CNN: White House Now Blames Briefer For Going Too Far On Iran Intel
CNN: White House Now Blames Briefer For Going Too Far On Iran Intel
Last Sunday, the Bush administration finally presented its long-delayed intelligence briefing on Iranian arms shipments into Iraq. Prior to the presentation, a U.S. official told the New York Times that it had been delayed because they were “trying to scrub” the intelligence, adding “the last thing we want to be accused of is cherry-picking.”
While much of the information had previously been known, the highlight of the presentation — as reported by ABC World News — was that it was “the first time military officials…made the link to the highest level of Iran’s government.” But the briefing “offered no evidence” to substantiate that claim. After coming under intense scrutiny for an intelligence presentation that was approved by the highest levels of the administration, the White House has slowly backed off its claims of Iranian government involvement.
Today, CNN reported that the White House is now blaming the anonymous intelligence briefer who presented the information. According to CNN’s Ed Henry, the White House says the anonymous intelligence briefer went “a little too far” in stating the evidence. But, as Henry said, “that begs the question why the administration has taken so long to clarify those comments.” Watch it:
Transcript:
HENRY: Some new information coming from my colleague Barbara Starr at the Pentagon that General Peter Pace is expected to have a media availability later today. All eyes will be on that to see exactly how he puts this given this confusion over the last couple of days.
Other information we have gotten is that apparently this anonymous intelligence briefer went a little too far in saying that the highest levels of the Iranian government were behind this. But that begs the question why the administration has taken so long to clarify those comments, Soledad.
O’BRIEN: And that’s a big going too far. I mean, that’s a critical piece of information.
HENRY: Especially given what happened in the run-up to the Iraq war. The administration knows full well about the credibility questions. And you would think in this case they would want to make sure they have all their ducks in a row.
O’BRIEN: One would think. Ed Henry for us, thanks.
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48 Responses to “CNN: White House Now Blames Briefer For Going Too Far On Iran Intel”
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ah-ha! - they knew that, if it was cocked up, then someone else must’ve done it. brilliant!!
February 15th, 2007 at 2:12 pmBut, as Henry said, “that begs the question why the administration has taken so long to clarify those comments.â€
…uh, we needed more time to concoct a feasible deniability rebuttal to our own sexed up intelligence claims…
…keep up will ya!
February 15th, 2007 at 2:17 pmIt’s good to see that people have wisened up to this administration!
February 15th, 2007 at 2:17 pmTheir up to their old tricks and the dumbass media keeps falling for it. Hey media folks, GET OFF YOUR LAZY ASSES AND DO SOME RESEARCH!!!!! QUIT TAKING THIS ADMINISTRATION AT IT’S WORD, THEIR A BUNCH OF LAIRS.
February 15th, 2007 at 2:19 pmBut, as Henry said, “that begs the question why the administration has taken so long to clarify those comments.â€
Wanted to know if the American public would buy what they are selling I suppose.
February 15th, 2007 at 2:20 pmBut, we know republicans have a problem with both art and science.
Comment by Spudge_Boy #2
Spudge,
…don’t you go gettin’ all uppity on us now…>…ya hear?
February 15th, 2007 at 2:23 pmBush Regime lies about everything, so they lie like dogs about Iran too.
February 15th, 2007 at 2:23 pmThat’s what’s known as having “ZERO CREDIBILITY.”
“There’s an old saying in Tennessee — I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.”
-The Decider
February 15th, 2007 at 2:25 pmIt doesn’t matter; the seed has been planted.
Now Faux Spews will repeat it, as will right-wing sites, and to some people, it will appear as true.
The appearance of truth is all that matters to Bush and his cronies if we bomb Iran.
February 15th, 2007 at 2:31 pm..
I THINK THIS TIME………
IT’S TIME TO TAKE A
C
H
I
L
L
PILL :)
February 15th, 2007 at 2:37 pmNow they are blaming the messenger.
February 15th, 2007 at 2:38 pmSounds like the whole thing was carefully scripted.
Step 1 Anonymous briefing gets message out. Keeps lazy MSM from debunking it easily while message plays for two days in the public forum.
Step 2 Once debunked, blame “anonymous briefer” who can’t be contacted. Administration accepts no blame.
Just how dumb do they think we are, anyway? Don’t answer that.
February 15th, 2007 at 2:38 pmThe White House is in a quandary over the Iran evidence because of quotes like this from President Bush during the run-up to the war against Iraq in 2002:
“There’s a lot of talk about Iraq on our TV screens, and there should be, because we’re trying to figure out how best to make the world a peaceful place. There’s an old saying in Tennessee — I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.”
For more on the White House’s credibility gap on Iran, see:
February 15th, 2007 at 2:38 pm“Fool Me Once: Bush and Iran.”
It is somewhat irrelevant now that the PR stunt about the “high level Iranian connections†is based upon falsehoods, it has already accomplished what it was intended to do.
The “debate” has been framed so as to introduce a premise as fact without ever having to produce the facts.
Case in point: I would venture to say that the vast majority of posters here would agree with the assessment that the Iranian made explosives were being provided to Iraqi insurgents with the knowledge and approval of the Iranian government to be dubious claims at best, and a fabrication (lie) at worst.
Administration talking point/trumped up charged defeated? I don’t think so. You see, now it is commonly stipulated that Iraqi insurgents are armed with Iranian weaponry that is used to kill US troops. This “fact” has been established without providing any substantial or concrete evidence at all.
This is but a step needed to climb up to the war platform. The US public just took it without complaint or question, all the while patting themselves on the back for “not being fooled again”.
The US public is so easy to manipulate it is almost funny. Almost.
February 15th, 2007 at 2:39 pm‘that begs the question’ … well, ed, i suspect bushco had assumed (with every reasonable right) that there would be no skepticism of their accusations against iran. i mean, let’s face it — your colleagues have been pimping this bitch for almost a year. go back and check the transcripts of woof and big lou eagerly anticipating the use of tactical nukes. now why would that be the first option on the table that the chatter monkeys would bring up unless they were being briefed.
and re why the admin waited 3 days to clear up the confusion — uh, maybe it’s because of your fucking short term memory. bushco expected you to drop the issue after a coupleof days — just like you have on so many other issues.
February 15th, 2007 at 2:43 pm[…] Watch Blame […]
February 15th, 2007 at 2:47 pmSo are we going to pull all that Naval hardware out of the Gulf now? The loss of a couple Aegis cruisers and two or three carriers seems to be an expensive way to provoke an incident, both in lives and in money.
February 15th, 2007 at 2:47 pmThe “Baghdad Briefieng” was just a trial balloon…You know, “let’s throw this against the wall and see if it sticks”…Why else would ‘Decider’ hold a press conference a few days later?
February 15th, 2007 at 2:50 pmOh, this is the same Ed Henry that has been questioning Bush and Snow about the intelligence on Iran? Hey, Henry, watch out. It is unpatriotic to question the government during times of “war”.
February 15th, 2007 at 2:50 pmCan we now please begin removing our air craft carriers from the Middle East? I understand we have two there, one on it’s way from San Diego and a fourth getting ready to depart for the Middle East. This is nothing but bait for Iran so Bush can justify another war.
Can’t wait for SOTU ‘09. Sick to death watching these murderous bastards constantly lying us into conflicts that result in such mayhem carnage and death.
February 15th, 2007 at 2:59 pmIt IS murderous!
February 15th, 2007 at 3:02 pmOf course using Bush Logic the adminsitration is ultimately responsible. Or do we treat our selves to a higher standard than we do the other guys?
February 15th, 2007 at 3:06 pmi be surprised if Bush attacked Iran; nobody supports the idea, and the republicans are already worried about being the party who started an unpopular war
February 15th, 2007 at 3:09 pm17, Tuber
Your point is well-taken. That is why we need to keep harping on the fact that this explosive formed penetrator (EFP) is just a fancy name for the shaped charges that were used in WWII and which have been used extensively to perforate oil well piping. We need to continue to debunk the idea that these newly-labeled EFPs are some high-tech device which requires advanced technology to fabricate. Any machine shop with a CNC lathe can make the penetrating heads, thus these devices are most certainly not indigenous to Iran. Furthermore, I have serious doubts the military has the capability to positively determine the country of origin.
All that comes down before we question whether the Shias are actually responsible for 170 deaths due to attacks using EFPs. Since when did the responsibility for placing IEDs switch from the Sunni insurgents to the Shia forces, which are now our allies? Such a joke!!!
February 15th, 2007 at 3:10 pmThey were finding machine shops making the shaped charges in Bagdhad 3 years ago……
February 15th, 2007 at 3:15 pmFrom the Angry Bear:
The military police and the CIA officers at the Abu Ghraib prison were part of the American defense and intelligence establishment. Do we need to draw an organizational chart for the Undersecretary? Just how desperate is President Bush to launch us into another war that will make us less safe?
That highest reaches of government is another one side only.
February 15th, 2007 at 3:16 pmIt’s always someone elses fault with this administration……. So much for the conservative claim that they take responsibility fortheir own actions.
February 15th, 2007 at 3:17 pmEasy to blame it on some anonymous dufus.
February 15th, 2007 at 3:23 pmHow bout the bucking f*ck actually stopping SOMEWHERE?
Isn’t it interesting that a country widely reported to have extensive nuclear, biological and chemical expertise has to import from Iran the technology to make a relatively simple explosive charge.
February 15th, 2007 at 3:25 pmSee my thumb…………??????
This is funny. The White House is able to censor various media report, environmental reports, oversight reports, 9/11 reports, FOI requests, white house visitor logs and all kinds of investigations…but one single staffer somehow managed to alter this report once the public took two seconds to realize it was a lie.
Funny how that works. GOod thing we have a vigilant media that will connect the huge dots to manipulated iraq intelligence right? Oh…wait…
February 15th, 2007 at 3:25 pmThese people just can’t help themselves. They can’t even drive cars around in a circle without screwing other people.
Comment by Spudge_Boy
It’s the product of low self esteem, and inibility to accept defeat.
February 15th, 2007 at 3:28 pmFunny as well that the anonymous intelligence staffer is still… anonymous…
February 15th, 2007 at 3:30 pm#35 - Raven,
February 15th, 2007 at 3:34 pmFunny he still has a job.
#36 Has a job? Shit, he’s a candidate for immediate promotion!
February 15th, 2007 at 3:36 pmContinuing with the debunking,
And especially for those like me who didn’t get to see our mewling Preznit yesterday, this piece on AlterNet is great –
http://www.alternet.org/story/48083/
Let’s get this piece in the emails, ok???
February 15th, 2007 at 4:13 pmNow is that A BRIDGE TOO FAR or “A Briefer Too Far”? Or has CHIMPya and the Barrel of Monkey-boys at the white house MISTAKEN(on purpose, of course)Iraq and Iran the SAME WAY they mistook Iraq and Afghanistan for the location of the TRUE ENEMIES OF AMERICA? Hmmmmmm?
February 15th, 2007 at 4:14 pmBullshit - they did it intentionally. This is a great example of what the New York Times called “The Teeter Rule” after a debate in which W’s father lied about his opponent. Teeter, Bush senior’s campaign manager, was asked about it after the debate and said something to the effect of “who cares? Millions saw the debate on tv but only thousands will read the correction in the paper the next day”.
W’s people are simply practicing the same tactics he learned from his dad. They got lots of great coverage for their sensationalistic lies but there will be far less coverage of the walk back.
February 15th, 2007 at 4:24 pmJust curious, where’s Roger_Roger (debate Dodger) to refute this?
February 15th, 2007 at 4:29 pmI recall yesterday he was gung ho for war with Iran.
Ohhhhh Roger….where areth ye???
Were there any drawings and pencil sketches to suport these very serious claims? I’m serious! -heh-
February 15th, 2007 at 5:24 pmComment by TJM #34
…Could you PLEEEAASE send this thread…
…and your comment to…
…the inbred fools at The Weekly Standard, Washington Times, or Red State.org…
February 15th, 2007 at 5:26 pmIt’s “taken so long to clarify them” because, like Iraq, they’re also based on bullcrap and lies. Remember and use Dubya’s own words:
Fool me once, shame on you - Fool me twice, shame on me!
The sad lesson in the “cry wolf” syndrome is that this guy’s lost all credibility so when something important needs to be addressed and listened to, the people will shun him and it. Sad that he’s brought the dialogue down to this gutteral level in this country.
February 15th, 2007 at 7:07 pmJust goes to show you that Corporate-Owned CNN is part of the fascist regime…be not fooled by the bipartisan sound of some of their commentary. It’s TOTAL propaganda just like Faux News. Besides, receiving “day late news” is not my cup of tea so they’ve become eclipsed by the internet and are being rendered as totally “irrelevant” at this point.
February 15th, 2007 at 7:09 pmSince their propaganda efforts seem to be (thankfully) failing, I can only assume that, since certain interests are hell bent on a war with Iran, we can most likely expect a “false flag” attack on American troops/interests in the near future.
February 16th, 2007 at 1:18 amJust goes to show you that Corporate-Owned CNN is part of the fascist regime…be not fooled by the bipartisan sound of some of their commentary. It’s TOTAL propaganda just like Faux News. Besides, receiving “day late news†is not my cup of tea so they’ve become eclipsed by the internet and are being rendered as totally “irrelevant†at this point.
Comment by veritas
Amen to that!
February 16th, 2007 at 1:20 amIt’s “taken so long to clarify them†because, like Iraq, they’re also based on bullcrap and lies. Remember and use Dubya’s own words:
Fool me once, shame on you - Fool me twice, shame on me!
Comment by veritas
Actually what he said was …
February 16th, 2007 at 1:22 am“But, as Henry said, “that begs the question why…” If I ask about apples and you answer about oranges, you have begged the question. People who are trying to appear to be erudite misuse this phrase in this way. He means “raises the question.”
February 16th, 2007 at 3:13 pmI’m not sure when the Republicans succeeded in co-opting NASCAR, but cheatin’ when racin’ is totally unrelated to ubiquitous compulsive Republican dissembling. NASCAR is just the multi-billion dollar child of express delivery of moonshine by good ole boys who were probably, if anything, fast driving FDR Democrats. They damned sure weren’t plutocrat-enabling, Falwell-endorsing Southern Republicans. I guess the Republican aspect of what Michael Waltrip did is that it was slimey high-tech, high concept cheating.
Bill France was a George Wallace anti-government Democrat. Have no idea what role racism did or did not play for Bill France, or what the France family is now. Darrell Waltrip’s adulation of George Bush (cf. his Lincoln Group) as the “man of God” president is a sad aspect of the life of a very personable guy and a hell of a race driver/commentator.
February 18th, 2007 at 11:06 pm[…] of the Iranian government were responsible for weapons transfers to Iraqi insurgents, but later conceded that the intelligence went “a little too far.” Prodded by bloggers, the media has begun […]
February 27th, 2007 at 1:12 pm