Submit your comments on this article | ||
Home Front: Politix | ||
NIE: An Abrupt About-Face | ||
2007-12-06 | ||
Consider that on July 11, 2007, roughly four or so months prior to the most recent NIEÂ’s publication, Deputy Director of Analysis Thomas Fingar gave the following testimony before the House Armed Services Committee: Iran and North Korea are the states of most concern to us. The United StatesÂ’ concerns about Iran are shared by many nations, including many of IranÂ’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. This paragraph appeared under the subheading: "Iran Assessed As Determined to Develop Nuclear Weapons." And the entirety of FingarÂ’s 22-page testimony was labeled "Information as of July 11, 2007." No part of it is consistent with the latest NIE, in which our spooks tell us Iran suspended its covert nuclear weapons program in 2003 "primarily in response to international pressure" and they "do not know whether (Iran) currently intends to develop nuclear weapons." The inconsistencies are more troubling when we realize that, according to the Wall Street Journal, Thomas Fingar is one of the three officials who were responsible for crafting the latest NIE. The Journal cites "an intelligence source" as describing Fingar and his two colleagues as "hyper-partisan anti-Bush officials." (The New York Sun drew attention to one of FingarÂ’s colleagues yesterday.) So, if it is true that Dr. Fingar played a leading role in crafting this latest NIE, then we are left with serious questions: Why did your opinion change so drastically in just four months time? Many in the mainstream press have been willing to cite this latest NIE unquestioningly. Perhaps they should start asking some pointed questions. (DonÂ’t hold your breath.)
| ||
Posted by:Steve White |
#10 Never attribute to malice what can be explained by simple incompetence, gorb. One and the same here, now that I think about it. Anything that incompetent is bound to end up being used (and used maliciously, as this NIE has been), and anything that is such a tool must be incompetant. In any case, they're doomed. There is no hope for the current American intelligence community in my eyes. It's going to be impossible to flush out the players, so we may as well flush the whole thing and start again. It needs a structure that can't be hijacked with honest folks running things and policing the products the service provides at all levels. |
Posted by: gorb 2007-12-06 23:37 |
#9 I have no problem with that, and love the smell of deception because it smells like Victory. |
Posted by: bman 2007-12-06 14:43 |
#8 Vann van Diepan is a long time Dept of State bureaucrat who, according to this Sun article, has been trying for 5 years to get the US to accept Iran's right to enrich uranium. Fingar until recently as the Asst. Secy of State for Intelligence & Research. His languages include Chinese and German - he has no expertise in the middle east. Brill used to serve as US ambassador to the IAEA, where he singularly failed to object strenuously to much of anything. |
Posted by: lotp 2007-12-06 13:16 |
#7 bman and your problem with that is? Bolton had some interesting things to say about the NIE. Moreover common sense falls into place exposing the NIE report as fairly land tales. Iran is seeking 50,000 centrifuges for,,, making icecream? |
Posted by: Icerigger 2007-12-06 12:56 |
#6 The CIA still sucks but before we get to far ahead of ourselves lets figure out where these 3 stooges (Fingar, Brill, and Vann van Diepen) really are. I've read in other articles that these guys are with Negroponte in the DNI office. And all you really need to know that somethings not right is say Vann van Diepen. What the hell sort of name is that besides elitest snob? |
Posted by: danking70 2007-12-06 11:31 |
#5 the "peace conference" was never about peace. It was about isolating the Iranians, the price of oil, and separating Syria. Israel gave away nothing, but they did get to gloat about blowing away the Syrian Nuke plant. |
Posted by: bman 2007-12-06 10:05 |
#4 While I am ranting: Closing shop at CIA is not enough. Until the traitors with tenure at our "elite" universities are all fired, we will get nothing but generation after generation of indoctrinated self-hating Americans from which to recruit staff for CIA, the State Department, etc. etc. The rot runs deep. |
Posted by: Excalibur 2007-12-06 09:36 |
#3 Another double-bind: If the NIE had continued to claim Iran was developing nuclear weapons the left would have denounced its findings - based on press clippings, from what I can make out - only to embrace them if the findings support their only war aim, i.e. to discredit President Bush. Frankly, with this latest farcical conference for peace in the middle east the President needs no help in discrediting himself. But by all means, fire everyone at CIA. Start again. |
Posted by: Excalibur 2007-12-06 09:35 |
#2 Never attribute to malice what can be explained by simple incompetence, gorb. |
Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2007-12-06 08:12 |
#1 Seems to me that the leadership of the American intelligence community has overtly become a political tool. Time to plow it under and start from scratch. There may be an honest one here and there, but it will be too difficult to sort them out. |
Posted by: gorb 2007-12-06 02:10 |