From Reuters (via Yahoo News), another example of the sort of bias and spin employed by the DeMSM as they report on the Bush administration:
"A new U.S. intelligence report says Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003 and it remains on hold, contradicting the Bush administration's earlier assertion that Tehran was intent on developing a bomb."
But this statement, attributing the assertion that Iran was pursuing nuclear weapons to the Bush administration, is contradicted by Reuters' own article, which says the current NIE "...marked a sharp contrast to an intelligence report two years ago that stated Iran was 'determined to develop nuclear weapons.'"
You see? When the intelligence community says Iran is pursuing nukes, that's a Bush administration assertion. When the same intelligence community says Iran is not pursuing nukes, that's the intelligence community contradicting the administration.
And how does Reuters know with such high confidence which of these two contradictory assessments from the same intelligence community is the correct one? They don't, they're simply assuming that the one they like is the right one.
"Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, who have repeatedly accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, were briefed on the new NIE last Wednesday."
No, they have repeatedly relied on the earlier intelligence assesment, that said "Iran was 'determined to develop nuclear weapons.'" Reuters is again attributing to the administration those assessments Reuters doesn't want to hear.
Administration officials denied the new NIE had exposed a serious intelligence lapse but could not explain how agencies failed to detect for four years that Iran's nuclear weapons program had been halted.
And again, Reuters assumes the more recent NIE is the correct one. Why is the latest one right, and the one two years ago wrong? Because it fits their agenda, end of issue.
We don't know which assessment is correct, but neither does Reuters. Apparently, neither does the intelligence community -Reuters reports:
...the latest NIE concluded: "We do not know whether (Iran) currently intends to develop nuclear weapons."
That's a real confidence builder from our multi-million dollar intelligence apparatus.
But given the always-present uncertainty (see Iraq for example), should the benefit of the doubt be given to the crazy leaders of Iran, who routinely call for genocide against Israel and shout "Death to America"?
Others:
More spin from the NY Times
Michelle Malkin has a short roundup
Blogs on the left seem to be taking the Reuters line - this NIE is Gospel - unsurprisingly
Five Questions Concerning the Latest NIE
The latest is designates as being "correct" BECAUSE STEVE HADLEY IN THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION AND THE NIE ITSELF SAYS SO and not because of any spin by Reuters.
In fact, there no reason to believe the current NIE when it claims that IRan had a nuclear weapons program in 2003 - the IAEA has certainly not found any evidence of that.
Comment by hass — December 3, 2007 @ 7:04 pm December 3, 2007
The NIE is accurate because the NIE says the NIE is accurate? Good joke, hass.
Comment by The Editors — December 3, 2007 @ 7:13 pm December 3, 2007
I'm glad that those that want to attack Iran are losing political influence. First, the Neocons tell us that attacking Iraq is necessary due to WMD in Iraq. What do we discover? No WMD in Iraq.
Next, after spending nearly as trillion dollars on an unnecessary war in Iraq, the Neocons tell us that a war in Iran must be seriously considered (even though we know that the Neocon politicians are Hellbent on invading another country for Defense Contractor billions to be reaped, Energy company profits from a higher per-barrel oil price after invading Iran...$200 per barrel, anyone?)
I'm glad that cooler heads are prevailing, even though Rupert Murdock, Roger Ailes, Dick Cheney, Stephen Hadley, James Woolsey, Douglas Feith, and the rest of the Neocon crazies would love more war.
Just stop it. America needs no more war. The American People need for the Neocons to start making an honest living. Stop propagandizing to start more war. Americans are tired of your crying "wolf".
Comment by roberts — December 3, 2007 @ 8:54 pm December 3, 2007
I've been reading various versions of this story and it's funny to see the differences in spin. Compare this, fox, and haaretz with reuters, the AP, Guardian, BBC.
Comment by Abe — December 3, 2007 @ 11:03 pm December 3, 2007
[...] A clue to the severity of White House dementia may be found in the American Federalist Journal, which denounces as “biased” the rather bland account of the NIE by Reuters: [...]
Pingback by DisarmamentActivist.org » Iran Daily Opinion Service 4 December — December 3, 2007 @ 11:29 pm December 3, 2007
Iran Has Shelved Nuke Program
How incredible! How incredibly convenient! It seems the National Intelligence Estimate has been declassified and guess what - NIE Report: Iran Halted Nuclear Weapons Program Years Ago.
ABC News’ Martha Raddatz, Jonathan Karl, Luis Ma...
Trackback by Blue Star Chronicles — December 4, 2007 @ 12:17 am December 4, 2007
roberts,
But no one has said they want to attack Iran. And the intelligence community said Iraq had WMD, not the "neocons", whatever that means. Every word in your comment is a demented fantasy.
Comment by The Editors — December 4, 2007 @ 8:22 am December 4, 2007