Today during a White House teleconference, a Fox News reporter asked whether President Bush “fully accepts” the conclusions of the latest NIE, which said that Iran had halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003.
“Has he admitted the possibility at all in his mind that the analysts may be wrong about this?” asked the reporter. Perino replied that Bush has not expressed “anything but support” for the NIE’s findings:
PERINO: I’ve not heard the President express anything but support for the intelligence community. But I think what he has said, and he has repeated both privately and publicly, is that he does not believe that the NIE that was produced — was it two months ago — should provide anyone any comfort that Iran is not a threat. In fact, it underscored for him and for many others, as we’ve learned from around this region, that they also believe that Iran remains a threat.
But over the weekend, Newsweek reported that in private meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Bush disowned the U.S. intelligence community’s judgments:
“He told the Israelis that he can’t control what the intelligence community says, but that [the NIE’s] conclusions don’t reflect his own views” about Iran’s nuclear-weapons program, said the official, who would discuss intelligence matters only on the condition of anonymity.
The reporter said his question was based on exchanges Bush had with Fox News reporter Greta Van Susteren, who will be airing those interviews on Wednesday.

He believed it before he stopped believing it and then started believing it before he finally stopped believing it.
January 14th, 2008 at 5:03 pmHe’ll tell them what to believe…..and they will believe it.
January 14th, 2008 at 5:07 pmLiar, liar, bunched up panties on fire.
January 14th, 2008 at 5:08 pmBush:
January 14th, 2008 at 5:08 pm“Iran is a threat! I believe that so it must be true!”
Even she, Perino, has to know that is an absolute LIE.
January 14th, 2008 at 5:09 pmShe had her hands over her ears and was saying, “la la la la la la…”, at the time Chimpy made his remarks.
January 14th, 2008 at 5:09 pmI’ve not heard the President express anything but support for the intelligence community
LOL Sure he supports the community just not what the community says.
January 14th, 2008 at 5:12 pmThis from Bush yesterday:
‘This new era is being built with the understanding that power is a trust that must be exercised with the consent of the governed,” Bush said at the opulent Emirates Palace hotel.’
he said as he tried to start a war with Iran against the wishes of the American people…
January 14th, 2008 at 5:12 pmPerino lying? NOOOOOOOOO!
I don’t believe it.
January 14th, 2008 at 5:13 pm“Perino Falsely Claims Bush Has Never Expressed ‘Anything But Support’ For Iran NIE”
Perino + Bush’s claims = CYA.
January 14th, 2008 at 5:17 pmWhat Perino meant was the President never intended to imply to skeptics in the US that he has utter contempt for his intelligence services. Implying that to Olmert is what we like to call “diplomacy.” What he really thinks is for him to know and for us to wonder.
January 14th, 2008 at 5:18 pmThe guy is just incompetent in every thing he does except bullshitting. Look at the picture. He’s even holding the sword backwards. Unbelievable. He’s got the cutting edge facing him.
January 14th, 2008 at 5:18 pmIt’s unfair to accuse Perino of lying when obviously she is too stupid to know which end is up.
January 14th, 2008 at 5:20 pmHe’s got the cutting edge facing him.
Comment by Ret. Col. Jack Ripper — January 14, 2008 @ 5:18 pm
Too funny. Any 4 year old boy would have figured that out, there has to be something wrong with him.
January 14th, 2008 at 5:21 pmA little off topic but I was wondering about the backup tapes that a judge ordered the administration to produce. I thought the administration was given very little time and I don’t recall seeing anything about the issue.
Was the judge capped?
January 14th, 2008 at 5:24 pmHe’s got the cutting edge facing him.
Comment by Ret. Col. Jack Ripper — January 14, 2008 @ 5:18 pm
LOL Good catch.
January 14th, 2008 at 5:24 pmBush calls the NIE report a “view”? He said his “view” doesn’t agree with it. Isn’t the NIE a set of facts and findings (or the lack thereof) regarding whether Iran has a nuclear program? How can Bush suggest that this is an opinion? Bush probably thinks that gravity doesn’t exist and that the world is 6,000 years old. That’s because everything to Bush is a viewpoint or a matter of faith and nothing is factual.
January 14th, 2008 at 5:29 pmIsn’t it possible to support something although it doesn’t reflect your own personal view?
Comment by CaptainMantastic — January 14, 2008 @ 5:27 pm
it’s very easy for natural-born liars, like Republicans.
January 14th, 2008 at 5:33 pmThey ought to let Perino “google” those questions before answering them.
January 14th, 2008 at 5:38 pmBEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP…..my lie detecter just went off.
January 14th, 2008 at 5:38 pmThe chymp looks like he’s afraid he’s going to cut himself on that scimitar…
Notice how the king has his raised, and the chymp has his backwards.
Typical.
January 14th, 2008 at 5:41 pm15) plunger. you’re right on. The sad thing is that this cannot be publicly debated, without the opposition the the grand plan being labeled anti-semitic. This eliminates any useful dialog, allows Israel to continue its opression and stealing of Palestinian lands. No one anyswhere in any administration will do anything different. It’s suicide, and probably not just political.
January 14th, 2008 at 5:41 pmable as
apologies to the good Colonel, I came in late..
January 14th, 2008 at 5:42 pmJust like we had no real choice with Kerry and Bush (both Skull & Bones guys) it feels like we have no real choice with any of the prez candidates for real change since they all seem to be obediently supporting Israel at the expense of any other human rights’ abuses currently going on. I despair at the lack of real choices, at the sense that no matter what happens nothing will really change.
At this point I’m holding out a sliver of hope that when the Dem nominee has elected she/he will chart their own, hopefully well-thought out and enlightened, path.
January 14th, 2008 at 5:46 pmShe neglected to add “on U.S. soil”
January 14th, 2008 at 5:47 pmit looks like dubbya is holding that sword
January 14th, 2008 at 5:47 pmwith the business side facing towards him…
Ah thank you plunger for some much needed comic relief!
“That such a flawed product could emerge after a drawn-out bureaucratic struggle is extremely troubling,†John Bolton
AND go on to be considered a credible mouthpiece no less! LOL
January 14th, 2008 at 5:55 pmThe guy is just incompetent in every thing he does except bullshitting. Look at the picture. He’s even holding the sword backwards. Unbelievable. He’s got the cutting edge facing him.
Comment by Ret. Col. Jack Ripper — January 14, 2008 @ 5:18 pm
And the guy behind him in the suit is cracking up.
January 14th, 2008 at 5:56 pmPerino’s tenure is coming to an end. She’s become a blathering idiot and obvious sycophant making statements like this. Flick the channel when this moron comes on to speak. It’s nothing but pure lies.
January 14th, 2008 at 6:01 pmBush looks like a raving lunatic in this sword photo. These years of lies are making him look older than his pruned-up dad and that’s saying something.
January 14th, 2008 at 6:02 pmi wasn’t sure i was seeing that till i just read this:
He’s even holding the sword backwards. Unbelievable. He’s got the cutting edge facing him.
Comment by Ret. Col. Jack Ripper — January 14, 2008 @ 5:18 pm
validation!
January 14th, 2008 at 6:03 pmI can see it now: The rest of the world already call Bush “the butcher”. BUTCHER BUSH is the perfect caption for this photo.
January 14th, 2008 at 6:03 pmPerino said:
I’ve not heard the President express anything but support for the intelligence community.
Now, in all fairness to the Lying Sack of Cuteâ„¢, it’s entirely possible that SHE has not HEARD Bush express anything but support for the intelligence community.
It doesn’t really answer the question, but maybe that’s the only way she could avoid either lying or saying something politically damaging.
And, after all, the remarks reported by Newsweek were in a private meeting, so Dana probably didn’t HEAR Bush say those words.
January 14th, 2008 at 6:06 pmPerino bimbo is as much of a lier as the War Criminals she is serving!
January 14th, 2008 at 6:15 pmI support the intelligence community also. But that doesn’t mean they get it right every time.
Take Iraq for example.
Comment by O. Bigfoot — January 14, 2008 @ 6:07 pm
Actually the intelligence community HAD IT RIGHT, it was Cheney and Bush that both did EXACTLY THE SAME THING and IGNORED the ACTUAL INTELLIGENCE!
But don’t let REALITY change that STUPID LITTLE NARROW REDNECK MIND OF YOURS!
January 14th, 2008 at 6:25 pmPerino stated President Bush has shown nothing but support for the intelligence community.
Comment by O. Bigfoot — January 14, 2008 @ 6:07 pm
ROTFL!!! You LIE all of the time and say that if you don’t support the Iraq War, you don’t support the troops. So by your LACK OF REASONING then since Bush doesn’t support the FINDINGS of the INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY then he doesn’t support THEM!!! You’re a MORON!
January 14th, 2008 at 6:27 pmBigfoot: “I support the intelligence community also. But that doesn’t mean they get it right every time.
Take Iraq for example.”
Why do people like you persist in pushing this mythology. The intelligence community actually got it correctly. As we now know, the Bush administration created its own sub-department which cherry-picked questionable intelligence reports to paint the picture it wanted for political purposes, ie, “fixed the facts around the policy.” Then, when they couldn’t find any WMD’s, they simply blamed the intelligence community. That’s the fundamental reason why there has been animosity between current and former intelligence agency professionals and the Bush administration.
January 14th, 2008 at 6:33 pmPlunger,
The view that the actions of the Bush administration and the rest of the “powers that be” are the puppets of Israel is counter productive. They act for themselves. It is that simple. They love the money and Bush especially, loves the power. They have labeled “Islamofascists” the new enemy and by extension Arabs and Muslims. Israel is a propaganda tool for them to instill fear just like 9/11 and the “jihadis”. They are not taking orders from them. If it would help their cause to bomb Israel they would.
It is a shame that you are focusing your anger on Israel instead of our government. The Israel, Palestine debate is extremely valid and both sides have been unreasonable at times. The US is not helping the matter by picking a side instead of being an impartial moderator; however, our actions in Iraq and Iran is exasperating all the hatred. Our energy should be focused where it will do good - taking back our government and setting it on the right track to be a leader in this world. We should be striving to get our moral authority back by practicing the ideals of justice and democracy that we preach to the rest of the world.
Blaming Israel for our negligence and harmful government and our apathy as citizens is irrational prejudice. It may not be prejudice against Jewish people, but when Israel is a “Jewish State” it certainly seems that way. That is why that view is labeled as anti-semitic.
January 14th, 2008 at 6:36 pmAnd what people (mostly us lefties) can’t seem to get through our melons is that there is a huge percentage of Isralies who are for reconciliation, a Palestinian state, shutting down the Isralie settlements in Palestinian territories and making concessions to the Palestinians to make a peaceful settlement. They’re called moderate and liberal Isralies. We just don’t hear much about them.
January 14th, 2008 at 6:47 pmPERINO: I’ve not heard the President express anything but support for the intelligence community.
This is literally true. She had her fingers in her ears. “Plausible deniability”, you know.
Cheers,
January 14th, 2008 at 6:58 pmGood Point Jack!
It is also interesting to point out that the Jewish community in the United States has been among the most liberal segments of American Society for a long time. The majority of Jews vote Democratic.
I am not sure where all this Israel conspiracy and manipulation of the government comes from, but smells very familiar to the scapegoating that the right does to the Arabs, Muslims and “terrists”. Let’s take responsibility for OUR government and fix our own problems instead of looking for others to blame.
(I was brought up Jewish, but I have crossed over to heathen now).
January 14th, 2008 at 6:59 pmNote: in the picture you will notice that they gave Bush a “Rubber” sword just to be safe.
Buck Fush
January 14th, 2008 at 6:59 pmI hate to admit it, but I have to agree with CaptainMantastic (too bad it isn’t on anything important). If you look at the picture closely, you can tell he is holding the sword with the blade facing away and rotated a little to the right. It then looks like the curve is the wrong direction, but it is just the camera getting the “left” side (as you - or chimpy - is holding it) of the blade instead of the right side (like the King’s).
Either way, doesn’t change the fact that our President is dumber than a box of rocks. (Ok, maybe that was uncalled for).
January 14th, 2008 at 7:06 pmCaptain Mantastic: “I think we might all be seeing things the way we want to see them:”
Fair enough, but keep in mind that we’re talking about a guy who has multiple faceplants riding his bicycle, passed out eating a pretzel and couldn’t even keep from doing a header off of a Seque in his Pop’s driveway. There’s a pretty healthy record of bumbling and incompetence we’re working with here. He’s not exactly graceful - I think even Ford had more coordination.
January 14th, 2008 at 7:13 pmDan: “I am not sure where all this Israel conspiracy and manipulation of the government comes from…”
Come on, sure you are - it came from the early to baroque Catholic church. It’s the same thing that led to countless pogroms, forced expulsions, torture and humiliation for centuries culminating with a bunch of good catholics staring off into space while their Jewish neighbors were led off to concentration camps. It’s called anti-semitism and it’s origins lie in a church hierarchy desparate to find anyone but the Roman government to blame for the execution of their savior.
January 14th, 2008 at 7:18 pmsorry for the typo - its origins, not it’s origins
January 14th, 2008 at 7:19 pmRegardless of how he holds a sword, Dubya is getting the real work of America done over there: selling arms and munitions, including some extra special goodies.
January 14th, 2008 at 7:20 pmUS to Sell Precision-Guided Bombs to Saudi Arabia Part of $20 Billion package
Should Congress Block this Arms Deal?
http://www.youpolls.com/details.asp?pid=1536
.
January 14th, 2008 at 7:25 pmCaption:
“Guest executioner? Heh heh, you really think so? Heh heh…”
January 14th, 2008 at 7:28 pmUnbelievable that conservative Jews and Isralies support this guy. He’s done more to threaten their existence than all modern Presidents before him put together.
January 14th, 2008 at 7:31 pmCaption Contest:
“Huh, Made in China… whadda ya know…..
January 14th, 2008 at 7:37 pmBush w/ a sword?
Start ducking before you lose an ear, folks.
January 14th, 2008 at 7:38 pmCaption Contest:
“I can keep it?! Really?!
January 14th, 2008 at 7:47 pmWill it work for cutting brush back home?”
Caption Contest:
“There can be only one!”
January 14th, 2008 at 8:16 pmCaption:
“Boy, I tell you. This would have come in handy last month when I had that little problem with a BM.”
January 14th, 2008 at 8:59 pmOh, go easy on Ms. “Farina” Perrino it’s not easy to hear correctly when one is busy cleaning under Mr. Bush’s desk. It’s a job, though, and one in which will make her millions in book rights. That’s all that’s important, right?
January 14th, 2008 at 9:15 pmCaption contest:
Yes, that’s right, you’re holding your sword against yourself…now why don’t you show us how you can swallow it?
January 14th, 2008 at 9:20 pm#81 BARTLEBEE
Not since Newt Gingrich wrote his book and made millions…nope, reading is not a necessity anymore…in fact the facts just gt in the way of a good fiction.
January 14th, 2008 at 9:24 pmCaption Contest:
Nastiest red-neck accent I can manage.
“Now, what the heck you do with this thing?”
January 14th, 2008 at 9:25 pm#83- typo: gt = get, sorry!!
January 14th, 2008 at 9:26 pmHey Dana, how’s that dumber than a rock thing working out?
January 14th, 2008 at 10:10 pm“You’re missing the point of plunger’s remarks. He is demonstrating that officials in the U.S. have been acting in concert with a foreign power to violate the rights of persons worldwide.”
He might want to have stopped short of saying Jews bring it on themselves, then.
January 14th, 2008 at 11:33 pmCaption Contest: “Wait till I show this to Dick”.
January 15th, 2008 at 1:44 amThe guy is just incompetent in every thing he does except bullshitting. Look at the picture. He’s even holding the sword backwards. Unbelievable. He’s got the cutting edge facing him.
Comment by Ret. Col. Jack Ripper — January 14, 2008 @ 5:18 pm
Nah, is the Bizarro World way of holding any one-sided cutting edge. Towards the user.
January 15th, 2008 at 7:10 amCaptain Mantastic: “I think we might all be seeing things the way we want to see them:â€
Fair enough, but keep in mind that we’re talking about a guy who has multiple faceplants riding his bicycle, passed out eating a pretzel and couldn’t even keep from doing a header off of a Seque in his Pop’s driveway. There’s a pretty healthy record of bumbling and incompetence we’re working with here. He’s not exactly graceful - I think even Ford had more coordination.
Comment by Ret. Col. Jack Ripper — January 14, 2008 @ 7:13 pm
Don’t forget the closed door (failed) atempt of escape.
January 15th, 2008 at 7:20 amI can’t wait to hear you losers whine when Iran gets what’s coming to them…
January 15th, 2008 at 9:38 amI know this is late and probably won’t get seen; but I will respond.
I appreciate you point, but I don’t see how blaming Israel for USA actions is equivalent to Germans condemning the German government for treating Jews horribly. A correct analogy is blaming Japan or some other country for what Hitler was doing. Helps to obfuscate the real issue.
Condemning Israel for the treatment of Palestinians is not the issue. No one that I know will label you anti-semitic for that. That is a valid point and although I think Israel is in a tough predicament, they are not always in the right.
Blaming Israel for OUR foreign policy, that is the problem. Not agreeing with our policy unconditionally supporting Israel is legitimate (and I agree with you), but when you suggest that a specific nation is covertly influencing our policy and imply that there are some Israeli (Jewish) puppet masters behind the abhorrent actions of the US only helps scapegoat, cloud the issues, and avoid fixing the real problems.
Our policy ABOUT Israel is not the best, but Israel is not guiding our policy. Focusing on the “Israeli” influence in our government is not going to solve our wide range of problems. We USE Israel for our purposes.
January 15th, 2008 at 9:41 amSaber Rattling.
Literally!
January 15th, 2008 at 10:21 amI can’t wait to hear you losers whine when Iran gets what’s coming to them…
Comment by Neocon — January 15, 2008 @ 9:38 am
You mean the flow of Euros when they change the currency they use to sell oil, isn’t? When the Dollar sinks even more in the hole it is?
January 15th, 2008 at 11:18 am“”"”"Bush Disowns U.S. Intel, Tells Israelis Iran NIE ‘Doesn’t Reflect My Own Views’”"”"”
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/01/13/bush-israelis-nie/
January 15th, 2008 at 1:40 pmBush Spokesliar Dana Perino’s hair will quickly turn gray and she’ll contract some disease like cancer…from lying so much…
January 15th, 2008 at 1:42 pmYeah, your job is to defend and protect the constitution!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 18th, 2008 at 10:15 am