Counter intelligence

Yes, it is pretty strange that U.S. spy agencies have concluded that Iran is not trying to build nuclear weapons, despite what the White House has been saying, according to a new intelligence assessment released Monday. The report, compiled by 16 U.S. agencies, concludes that Iran suspended its weapons program in 2003 and has not restarted it. President Bush has been trying to secure international support for new economic sanctions and has threatened the use of force against Iran to force it to stop enriching uranium and to be more open about its nuclear programs. But it turns out that Washington has believed since last year that Iran was not trying to make bombs and had suspended its missile program, even though Bush said as late as last October that Iran had to be stopped from developing a nuclear weapon. Iran has consistently claimed its research was into the peaceful use of nuclear energy. What's going to happen now? Well, for one thing, neither the United States or the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. agency that has been investigating Iran's program, is sure of anything. And, for another, the rhetoric from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been anything but reassuring. But we've had enough bad intelligence on Iran and Iraq — it's time for this country to get it right. Didn't this country used to have the best intelligence agencies in the world?