http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/nie/ en-us Tue, 14 Apr 2009 02:52:39 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2228520/posts WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 — A new assessment by American intelligence agencies released Monday concludes that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003 and that the program remains frozen, contradicting a judgment two years ago that Tehran was working relentlessly toward building a nuclear bomb. New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2228520/posts#comment Tue, 14 Apr 2009 02:52:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2184678/posts Al-Qaeda is "less capable and effective" than it was a year ago after a series of damaging blows that have killed key leaders in Pakistan's tribal areas, the new US intelligence chief said. Nevertheless, retired admiral Dennis Blair, the director of national intelligence, said Al-Qaeda was still planning attacks on the West and is believed to view Europe as a "viable launching point." AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2184678/posts#comment Fri, 13 Feb 2009 06:30:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2159540/posts President-elect Barack Obama is expected to nominate Retired Admiral Dennis Blair as director of national intelligence, according to media reports Monday Wall Street Journal online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2159540/posts#comment Tue, 6 Jan 2009 14:04:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2137034/posts Intelligence: Our spy agencies have taken another look into their crystal ball and see a long period of American decline. We're betting they aren't any more accurate on this prediction than they've been on others in the past. The National Intelligence Estimate put out periodically by the nation's 17 spy agencies is intended to serve as a road map for future policy actions. Unfortunately, the one just released takes a lot of wrong turns. It warns, for instance, of Russia once again rising in global affairs — in part because global warming will be a boon to that nation's sprawling... Investor's Business Daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2137034/posts#comment Sun, 23 Nov 2008 19:10:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2035109/posts The New York Times reported last week that Israel carried out a major military exercise in early June that appears to be a rehearsal “…to develop the military’s capacity to carry out long-range strikes and to demonstrate the seriousness with which Israel views Iran’s nuclear program.” More than 100 Israeli warplanes -- including F-16 and F-15 fighters, refueling tankers and helicopters for pilot rescue - participated in the maneuvers in the eastern Mediterranean. The message of the exercise, concludes the Times, was that Israel is prepared to act militarily if diplomatic efforts fail to stop Iran’s nuclear program. Such an... Human Events http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2035109/posts#comment Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:48:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2024975/posts For most of 2007, concerns about Iran grew louder. This situation changed dramatically in December, with the release of the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iran's nuclear intentions and capabilities. The NIE, which assessed that Iran had ceased its covert weapons program in 2003, was widely interpreted to indicate that Iran was no longer a threat. As a result, questions were raised whether U.S.-led efforts to ratchet up financial pressure against Tehran, through both UN sanctions and unilateral measures, remained either necessary or viable. In reality, even if Iran no longer has an active covert nuclear weapons program, there would... The Washington Institute for Near East Policy http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2024975/posts#comment Mon, 2 Jun 2008 21:00:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2017138/posts Washington and Tel Aviv vow to take 'tangible action' to prevent Iran from acquiring 'nuclear weapons', an Israeli spokesman says. Israeli premier Ehud Olmert's spokesman, Mark Regev, said on Friday that the diplomatic efforts to exert pressure on Iran to give up its uranium enrichment have so far been insufficient. "It is clear that additional steps will have to be taken," he continued. "We are on the same page. We both see the threat... And we both understand that tangible action is required to prevent the Iranians from moving forward on a nuclear weapon," said the Israeli spokesman. Regev then... Press TV http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2017138/posts#comment Sat, 17 May 2008 00:16:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1998154/posts Democratic leaders called the latest National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iraq ‘s assessment of President Bush’s “surge” strategy “incredible.” General David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, the top U.S. diplomat in Baghdad are said to be facing a tough grilling when they give testimony to key congressional committees this week. “To be blunt, I find the report incredible—as in hard to believe,” Senator Carl Levin (D-Mich.) said. “The claim that there has been significant progress in Iraq directly contradicts what the Democratic leadership in congress and our two presidential candidates have been saying. It... AZCONSERVATIVE http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1998154/posts#comment Mon, 7 Apr 2008 23:06:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1996857/posts WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Senior Democratic senators challenged a new intelligence report's assessment of President Bush's "surge" strategy Friday, saying the troop increase in Iraq has failed to achieve its strategic goals. The classified National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq, which was distributed to key lawmakers this week, sets the stage for the latest public progress report on Iraq that will be delivered Tuesday and Wednesday to congressional committees by Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, the top U.S. diplomat in Baghdad. "In my judgment, it's too rosy, but there are parts of it that... cnn http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1996857/posts#comment Fri, 4 Apr 2008 20:24:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1996745/posts When a summary of the N.I.E. on Iran’s nuclear weapons program was released in October 2007, Democrats wasted no time in citing its “findings” that Iran had halted its nuclear weapons program. Prominent party members dashed in front of cameras and microphones to bolster their claims that Tehran was ripe for dialogue and the Bush administration was wrong to think otherwise: Commentary Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1996745/posts#comment Fri, 4 Apr 2008 16:43:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1996439/posts WASHINGTON - A new classified intelligence assessment on Iraq says there has been significant progress in security since the last assessment was delivered in August, a senior military official said. In most ways the new National Intelligence Estimate hews closely to the one delivered nine months ago. That document spoke of security gains since the increase in troop levels began in January 2007, the continued high rate of violence and uneven progress on the part of Iraqi security forces. "It does not differ significantly from August's NIE," a congressional official said in describing the document. The officials spoke on condition... AP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1996439/posts#comment Fri, 4 Apr 2008 01:31:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1996440/posts WASHINGTON - A new classified intelligence assessment on Iraq says there has been significant progress in security since the last assessment was delivered in August, a senior military official said. In most ways the new National Intelligence Estimate hews closely to the one delivered nine months ago. That document spoke of security gains since the increase in troop levels began in January 2007, the continued high rate of violence and uneven progress on the part of Iraqi security forces. "It does not differ significantly from August's NIE," a congressional official said in describing the document. The officials spoke on condition... Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1996440/posts#comment Fri, 4 Apr 2008 01:32:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1989343/posts President Bush said Thursday that Iran has declared that it wants to be a nuclear power with a weapon to "destroy people," including others in the Middle East, contradicting the judgments of a recent U.S. intelligence estimate. The president spoke in an interview intended to reach out to the Iranian public on the Persian new year and to express "moral support" for struggling freedom movements, particularly among youth and women. It was designed to stress U.S. support for Iran's quest for nuclear energy and the prospects that Washington and Tehran can "reconcile their differences" if Iran cooperates with the international... The Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1989343/posts#comment Fri, 21 Mar 2008 13:39:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1979578/posts Old paradigm: Iranian nuclear program no threat to the West. New paradigm: Iran lied about its weaponization and may still be pursuing weapons. The IAEA now wants Iran to prove it isn’t developing weapons, and this time the Europeans have taken the lead in demanding answers: Last Monday, the chief United Nations nuclear inspector gathered ambassadors and experts from dozens of nations in a boardroom high above the Danube in Vienna and laid out a trove of evidence that he said raised new questions about whether Iran had tried to design an atom bomb. For more than two hours, representatives... Hot Air http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1979578/posts#comment Mon, 3 Mar 2008 14:53:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1976482/posts Julius and Ethel Rosenberg have gone down in history to stand beside Judas as among the world’s most notorious traitors (it wasn’t fair that the US had the atomic bomb but Soviet Russia didn’t). Perhaps someday soon, the liberal holdovers from the Clinton Administration who strongly influenced the publication of the National Intelligence Estimate that Iran had stopped its efforts to develop a nuclear weapons capability will join the Rosenbergs in their special place in hell. From Sea to Shining Sea http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1976482/posts#comment Tue, 26 Feb 2008 15:45:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1974579/posts Iran is still not complying with nuclear inspectors sent to examine their nuclear energy programs, according to a report issued by the international Atomic Energy Association (IAEA). The report states that Iran has carried out a series of experiments associated with the production of nuclear weapons and uranium enrichment, including simulations of warhead detonations and tests involving Polonium 210, a material used to develop nuclear weapons. haaretz http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1974579/posts#comment Fri, 22 Feb 2008 17:16:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1971414/posts Unintelligence on Iranian Nukes Appalling gamesmanship at the CIA. by Michael Rubin 02/25/2008 Unintelligence on Iranian Nukes Appalling gamesmanship at the CIA. by Michael Rubin 02/25/2008, Volume 013, Issue 23 During his February 5 testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell backpedaled from the December 2007 National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) and its claim that, "in fall 2003, Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program." Not only did McConnell testify that the Islamic Republic was working to master the enrichment of uranium--"the most difficult challenge in nuclear production"--but he also acknowledged that, "because of intelligence gaps," the... Weekly Standard http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1971414/posts#comment Sat, 16 Feb 2008 15:36:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1967014/posts ...The December NIE made headlines the world over for its "key judgment" that in 2003 "Tehran halted its nuclear weapons programs" -- programs that previously had been conducted in secret and in violation of Iran's Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty obligations. This was a "high confidence" judgment, though the intelligence community had only "moderate confidence" that the program hasn't since been restarted... So it was little wonder that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad quickly called the NIE a "declaration of victory" for Iran's nuclear programs. Diplomatic efforts to pass a third round of U.N. economic sanctions ground to a crawl... Russia decided to... WSJ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1967014/posts#comment Fri, 8 Feb 2008 13:56:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1966577/posts February 07, 2008, 7:00 a.m. Taking Down the NIEIran is a winning issue for Republicans. By Stanley Kurtz The biggest story of the 2008 campaign so far may not be the fall or rise of any candidate, but the quick and quiet decline of the war on terror as a bone of political contention. Supposedly, the terror war is yesterday’s news, and in any case a losing issue for the Republicans in 2008. Yet this newly congealing conventional wisdom is mistaken. Republicans can win this election on national security. In fact, with its cover story this week, The Economist... National Review Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1966577/posts#comment Thu, 7 Feb 2008 19:21:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1966612/posts Iran DIDN'T 'Halt' Nuke Program Afterall! Where's the NYTimes' Apology? Remember how the New York Times went apoplectic over last December's NIE estimate that brashly claimed that Iran had suspended their intent to manufacture nuclear arms? It was a front pager and formed the basis of claims that we had illegitimately targeted Iran for rhetorical attacks by many people who opposed the Bush Administration's entire foreign policy regime. Well, as the New York Sun said on the 7th, "what a difference two months make." It appears that the original NIE report was too hasty in its claims that Iran was... Newsbusters.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1966612/posts#comment Thu, 7 Feb 2008 20:05:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1966437/posts Changing the Iran Nuke Report   By Kenneth R. Timmerman NewsMax.com | Thursday, February 07, 2008 Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell took careful steps to reconsider key portions of a controversial National Intelligence Estimate on Iran’s nuclear weapons program on Tuesday under sharp questions from members of the Senate Intelligence Committee. McConnell was grilled on the NIE’s disputed conclusion that Iran had shut down its nuclear weapons program in the fall of 2003 under international pressure by both Democrats and Republicans. Sen. Kit Bond, the ranking Republican on the committee, chided McConnell for allowing the NIE to be... FrontPage Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1966437/posts#comment Thu, 7 Feb 2008 15:25:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1965833/posts The senior US intelligence official on Tuesday stressed that a recent report on Iran had concluded that Tehran had halted only one part of its alleged nuclear weapons programme. Admiral Michael McConnell, director of national intelligence, said the November national intelligence estimate had concluded that Tehran had ceased only efforts to covertly enrich uranium and design nuclear warheads. “The only thing that they’ve halted was nuclear weapons design, which is probably the least significant part of the programme,” he told the Senate intelligence committee. Financial Times (UK) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1965833/posts#comment Wed, 6 Feb 2008 15:11:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1966349/posts In all the hullabaloo surrounding Super Tuesday's primaries and caucuses, perhaps the most important news story of the day slipped from sight or was reported only in fragments. I have in mind our intelligence community's annual appearance before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. There our spy chiefs appeared to report how the war against terror is going. How I wish I had a seat on that committee just for the day. I would have a few questions of my own. One would be, "Have any of you fellows detected the whereabouts of Boy Clinton?" Since the South Carolina primary... Jewish World Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1966349/posts#comment Thu, 7 Feb 2008 12:51:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1966077/posts While political pundits, politicians, hundreds of millions of Americans, and millions more around the world watched Super Tuesday results with confused and baited breath yesterday, a bigger and more important story went almost completely unreported. The Director of National Intelligence (DNI) presented Congress with yet another National Intelligence Estimate (a summary of opinions presented by a committee of representatives from all 17 American intelligence entities). This National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) is uncharacteristically well-written. It coldly, and apolitically presents the good, the bad, the ugly, and surprisingly addressed a long-time suspicion of those who support the war in Iraq about the... Flopping Aces http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1966077/posts#comment Wed, 6 Feb 2008 22:28:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1965948/posts While political pundits, politicians, hundreds of millions of Americans, and millions more around the world watched Super Tuesday results with confused and baited breath yesterday, a bigger and more important story went almost completely unreported. The Director of National Intelligence (DNI) presented Congress with yet another National Intelligence Estimate (a summary of opinions presented by a committee of representatives from all 17 American intelligence entities).************************************ NIE Testimony ******************************************** This National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) is uncharacteristically well-written. It coldly, and apolitically presents the good, the bad, the ugly, and surprisingly addressed a long-time suspicion of those who support the war in... Flopping Aces http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1965948/posts#comment Wed, 6 Feb 2008 18:27:13 GMT