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orichalcum at 12:57pm on 14/01/2008 under politics
orichalcum at 12:57pm on 14/01/2008 under politicsFrom Newsweek:
"In public, President Bush has been careful to reassure Israel and other allies that he still sees Iran as a threat, while not disavowing his administration's recent National Intelligence Estimate. That NIE, made public Dec. 3, embarrassed the administration by concluding that Tehran had halted its weapons program in 2003, which seemed to undermine years of bellicose rhetoric from Bush and other senior officials about Iran's nuclear ambitions. But in private conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert last week, the president all but disowned the document, said a senior administration official who accompanied Bush on his six-nation trip to the Mideast. "He told the Israelis that he can't control what the intelligence community says, but that [the NIE's] conclusions don't reflect his own views" about Iran's nuclear-weapons program, said the official, who would discuss intelligence matters only on the condition of anonymity."
Dear Lord in Heaven, may our next President not rely on his or her gut instinct.
"In public, President Bush has been careful to reassure Israel and other allies that he still sees Iran as a threat, while not disavowing his administration's recent National Intelligence Estimate. That NIE, made public Dec. 3, embarrassed the administration by concluding that Tehran had halted its weapons program in 2003, which seemed to undermine years of bellicose rhetoric from Bush and other senior officials about Iran's nuclear ambitions. But in private conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert last week, the president all but disowned the document, said a senior administration official who accompanied Bush on his six-nation trip to the Mideast. "He told the Israelis that he can't control what the intelligence community says, but that [the NIE's] conclusions don't reflect his own views" about Iran's nuclear-weapons program, said the official, who would discuss intelligence matters only on the condition of anonymity."
Dear Lord in Heaven, may our next President not rely on his or her gut instinct.
depressed
downright orwellian.
(no subject)
I don't mind gut instinct - it has a valuable role in solving problems. But a gut instinct totally removed from reality is a dangerous dangerous thing. I mean, hell. in this case, if your gut tells you the intelligence is wrong, you use that as a basis for getiing more and better intelligence. Not starting a war.
(no subject)
Yes, gut instinct which you use in terms of making judgments about people (something Bush is so good at) or asking for more info, great. But there are lots and lots of facts and professional expertise here, versus...what Bush wants to believe.
(no subject)
It's staggering that we've elected (twice, even) a leader who ignores years of research and work by experts over his own "gut instinct".
Next January can't come soon enough!