Dem. Now! today: What Did Bush Know On Iran And When Did He Know It?

[babylonsister]

http://www.democracynow.org/2007/12/5/what_did_bush_know_on_iran

What Did Bush Know On Iran And When Did He Know It?

President Bush continues to insist Iran threatens the United States despite the new National Intelligence Estimate refuting most of his key claims. This week”s consensus report from all sixteen U.S. intelligence agencies concludes Iran shut down its nuclear weapons program more than four years ago. News reports say the White House was briefed on the new intelligence assessment as early as July, but Bush says he didn"t find out the specifics until last week. We speak with investigative journalist Gareth Porter.


President Bush says Iran remains a threat despite a new National Intelligence Estimate that concluded Iran shut down its nuclear weapons program more than four years ago.

President Bush

The NIE is a consensus assessment from all sixteen U.S. intelligence agencies. It starkly contradicts the Bush administration’s repeated claims Iran is actively pursuing a nuclear bomb. National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley announced the findings in Washington on Monday.

Stephen Hadley

The NIE goes on to conclude spy agencies do not know whether Iran intends to develop nuclear weapons. It effectively rejects a National Intelligence Estimate two years ago that claimed Iran was pursuing a nuclear bomb through a secret program. The estimate also stands in stark contrast to recent language from President Bush who warned as recently as October of a “World War III” if Iran continued with alleged nuclear activities. At Tuesday"s news conference, Bush was asked by a reporter whether he was ever asked by his intelligence team to scale back his claims.

President Bush

According to the Washington Post, intelligence officials began briefing senior members of the Bush administration on parts of the new NIE as early as July. Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist specializing in U.S. national security policy. In October, he broke the story that the NIE on Iran had been held up for more than a year as part of an effort by Vice President Dick Cheney. Gareth Porter joins us from Washington DC.

Gareth Porter, investigative historian and journalist specializing in U.S. national security policy. He writes regularly on Iran for the Inter Press Service and maintains a blog on The Huffington Post. His latest article is “Iran NIE Validates 2003 European Diplomacy.”

[Bitwit1234]

1. What difference does it make

when or what he knows. Who's going to do anything about it. Not the Democratic congress.

[magellan]

2. Bush** has been caught in many such lies before

The biggest and worst to date for the lives it's snuffed out: the fabrication and cherry-picking of intelligence that led to the invasion of Iraq.

The POS occupying the WH has considerably weakened the security of this country with his stupid games, and he continues to play fast and loose with the truth. And the most infuriating thing is that he does so with Congressional approval.

[ladjf]

3. We are stuck in a loop. Democratic Congressmen keep asking

the questions about the Administration's action. The White House simply ignores the questions. There seems to be no one in the position to do anything about it. Sounds like a dictatorship to me.