Thompson’s NIE Conspiracy Theory: Maybe Iran ‘Leaked’ Intel To ‘Divert Our Attention A Little Bit’
Thompson’s NIE Conspiracy Theory: Maybe Iran ‘Leaked’ Intel To ‘Divert Our Attention A Little Bit’
After the intelligence community released its NIE that concluded Iran had halted its nuclear program in 2003, conservatives have generated a host of conspiracy theories. The intelligence community is “trying to — once again — influence our national elections,” said right-wing blog Strata-Sphere. Neoconservative Norman Podhoretz said that the intel officials may have tried to sabotage President Bush.
Last night on PBS’s Charlie Rose, former senator Fred Thompson added his own conspiracy theory to the mix, stating that Iran may have deliberately “leaked” the information on their lack of nuclear program to distract the U.S. “Nobody knows” if Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons, he declared:
We’re just going to have to wait and see, why they would start it up and they would move away without telling anybody. Unless of course they have leaked this themselves. So, just a bunch of unanswered questions. […]
And this is perhaps a weak, faint or weak attempt to cause us to divert our attention a little bit.
Watch it:
Today, on Red State, Thompson expanded on his disdain for the NIE:
The accuracy of the latest NIE on Iran should be received with a good deal of skepticism. Our intelligence community has often underestimated the intentions of adversaries, including Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and North Korea. … It’s awfully convenient for a lot of people: the administration gets to say its policies worked; the Democrats get to claim we should have eased up on Iran a long time ago: and Russia and China can claim sanctions on Iran are not necessary. Who benefits from all this? Iran.
Thompson’s conspiracies aren’t a far cry from the Bush administration’s reactions. In July, administration officials “expressed skepticism” about an intercept from “a senior Iranian military official” complaining “that the nuclear program had been shuttered,” believing it was “part of a clever Iranian deception campaign.”
UPDATE: Thompson suggested that his skeptical eye towards the NIE was something he learned at home: “Remember what your mama told you — if something appears to be too good to be true, it probably is.”
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I think the only think ‘leaking’ is his brain matter….
December 5th, 2007 at 5:03 pmA fake lawyer makes up shit like this?
Perhaps he should run for office, on Law and Order…
December 5th, 2007 at 5:04 pmMaybe your Depends leaked the information Gramps.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:04 pmUnless of course they have leaked this themselves. So, just a bunch of unanswered questions. […]
This is perhaps a weak, faint attempt to cause us to divert our attention a little bit from what they’re doing.
- - CUT! PRINT!! That’s a wrap, Senator.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:04 pmOutstanding,
“Maybe they are really Martians and they just dress up like humans to confuse us.”
At least he will never be President.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:05 pmWhy do his glasses say “Click to play” on them?
December 5th, 2007 at 5:05 pmOh for the luvva jebus. What a flaming retard.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:05 pmFred Thompson…
you are just too good to be true!
…hey, wait a minute.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:05 pm“The accuracy of the latest NIE on Iran should be received with a good deal of skepticism.”
So, we should just disregard 1 different intelligence agencies, and listen to this guy?? Wow. wow.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:06 pmsorry that should read “16 different intelligence agencies”
no more beer for lunch
December 5th, 2007 at 5:06 pmChris ~ one of those BudLight salads?
December 5th, 2007 at 5:08 pmActually, my mama taught me to distrust Good Ol’ Boys and their continuous line of horsesh!t, Fred.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:09 pmFred Thompson is an idiot. I think we can all agree on that.
HOWEVER, there are LOTS of people here willing to believe 9-11 was an inside job. Of the two conspiracy theories - Bush was behind the attacks or Iran “poisoned the well” on their nuke program - I find the latter FAR more plausible. Sadly, that is likely a minority view here at TP.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:10 pmSo, Vince Foster and Sandy Berger got together with Mahmoud and the Director of the CIA — Damn, sometimes comedy just writes itself - and decided to skew the NIE to make the “Socialist Commie Liberal Nazis who love gay Islamo-Fascist Jihadis” look good. Right.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:10 pmWhy do his glasses say “Click to play†on them?
Comment by RUCerious — December 5, 2007 @ 5:05 pm
You commie bastard! He’s not even wearing glasses!
December 5th, 2007 at 5:10 pm“Our intelligence community has often underestimated the intentions of adversaries, including Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and North Korea.”
Yes, because *your* guys interfered with the intelligence and cherry-picked the data!
Your guys’ fault. You people.
Man, the lies and hypocrisy of these people is just beyond words.
(All spelled out by the McClatchy reporters years ago.)
December 5th, 2007 at 5:11 pmChris ~ one of those BudLight salads?
Comment by RUCerious — December 5, 2007 @ 5:08 pm
##
No good beer is “light”. The darker the better. :)
December 5th, 2007 at 5:11 pmFred Tompson: “why they would start it up and move away without telling anybody”
Actually they did.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:11 pmNovember 2004: Iran promises negotiators from the EU that it will suspend all its activities for processing nuclear fuel.
Nyquil TV Network [Warning: It may cause drownness]: “Maybe Iran ‘Leaked’ Intel To ‘Divert Our Attention A Little Bit’ ”
Grampa Fred Thompson = Dinosaur.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:12 pmIt isn’t fair to the writers that are on strike to air the statements of our candidates.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:13 pmHOWEVER, there are LOTS of people here willing to believe 9-11 was an inside job. Of the two conspiracy theories - Bush was behind the attacks or Iran “poisoned the well†on their nuke program - I find the latter FAR more plausible. Sadly, that is likely a minority view here at TP.
Comment by Keltoi — December 5, 2007 @ 5:10 pm
And these two theories are connected . . . how, exactly?
Theory #2 presumes that the Iranians are so crafty that they’ve buffaloed 16 intelligence agencies. You really want to weigh in on that?
December 5th, 2007 at 5:13 pmThompson suggested that his skeptical eye towards the NIE was something he learned at home: “Remember what your mama told you — if something appears to be too good to be true, it probably is.â€
In what way is an NIE that both a) undercuts BushCo saber-rattling and b) exposes the president as a liar (again) appear “too good to be true” to a Republican?
Wait — this must mean that they really think they can spin this positively! Wow. Further and further down the rabbit hole.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:13 pmYou commie bastard! He’s not even wearing glasses!
Comment by gummitch — December 5, 2007 @ 5:10 pm
Which goes to show that I need new ones!!
December 5th, 2007 at 5:14 pmIf he were actually a serious candidate and had a snowball’s chance in hell of getting eleted I might be worried.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:14 pmIsn’t this idiot polling at 2% now? Why is he still in the race?
December 5th, 2007 at 5:14 pmWhy is he still in the race?
Comment by VerbalKint — December 5, 2007 @ 5:14 pm
To keep L&O ratings up.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:15 pmOr maybe they already have the bomb and they’re just playing mind games with the world like Hussien did, eh?
There’s going to be a shortage of tin foil.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:15 pmCorrection: drowsiness not drownness. Typo on my part. Blame that on Fred.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:15 pm#18:
Yup. Britain, France and Germany specifically.
“The European three then began to backtrack from that agreement under pressure from Washington. “
December 5th, 2007 at 5:16 pmTheory #2 presumes that the Iranians are so crafty that they’ve buffaloed 16 intelligence agencies. You really want to weigh in on that?
Comment by gummitch — December 5, 2007 @ 5:13 pm
Nooooo….like I said, the guy is an idiot. But hey, at least the Right now has a whacko conspiracy theory of its very own. Too bad it has to come from one of its Presidential candidates….
December 5th, 2007 at 5:17 pmOf the two conspiracy theories - Bush was behind the attacks or Iran “poisoned the well†on their nuke program - I find the latter FAR more plausible.
Comment by Keltoi
Personally, I don’t think either of them are plausible at all.
And BTW, Iran didn’t “leak” the info in the NIE. This was info from our 16 intelligence agencies. I’m sure they have a lot of sources and are not just going by something Iran may have leaked.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:18 pmif Iran is smart and really wants nook-you-lar weapons, it doesn’t even have to restart any programs.
Since the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty has been treated with as much enthusiasm by the current regime as the Kyoto Accords, all Iran has to do is let it be known on the black market that its in the market for some fissionable materials… and if they’re willing to pay the price… they can have their weapons ….
December 5th, 2007 at 5:18 pmShame on Fred Thompson!
I am OUTRAGED that this scab is out writing Hollywood movie scripts like this while thousands of writers are on strike!
WHERE’S YOUR SOLIDARITY, FRED???
December 5th, 2007 at 5:18 pm13…Keltoi. You’re right on the CT’ers. I’m pretty sure this Administration used 9/11 to fulfill some of their agenda but I can’t bring myself to say that they had the competence to have thought it up and orchestrated the whole thing.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:19 pmBut hey, at least the Right now has a whacko conspiracy theory of its very own. Too bad it has to come from one of its Presidential candidates….
Comment by Keltoi — December 5, 2007 @ 5:17 pm
###
During the Clinton years they had a ton of right-wing conspiracy theories, just ask Vince Foster. Slick Willy killed 46 people, raped a couple of women, and sold top secret info to China, all under the watchful eye of a republican congress.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:19 pmSo when Bush says, without hesitation, that Iran is trying to build nukes, the right just nods and agrees without any question.
But when our nation’s 16 intelligence agencies — who we rely upon for info like this — says otherwise, the right dismisses it with an assortment of whacked out conspiracy theories.
Um … an I the only one seeing a disconnect here?
December 5th, 2007 at 5:22 pmDuring the Clinton years they had a ton of right-wing conspiracy theories, just ask Vince Foster. Slick Willy killed 46 people, raped a couple of women, and sold top secret info to China, all under the watchful eye of a republican congress.
Comment by Chris L — December 5, 2007 @ 5:19 pm
Wait! I thought only us “Trolls” were supposed to bring up Clinton! This is copyright infringement!
December 5th, 2007 at 5:22 pmTold you all Granpa Fred was a right wing extremist…he contributes to the most partisan, right wing extremist websites, such as Redsatate.com for crying out loud.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:24 pmThis isn’t the actions of a man who wants to be President of ALL of the United States, it’s the actions of an assbackwards right wing extremist who wants go back in time to the days of the Confederacy.
This is no conspiracy. These are facts. Facts that Bush and Cheney wanted to keep secret for over a year now. Facts are something the Bush people can never accept. Fred Thonpson is trying to mix apples and oranges as usual. The proof of these facts shows in the pent-up hostility of these neo-cons. Get over it. You’re busted.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:24 pm“Remember what your mama told you — if something appears to be too good to be true, it probably is.†… said Fred to all the people who wanted him to run for president.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:24 pmI know!
THE FRIGGIN’ TOOTH FAIRY LEFT UNDER BUSH’S PILLOW!??
December 5th, 2007 at 5:27 pmWait! I thought only us “Trolls†were supposed to bring up Clinton! This is copyright infringement!
Comment by Keltoi — December 5, 2007 @ 5:22 pm
Actually ‘tard’, they didn’t bring up Clinton, they brought up how you ‘tards were conspiracy theory NUTJOBS during the “clinton years”. Perhaps they should have written (in the previous administration) so as not to confuse a little ‘tard like yourself?
December 5th, 2007 at 5:28 pmPlease no one flip out if I post a link from the other side
http://www.weeklystandard.com/ weblogs/ TWSFP/ 2007/ 12/ nie_an_abrupt_aboutface.asp
but if you can read the article without your keyboard bursting into flame, there are some interesting questions raised here. Just sayin, haven’t completely digested it myself.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:28 pmFred, have you heard that if it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck, it probably is a duck?
December 5th, 2007 at 5:29 pmHuh? Iran has been saying pretty openly all along that they aren’t developing nuclear weapons. How does one “leak” information that they’re already shouting from the rooftops?
And is Fred trying to get us to believe that the NIE is basing their findings solely on Iran’s word — even though the reason for the report is that we don’t TAKE their word for anything?
How dumb does he think we are?
December 5th, 2007 at 5:30 pmSo when Bush says, without hesitation, that Iran is trying to build nukes, the right just nods and agrees without any question.
But when our nation’s 16 intelligence agencies — who we rely upon for info like this — says otherwise, the right dismisses it with an assortment of whacked out conspiracy theories.
Um … an I the only one seeing a disconnect here?
Comment by MarkD — December 5, 2007 @ 5:22 pm
Mark, can I offer a little refinement of your assessment?
Yes, when bush says the iranians are building a nuclear — sorry NewKewlar — weapon, the Right nods and agrees without any hesitation. You got that right.
But the other hand, I believe, is that when 16 intelligence agencies present an NIE that contradicts the BushCo hype, THEN they rediscover the value of “skepticism”.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:30 pmYeah, the Iranians are too honest to run counter-intelligence operations against us. Right, Satyam?
Comment by DreamCrusher — December 5, 2007 @ 5:29 pm
###
You really think they are that good, to fool 16 different intelligence agencies? Is US intel really that inept? Besides, they stand more to gain if we believe that they DO have nukes.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:32 pmThis ought to be good enough to get Frederick from page 37 to page 35 in America’s newspapers.
Watch out, Tom Tancredo, a big’ol floppy-jowled juggernaut is headed your way!!
December 5th, 2007 at 5:33 pmYeah, the Iranians are too honest to run counter-intelligence operations against us. Right, Satyam?
Comment by DreamCrusher — December 5, 2007 @ 5:29 pm
Wow. That must be a fascinating thought process you must have employed to reach this conclusion.
How does one get from “the NIE was almost certainly not leaked by Iranian intelliegence” to “the Iranians are too honest to run counter-intelligence operations against us“?
Take us through the steps, DC. Please?
December 5th, 2007 at 5:33 pmthe NIE story is huge, and is probably the best gift since the turn of our century to begin the peace process.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:34 pmWas listening to Ray Taliaferro last night and a brilliant caller mentioned the NIE group could have been somewhat affected by the outage of Plame… may have known some agents that were killed. Ray is going to look into this as he says he has contacts in DC.
Because of the fact 16 agencies came out with the same info how can anyone dispute this or even try to spin it?
Maybe Iran ‘Leaked’ Intel To ‘Divert Our Attention A Little Bit’
Maybe while we’re looking the other way, they’ll start up their program again. Then in the 10 to 15 years it takes to create fissile uranium, they’ll start a fire in Hawaii - that should keep us looking in the other direction nicely - for 10 to 15 years. Then right when we’re onto them, they’ll kill us over here with their nuke-filled ICBMs.
Man, they’re some tricky son a’ b1tches.
Meanwhile of course, we’ll be killing thousands of islamofacists everywhere. What are we at now anyway? Few hundred thousand out of 3 billion? We better get busy.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:36 pm…was something he learned at home:
“Remember what your mama told you — if something appears to be too good to be true, it probably is.â€
Attaboy, Fred! Don’t think for yourself. Just spew the neocon line and blame yo mama for the result.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:38 pmYeah, the Iranians are too honest to run counter-intelligence operations against us. Right, Satyam?
Comment by DreamCrusher — December 5, 2007 @ 5:29 pm
“No way out” was just a movie Creampuffer…
December 5th, 2007 at 5:40 pmDreamCrusher -
December 5th, 2007 at 5:40 pmAfter investigating, our own government concluded the Iranians have halted their nuclear program in 2003.
I know this is painful for you rightwingers to digest - for some reason you all believe a tiny country can beat us into submission and the only way to avoid this is to drop bombs on them. Ninnies, all of you wingnuts, are simply idiots.
I see that someone else is greedily sucking on the AIPAC tit for all it’s worth.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:42 pmAre there any Republicans that have a brain and know how to use it? I swear, the GOP presidential candidates are in a stupidity contest, with the exception of Ron Paul the Libertarian.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:42 pmHow dumb does he think we are?
Comment by missmolly
Well, judging by the behavior of the American populace over the last several years…
December 5th, 2007 at 5:44 pm“But hey, at least the Right now has a whacko conspiracy theory of its very own. Too bad it has to come from one of its Presidential candidates….”
Comment by Keltoi
One? What of the Drones of Death, mobile biological weapons factories, and yellowcake uranium?
And lest we forget the Right’s biggest fear: suitcase nukes.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:45 pmSpace aliens leaked the info so they can distract us from the arriving motherships that are poising themselves for attack at his very moment.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:48 pm“But hey, at least the Right now has a whacko conspiracy theory of its very own”
Actually I think they started a while back with the screwtop ziplock self-trepanation truth detector [tin foil model] installation ala Limbaugh.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:49 pmBarfly, you’re forgetting my favorite: Saddam moved his weapons to Syria when a hated enemy was amassing troops on his border.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:49 pmOur intelligence agencies have always had the habit of over-estimating the potential of our enemies. Remember, it was the intelligence agencies that wrote an NIE supporting the theory that Saddam was developing WMD (including nucular). Prior to that, the agencies always over estimated the Russian military establishment and the number of weapons they had.
I would like to see the NIE and any dissents to the primary findings. This would provide the best basis for judging its value. However, I really find that the unanimous verdict in this case would stand up to scrutiny. There seems little doubt that the pressure on the agencies was to reach the contrary conclusion.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:51 pmWell, well, well… it looks like a totally irrelevant presidential candidate just opened his big stupid mouth and made himself just that much more irrelevant.
*snicker*
December 5th, 2007 at 5:52 pmIf you believe White House (and all Republicans’) spin, then it was pretty bad for them to out Valerie Plame and destroy her network that worked on preventing nuclear weapons in Iraq and Iran. We would know more about where Iran stands if Brewster Jennings & Associates had not been destroyed.
But then you have to believe that they do not want Iran to have a working nuclear weapons program—when they really do, because it would give them an excuse to conquer more land in the oil-rich region.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:52 pmApparently, Fred wants a four-year, $400,000 per-year platform to hibernate, then make a brief appearance at the end to remind us how lazy he is. Comment by Progresso
I bet he could even top the current occupiers vacation record, now theres a challenge for Fred!
December 5th, 2007 at 5:53 pmI didn’t realize that they made tinfoil hats big enough for such fat heads.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:53 pmI swear, the GOP presidential candidates are in a stupidity contest….
Comment by Coffins Draped with a Flag — December 5, 2007 @ 5:42 pm
Maybe because that strategy has worked four out of the last six elections.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:54 pmOur intelligence agencies have always had the habit of over-estimating the potential of our enemies. Remember, it was the intelligence agencies that wrote an NIE supporting the theory that Saddam was developing WMD (including nucular).
Keep in mind that the report you’re referring to wasn’t produced until after a barrage of browbeating by Cheney, being delivered after a flood of CIA resignations.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
December 5th, 2007 at 5:55 pmThe goppers may be scrambling, searching for a spin as the NIE news has certainly put lid on their war mongering tactics. The AIPAC crowd = Hillary are also very unhappy with this news…. they, as all the war mongers, now look like fools.
As the MSM, except I did not find this on Faux online, put this out there, how can any of the pro war thugs continue to justify bombing Iran?
Best news of the Century so far.
Apparently, Fred wants a four-year, $400,000 per-year platform to hibernate, then make a brief appearance at the end to remind us how lazy he is.
Comment by Progresso
Aaawww… give him a break. He’s obviously not that lazy. Apparently he’s been out and about shopping at the Big-and-Tall tinfoil at store.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:56 pmActually, Fred, if you look at the Iranian nuclear reactor [industrialisation plan] under the Shah in the 1970’s Ayatollah Khomeini had shut the reactors down [before the Iran-Iraq war] because they were anti-Islamic.
December 5th, 2007 at 5:57 pmWho knows, maybe they have decided,again, that these were anti-Islamic again?
Are there any Republicans that have a brain and know how to use it? I swear, the GOP presidential candidates are in a stupidity contest, with the exception of Ron Paul the Libertarian.
Comment by Coffins Draped with a Flag — December 5, 2007 @ 5:42 pm
Hmmmm. I believe Lassie was put forth as a suggestion for an INTELLIGENT Republican presidential candidate on another thread… ;o)
December 5th, 2007 at 5:59 pmMaybe because that strategy has worked four out of the last six elections.
Comment by Keith — December 5, 2007 @ 5:54 pm
Duh. Five out of last seven.
December 5th, 2007 at 6:00 pmHow dumb does he think we are?
Comment by missmolly
Do you really wanna know?
December 5th, 2007 at 6:00 pmhttp://www.israeltoday.co.il/ default.aspx?tabid=178&nid=12993
Yep, that about sums it up. Yet another AIPAC whore.
December 5th, 2007 at 6:01 pm41 minutes ago
OMAHA, Neb. - President Bush, trying to keep pressure on Iran, called on Tehran Wednesday to “come clean” about the scope of its nuclear activities or else face diplomatic isolation.
December 5th, 2007 at 6:01 pmOMAHA, Neb. - President Bush, trying to keep pressure on Iran, called on Tehran Wednesday to “come clean†about the scope of its nuclear activities or else face diplomatic isolation.
Comment by Xisithrus
Except of course from Russia and China. LOL!
December 5th, 2007 at 6:03 pmWell, Exley and Keltoi must be working for the Iranian agenda.
They have been telling us this is in great measure due to the leadership of Bush…
…Bush works for Iran???!!!!…
December 5th, 2007 at 6:03 pmComment by JPV — December 5, 2007 @ 6:03 pm
Since W was in Omaha today, it’s a shame that guy decided to go to the mall instead.
December 5th, 2007 at 6:05 pmI know! I know! Commies did it!
December 5th, 2007 at 6:06 pmFred can have a new career as a comedy writer. I’m sure he will be glad to walk through the picket line.
December 5th, 2007 at 6:09 pm‘We can’t make a dime with a WAR, you idiots!…Bush Co.”
December 5th, 2007 at 6:11 pmI don’t care how often I see it . . . it is so amazingly painful just how STUPID these people are. They are only outdone by the morons that vote for them. What an AMAZING buffoon.
December 5th, 2007 at 6:12 pmThat Thompson is skeptical is really not much of a surprise, seeing as how he rented a pickup truck to drive across TN when he campaigned for the Senate, all to put on a false facade showing us what a “good ol’ boy” he was.
December 5th, 2007 at 6:14 pmAnd what would be the first act of President Thompson? Why, to clean house in the intelligence community and install cronies that would be loyal to him.
December 5th, 2007 at 6:17 pmPerhaps the drooling leakage from Thompson’s lips
December 5th, 2007 at 6:19 pmwas an attempt to divert attention away
from the leakage of his Depends.
Fred is right….cuz a little green man told my brother-in-law IRAN HAS NUKES!…..don’t you people feel stupid now??????
December 5th, 2007 at 6:30 pmExcept of course from Russia and China. LOL!
Comment by JPV — December 5, 2007 @ 6:03 pm
Yet we have a huge trade surplus with China because of our ever so patriotic outsourcers. Whats wrong with this picture?
December 5th, 2007 at 6:34 pmSadly, that is likely a minority view here at TP.
Comment by Keltoi — December 5, 2007 @ 5:10 pm
it’s easy to think that way if you have gotten used to ignoring the evidence, as the right does so consistently.
December 5th, 2007 at 6:36 pmmy mamma always taught me to stay away from old men who smelled like aqua velva and looked like bacon.
December 5th, 2007 at 7:11 pmOur intelligence community has often underestimated the intentions of adversaries, including Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and North Korea.
Ok, the neoCONS want to have it every way but up. First they are saying that our intelligence community was at fault for the bad intel on Iraq which would be overestimating the threat and now they want us to believe that the intelligence community underestimates the intentions of adversaries. Sorry guys, you can’t have it both ways.
I believe that our intelligence community has finally thrown off the shackles of the Bush Administration and are giving us true information. It’s no coincidence that their findings coincide with the IAEA, an independent group with no axes to grind.
Thompson is a clown and is just slightly more amusing than Trancero.
December 5th, 2007 at 7:23 pmHOWEVER, there are LOTS of people here willing to believe 9-11 was an inside job. Of the two conspiracy theories - Bush was behind the attacks or Iran “poisoned the well†on their nuke program - I find the latter FAR more plausible. Sadly, that is likely a minority view here at TP.
Comment by Keltoi
Ok, now I’m really confused. What in the hell does Iran have to do with 911. You need professional help Keltoi, you are making less and less sense as the days go by.
December 5th, 2007 at 7:25 pmLast night on PBS’s Charlie Rose, former senator Fred Thompson …
Rove and now Thompson. Nice to see ol Chas catering to the wingnut fringe and giving them a “legitimate” platform to spew their crap.
December 5th, 2007 at 7:28 pmbut if you can read the article without your keyboard bursting into flame, there are some interesting questions raised here. Just sayin, haven’t completely digested it myself.
Comment by Keltoi
Sorry, I won’t bother to read something published on a site that is about as right wing as they come. May I point out that Sy Hirsch was writing about this last year and again in June of this year. Apparently it was pretty much common knowledge in the intelligence community that Bush’s hysterics about Iran were hype and nothing more.
Sorry that your last hope for greatness has been dashed. Get used to it. Once you Republiscums are out of office, this is going to become normal to you. There will be daily revelations of how we were manipulated and lied to.
December 5th, 2007 at 7:36 pm“Iran “poisoned the well†on their nuke program - I find the latter FAR…” - keltoi
Don’t you suppose our Intelligence Professionals are hip to that possibility as a matter of professional competency - they’ve had a lot of practice, for a long time, and I tend to give them some benefit of doubt vis a vis their practical abilities, and fundamental awareness of the notions of “counter-intelligence” and so on.
By your standard, it would be reasonable to assume one’s Accountant was not necessarily able to compute compound interest.
December 5th, 2007 at 7:39 pmBy your standard, it would be reasonable to assume one’s Accountant was not necessarily able to compute compound interest.
Comment by tombaker — December 5, 2007 @ 7:39 pm
Keltoi judges everyone based on her level of competence - which is NONE!
December 5th, 2007 at 7:40 pmFrom the article
…conservatives have generated a host of conspiracy theories.
Worthy of repetition:
Q: What is conservatism?
A: Conservatism is the domination of society by an aristocracy.
Q: What is wrong with conservatism? 
A: Conservatism is incompatible with democracy, prosperity, and civilization in general. It is a destructive system of inequality and prejudice that is founded on deception and has no place in the modern world.
As indicated above, Conservative is NOT the opposite of Democratic. Yet we Democrats continue to argue/debate with conservatives as if they were. We need to state our (the peoples) case strongly and firmly, and persue it in the face of the conservative media machine. It is when we play their game that we lose.
December 5th, 2007 at 7:41 pmThis presidential “hopeful” doesn’t trust what our country’s Intelligence came up with? Would he like to make up his own? He is not qualified to hold the office of president then. Who would he listen to? Dick Cheney? AEI?
December 5th, 2007 at 8:01 pmjust ridiculous.
These true idiots on the right both the Bush administration and bobble heads that serve as their mouthpiece (ie: Faux News, Scarbourough, Beck, talk radio, etc. etc.) are not taking the recent turn of events laying down. No, not these patriots, they are now disregarding the NIE findings, attacking its authors and arguing that all is irrelevant as long as Iran is enriching uranium. Wow, just when you thought these scumbags couldn’t get any worse. If the enrichment of Uranium is grouds for political sanctions and possible millitary action then we are going to be a busy little nation building country.
The following countries are known to operate enrichment facilities: Argentina, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Iran, Japan, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Israel and North Korea are also suspected of having enrichment programs. Belgium, Iran, Italy and Spain hold an investment interest in French facilities.
Preach on you chicken hawks, preach on.
http://www.hyerstandard.com
December 5th, 2007 at 9:05 pm“— if something appears to be too good to be true, it probably is.â€
What does that say about General Petraeus?
December 5th, 2007 at 9:47 pmDumb Question: If Iran leaked cherry-picked informatoin, why doesn’t the administration just release the entire report ? Within minutes we can see that the news that has come out doesn’t represent the entire estimate.
December 5th, 2007 at 10:02 pmMay I point out that Sy Hirsch was writing about this last year and again in June of this year.
Comment by bilbobaggins — December 5, 2007 @ 7:36 pm
FWIW, Powell was saying the same thing earlier last month. It’s here on TP in the archivles.
December 5th, 2007 at 11:08 pmAgain this assessment isn’t even 6 months old.
Comment by Tracy2 — December 5, 2007 @ 9:57 pm
Yeah, but it’s still bullshit. and none of your business, either. chickenhawk.
December 5th, 2007 at 11:34 pmActually, Fingar’s assessment is not too far from the NIE when it comes to Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
The NIE acknowledges Iran’s current and ongoing uranium enrichment program, and concedes that Iran might be leaving their options open with regards to a nuclear program. It even goes as far as to say that “convincing the Iranian leadership to forgo the eventual development of nuclear weapons will be difficult”.
But beyond the mere intentions of developing nuclear weapons, the real question are: Does Iran currently have the capability to develop them? Is Iran currently engaged in developing them?
The answers to those questions are “We judge with high confidence that in fall 2003, Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program”, “We continue to assess with moderate-to-high confidence that Iran does not currently have a nuclear weapon”, and “Iran made significant progress in 2007 installing centrifuges at Natanz, but we judge with moderate confidence it still faces significant technical problems operating them.”
In other words, even though Iran might want to develop nuclear weapons, they don’t have the technology necessary to them, they do not have one, and have likely halted any program towards that end.
These are the blanks that Fingar’s assessment didn’t fill because he was too busy trying to figure out Iran’s intentions as opposed to evaluating their current technological capacity.
December 6th, 2007 at 12:17 am.
Fredrick of Hollywood’s proof lies where?
Up Cheney’s butt?
WHAT A WINDBAG.
So, if Freddy is to be believable, then the 16 Intel agencies were wrong?
REALLY?
.
December 6th, 2007 at 12:48 amAgain this assessment isn’t even 6 months old.
Comment by Tracy2 — December 5, 2007 @ 9:57 pm
Intelligence agents say Cheney has had his foot on their neck. It would explain both discrepancies and based on morons like you in the GOP, it’s easy to see what an uphill battle they have to present ‘facts’ to the dumb and dumber crew you represent!
December 6th, 2007 at 1:59 amSo, if Freddy is to be believable, then the 16 Intel agencies were wrong?
REALLY?
Comment by Max-1 — December 6, 2007 @ 12:48 am
Of course, they were wrong. Just as General Shinseki and others with real military experience were “wrong” about Iraq. In the Bushworld, the non-experts know best.
December 6th, 2007 at 3:00 amI take it you wholeheartedly support the United States efforts in Iraq?
Comment by O. Bigfoot — December 6, 2007 @ 3:29 am
Bend over, spread cheeks, insert head.
Quite the plan ya got there, Dingleberry.
December 6th, 2007 at 8:28 amthe NIE acknowledges that only with a certain amount of confidence, […] In other word we really don’t know for sure.
Comment by Tracy2 — December 6, 2007 @ 10:15 am
Nothing -or very little- is ever known 100% for sure, but when there is no evidence of a nuclear weapons program, and there is no indication that Iran has the technology to develop them, you’d be crazy to mount a casus belli against Iran.
Not that lack of evidence ever bothered the likes of you, who are still looking for those pesky WMD in Iraq.
That is is YOUR opinion based on a judgement by the NIE. It does not make it fact.
No, it’s not my opinion. It’s what the NIE says just put in plain English. And it’s closer to reality than your paranoid, irrational fear of Iran.
Againg for ANYONE to disregard intentions when it comes to making an assessment regarding a national intelligence assessment is crazy.
The NIE didn’t disregard Iran’s intentions; these are clearly mentioned in the report. But to base an assessment of Iran’s nuclear capabilities on their intentions alone is both inaccurate and dishonest.
BTW why should we believe this NIE?
As I mentioned, it is not too different from Fingar’s assessment (the one you give credibility too). Fingar focuses on Iran’s intentions but mentions little to nothing on their actual capabilities. That omission is very telling in itself.
There is also a dearth of evidence from any other source. What we do have plenty of, is fearmongering from the Bush administration.
December 6th, 2007 at 1:04 pmguess it’s up to you and Chuck to save us all Tracy
get to it!!!!!
December 6th, 2007 at 3:40 pmHow do you know what Iran is up to?
Comment by Tracy2 — December 6, 2007 @ 2:32 pm
You could have kept your reply a lot shorter and said: “I don’t care what the evidence says, I’ll go with my fears”.
Because that is what your rant boils down to.
December 6th, 2007 at 4:34 pmGet a life, Tracy.
December 7th, 2007 at 2:17 am