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Stupid Intelligence on Iran

[Wall Street Journal] James Schlesinger - The release of "key judgments" from the National Intelligence Estimate - including the bald assertion "that in fall 2003, Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program" - has caused both astonishment at home and consternation overseas, where it has resulted in confusion about America's policy goals and steadiness. The crucial decision, hidden in a footnote, was to define the "nuclear weapons program" which had been halted to mean only "Iran's weapon design and weaponization work and covert...uranium enrichment-related work." Thus it excludes Iran's overt enrichment program. We have long understood that the production of fissile material, whether overt or covert, remains "the long pole in the tent" in the development of a nuclear capability. Thus the NIE defines away what has been the main element stirring international alarm regarding Iran's nuclear activity. The writer is a former U.S. secretary of defense, secretary of energy, and director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
2007-12-26 01:00:00
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