Someone explain how this NIE is not a load of crap.

[seriousstan]

Dr. Thomas Fingar, Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Analysis & Chairman, National Intelligence Council, is one of the authors. His job is responsibile for enhancing the quality, timeliness, and utility of analytic support to intelligence consumers and also manages the production of the President's Daily Brief.

Yet on July 11, 2007 in the Global Security Assessment for the House Armed Services Committee, he states

IRAN ASSESSED AS DETERMINED TO DEVELOP NUCLEAR WEAPONS
Iran and North Korea are the states of most concern to us. The United States’ concerns about Iran are shared by manynations, including many of Iran’s neighbors. Iran is continuing to pursue uranium enrichment and has shown more interest in protracting negotiations and working to delay and diminish the impact of UNSC sanctions than in reaching an acceptable diplomatic solution. We assess that Tehran is determined to develop nuclear weapons—despite its international obligations and international pressure. This is a grave concern to the other countries in the region whose security would be threatened should Iran acquire nuclear weapons.

http://www.odni.gov/testimonies/20070711_testimony.pdf

How is this possible?

[rfranklin]

1. It's true because Cheney told me so!

He knows all!

[Kingofalldems]

2. All hail George Bush

Bush and Cheney are right about everything!!111!! These DUers are ass nine. Eagles up!!!111!!!:sarcasm:

[sinkingfeeling]

3. Well, all the RW'ers are asking the same question and then saying that

Dr. Fingar has an anti-Bush agenda.

http://www.floppingaces.net/2007/12/04/shadow-warriors-at-work-on-the/

http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2007/12/nie_an_abrupt_aboutface.asp

http://www.newsmax.com/timmerman/iran_nukes/2007/12/04/54359.html

[seriousstan]

4. It just sounds like the intel people have their heads up their asses.

What they don't know about Iran and didn't know about Iraq makes me not trust much of anything they say.

P.S thanks for the reply, before this post only fools that like to here the keyboards click chimed in.

[DCKit]

5. You don't trust the NEI or the Bush Appointee (Mike McConnell) who's casting asparagus?

If it weren't for spin, this administration would have nothing to say.

http://www.odni.gov/

There are a lot of reasons the neighboring countries might take issue with Iran: their reasonably liberal society, above average standard of living, immense oil and gas wealth not being the least of them. Sure it's a theocracy with a idiotic asshat at the helm, but they allow their citizens to participate in elections and enjoy far more freedom than a country like Saudi Arabia with it's repressive social constraints, religious secret police and barbaric Sharia law. It doesn't get much better than Iran in the ME and, despite being a theocracy, Iran is moderate (in the true sense of the word) and socially progressive when compared to most others in the region. It's the difference between the eighth and fifteenth centuries in social terms.

A robust nuclear energy program, historically low wages and high oil prices would enable Iran to become an economic and manufacturing powerhouse as well as exporter of massive amounts of electricity. They also have a strong defense infrastructure and a huge number of males available for military service. The manufactured threat of aggression has added 30%-50% to the price of oil, so their treasury is overflowing with more than enough cash to finance both economic and military expansion - another unintended consequence of the Iraq debacle and saber rattling aggression by the U.S..

With the exception of Israel, Kuwait and Jordan, the other countries in the region are monarchies and dictatorships with a huge underclass living in abject poverty under the heels of the government, the military and the secret police. Why else would 17 of the 19 9/11 hijackers have come from Saudi Arabia? Disenfranchisement of the citizenry is bound to lead to eventual rebellion under any repressive regime and they chose to strike U.S., their government's protector and infidel ally. We rarely hear about terrorism on our ME allies home turf because their governments don't want us to know lest we look too closely at the root cause.

Iran, by example, poses a danger to the regimes of countries whose corrupt leaders embezzle their nation's wealth, trade openly with their idealogical enemies and grind their own people into the dirt in order to maintain an iron grip on power as well as the country and people's wealth.

Israel, on the other hand, is more likely concerned with the reality of an economic and military expansion they would rather deal with now than later, especially when the biggest bully in the world is begging to do their fighting for them. It's a propitious time to move against Iran, but the release of the NEI by some true American patriots may have blown that chance.