The Politicization of Intelligence

With ChimpHitler out of office the only context the phrase “Politicization of Intelligence” will be used in will be to describe what happened ion the past.

Like the 2007 NIE determination in Iran’s nuclear program rejecting the idea that Iran was working towards an offensive nuclear capability.

And the reaction to that determination.

From Think Progress

But even with Cheney’s meddling, this NIE makes it clear that there is no imminent danger from Iran’s nuclear program. Newsweek’s Howard Fineman recently reported that the intelligence community is trying to send a message to “slow down what the president, most particularly the vice president” in what they “want to do in Iran.”

The NY Times

A new assessment by American intelligence agencies concludes that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003 and that the program remains frozen, contradicting judgment two years ago that Tehran was working relentlessly toward building a nuclear bomb.

NPR

A new U.S. intelligence report on Iran says that Tehran may be able to develop a nuclear weapon between 2010 and 2015. But the National Intelligence Estimate finds that Iran halted its nuclear weapons development program in the fall of 2003 due to international pressure — contradicting claims by the Bush administration.

ABC News

In a stunning reversal of Bush administration conventional wisdom, a new assessment by U.S. intelligence agencies concludes Iran shelved its nuclear weapons program over four years ago.

Salon.com

The latest National Intelligence Estimate on Iran's nuclear program raises questions once again about the Bush administration's veracity in describing a nuclear threat.

Considering how certain the agencies contributing to the 2007 NIE were and just how despicable the above commenters (and a whole host more) thought that Bush/Cheney’s lies were with respect to the 2007 NIE, this certainly comes as a surprise.

Little more than a year after U.S. spy agencies concluded that Iran had halted work on a nuclear weapon, the Obama administration has made it clear that it believes there is no question that Tehran is seeking the bomb. In his news conference this week, President Obama went so far as to describe Iran's "development of a nuclear weapon" before correcting himself to refer to its "pursuit" of weapons capability.
Obama's nominee to serve as CIA director, Leon E. Panetta, left little doubt about his view last week when he testified on Capitol Hill. "From all the information I've seen," Panetta said, "I think there is no question that they are seeking that capability."

God help these people if Iran gets its hands on a nuclear weapon because they though it was better to score some poltical poitns against the former admisntration than confront a manical Islamic regime hell bent on becoming a nuclear power.

In thier quest to "slow down what the president, most particularly the vice president" they may have ensured a much wider and dealier conflict to come.