The
National Intelligence Estimate, which is the combined judgment of all of the intelligence agencies of the United States reports that the Iranian weapons program was mothballed as far back as 2003 and that all activity since then has been in the area of developing a peaceful energy program, just as the Iranians have been saying all along.
The report, which is in stark contrast to the alarmist rhetoric of the Administration, is the considered opinion
of 16 separate US intelligence agencies.
Dick Cheney, fearing that the report would derail administration plans to attack Iran, has been sitting on the information for over a year. On November 11, two former intelligence officers came forward with reports of the Administration's attempted cover-up.
Former
CIA officer Philip Giraldi said:
The National Intelligence Estimate has been revised and rewritten three times in a year, because of pressure from the White House...The House wants a document which it could use as evidence to justify its strategy towards Iran...They [the White House] have refused to publish the reports of these divergent appraisals," said the ex-officer.
Congress has requested a copy of the report suggesting that they intend to use it to halt the administration's drum beat for an attack on Iran. Senate majority leader, Senator Harry Reid, D Navada, said that the report is
“directly challenging some of this administration’s alarming rhetoric about the threat posed by Iran" He called for stepped up diplomatic efforts to reach an accommodation with the government in Tehran.
The estimate, which has finally overcome Administration attempts to hide it, is in stark contrast to the alarmist and hawkish language coming from some parts of the US administration. These strident and, as it turns out, inaccurate statements by President Bush have alarmed many Americans and roused fears that Bush intended to launch a preemptive attack on Iran without congressional approval. Speaking to those fears presidential hopeful
Senator Joe Biden threatened to impeach Bush if he took military action against Iran with out Congressional authorization.
This is not the first time that the Administration's bellicose rhetoric has been at odds with the truth and its calls for military action which later proved to be unjustified. Similar intelligence misjudgments were used to justify the disastrous invasion of Iraq.
