"Disappointed after failing to make their case on Iran and influence the outcome of the United States's National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) released this week, Military Intelligence will present its hard core evidence on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program on Sunday to the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff during a rare visit he will be making to Israel.
Admiral Michael Mullen will land in Israel Sunday morning for a 24-hour visit that will include a one-on-one meeting with IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, as well as with Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
Military Intelligence plans to present him with Israel's evidence that Iran is in fact developing nuclear weapons.
A defense official said Thursday:
"The report clearly shows that we did not succeed in making our case over the past year in the run-up to this report. Mullen's visit is an opportunity to try and fix that."
I'm disgusted by the Israelis, readers! What stinking scum!
In addition to Iran, Ashkenazi and his staff will also discuss with Mullen America's commitment for Israel to retain its qualitative edge. The presentations that Mullen will hear will be on a wide range of topics - including the Hamas buildup in the Gaza Strip, Egypt's failure to stop the smuggling of weapons into Gaza, Hizbullah activities in Lebanon, Syria and Iran.
Israel plans to take advantage of Mullen's visit to Israel to reinforce the already strong ties the IDF has with the Pentagon and the US armed forces. Appreciation for the IDF has increased within the Pentagon in recent months following the Israeli air strike on the alleged Syrian nuclear reactor.
Ugh! This is the Jerusalem Post, huh?
Also Thursday, China's government said it was studying the US intelligence review and remained steadfast in its opinion that talks were the way to end the standoff with Iran.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters at a regular briefing:
"We will earnestly study the report and make communications with relevant parties. China's position on the Iranian nuclear issue is that we support the international nuclear nonproliferation regime, and oppose proliferation of nuclear weapons, and we uphold a peaceful and stable Middle East."
Earlier this week, China's ambassador to the United Nations said the report raised concerns about new sanctions.
Chinese UN Ambassador Wang Guangya said Tuesday when asked whether the release of the intelligence estimate made the prospect of new UN sanctions less likely:
"I think the council members will have to consider that, because I think we all start from the presumption that now things have changed."
Meanwhile, US Vice President Dick Cheney on Thursday said he had no reason to doubt the intelligence assessment.
That's funny! Bolton and other assorted neo-cons are already griping!
Cheney stressed that the administration would not change its policy towards Iran, and told Politico.com:
"There's always the possibility that circumstances will change. But I think they've done the best job they can with the intelligence that's available. We still think there's a need to continue the course we've been on to persuade the Iranians not to enrich uranium."
I can't believe Dick said that. Must be a misquote!
Here's another blogger's take on it:
If at first you don't succeed, lie, lie again!" -- Mike Rivero of What Really Happened
You said it, Mike!!
And what were they saying in Israel?
Much Shrieking, Wailing and Gnashing of teeth online in today's Jerusalem Post
"Security and Defense: Dropping a bomb on Israel
O WHAT were the US intelligence agencies thinking when composing the new NIE report? Were they not concerned that such a report might embolden Iran and its radical leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and serve as an obstacle on the way to imposing a new round of sanctions by the United Nations Security Council?
Israeli officials who read the report said they were taken aback by its careful and almost self-contradictory wording. MK Ephraim Sneh, a former deputy defense minister, claimed to have found numerous contradictions in the report.
In addition to the Strategic Dialogue, Israel maintains a number of parallel lines of communication with the White House, Pentagon and the CIA which are used for sharing intelligence information on issues of mutual interest.
You mean a "parallel line of communicaton" to the White House like the OSP (Office of Special Plans) and the WHIG (White House Iraq Group) that stovepiped lies and disinformation to the White House and media when you sold us the war on Iraq?
Editor's Notes: Bushwhacked
By DAVID HOROVITZ
THE REPERCUSSIONS for Israel are potentially stark. If Israel's intelligence estimate is that Iran is closing in inexorably on a nuclear weapons capability, and if that estimate differs from the US and international stance, it may fall to Israel to make a choice between reconciling to a nuclear Iran or going it alone to stop the ayatollahs.
The strong sense in Washington is that even if the Bush administration is not going to act, the president would fully condone any action that Israel felt it needed to take. Yet as has been stated here and elsewhere before, Israel plainly lacks a military option as effective as it used to destroy Saddam Hussein's nuclear reactor at Osirak 26 years ago. Then, Israel targeted a single, unprotected facility, exploited the element of surprise and knew Saddam could neither rebuild nor effectively retaliate. With Iran, by contrast, there are multiple targets, all well-protected, full Iranian awareness that Israel has them within range, the expertise and the raw materials for Iran to rebuild after any attack, and a terrifying Iranian capacity to retaliate.
(Translation: Unless the US goes into Iran and does our dirty work for us, we won't, since we'd get our asses kicked. And Iraq's reactor wasn't protected because it was for generating energy, not making bombs.)
This columnist is near hysterical with her very selective comments and cherry-picked info that's presented.
Column One: The abandonment of the Jews
By CAROLINE GLICK
The alternative view - that Bush was forced to accept the report against his will - is also possible. The report's primary authors, Thomas Fingar, Vann Van Diepen and Kenneth Brill are all State Department officials on loan to the office of the Director of National Intelligence. According to the Wall Street Journal, all three are reputed to be deeply partisan and hostile to Bush's foreign policy goals. Furthermore, for the past four years the three have reportedly worked studiously to downplay the danger of Iran's nuclear weapons program and to discredit their opponents within the administration.
Thursday The New York Times ran a story detailing the process in which the NIE was collated that lends credence to the view that Bush was compelled to accept it. According to the Times, in the months preceding the NIE's publication, Mike McConnell, the Director of National Intelligence, purposely prevented the White House from seeing any of the raw intelligence data on which the NIE's radical conclusion on Iran was drawn. This alone indicates that the intelligence community may well have presented Bush with a fait accompli.
Question: Since when has the White House been prevented from seeing anything? You're saying you told Big Dick Cheney to take a hike when he asked for info?
Get outa here.
The NIE's message to Israel and world Jewry is clear. Again we are alone in our moment of peril. It is high time that our political and military leaders acknowledge this fact, stop hoping that someone else will save us, and get to work on defending us.
WTF? Again, you're alone in a moment of peril? The only peril is the neoCONs and Zionists controlling U.S. foreign policy and the U.S. military. Try another lie.
'US report ended attack option on Iran'
By JPOST.COM STAFF AND AP
"It looks like this ends the military option against Iran for now. Israel won't attack alone. Iran's facilities are too many and spread too far apart."
Conversely, Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilna'i suggested Friday that Israel would continue to consider a military strike in Iran, but said it would first seek to exhaust diplomatic efforts.
Gosh, Israel, i don't know what to say, except to stop your ethnic cleansing of the indigenous Palestinians and learn to live in peace with your neighbors.
Maybe even accept the numerous olive branches offered by various Arab leaders over the years.
Or continue down your self-destructive path to oblivion."
