Completely Unnecessary

Sara wrote a great post yesterday about Iran’s (lack of a) nuclear weapons program and the Bush Admin’s continued rhetoric. Saved me a lot of time, which I promptly spent checking the reference list of a right-wing scientist. Let me do the heavy lifting today, LMB; I’m just going shopping afterwards…

Long story short - Released yesterday, a National Intelligence Estimate found that Iran gave up its nuclear ambitions four years ago. The WH has known the ‘basic parameters’ of this report for quite some time, but has continued its Tehran-baiting and aggro rhetoric.

But, you’ll be pleased to know that President Bush has seen this report for what it really is:

”I view this report as a warning signal that they had the program, they halted the program,” Bush said [in a press conference Tuesday]. ”The reason why it’s a warning signal is they could restart it.”

Bush also stated that the report demonstrating that Iran didn’t have the ability to make a nuclear weapon (or even recent movements in that direction) indicates that, ‘Iran needs to be taken seriously as a threat to peace.’

Gotta give the man some credit. A lot of leaders would hang their heads after being caught in a war-mongering lie for the last year, but not Bush. Well-played, sir.

But is it a year? National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley said yesterday that the president has only known for sure for weeks, possibly months. Yet, Bush claimed this morning that he only learned about the report last week, contradicting his own NSA. Someone mush have looked at the transcripts and seen that the WH has been trumpeting their rhetoric well into the period that Hadley described.

Doesn’t really matter if the year estimate is wrong. By Hadley’s own admission, the US has been continuing along the warpath despite knowledge by the President himself that the assessment of Iran’s capabilities and intent was false.

Our one remaining troop is probably breathing a sigh of relief.

Vaguely Related

• You there, quit it.
• Stroger, the County Tax and the Fine