'Bad' intelligence a too-familiar refrain

'Bad' intelligence a too-familiar refrain

There is recent news regarding our intelligence failures, oh, I mean disclosures. Apparently our intelligence operation is more operation than intelligence.

Officials revealed recently that Iran discontinued its nuclear weapons program in 2003. Tehran has been saying all along that it had curtailed it, but our intelligence operation and, by extension, our president continued to harass them.

They pushed for sanctions in the U.N. as well as threatening military action if Iran didn't bend to our will, which, as it turns out, it had done.

So naturally the administration turns around and says it was its pressure all along, and that we need to continue to pressure Tehran just in case they want to re-start the program.

I guess they don't want to admit that international pressure, mainly from Europe and the U.N., was largely responsible for Tehran's turn-about four years ago.

Some credit has to be given to the administration, however. I'm sure the invasion of Iraq had something to do with Iran's decision.

My question then is this: If our best intelligence was wrong about the Iranian nuclear program for the last four years, why should we be listening to them now?

It occurs to me that the "intelligence" community hasn't been right about much for many years. Starting with the Iranian surprise in 1979; the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and blow-back from our covert involvement; Beirut in 1983; Osama bin Laden; 9/11; ineffective Middle East policies that dominated the 1980s through the current policy; the invasion of Kuwait by our erstwhile buddy Saddam Hussein; and certainly not least, the whole WMD proclamation by the sitting president as the basis for war in Iraq.

There are myriad examples of "intelligence" failures, and not many successes.

It turns out that being able to claim faulty intelligence is becoming the accepted way to dodge responsibility for failed administration policy.

Just blame it on bad intelligence, the true Bush legacy. That, in itself, is a sad commentary.

And yet Bush still claims his policy is responsible for Iran discontinuing their nuclear arms program and that we should continue the "pressure" on Iran. Already China is reviewing its stance toward Iran.

Russia's Vladimir Putin has been given another platform from which to bellow and beat his chest. He stated last month that Bush's remark about World War II was unfounded, and now appears to be correct.

Thanks again, "intelligence" community.

Mike Wiese

St. Charles