Headlines for 12-03-07

US spies give shock verdict on Iran threat** US intelligence agencies undercut the White House today by disclosing for the first time that Iran has not been pursuing a nuclear weapons development programme for the last four years. The disclosure makes it harder for President George Bush and the vice-president, Dick Cheney, to make a case for a military strike against Iran next year. I know that there was some kind of wrangling over this NIE report. It was reported on not too long ago. There was some kind of rebellion in the intel community along the same lines as what happened in the runup to the Iraq war (where Cheney regularly pressured this community to come up with anything on Iraq). In light of that, it is safe to say that we've got some good guys on the case who stood their ground, and frankly, I couldn't be prouder. It's heartening.


Bombs away? ** First of all you have to note, from the public side, that very few Americans actually function as citizens anymore. What I mean by that are people who invest themselves in this country, people who care, who give a damn. Americans are primarily consumers today, and so long as they continue to wrap themselves in the cocoon of comfort, and the system keeps them walking down a road to the perceived path of prosperity, they don't want to rock the boat. If it doesn't have a direct impact on their day-to-day existence, they simply don't care.......The danger of going after Iran is that it is just not worth it. What we can lose is everything, and what we gain is nothing. So why do it? Apathy on the part of the American people is half the battle, as Ritter notes here, and I have mentioned in the past as well. Lobbies exploit the void left by an American populace which has largely turned a blind eye to the political status quo.


US Democrats want rethink on Iran ** Washington's Iran hawks are horrified. Boy. Is it a coincidence that Wolfowitz gets back in, or what?


Iran report frustrates US hawks The National Security Adviser, Stephen Hadley, said the report showed that the risk of Iran's acquiring a nuclear weapon remained a "very serious problem". And it should come as no surprise that Hadley is himself a neocon.


Iran 'has halted its nuclear weapons programme' The report was meant to be released last spring but was delayed to avoid the mistakes of a similar exercise on Iraq in 2002 which exaggerated Saddam Hussein's arsenal of weapons of mass destruction and cleared the way for the US-led invasion


Beijing backs fresh sanctions against Iran However, analysts said China would be reluctant to approve any action that would seriously affect its economic interests or reignite conflict in the region


IAEA inspects Russian fuel for Iran: factory


An Old Face Resurfaces Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has offered Wolfowitz, a prime architect of the Iraq War, a position as chairman of the International Security Advisory Board, a prestigious State Department panel, according to two department sources who declined to be identified discussing personnel matters. You have got to be kidding me.


From Nov 9: Cheney Tried to Stifle Dissent in Iran NIE There is a split in the intelligence community on how much of a threat the Iranian nuclear programme poses, according to the intelligence official?s account. Some analysts who are less independent are willing to give the benefit of the doubt to the alarmist view coming from Cheney?s office, but others have rejected that view.......Former CIA officer Philip Giraldi provided a similar account, based on his own sources in the intelligence community. He told IPS that intelligence analysts have had to review and rewrite their findings three times, because of pressure from the White House. Many thanks to the white hats who have the American cause planted firmly in their hearts and who have stuck to their guns.


White House blocking congressional Plame probe, chairman says Former administration spokesman Scott McClellan recently revealed that Bush and Cheney were among those "involved" in his passing along "false information" regarding the Plame scandal, making the committee's inquiry that much more pressing, Waxman says.


Pressure on Iran still justified: Britain


China FM in flurry of phone calls after US reported Iran 2003 nuclear halt


Ahmadinejad: Iran, Gulf nations unite


Iran proposes Gulf security pact


US intelligence aid implied in Turkish strike against PKK


Syria, Iraq reopen border crossing closed for over 3 years Syria and Iraq reopened a major border crossing Sunday, more than three years after Baghdad closed the passageway to stop foreign fighters from sneaking into its territory


Iran hails Gulf ties, Gulf Arabs tightlipped In the summit's opening speech, Qatar's ruler Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani said the meeting was taking place amid "serious threats" to the region's prosperity and security, without clarifying the threat.


Israel, SKorea FMs discuss nuclear proliferation in Mideast Livni urged South Korea to sever all economic and trade ties with Iran, which Israel and the West accuse of seeking to develop an atomic bomb under the guise of a civilian programme, a claim denied by Tehran.


Saudi eyes relaunch of Israel talks with Syria, Lebanon


The Lobby Strikes Back Israel is the only American aid recipient not required to account for how the money is spent. Washington uses its Security Council veto to shield Israel from critical UN resolutions and periodically issues bland statements lamenting the continued expansion of Israeli settlements on the Palestinian land the Jewish state has occupied since 1967. When Israel violates U.S. law, as it did in Lebanon by using American-made cluster bombs against civilian targets, a low-level official may issue a mild complaint. These fundamentals of the relationship go unchallenged by 95 percent of American politicians holding or running for national office.....in clearing the first path since the pivotal date of 9/11, these two authors have done their country a great service. Indeed.


Remarks at the U.S.-Palestinian Public-Private Partnership Promoting Economic and Educational Opportunities for the Palestinian People Well, let me just say on Gaza we've been very concerned that the humanitarian circumstances in Gaza be addressed. And I consider humanitarian to be a broad concept of humanitarian, and I think we need to look at that and keep pressing because we don't want innocent people in Gaza to suffer You won't do sh#t, Condi, but add a few more neocons to your posse. Not good for America, not good for Israel, not good for Palestinians.


Iraqis in Syria face food shortages About a third of Iraqi respondents in a recent United Nations study said they skipped one meal a day to feed their children. Nearly 60 percent said that they're buying cheaper, less nutritious food to cope with a dramatic increase in prices


Livni calls on Asian nations to reject Iranian overtures


It's time to talk about Israel's nukes, and ours, too Clearly, the Bush administration is not going to talk publicly about our understanding, if any, with Israel about its nuclear weapons. And no member of Congress is rushing to get into a subject as politically delicate as this one. That leaves it to those of us in private life to begin the debate, for the sake of the United States and Israel.