By Larry Johnson
closeAuthor: Larry Johnson
Name: Larry Johnson
Email: larry_johnson@earthlink.net
Site: http://NoQuarterUSA.net
About: Larry C. Johnson is CEO and co-founder of BERG Associates, LLC, an international business-consulting firm with expertise combating terrorism and investigating money laundering. Mr. Johnson works with US military commands in scripting terrorism exercises, briefs on terrorist trends, and conducts undercover investigations on counterfeiting, smuggling and money laundering.
Mr. Johnson, who worked previously with the Central Intelligence Agency and U.S. State Department’s Office of Counter Terrorism, is a recognized expert in the fields of terrorism, aviation security, crisis and risk management.
Mr. Johnson has analyzed terrorist incidents for a variety of media including the Jim Lehrer News Hour, National Public Radio, ABC's Nightline, NBC's Today Show, the New York Times, CNN, Fox News, and the BBC. Mr. Johnson has authored several articles for publications, including Security Management Magazine, the New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times. He has lectured on terrorism and aviation security around the world, including the Center for Research and Strategic Studies at the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris, France. He represented the U.S. Government at the July 1996 OSCE Terrorism Conference in Vienna, Austria.
From 1989 until October 1993, Larry Johnson served as a Deputy Director in the U.S. State Department’s Office of Counter Terrorism. He managed crisis response operations for terrorist incidents throughout the world and he helped organize and direct the US Government’s debriefing of US citizens held in Kuwait and Iraq, which provided vital intelligence on Iraqi operations following the 1990 invasion of Kuwait. Mr. Johnson also participated in the investigation of the terrorist bombing of Pan Am 103. Under Mr. Johnson’s leadership the U.S. airlines and pilots agreed to match the US Government’s two million-dollar reward.
From 1985 through September 1989 Mr. Johnson worked for the Central Intelligence Agency. During his distinguished career, he received training in paramilitary operations, worked in the Directorate of Operations, served in the CIA’s Operation’s Center, and established himself as a prolific analyst in the Directorate of Intelligence. In his final year with the CIA he received two Exceptional Performance Awards.
Mr. Johnson is a member of the American Society for Industrial Security. He taught at The American University’s School of International Service (1979-1983) while working on a Ph.D. in political science. He has a M.S. degree in Community Development from the University of Missouri (1978), where he also received his B.S. degree in Sociology, graduating Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1976.See Authors Posts (919) on December 3, 2007 at 1:21 PM in Current Affairs
Now we know why some in the Bush Administration–Dick Cheney’s folks in particular–fought like hell to keep the National Intelligence Estimate on Iran’s nuclear program under wraps. IRAN HALTED ITS NUCLEAR PROGRAM IN 2003. Here’s what CNN is reporting:
Iran halted work toward a nuclear weapon under international scrutiny in 2003 and is unlikely to be able to produce enough enriched uranium for a bomb until 2010 to 2015, a U.S. intelligence report says.
A declassified summary of the latest National Intelligence Estimate found with “high confidence” that the Islamic republic halted an effort to develop nuclear weapons in the fall of 2003.
This report was ready to go in December of 2006 but Cheney and his allies pushed back hard to stop it. They knew, as they know today, that this headline does not help them in their rush to start a new war. Damn it all!!! How dare those pesky Iranians prove malleable to diplomatic initiatives and pressure. You mean we can solve things without starting a war and killing civilians?
Boy there are going to be some grumpy neo-cons. This is probably part of the war on Christmas. This kind of news will make it very difficult for the agitators for war with Iran to hoist a glass of eggnog and toast bombing ragheads in Tehran.
Don’t be surprised to hear about how the intelligence community is now filled with partisans intent on undermining the Bush Administration. They’ll sound an awful lot like Hugo Chavez, who also is whining about the vagaries of democracy and insisting he only lost the referendum in Venezuela–which would have allowed him to become President for life–because of a nefarious CIA plot.
There are some unsung heroes in the National Intelligence Council who insisted on the integrity of the product. In the face of enormous political pressure to tailor information and pull punches that undermine Bush Administration talking points, the intelligence professionals did their job. They told the truth based on the facts in hand.
Now we need to wait and see–will the Bush Administration and the Congress take no for an answer?
Satellite image shows Iranian nuclear facilities.
Whatta blow. The Dick must be having a shitfit. Who you gonna believe, Dick or your lying ears? Hope those unsung NIC heroes don’t fly on small planes.
Chick …
i learned a long time ago that when anyone in this adminstration moves their lips … they are lying. this is certainly true the higher up you get in the government structure!
They don’t even have to be moving their lips.
What is the Plame connection to this?
Great question…I wonder if since at least 2000 when, from what I can gather, Valerie Wilson was working with this administrations’ strategy to turn the Middle East on it’s head, via war, and was put in the dismal position of having to disprove a negitive.
Considering the fact that we have invaded both of Irans’ flanks,and the administration went out of its way to roll up an Op specifically to gain intel on Irans WMD,by her outing, this new NIE(which Harry Ried said this morning he asked for) is a push back from the intel community and perhaps a welcome return to “just the facts ” and let chips fall on the policy side where they belong.
Then again there are other factors such as the most recent post from the Corps Watch that stated fully 1/2 to 2/3’s of our intel community has been out sourced. Those companies have a vested monetary intrest in ensuring we have a never ending “war”.
Sadly, none of this changes the malignant composition of US forgein policy as executed by Bush and congress. Justice will not be served until Rove,Novack, Cheney and Bush get life for treason.
Valerie Plame Wilsons comments on Keith Olbermann about Iran were in direct conflict with what Iaea’s El Baradei was saying about Iran.
Elbaradei was saying that there was no hard evidence to back up the repeated claims about an Iranian nuclear program.
I listened to many of Plames interviews ( Katie Couric, Terri Gross, Bill Maher, Chris Matthews)This was the only time I had ever heard Valerie say ” that they (Iran) are seeking nuclear weapons there is not question about that”
This is the opposite of what Elbaradei has been saying about Iran.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFKPV07o5S0
Valerie on Countdown
So is it a matter credibility?
I was reading that link about the Israeli DEA Intel operation concurrent with 9/11. Interesting.
Larry, seems Bush has already moved the goalposts from WMD to Iranian terrarists moving across the Iraqi border & killing Americans. The Faux News flying monkeys will deliver the rationale & bombing will begin shortly after the primaries.
Hmmm… maybe the NIE accounts for Dicky Ticker’s recent “arhythmia” incident.
the other day Joe Biden said he would bring impeachment to the forefront if Bush bombed Iran. Aside from that, at what point do Cheney and Bush get removed from office?
Curious to see what Mukasey does on Waxmans request regarding Fitz and the grand jury testimonies of Bush et al regarding the Plame incident. Blocking the Abramhoff records, and a multitude of other criminal doings, Bush Co are simply and outwardly breaking the law and telling Congress and the Amercian people to fuck off, “we’ll do what we want.”
Enough is enough and the 08 elections are not going to bring about change. I’m looking for Cheney’s group to figure out a way to keep Bush as President.
Comment by Waiting in Texas | 2007-12-03 14:45:57
“Enough is enough and the 08 elections are not going to bring about change. I’m looking for Cheney’s group to figure out a way to keep Bush as President.”
Couldn’t agree with you more.
As I have said before Giuliani is a shooin unless there is Impeachment plain and simple. All the kings horses and all the kings men will not deliver the WH to the Democrats unless there is Impeachment.
trudy is a shoo-in … wow … what tea leaves are you using? sorry, even hillary will beat trudy if the she is the candidate. it should be noted, i dont think either one will be their party’s candidate … just my guess.
finally, i also predict the gop wont be much more then a regional party (read the south and some of the fly over) after the 08 elections.
Will Mukasey protect the traitors who undermined National Security or Valerie who put her own life on the line for National Security. This will tell us a great deal about Mukasey.
Was he sent in by Schumer and Feinstein to protect the powers that be or the constitution and any integrity that the Justice system has left?
As a local TV news anchor said, without TV we’d all feel so out-of-touch!
If only the dickster could present his case directly to the viewers. Too bad he has to rely upon experts and work through W.
Imagine that….the ticking Dick lied. On to a new strategy of death & destruction in the ME!
Larry,
tisk tisk is what is to be expected from such chickenhawk 5-deferment viceprez kinda a guy. i’d really start to worry if he became like the tin man and acquired a heart.
Larry,
I find this just a little too much of an coincidence. Plame who specializes in wmd and as I understand it was involved in Iran gets outed. They attempt to destroy our ability at CIA to know the real status of Iran. They then hide the NIE report again to keep us from knowing wmd status in Iran. I’m sure it was gravy for them to Wilson but are we sure it wasn’t Plame’s function at CIA that Bush Cheney was really after? To eliminate her from the information chain?
hope4usa, re: thoughts on valerie: BINGO!
YAHTZEE!
From the DU: Valerie Plame had been the supervisor of the CIA analysis of Iraqi and Iranian WMD programs. The timing of the intelligence, which indicated that Iran had ceased to have nuclear weapons programs by the time that the Office of Dick Cheney exposed Plame, is not a coincidence. Since the summer of 2004, a group of DUers on the “Plame Threads” have been saying exactly that.
More, the same group of DUers have called the Plame scandal, the Niger forgeries, and the neocon/AIPAC espionage scandal three leaves on a clover. The neocon/AIPAC scandal involved the Office of Special Plans using an intelligence cell from AIPAC to pass highly classified military secrets about Iran to intelligence officers of a third country.
Last month, the federal judge hearing the case against the two AIPAC members who were involved in the espionage ruled that they could subpoena administration officials including Condi Rice, Steve Hadley, and Elliot Abrams. It is no coincidence that almost every one of the officials involved in the neocon/AIPAC espionage scandal were also involved in the Plame scandal.
Is this the reason they’ve brought Wolfovitch back into the fold? He’s such a specialist, he can conjure WMD’s outta thin air!
I missed where they stashed Wolfovitch.Where is he now? Don’t forget Pearle. It would be great to have a poparazzsi core to hound the Bozo’s at the back of the Hogworth Express bus…maybe it would motivate the press core to get thier shit together and …after all the “men in black” get there intel from them rags just like this administration.
It would be great to have a page on “Neocons:Where are they now?” Seen Steve Cambone anywhere in this woodpile?
Since I did not see a link to the NIE.
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/international/20071203_release.pdf
It is also noteworthy that the NIE mentions 2003 as a point of last focus…mmmm I wonder what happened in 2003.
Well, I’m encouraged by this ‘outing’ of an NIE doc.
Just saw this at McClatchy and hope it’s okay to copy:
The Democratic-controlled Congress ordered the production of the NIE amid concerns that the Bush administration was hyping the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear program in the same way that it used bogus and exaggerated intelligence to justify the war on Iraq.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/22487.html
This is a different tone from US reports in 2003. Granted, this paragraph comes near the end of the article, but it’s refreshing to see a more frank writing style, plus some pointed historical context, in the news reports.
Hats off to the unsung federal employees who publicly released that NIE; nice to see patriotism in action.
No doubt Bolton’s blood pressure is on the rise, along with the rest of his ilk. At least, here’s hoping ;-))
Cheney tried messing with this NIE just like the one for invading Iraq.
Whattya know, this time we get the real news BEFORE the bombing starts.
How refreshing.
i cant be positive … i may be having a senior movement … but didnt we know the NIE prior to the invasion of iraq had been cooked? i seem to recall reading about cheney’s henchmen being posted to the DoD and the CIA. i, also, seem to recall that terry and a group of retired intelligence people wrote an op-ed or spoke about it an interview.
hmm, maybe i should do a google….
oops … ignore terry … i meant scott as in scott ritter.
sorry
Larry,
Thanks for the good news about Iran. I’m surprised that the MSM isn’t going along with this again.
The criminals will do something to provoke a war anyway.
Also, on Chevez
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Humbled by his first electoral defeat ever, President Hugo Chavez said Monday he may have been too ambitious in asking voters to let him stand indefinitely for re-election and endorse a huge leap to a socialist state.
“I understand and accept that the proposal I made was quite profound and intense,” he said after voters narrowly rejected the sweeping constitutional reforms by 51 percent to 49 percent.
Chavez told reporters at the presidential palace that the outcome of Sunday’s balloting had taught him that “Venezuelan democracy is maturing.” His respect for the verdict, he asserted, proves he is a true democratic leader.
“From this moment on, let’s be calm,” he proposed, asking for no more street violence like the clashes that marred pre-vote protests. “There is no dictatorship here.”
See, the cool thing about that is a leader recognizes that he may have overreached. To me that seemed unnecessary and a little worrying. But Chavez has admitted he made an error……..that’s what grown-ups do. And it doesn’t make you less of a man (neo-cons), it makes you more of a man.
I would have started WWIII by now if it wasn’t for those meddling kids.
-Scooby Doo Villain, Dick Cheney
Wasn’t there a cartoon character named Hadley from Rocky and Bowinkle? Sorry folks this NIE won’t hunt.
“But the intelligence also tells us that the risk of Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon remains a very serious problem.”
That is why there are three carrier groups in that part of the world.
I am just thankful the Intel guys are breaking the knees off the legs of this story (the threat of Iranian nuclear Bombs). God bless them for letting it out in the news .
I just wish they would continue up the food chain.
Wonder what the classified portion said…
Nah Larry,
The Bushies have been shifting their rationale for war from WMD to Iran killing US troops in Iraq for months. Despite military reports that most of the foreign fighters are our allies, such as Saudi Arabia.
Whoops, this must mean that the military has been infiltrated by partisans intent on undermining Bush too. Because how dare the military reports counter the Bushie lies…uh…propaganda…uh…intel.
According to David Shuster, who did Countdown tonight, the Administration has eased off on claims of Iranian responsibility for American casualties in Iraq.
I halted my car’s engine this afternoon.
I suspect I will be able to start it up again tomorrow morning should I feel like it.
….because of course your car’s engine is exactly as complicated as the process necessary to create a nuclear weapon. Gotcha.
“…Connatations of world war III? Hadley says? The guy who loved those 16 words so much?
So another “report” by the people who missed 9/11, collapse of the USSR, the Indian nuclear test, Iraq’s non-WMD, and on and on…
A NIE carries the same fiction value of the MSM; probably written by the same people
So do you assume that the opposite of NIE “fiction” must be the true state of affairs?
Greywolf:
A NIE carries the same fiction value of the MSM; probably written by the same people.
You know..you’re really starting to piss me off..
Your postings carry alot of fiction..
You drive by once a month with some smartass comment
and then slink off to the woods..Insults don’t keep you away neither does logic…You just know so much don’t you?
I am independent concerning the MSM. I think they do a great service for america.do they always get it right? No..sometimes do they lean too much left or right? yes..but they in general do a great job of keeping us informed of current events.
And concerning reports of our intelligence agencies..You think that because we don’t get it right a 100% of the time that there is no validity to them? shows what a dough head you are..
let me bring it down to a level you may comprehend…
No pitcher in baseball throws a strike every time.
No batter hits a .1000.. No quarterback tosses every pass for a touchdown..no basketball player shoots and makes every shot..no hockey player makes a goal every shot..
And no report is perfect and nobody in this business can always read the tea leaves perfectly.
But winning teams succeed more often than not by trying ther best to be accurate and honest no matter how the cards fall.
We’ll see you again in a month with your ‘observational BS’
What I find interesting is the sequence of events. I have not heard why it was released today. So last week we had the Annapolis, today the Gulf states conference and the NIE…
By the way HoosierHoops what was the record for the Texas Rangers when Bush “owned them”?
Hoosier you may have a legitimate bone to pick with Grey wolf, but come on the MSM did a piss poor job in the run up to the illegal invasion of Iraq. I watched and listened very closely. They even admit it. This was not a small boo boo.
Judy Miller reported lies about WMD’s, most of the MSM were part of the “groupthink”, many were not asking hard questions, hell Elbaradei word’s about the false Niger documents were often given page 8 coverage, Robert Novak outed an undercover agent. Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Bolton were given free range of the MSM and their claims about Iraq basically unchallenged.
The MSM’s coverage of the very large anti invasion marches in DC the fall of 2002 was pitiful (they would show the footage of 20 people with black hoods over their faces over and over again during the evening news. They failed to let the American Public see that hundreds of thousands of teachers, students, WWII, Korean, Vietnam, Desert Storm Vets, plumbers, families pushing baby strollers and grandparents in wheel chairs were in the streets trying to stop the invasion. Even Npr failed the first several marches and were hammered for it. Hell after the invasion there was an antiwar march in Fayetteville North Carolina made up of military families against the war and I watched the MSM for 8 hours straight during and after this march flicking the channels, I saw the same footage of Terry Schaivo looking at those balloons 84 times and there was not one second of coverage on those military families marching against the war. Not one fucking second. So much for showing the truth about what is taking place.
Have folks like Chris Matthews improved…yes? Do they have much much further to go. Hell yes!
Kathleen, over here in Europe, during the same tmeframe, the MSM was airing interviews with ordinary Iraqis in the streets commenting that they didn’t want even one Israeli to enter their country. Did you forget to mention this, Kathleen, or did they just not bother to show this sort of footage to Amercan citizens?
so graywolf, do you also ignore the estimates of the IAEA and numerous other european governments who came to the same conclusion as this estimate. talk about burying your head in the sand or should i say up bush’s keester … take a deep breath and relax … there is no clear and present danger from iran.
IF its true, then that’s fine.
Emotionally, I’d love to bomb Iran into a parking lot.
Logically, however, that would be a truly stupid act, especially as to what it would do to the price of oil as well as a massive ramping-up of worldwide terrorism.
Aren’t emotions the pits sometime’s?
Shame. Iran is a beautiful place filled with beautiful people.
We want them to change their government and we can’t even change our own. Supreme arrogance with a heady bouquet of bloodlust.
“The smoking gun could come in the form of a mushroom cloud” is a purely an emotional statement not meant for rational consumtion.
6 months ago youall were nail biting & predicting an attack on Iran was imminent. I told you then it wasn’t happening & its not. But being right around here doesn’t seem to count for anything. Whether you like it or not Iraq will slowly calm down & just simmer, proably for another generation, which is sad. But eventually they’ll have to get a new vision. With all the oil they have every Iraqi ought to be atleast a millionaire. Every Kuwaitee gets 17,000,000 just for being a Kuwaitee. Ther UAE is growing like gangbusters, eventually the Iraqis will go for the good life, cause what they’re doing now is going nowhere. Dispite all the good arguments to the contrary over at Sic Semper (Col Lang’s blog) I still worry about Lebanon. I don’t think it’s in Nasrallah’s blood to lay low for long. If youall want to freak out about something try the economy & if that’s not sexy enough to hold your interest apply a little worry to the Chinese military build up.
I hope you are right about Iran.
If you’re worried about Lebanon you should see who is still supporting Fatah al-Islam and watch what they try next.
So would you like us to ignore the Bush administration’s efforts to make us think that attacking Iran is on the table?
6 months ago youall were nail biting & predicting an attack on Iran was imminent
I told my sister inlaw when she dropped me off at Logan December 2001 that I was worried about it.
I have seen very little to change my concerns in the years that followed. This time the Blowback in Chief at this mornings news conference basically said The NIE doesn’t matter.
Iraq will get to have another vision? After the country has been totally rid of all moderate people, after there are no middle-class people or professionals, after half the country has become refugees and 2-3 million have died? But after that, everything will be alright eh? Ah, good to know.
The economy of US and Chinese both have Oil in common. Where is that found? Do you think the friction between Nationalism and Globalism will get greased anytime soon?
Iran still can be nuked by accident, Larry. And this is how I anticipated the Iran war would start.
Although Ohmert at least has made a guesture of pulling in his horns (the arrogant prick that he is) with the latest [yawn] roadmap to peace.
And the US is the last one left, thanks to Rudd. Though as it is the largest ommiter of polutants, protocol talks are pointless without US involvement. I wonder if the Dems are prepared to balance a fine World against intollerable wealth.
Chavez, Larry, is largely Mr “unflavour of the month” largely because he doesn’t like doing business with American Corporations and has made the terrible policy decision of pinching from the rich and giving to the poor - particularly in the areas of healthcare. I believe he has also legalised cocaine, which is a absolute “no no” in the Western prejudicial World. Considering the outcome of successive democratic handovers in the US, I wonder whether there is a significant difference between democracy and dictatorship in practical terms.
The majority elects a bunch of incumbants who push minority driven laws. The minority know full well the implications of said laws which are dumbed down to encourage compliance from the dumb masses.
Imagine that “They told the truth based on facts on hand”. The Bush administration hates when that happens. By the way when has that happened during this administration? Is this a first?
So what will be their next move? We know the Bush administration turned the spotlight from their failing efforts to convince the American people that Iran had a nuclear weapons program or the knowledge, the desire, the plans, thoughts, etc. etc. to build a nuclear weapons program. We know that they turned the spotlight on the “alleged” Ied’s coming from Iran that were being used to kill American soldiers. We know that they were successful at convincing 72 senators (including Hillary Clinton, and Obama was conveniently out of town for that vote) to vote for the Kyl Liebermann amendment which defines the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization. Will the warmongers just simply say to hell with the NIE who the hell do they thin they are? We have our own information, we have the Kyl Liebermann amendment, and we are going to pre-emptively attack Iran anyway.
On Meet the Press this Sunday Senator Webb again said that the Kyl-Liebermann amendment was “tantamount to a declaration of war” on Iran. He said the Bush administration believes that they have the authority to pre-emptively attack Iran under the umbrella of the 2002 war resolution. Armed with the Kyl Liebermann amendment and the 2002 war resolution these warmongers will more than likely be forging ahead.
Christ all mighty let’s hope we do not hear Hillary say “if only I knew then what I know now” again.
Scroll down and listen to what Webb had to say on Sunday.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/
Not a thing up at National Review, Weekly Standard, Pajamas Media about the NIE report. Do you think they will try to act like it did not happen?
Empty wheel (Marcy Wheeler) addressing this issue.
http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/
Maybe Emptywheel is emptyhanded? Look, no need to over analyze this (which she does in my judgment). It is quite simple. The Senate and House Intel Committees are in the control of the Dems. They’ve been told over the last two months that the Administration was sitting on this. Some very direct remarks behind the scenes put the DNI, his deputy, and the other senior managers on notice.
We may soon learn more about the character of General Petraeus. We may learn whether he will permit any fabrication or exaggeration of the IRG’s meddling in Iraq, on his watch, to be sold as justification for attacking Iran.
Blowback
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Intel_report_Iran_halt
ed_nuclear_weapons_1203.html
Will Mukasey stand behind justice or the Plame traitors
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/White_House_blocking_congressional_Plame_probe_1203.html
Thanks Larry.
Justsomeone:
6 months ago youall were nail biting & predicting an attack on Iran was imminent. I told you then it wasn’t happening & its not. But being right around here doesn’t seem to count for anything.
Ok..have you ever considered that if we had put the same pressure and exposure on the Iraq issue as we have on the Iran run up to war that maybe the last 4 years would have been vastly different? Countless thousands of people would be alive today? ( screw the Saddam in power augument..there will always be dictators..We don’t spill american blood or pay taxes to remove dictators worldwide unless they attack us..otherwise let me submit a current list for next year.)
Bush has put all true americans ‘on alert’ for his next cleansing of ‘evil doers’
You may feel comfortable letting your guard down with this lame duck president who answers to no one in 2007.. But thank god you are ‘justsomeone’ instead of justeveryone.
There were some of us that were trying like hell, writing calling taking trips to Washington, New York. Accumulatively millions of Americans marched against the invasion of Iraq..I was there with hundreds of thousands of Vietnam, WWII Korean, Desert Storm VETS, teachers, social workers, plumbers, students, families pushing strollers and grandparents in wheelchairs. The MSM including NPR barely covered peoples efforts to stop the invasion. Millions of Americans were fooled by the endless bombardment of lies coming out of the Bush administration.
I would like to say that your right about Iran Hoosier, but these right wing radicals are ruthless warmongers. It is not over yet, they still have time to pre-emptively attack Iran. But I sincerely hope you are correct.
hey, don’t you know it’s evildooers?
curious item, none of the news I’ve read about this NIE mentioned that it’s release has been held up for almost a year. They all say it’s a new NIE. No mention at all about Darth’s crew suppressing it’s release. But they all play up the fact that Iran is still processing uranium, no mention that they’ll only getting 3-4% enrichment, not the 95% they need for a weapon.
Damn, an idiot like me in the deep woods can spot this shit, but the MSM doesn’t have a clue.
So what happens to an NIE that has been collecting revisionist dust? Is it still current?
Laugh if you want, BUT, it will soon get out, as I have pointed out before, Bush was in on 9/11. Just wait and see folks, Prince Bandar helped the neocons with the crazy Saudies who did the nasty, and the Caryle fu_kers knew it!
Iraq started with a bang - there were plenty of bombs ($$$), lots of bullets flying aound ($ka-ching!) and lots of big bags of cash for contractors to load off Coalition planes and into their own planes. Man, a military/industrial/political complex can get used to that kind of living!
Iraq is boring now. Not nearly as much action. Now the do-gooders are coming in and stopping all the action! Waaah!
So here’s my prediction: they said Tehran had nukes: it didn’t fly. They said Tehran was at war with us in Iran: that won’t fly.
Bottom line: you don’t actually need a PR job to start a friggin’ war. Especially for a lame duck Prez - what he got to lose - votes?
Just go drop the damn bombs, then turn around and say “Hey Americans, look, we’re in a war!”
Kinda makes the rationale discussion a mute point, doesn’t it?
They were going to at least provide a veneer of legitimacy before the hack job. But they can do it without it, no problem.
Bedwetter-in-Chief makes phone call. We’re at war. Done. Next.
There’s only one thing that would prevent a war with Iran. That would be impeachment. But Nancy and Hillary have their backs covered. They will not allow impeachment.
What does that tell you about them?
Smells pretty bad all the way around, if you ask me.
Larry, this most definitely answers your question of 10 August, to wit, “Are Republicans Cocksuckers?”
Lying cocksuckers, to boot. But then, it IS the party of Tricky Dick, John Mitchell, Rogers Ailes (the Jennifer Flowers “Newest BFF Award of 1992″ winner), and Bob “Where’s the Outrage?” Dole.
My husband (who is politically very astute) suggested that perhaps a deal was made when the Senate (Feinstein & Schumer) confirmed Mukasey. Perhaps the Dems requested the NIE come out in exchange for “justice” dropping the Rosen and Weismann case, (or perhaps barring access to the Abramoff documents that Waxman has asked for). Recall that Pelosi got back in the Israel lobby’s good graces after she stripped a provision from the military appropriations bill that would have required the president to go to Congress for permission to attack Iran. Now this NIE comes out and invalidates the “Iranian threat” that R&W unveiled. Interesting, no?
I believe Schuemer and Feinstein’s votes for Mukasey were all about getting that AIpac trial dismissed. The MSM has been completely silent about this investigation and trial (one time Chris Matthews whispered that the trial had been delayed for the sixth time). Even the so-called progressive blogosphere has basically been silent on the investigation and upcoming trial (including firedoglake) Justin Raimando at Anti-war.com has written about the investigation and upcoming trial more than anyone.
If Mukasey does dismiss this trial the majority of Americans will not even notice since the MSM has barely reported anything about it.
Will the I-lobby continue to rule?
The NIE says Iran stopped work in 2003.
I’m expecting them to play switcharoo.
Originally the CIA was supposed to, but Cheney’s hubris got so big that he decided to say it was Iraq instead of Iran.
We were considering a plausible case for invading Iraq on regime change, as justification to stay after the fact, then following up with glorious flower thrown tours of Iran. Then the Saddam-Al Qaeida claim didn’t motivate Congress enough(INTEL committee push back), so aluminum tubes were added after the Yellowcake hoax was being kicked back.
Cheney cut off his nose to spite his face because he wanted the immediate prize.
Look back, few said anything until well afterward, past a point it could be undone. Almost like it was planned so… Rove and Cheney simply screwed it up.
Going after Wilson provided political cover for the short term, as did invading Iraq. Iran was the long term goal, the reason permanent bases were being built next door. The Wilson outing had dual purposes, Plame was close to Oil for Food and Peak Oil, the Cheney history was there for profit. She also had dibs on nuclear programs in other countries and proliferation specters that Cheney and Rumsfeld also held a hand in.
Shorter scenario:
Yeah they lied us to Iraq, but what about Iran?
I’m know I’m stupid, but what are you?
The Iran issue was probably assumed to become part of Albright doctrine, we’d win out Congress and the White House in time to deal with Iran as a market sector, not as an opponent. Saudi Arabia needs oil past peak, and would love to force Iran through its channels to deliver it as they did Oil for Food.
Jane’s FDL thread is speaking to the heart of the topic(defilibrators aside). The more you repeat the talking points of the right wing in addressing them, the more you help them frame the debate. The POTUS candidates are just a rubber stamp for increased tension there in the Mid East at this time, outside of perhaps Dodd and Kucinich.
It isn’t about Iran getting nukes. They’re going to, Rummy wants it.
That way Star Wars becomes a necessity.
He simply wants the USA to get its share of the money. Unless Iran channels all of its Nukular cash through American subsidiaries for Halliburton, etc. we will stay mad about it.
It’s a way to placate Israel and play both sides of the cash cow. Tension in the Mid East means buffer states develop proxy client status in addition to the major players.
Israel for us, Iran for China. Kissinger style triangulation when Pakistan, India, the EU/Turkey, or Russia are involved, all of which will be to some extent.
If we didn’t want Iran to have nukes Halliburton would have never done business with them to the level Cheney did and Rummy’s Bechtel work would not have occurred. Money is the final arbiter of any political stance the GOP takes.
Iran just needs to cowboy up with the cash pony. Follow the Money.
In return for business through USA channels Iran will give some limited transparency. This becomes a selling point and justification for expanding profit motives.
We can all agree to disagree, so long as the big money agrees. The big picture is about shaping markets so demand for new products accelerates profit return. Empower nukes to varied states, with the usual MAD policy that fed the MIC during the Cold War. Then Mutually Assured Profiteering can finally kick in…
NASA’s equivalent in the Pentagon has been working at it for years… Rumsfeld’s focus prior to 9-11 was Missile Defense.
This is a big extortion racket.
As for Iran, it’s better to business than it is to wage war. Engagement and interaction will help more than outright conflict. Exchange students, trade packages, transparency, opening things such as the Iranian finds seized since the forfetiure from our past hostage crisis, all of these can be ways to winning hearts and minds by finding middle ground.
Business solutions, not military ones.
Just stop pulling America’s chain over it. If nukes were such a big item WTH is the emphasis on Putin’s stockpile and the proliferation issues surrounding it? There is none.
Demand both be dealt with and paid for or nothing at all. It is the ultimate veto for the political topic.
So where the hell is the Gonzales indictment for lying to congress? I think if that little chulo knew that he was facing 3 to 5 years of hard time he would spill a lot of beans. No pun intended.
Larry, is it possible for those involved in writing the NIE to disclose
** what the earliest date was on which they were saying Iran had no nuclear program
** what reports were written on this
** to whom were they sent
and, most importantly,
** how, when and under whose direction the “changes” to prior NIEs came about.
THIS is the real story.
Bottom line, Bush/Cheney are using the same bullshit tactics to try to convince our great nation to go to war with the Persians. And in less than two minutes, he’s going to go on TV to try and justify it.
Talk about the boy who cried wolfowitz.
The intelligence “stovepipe” is still in place. These radicals will not back down, Iran is in their scopes. They have all ready pivoted, are spinning, lying, and will continue to push. They have a year to strike Iran.
Lots of articles about the intelligence “stovepipe”
http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2003/10/27/031027fa_fa
ct
Julian Borger at the Guardian and Justin Raimando were on it before the invasion.
TOMORROW MORNING THE DIANE REHM SHOW WILL BE FOCUSED ON THE NIE REPORT. Call in with your questions
http://wamu.org/programs/dr/07/12/05.php#18230
I listened to Diane everyday before the invasion she had a long list of guest and experts who were questioning the validity of the intelligence and the wisdom of a pre-emptive invasion of a country that had not attacked us. Including Brezinski, Albright, CIA analyst, Scott Ritter, General Zinni
etc.
On the list for guest tomorrow in regard to the NIE report will be Kenneth Pollack. Wonder how Pollack
is feeling about testifying in the upcoming (if Mukasey does not dismiss this trial) Aipac trial.
http://www.armscontrolwonk.com/750/ken-pollacks-eigh
t-point-plan-for-regime-change-in-iraq
http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:44EOLmn7HtUJ:www.fas.org/sgp/jud/aipac/memop110207.pdf+kenneth+pollack+usgo+2&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us
How was the NIE released and declassified so that it was made public?