The National Intelligence Estimate Contradicts Bush

I'll be reading this at the Village Board meeting Monday 12/10/07


A National Intelligence Estimate was made public last monday after being kept secret for over a year. This NIE was available before last year's general elections, to everyone in the Bush administration with sufficient security clearances. Apparently they didn't think it would be politically advantageous to allow voters to see it. It states that Iran had stopped trying to build nuclear weapons in 2003.

Last Tuesday, at the White House Press Conference, the president was asked a question by David Gregory of NBC News. "When you talked about Iraq, you and others from the administration talked about a mushroom cloud. Then there were no WMD in Iraq. When it came to Iran, you said on October 17th, you warned about the prospect of WWIII, when months before you made that statement, this intelligence about them suspending their weapons program back in '03 had already come to light to this administration. So, can't you be accused of hyping this threat, and don't you worry that this undermines US credibility?"

That's a pretty good question. In less polite terms, you could say - You lied us into a war with Iraq, and now you're trying to lie us into a war with Iran. Why the hell should we believe anything you say?

Bush answered, "Well David, I wouldn't want to contradict an august reporter such as yourself, but I was made aware of the NIE last week."

That's another lie. He's been hyping the threat from his axis of evil for years now. He's the president, the commander in chief, the head of the executive branch, the head of all of the intelligence agencies. He's got a pretty high security clearance, and so does his damn vice president. The report contradicts assertions that he's been making for years, and he wants us to believe that nobody told him that he might want to check the facts? How stupid does he think we are?

I realize that some of you think this is not a matter for a village board. You think the resolution would have no real effect so why risk alienating part of the community? I understand this point of view. If we were having this conversation a year and a half ago, when we had a Republican Congress, I might agree. But we now have Democratic majorities in both houses. The Democratic leadership has said that impeachment is off the table, for Machiavellian reasons, but they are facing great pressure from a growing impeachment movement. There is a very real chance that more pressure, including our resolution, will inspire Speaker Pelosi to put impeachment back on the table. Opening an impeachment inquiry now, might rein in an out of control executive, even if it doesn't remove him from office. Opening an impeachment inquiry now, might make an attack on Iran less likely. Our village, passing this resolution, at this critical time, could have more effect than any action it could take on anything. To quote David Filiberto, " This might be the most important vote I ever cast, as a member of this board."

Please pass the resolution tonight.