Is World War III on Hold?

[bemildred]

Don't usually post Pat B., but ...

The White House campaign to stampede this nation into war, to smash Iran's nuclear facilities before she acquires the capability to build an atom bomb, has been derailed, probably for the duration of the Bush presidency.

And the Bush policy — to leave the military option on the table while pressing China, Russia and NATO to back tougher sanctions in the Security Council — has been torpedoed.

Who are the sappers of the Bush policy? The leaders of the 16 intelligence agencies Bush commands. For even as he was raising the specter of "nuclear holocaust" and "World War III," those 16 agencies downgraded and virtually dismissed the threat, by declaring that Iran suspended its drive for nuclear weapons — in 2003.

To have the intelligence community make a public declaration that undermines the foreign policy of a president, even as it calls his credibility into question, is unprecedented.

So, the US equivalent of the Praetorian Guard is thinking over the realities of who really holds power in the National Security State ...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/uc/20071214/cm_uc_crpbux/op_334670

[Berry Cool]

1. Hey, somebody had to do it.

Lord knows Congress was too timid to even try.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

2. Thank (insert preferred higher power) for the intelligence agencies

I'm currently reading "Hubris" by Michael Isikoff and David Corn who document how intelligence agencies, particularly the CIA under George Tenet, were browbeat into helping advance the (mis-)Administration's laughable case for invading Iraq. It's nice (not to mention amazing) that they managed to avoid being used as tools to advance this (mis-)administration's insane "unlimited war" agenda currently focused on Iran.

[Demeter]

3. k&r And I Don't Care If It's Buchanan If It's the Truth!