Comments on: Time: Why the Pentagon is happy about the NIE Update: Are we playing the Iranians’ paranoia against them?

By: fa366ee18d15

fa366ee18d15 — Thu, 15 May 2008 15:54:30 +0000

fa366ee18d15…

fa366ee18d1563c577ee…

By: Exit Zero

Exit Zero — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 15:27:06 +0000

What’s up with the N.I.E. report?…

The most cogent comment I’ve heard, thanks to Ben L.:

It’s a signal. First, they are obviously producing weapons grade uranium, which is a major component of a weapons program. Saying it’s not is silly. It would be like saying so……

By: Kralizec

Kralizec — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 02:23:02 +0000

Security Council action

This description helps sustain opinions among the Americans that the group really have anything to do with security and that they do meaningful work. If one uses such a false description, it seems good to mark the falsities:

“Security” Council “action”

By: Entelechy

Entelechy — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 02:04:10 +0000

You should’ve seen the grin that crept across my face when this possibility dawned on me.

Bryan on December 6, 2007 at 12:33 PM

Indeed. You should see my grin, knowing how little anyone, outside of those who should, will ever know. This is Big, as Mr.Been says.

By: drunyan8315

drunyan8315 — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 23:57:49 +0000

do you really think our government is telling you everything? Please.

Which government would that be? The one I got to vote for, or the one that controls the media and the CIA, and works on behalf of international leftism and/or the Democrat party? The legitimate US government might lie to me to fool our enemies, but the illegitinate one that has defacto power right now will lie to fool me and leak our enemies the truth. Our defacto government in hiding had better be turfed out before something terrible happens, and people decide to turf it for themselves.

By: rockhauler

rockhauler — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 20:10:21 +0000

I go with

Lehuster on December 6, 2007 at 1:22 PM

Some of the other points of view are equally valid; you really can’t know until after the fact. So it is best to prepare for the worst, and hope for the best…

Anyone here remember the UK/BBC movie/TV series “Smiley’s People”? I tried to watch it but couldn’t keep up with who was doing what to whom.

Same thing with this NIE.

By: abinitioadinfinitum

abinitioadinfinitum — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 20:04:07 +0000

gator70 on December 6, 2007 at 2:50 PM

I hope our government is not telling everything but when you put out a report like this that has the Democrats celebrating that Bush is wrong and Iran is not our enemy and can be trusted and we should talk to them ect, ect…
-
It looks to me like it only ties the hands of our military from taking action that may be much needed.
-
If that is a big illusion that our intelligence is putting over on Iran, I’m all for it. But I have big doubts.

By: HerrMorgenholz

HerrMorgenholz — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 19:54:08 +0000

This opens the possibility that we have turned some very high level Iranian officials. Police state governments like Iran’s tend to engage in purges at the hint of betrayal.

An interesting observation in light of the defection of Gen. Ashgari to the US. Now we believe that Iran shut down their program. At least the General’s family is safe: in Teheran. Why would a defector leave his wife and kids? Interesting observation, indeed.

By: gator70

gator70 — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 19:50:07 +0000

Maybe some of you give the “republican guards” too much credit. As always the enemy is looked upon as the professionals, and our guys are incompetent. We can play games as good as anyone else, hell we invented most of em. do you really think our government is telling you everything? Please.

By: Frozen Tex

Frozen Tex — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 18:58:29 +0000

Tony737 on December 6, 2007 at 1:48 PM

Glad to be of service.

By: saus

saus — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 18:58:24 +0000

Interesting post, but I’m not as rosy on the American intel efforts. I don’t think you turned anyone high up in the Iranian administration & frankly the religious aspect of the society leaves me very skeptical any big fish (if you are a big fish in Iran, you’re a hardcore Muslim) will be caught in the future.

I think NSA just snatched some keywords on all the electronic buzz over Iran, and managed to snag audio of a conversation or two, like a cell conversation by that scientist mentioned. If there was a source, I don’t think the NIE would contain the much milder ‘moderate’ assessment of whether the program has re-started.

Further, if this mostly came from notes & an audio conversation of a single technician or scientist that isn’t heading up the covert programs I think the Iranians are laughing right now, because the chances of a medium or even senior scientist knowing anything beyond the 4 walls around him is near zero in a regime like this. The Republican Guards run the covert programs, it’s not Berkley you know what I mean?

I guess I won’t mince words, I think the US intel sucks.

By: U.S. intelligence goes 180 on Iran.

U.S. intelligence goes 180 on Iran. — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 18:54:54 +0000

[...] at Hot-Air, a much more interesting discussion concerning the opinion of the Pentagon and some interesting developments in our information [...]

By: Wyrd

Wyrd — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 18:48:51 +0000

I am cynical enough to wonder if these high ranking Iranians aren’t just planting information to hide a real Iranian nuke program. Now that they have hoodwinked the west, they can continue building a nuke without any fears. And if anyone acts against them they will have the world media on their side.

By: Tony737

Tony737 — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 18:48:22 +0000

“Send in the next traitor.” – Tex

The visual you’ve created in my mind takes me to my Happy Place. Thank you Tex, you’re quickly becoming my favorite HotHead!

By: crosspatch

crosspatch — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 18:26:02 +0000

“It is evident, however, that the U.S. military, already strained by wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, has no appetite for a third war.”

Congress is making sure the military doesn’t have the money to any additional strikes.

By: abinitioadinfinitum

abinitioadinfinitum — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 18:25:45 +0000

Lehuster on December 6, 2007 at 1:22 PM

Possibly, Remember the Iranians invented chess.

By: Egfrow

Egfrow — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 18:24:06 +0000

This NIE report is also cofusing the hell out of the Russians and the Chinese. They may interpret this NIE as a huge shift in strategy and will scramble to re-evaluate our previous actions as possible slight of hand mis-direction.

By: Lehuster

Lehuster — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 18:22:13 +0000

We’re disclosing an interesting turn of events here, namely, that we have tapped communications at very high levels of the Iranian government. But we’re not disclosing whose communications have been compromised, or how they have been compromised. This opens the possibility that we have turned some very high level Iranian officials.

More likely we are being played for suckers as part of an Iranian disinformation scheme, which, it must be added, would not be the first time that Iranian intelligence has played us for suckers.

By: TheEJS

TheEJS — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 17:53:04 +0000

I don’t see the Air Force brass going along with a plan by anyone, given the nature of it being the most politicized and outspoken. Besides the usage of F-22 and other weapon systems, the AF would be in a better position to scream for more money after the shift to the land-based components in the last several years.

Either the report was fudged by leftist politics in the final stage (as Bolton claims) or it could be a double-blind, seeing which rabbit hole the Iranians pop out of.

By: Frozen Tex

Frozen Tex — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 17:37:40 +0000

“Police state governments like Iran’s tend to engage in purges at the hint of betrayal.”

The thought of Iran killing its own loyal islamofascist extemists out of paranoia makes me smile :-)

Tony737 on December 6, 2007 at 12:26 PM

“But, but, but… I serve Allah! I mean, I serve Iran! I mean, I mean, I serve you… wait! Wait! Nooo…!”

BANG

“Send in the next traitor…”

By: Bryan

Bryan — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 17:33:47 +0000

Tony737 on December 6, 2007 at 12:26 PM

You should’ve seen the grin that crept across my face when this possibility dawned on me.

By: Tony737

Tony737 — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 17:26:40 +0000

“Police state governments like Iran’s tend to engage in purges at the hint of betrayal.”

The thought of Iran killing its own loyal islamofascist extemists out of paranoia makes me smile :-)

By: VinceP1974

VinceP1974 — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 17:22:20 +0000

I guess our idiot country is waiting to get nuked before it does a f’ing thing.

*disillusionment*

By: abinitioadinfinitum

abinitioadinfinitum — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 16:56:34 +0000

This Nuclear Report was based on notes of Iranian officials. Jerusalem Post short article

By: Frozen Tex

Frozen Tex — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 16:44:49 +0000

Europe to Iran: “Come on, I really want to help you out here, really I do, but if you don’t give me something to work with soon, I won’t be able to hold him (gestures towards US) back anymore! C’mon, do you really want that?”