The National Intelligent Estimate on Iran was released yesterday. The NIE represents the combined wisdom (?) of all the U.S. intelligence agencies. It said that Iran had ceased their nucular weapons program like four years ago. Of course, the Bush administration was very aware of this and has been actively sitting on the information while actively rattling sabers about airstrikes on Iran and talking about WWIII.
I'd like to be able to conjure up a cogent syllogism to define why this may have happened but I can't seem to figure it out. Here's all I can figure:
1. It's better for the Republicans to be on a war footing because they feel it helps them politically.
2. Republicans, especially Cheney, hates and distrusts the CIA.
3. There is some precedent for not trusting the CIA, especially as it applies to WMD in the Middle East.
4. Releasing the report could make the Bush administration look silly, given all the saber rattling.
What I don't get is that the administration knew the report would eventually be made public, so why the runup to WWIII which is only likely to stir memories of them charging into Iraq under false pretenses...and all of this in the middle of a presidential election? Has their political acumen been so far reduced by the resignation of Rove? Do they really think that the public will buy the "we don't trust the CIA" rubrik? Why didn't they trumpet this to high-heavens when they found out about it, thereby equating Iran with the likes of Libya as a nation that was cowed into submission by their brilliant invasion of Iraq?
This just doesn't make sense to me.
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