This is clearly against Cheney's wishes as it ratchets down the Iran-strike justification at least through Bush's term.

It seems more like some Cuban missile crisis messaging back and forth from more moderate elements in the Bush administration (everything being relative!) to more moderate elements of the religious leaders of Iran.

If time-travel were possible, then one could say that the Kyl-Lieberman anti-Iran resolution of 2007 caused Iran to give up trying to produce nuclear weapons in 2003. That makes as much sense as any of the spin that White House officials such as Stephen Hadley are trying to put on this NIE report.

And how fast do you think that the Iranian negotiators are going to seize on this NIE report to deflect the new push in the U.N. security council for stronger sanctions? One half of the Iran argument all along has been that their enrichment program is their right under the non-proliferation treaty. Now they can cite the NIE report for the other half of their argument, that they are not now wanting to build nuclear weapons, is also true.

"The decision to release an unclassified version of the Key Judgments of this NIE was made when it was determined that doing so was in the interest of our nation’s security."

translated: protecting the world from neocon crazies inside our own government is now an issue of national security.

i couldn't agree more...

CYA at the CIA

Is it possible that this report has been released to goad the Iranians into declaring that they do indeed have a nuclear program in place? And possibly back it up with some kind of data?

Wasn't a fabricated program partly to blame for Saddam's troubles? Exactly who is playing whom here?

The entire issue has a real "Alice through the looking glass" quality to it that spins into layers of bizarre mis/dis/certifiable but not verifiable information.

Maybe the Dove's get to publish the NIE, while the Neocons get telecom immunity?

Now what are the Republican Presidential candidates and Hillary Clinton going to do now there is no reason to bomb Iran?

If this bombing issue is off the table it
makes it better for republican candidates
as they won't have to be asked the Question
"will you bomb Iran."?

I watched FOX so you don't have to.

I wanted to see Charles Krauthammer eat crow. The good Doctor has repeatedly predicted/encouraged bombing Iran. First the other two "All Stars", Morton Kondracke and Fred Barnes, mumbled some incoherent nonsense. I'm not being pedantic. Their words made no sense. I am going to have to look a transcript.

Then Dr. K had his turn and did what all good neo-cons do when they are proven wrong, he praised himself and attacked Democrats.

To paraphrase the good Dr. (No Transcript yet)

"I at least can say yes to good news, unlike Democrats who cannot accept the good news coming out of Iraq."

He apparently hasn't heard Murtha lately.

Krauthammer then went on to say the NIE this will strengthen Americas hand in building a sanctions coalition. Even Brit Hume seemed taken aback on that one. "It will?" huffed Hume.

How can even the Republican faithful swallow this swill. Look out Brit, a few more performances like this and you may find yourself with a fembot attached to your hip like that poor John Gibson fellow.

MsD & Youffraita: All things being equal , which they never are , I agree, but more ...I think it suggests that even seasoned vets of information distortion and game playing can , upon entering the Bush-Cheney inner sanctum and seeing the crayola 'explosion' drawings and piles of slit-throated chickens, react with human-like disgust and revulsion, and still to this day be shocked into acting like a person and a being with a soul and conscience. I see it more and more often , fewer and fewer old-school creeps able to stand by this gang . Perhaps among them is a real person, who will bring this rancid criminal enterprise to real light . Untill then , we'll make do with scared-dumb apparatchiks sending faxes late at night .

Well, I posted a little bit ago at Emptywheel's new blog that it may be an insurrection at the central intelligence agency or NSA. If they threatened mass resignations like some of the generals did, that might have given the powers that be pause enough to allow the NIE to be published. You know, like a list of demands works in a prison riot.

Actually, I think this is a far more effective way of fighting the neocons than just resigning from your job as McConnell said he would if he found any cherry picking of intelligence. Much smarter to expose it publicly, so all I can say is, let the sun shine in!

I am interested in what Lieberman is going to spin about this. He was SO invested in bombing Iran!

"Could it be that Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell is trying to signal his opposition to a war with Iran?"

You're kidding, right?

No. It means the White House thinks it can weave its bullshit into gold and told McConnell to release the NIE. They think they can snow the American public once again.

U