EVERYTHING they told you about how 9-11 happened was a lie. A childish fantasy that you bought.

[VegasWolf]

6. You mean like how the FBI miraculously found the passports of the

hijackers laying there right on top of the 400 foot pile of
rubble?

[Rose Siding]

5. The Bush Doctrine

That's why. WMD is causis belli under the Bush Doctrine.

The problem with that is that many of us are tethered to the Reality Based world, although that isn't really tuning out to be much of a problem for them so far, is it?

[high density]

7. So is the corporate media going to enable the US to attack Iran now

without asking a single question?

[struggle4progress]

8. Quick! Let's consolidate White House control of intellligence!

The Ownership Society doesn't like it when stories like this leak out ...

[livinginphotographs]

9. Evidence, shmevidence.

It's not like lack of evidence ever stopped them before.

[jmcgowanjm]

10. Abizaid warns Iran not to underestimate US

"To deter a nation state you should never underestimate the
air and naval power of the United States," General John
Abizaid, the commander of US forces in the Middle East, told
AFP in a joint interview late on Friday.

"Why the Iranians would want to move against us in an
overt manner that would cause us to use our air or naval
power against them would be beyond me. We have an
incredible amount of power," he said.

http://jang.com.pk/thenews/nov2004-daily/28-11-2004/main/main5.htm

Now why would Abizaid make such a comment?

In case Israel decided to fly off the JFK and
bomb something in Iran?

Meanwhile, maybe the General should be
paying more attn to Fallujah-Our Dien Bien Phu.

In 1953 the French occupation forces suddenly decided it
would be a good idea to reinforce the provincial capital of
Diên Biên Phu on
the border with Laos, and use it as 'bait' to suck
the
outraged Vietnamese into suicidal attacks.


One of the main reasons that America will come to such
a cataclysmic end in Iraq, is the stubborn racist mindset at
West Point, which still holds that a mere "Gook" or "Chink"
like Giap could not possibly have overwhelmed the
massive firepower of both France and America in Vietnam.
Thirty years after the last GI scrambled off the roof of the
U.S. Embassy in Saigon to escape to an aircraft carrier at
sea, the American military remains in complete
psychological denial. It couldn't happen so it didn't happen,
even though it did happen, if you see what I
mean...
 
It is approximately six hundred miles from Mosul to Kuwait City.
If they are to escape the Republican Guard net in the north,
and Mehdi Army blocking forces in the south, the U.S. Military
will need to cover this distance on foot in evening
temperatures of 100 - 120 F, with minimal water, food
and ammo. Trust me, this is mission
impossible.

Courtesy Joe Vialls

[spanone]

11. Bush* doesn't need RELIABLE data.

So we are relying again on QUESTIONABLE intelligence?????? God help America.....NO God help the rest of the world.