UN: Administration intel on Iran unreliable.
By on Feb 25th, 2007 at 9:13 am
UN: Administration intel on Iran unreliable.
“[M]ost U.S. intelligence shared with the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency has proved inaccurate and none has led to significant discoveries inside Iran,” diplomats tell the LA Times. “The officials said the CIA and other Western spy services had provided sensitive information to the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency at least since 2002, when Iran’s long-secret nuclear program was exposed. But none of the tips about supposed secret weapons sites provided clear evidence that the Islamic Republic was developing illicit weapons.”
UPDATE: Kevin Drum has an eerily similar flashback from February 2003.
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We should be less concerned about the unreliable intelligence as we should be of the fabricated intelligence, which Dick Cheney created by visiting CIA headquarters and bullying CIA analysts. Dick Cheney often cites CIA information in attacking Iraq and involving us in his (and Bush’s) war of choice. What Cheney fails to mention is that he intimidated the CIA and Tenent until they gave him what he wanted. No other VP ever visited CIA headquarters, but Cheney did so on thirty-five occasions.
February 25th, 2007 at 9:25 amJust. Like. Iraq.
February 25th, 2007 at 9:37 amThat’s Great. Not only is Bush planning to start World War III by bombing Iran, but he plans on bombing the WRONG TARGETS!!
February 25th, 2007 at 9:39 amLike every thing in this administration, a total failure to comminicate on purpose…Even stupid people know enough to keep their friend’s close and enemies closer..But then most people are not war monger’s…Blessings
February 25th, 2007 at 9:42 amReading the Feb 19 cover story of Newsweek really p*ssed me off. After the attack of Sept. 11, Iran was rattled by this tragic event, and wanted to discuss a “detente” for the whole middle east by reigning in Hezzbollah and Hamas, and solving the problems of terrorism and nuclear proliferation by peacefull negotiations. Bush threw it all back in their face with his axis of evil rhetoric. I wish we could unring that bell…but maybe Bush really wants an Apocalypse.
February 25th, 2007 at 10:02 am#3 Sharon
Too bad we don’t have a law in this country that requires rich boys to serve … and by serve, I mean actually serve … none of this cushy national guard or air force or navy stuff… put them in infantry units that are the first to see combat … then maybe once these knuckleheads have experienced war firsthand, they will not be so eager to get their fellow Americans mired in it without thinking about the consequences.
February 25th, 2007 at 10:09 amEveryone knows our intellegence agencies are broken. Who needs a UN report to know that?
February 25th, 2007 at 10:09 amI highly doubt that our intelligence agencies are broken. Just like everything else in our government, Bushco is using them to advance their imperialistic political agenda. Bushco does not allow them to function correctly, therefore they only appear to be broken.
February 25th, 2007 at 10:33 amThey’re broken, and have been broken since at least the 1970s when Democrats decimated them in response to Watergate. And in the 90s when Clinton decreed we wouldn’t deal with people as corrupt as him.
Our agencies have not predicted a single significant event that has transpired from the Fall of teh Berlin Wall, to the collapse of the Soviet Union, to the rise of the Taliban, Al Qaida, the emergence of global Jihad, 9/11, the nuclearization of Pak, India, North Korea. the list goes on.
February 25th, 2007 at 10:48 amYep! #5- AshenShard, I have been saying for year’s I believe the fat old white men in board room’s that want to start war’s should have to be on the ground, out front leading the charge like a few of the old time fighters in history…Note I said a few, many stayed up on a hill far away while their troop’s were killed but a few did go with their troop’s.Bush and Cheney are as crazed as Custer was…This should be mandatory…The day that is mandatory and all weapon’s but sword’s and black powder rifles only are used is the day the war’s are ended….No more bomb’s no more fly over drop’s….Hand to hand only..Add to all of that another idea…Fighting leaders fight one on one and no more chicken hawk’s will suck the life out of countries and the world…
The term ” talk is cheap” need’s to be applied to this administration in all areas…..If they would talk to other leaders with tolerance and negotiation in mind we would not be in this mess…Sadly this bunch of evil has done all they set out to do, create enemys where there were none, devide our country and create perpetual war to feed and enrich their backers and loot the world….
To call this administration stupid ( I do that often) realy is not realistick….They are not stupid they are the most evil and soulless of any people I have seen…Any one with a soul or spirit has a hard time dealing with the mentalety of this bunch….Hartless is another word to use in discribling them all…This entire administration and their backer’s need to be removed and jailed for life and all their assets seized…..Sorry for the length…..Blessings
February 25th, 2007 at 10:48 am# 8 Scott Ritter did predict that we would find NO WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION in Iraq.
February 25th, 2007 at 10:54 amIn August of 2002, Iran’s secret nuclear program was exposed. Ten months later, in July of 2003, the CIA operation for gathering intelligence on WMD was exposed in an act of political revenge.
The result? “none of the tips about supposed secret weapons sites provided clear evidence that the Islamic Republic was developing illicit weapons.â€
I guess that’s ok, because under the Bush Doctrine of Preemptive War, it is up to Iran to prove it doesn’t have a secret program to develop nuclear weapons.
February 25th, 2007 at 10:56 amKeeping in mind that Bush blinded the CIA watching nuclear weapon developing in Iran when he ordered his staff to reveal Valeria Plame’s CIA identity … an agent who worked within the counter-proliferation division.
February 25th, 2007 at 11:00 amIt’s important to realize that the rationale for attacking Iraq was that it was clear that Iraq was a threat and would always be a future threat. That the sanctions were crumbling and Saddam was bidding his time. The idea was since the threat is clear, its best to take action BEFORE he’s capable of implementing any attack.
Condolezza Rice:
State George Shultz give a very impressive speech about how he thinks about how they might have differently thought about the Marine barracks bombing in 1982 in Lebanon, or how we might have thought about a follow-on, a series of terrorist attacks against us that clearly showed that this was building up, and it’s very often the case for democracies – and I made this point to the commission – that we don’t see a threat materialize until it’s already too late.
You can look at the way that the European democracies allowed Adolf Hitler step by step to increase his power in Europe before finally responding after the invasion of Poland.
I think the one thing that Sept. 11 has taught us is to not let threats materialize or fully materialize that you have to take care of them as they’re gathering, not when you finally have an attack as a result of them.
February 25th, 2007 at 11:08 amNanite: the Anti-Bush State Dept was the source of the leak. And besides the general consesus was that no one knew she was purported covert.
if she was covert, why did she get her husband a job
Why did her husband draw attention to himself (and by extension his family) by making a public statement in the NYT
And finally.. why hasn’t anyone been charged with this crime…. because no crime had occured. she was not covert.
February 25th, 2007 at 11:11 amBush Regime is lying about Iran, just like they did before attacking Iraq, so be prepared for Dubya attacking Iran in mid March of this year.
February 25th, 2007 at 11:12 amColin Powell (2/24/01):
“We had a good discussion, the Foreign Minister and I and the President and I, had a good discussion about the nature of the sanctions — the fact that the sanctions exist — not for the purpose of hurting the Iraqi people, but for the purpose of keeping in check Saddam Hussein’s ambitions toward developing weapons of mass destruction. We should constantly be reviewing our policies, constantly be looking at those sanctions to make sure that they are directed toward that purpose. That purpose is every bit as important now as it was ten years ago when we began it. And frankly they have worked. He has not developed any significant capability with respect to weapons of mass destruction. He is unable to project conventional power against his neighbors. So in effect, our policies have strengthened the security of the neighbors of Iraq…”
February 25th, 2007 at 11:15 amThere is no dispute what Iran is doing. Any type of statement trying to make it appear as if Iran is NOT building a bomb is pure disinformation.
here.. watch Iranian TV … see the lead nuclear negiotator state how they use talks with Europeans for the sole purpose of buying time.
http://www.memritv.org/Search.asp
Search for clip 805 by puttign 805 in the box called “Clip #”, then you can view either the video or a transcript.
Their site is funky and sharing URLs doesnt seem to work.
February 25th, 2007 at 11:16 amEveryone knows our intellegence agencies are broken. Who needs a UN report to know that?
Comment by Vince P — February 25, 2007 @ 10:09 am
But Vince, you are willing to go to war with Iran anyway. It seems to be your default position, but based on what then? I’m feeling a little cognitive dissonance here.
February 25th, 2007 at 11:19 amOkay, so we all know that the Bush administration is cooking the intelligence on Iran. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out.
I’ve written to my reps, Hastert, Obama, and Durbin. The responses are exactly what you would expect along party lines.
I didn’t complain about what was going on, I wrote to ask what THEY were doing to prevent another Iraq fiasco from happening.
So, other than some rhetoric, what are the DEMOCRATS DOING to prevent another Iraq from happening? They know the administration can’t be trusted. I’m sorry but I don’t see a lot of positive things.
February 25th, 2007 at 11:19 amOf course not. I bet that this “US intelligence” actually is coming out of Chaney’s office which obtains it from unreliable fabricators such as Chalabi, Gornadifar and other neocon darlings.
Bob Woodward’s STATE OF DENIAL is replete with evidence that Chaney was getting inaccurate information for pay from the INC the Israelis and whoever had anything to support the neocon junta’s imperialist aims….
Impeach the bastard before its too late…
February 25th, 2007 at 11:22 amIt’s important to realize that the rationale for attacking Iraq was that it was clear that Iraq was a threat and would always be a future threat. That the sanctions were crumbling and Saddam was bidding his time. The idea was since the threat is clear, its best to take action BEFORE he’s capable of implementing any attack.
Comment by Vince P
Using your line of reasoning we should commence bombing immediately on Tonga, The Bahamas, Canada, Greenland, and Luxemborg.
They might be thinking of something…..
February 25th, 2007 at 11:23 amAmericans need to be prepared for an emergency forced draft after Bush attacks Iran and sets off global WWIII. Even GOPers will be forced to join the military, unless they are wealthy or have connections in DC to get exemptions. Everyone between the ages of 18 and 45 are at risk of being forced into the military thanks to criminal Bush Regime.
February 25th, 2007 at 11:27 amComment by Vince P — February 25, 2007 @ 11:08 am
In other words, we should have anhilated the PNAC shortly after it posted its Statement of Principles and the article about needing “a new Pearl Harbor” to jump-start American Imperialsim. If only we killed off all the members of the PNAC then, 9/11 wouldn’t have happened!
February 25th, 2007 at 11:27 amRE # 14 above from Vince P.
GEt your head out of your ass and get the goddamm facts, you ridiculous fascist enabler. There is undisputed evidence directly from the CIA that Joseph Wilson’s wife was COVERT.
Secondly, Valerie did NOT have the authority to send her husband on a fact finding mission to Niger. When the CIA directorate of operations heeded Chaney’s office request for information, she suggested to her superiors that Joe Wilson had experience in Africa and connections in Niger. The decision was made by people Other than Wilson’s covert operative wife.
Of course, like Chaney and the rest of these lying turds, you live in fantasyland. I hope your fantasy blows up on your face, like Iraq has.
February 25th, 2007 at 11:28 amI would not believe Bush, Cheney, Rice, et al. if they said day is light and night is dark.
February 25th, 2007 at 11:31 amGEt your head out of your ass and get the goddamm facts, you ridiculous fascist enabler.
Comment by angryvietnamveteran — February 25, 2007 @ 11:28 am
Not possible. Head lodged too deeply in ass.
February 25th, 2007 at 11:32 amWhen Bush gets really desperate he will draft 16 and 17 year olds and up to age 50 and above. At that stage America will be like Germany just before Hitler committed suicide in his bunker in Berlin as the Russians swarmed in.
February 25th, 2007 at 11:32 amI think the one thing that Sept. 11 has taught us is to not let threats materialize or fully materialize that you have to take care of them as they’re gathering, not when you finally have an attack as a result of them.
Comment by Vince P — February 25, 2007 @ 11:08 am
really. … is that what you think…
then you would only deny that clinton learned that lesson early in his first term as a result of the FIRST attack on the WTC in ‘93… a lesson learned so well that he spent the rest of his two terms preventing and undermining any further attacks in this country…
unlike this “decider”, who IGNORES direct warnings, from the first days in office till the time he was told BIN LADEN IS DETERMINED TO ATTACK WITHIN THE U.S. …
your kind make me sick… sick at my stomach and sick in my heart…
February 25th, 2007 at 12:16 pmi hate that you are so selfishly and stupidly destroying my country and my granchildren’s future… i hate that…
…
So, other than some rhetoric, what are the DEMOCRATS DOING to prevent another Iraq from happening? They know the administration can’t be trusted. I’m sorry but I don’t see a lot of positive things.
Comment by Dogjudge — February 25, 2007 @ 11:19 am
i can understand your frustration and worries… i can only recommend that you keep up with events and progress (and sometimes lack of) by listening to AirAmericaRadio… it’s what is keeping me sane… with facts and suggestions for action, i am ever hopeful that WE are going to fix this mess while there is still time…
of course ThinkProgress is next on my list…
on a completely unrelated subject, dogjudge, and i’m guessing here because of your name, i’m going to be forward enough to ask a dog related question… might you know of a reasonably priced breeder/seller of those amazingly cute new “puggles”?… my daughter is moving to your area this spring and by next year will be settled enough to get her mostest wish granted… just curious… thanks!
February 25th, 2007 at 12:37 pm…
#2 –
Just.Like.Iraq.
February 25th, 2007 at 1:15 pmJust.Like.Afghanistan.
That didn’t stop Cal Repuke hate merchant, Duncan Hunter going on CNN saying that Iran has developed it’s capacity to build the bomb soon.
February 25th, 2007 at 1:22 pmWho are the people voting these folks into office? Any wonder our country is in deep doo-doo.
katy,
I don’t know if this is allowed, tdxjudge@sbcglobal.net
February 25th, 2007 at 1:28 pmSO WHAT ELSE IS NEW? ALL OF US except for the Bushland Uber Allies supporters KNOW THAT THE U.S. INTELLIGENCE IS FAULTY AND BIASED, INCLUDING CHIMPya, Torticola Cheney, Bushland Uber Allies and neocons THEMSELVES. THEY are using BIASED, FAULTY, SLANTED intelligence AS AN EXCUSE TO ATTACK Iran LIKE THEY DID Iraq–SAME PLAYBOOK, BUT A DIFFERENT SITUATION, A DANGEROUS SITUATION THAT COULD EASILY LEAD TO ARMAGEDDON!!!!! CHIMPya, Cheney, the neocons and Bushland Uber Allies MUST BE STOPPED IN THEIR TRACKS AND CRIMINALLY PROSECUTED, CHARGED AND EXECUTED FOR THEIR WAR CRIMES BEFORE THEY DESTROY AMERICA AND THE REST OF THE WORLD!!!!!
February 25th, 2007 at 1:42 pmEveryone knows our intellegence agencies are broken. Who needs a UN report to know that? Comment by Vince P — February 25, 2007 @ 10:09 am
No, Everyone knows you are broken. The state of the intelligence (notice I can spell it correctly) is up for debate. Your intelligence however isn’t up for debate. Something that small and ineffective doesn’t deserve debate.
February 25th, 2007 at 1:44 pmVVGU: any time you want to cite any facts you might be interesting.
February 25th, 2007 at 3:18 pmwell why not have dickless cheney to ask halliburton since they were helping iran bulid up there nuclear facilities till 2005 I sure they know more than anyone else oh wait it waz illegal to be doin that waznt it??? then again maybey not
February 26th, 2007 at 11:45 am