Diplomacy

Bush Insists Iran Remains a Threat Despite Arms Data

Excerpt:

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 — President Bush warned on Tuesday that Iran remained a threat despite an intelligence assessment that it had halted a covert program to develop nuclear weapons four years ago, as the administration struggled to save a diplomatic process now in disarray.

Stephen J. Hadley, the national security adviser, at a White House news conference on Tuesday. President Bush and his senior aides are trying to hold together the group of nations seeking to rein in Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Once again facing criticism over the handling — and meaning — of intelligence reports, Mr. Bush said the new assessment underscored the need to intensify international efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

He said Iran could not be entrusted with acquiring even the scientific knowledge to enrich uranium for peaceful civilian use, explicitly declaring for the first time what has been an underlying premise of the administration’s policy. He also appeared to rule out any new diplomatic initiative with the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

“Look, Iran was dangerous, Iran is dangerous, and Iran will be dangerous, if they have the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon,” Mr. Bush said during a news conference dominated by questions about the fallout of the assessment, known as a National Intelligence Estimate. “What’s to say they couldn’t start another covert nuclear weapons program?”

...

Ugh. The conniving deceptiveness of this man and his administration. Trying to lead us into the same bullshit that led us to Iraq in the first place. What a fucktard (how intellectual am I). I'm envisioning another political cartoon. Bush as Rambo, bedecked with armaments, and severely disappointed to discover upon his entering the battle scene the enemy is sipping tea, saying he's too late.

Whatever happened to diplomacy?

And on that note, Uncle Robert is moving today to Jerusalem, where he will be working in the governor's palace with Condoleezza Rice and Tony Blair. Awesome.