Bush Adopts Lower Standard for Iran Threat as Critics Question Credibility

[Purveyor]

Source: Bloomberg News

Dec. 5 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush, his credibility under fire because of intelligence that Iran halted its nuclear weapons drive in 2003, adopted a new argument yesterday to justify tougher sanctions: Just knowing how to produce a bomb is dangerous.

Bush, speaking at a White House news conference, said a new report by U.S. intelligence agencies concluding that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program four years ago changed nothing because Iran was still producing enriched uranium that could be used to make a bomb.

``I view this report as a warning signal that they had the program, they halted the program,'' the president said. ``And the reason why it's a warning signal is that they could restart it. And the thing that would make a restarted program effective and dangerous is the ability to enrich uranium.''

That argument resonated among U.S. allies in Europe, who are frustrated over what they regard as Iranian intransigence and may be skeptical about the accuracy of American intelligence. It drew no support from China and Russia, whose backing will be needed for any new United Nations sanctions, or among the president's domestic political adversaries.

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Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph Biden, a Delaware Democrat, said the president's anti-Iranian rhetoric in the face of the new intelligence ``undermines America's credibility around the world'' and erodes Bush's trustworthiness with the American people.

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=ajbc1oohfyRY&refer=us

[Doctor_J]

1. This worked on Iraq.

They went from "Had weapons of mass destruction" to "had the means to create a WMD program", and the slimy fascists inthe press lapped it up.

[Rambis]

2. Fuckin hell!

They might start up again? What if somebody else starts up a program? Where does preemptive war stop? Answer never! Jesus hell somebody save us from the is clown!

[Javaman]

3. This just in...

Moron* just announced that Iran is exporting BlackCat firecrackers to China. He* stated, "um er, firecrackers, are, um, illegal in, ahh, areas that...that are under heavy drought, um, rules. and this is in direct violation of the...the anti-firecracker in drought prone areas international agreement. Yeah, that's it, the AFIDPAIA!!!"

[ixion]

4. "erodes Bush's trustworthiness with the American people."

what the hell are you talking about, Joe? Bush doesn't have credibility with Americans. Only with capitulating congress folk, like you.

[BadgerKid]

5. Bet * would like to taser Iran just about now.

i.e., punish somebody just because that somebody might do something.

[ThoughtCriminal]

6. Germany "might" re-start WW-2

Let's hit them with some sanctions just to make sure they don't.

[daleo]

7. How can you prevent a country from "possessing knowledge"?

Does Bush plan to bomb the universities and libraries of the world now?

[radfringe]

8. as Stephan Colbert says

(paraphrased) ...what president bush believes on Monday is the same thing he believes on Wednesday...no matter what happens on Tuesday...

[HuffleClaw]

9. he blathered on about it today too

"The Iranians have a strategic choice to make. They can come clean with the international community about the scope of their nuclear activities and fully accept the longstanding offer to suspend their enrichment program and come to the table and negotiate, or they can continue on a path of isolation that is not in the best interest of the Iranian people. The choice is up to the Iranian regime."

- and yet again they forget that enriching uranium is permitted. funny though, considering china has jumped on this NIE as a good excuse to oppose bush's march to war.