Iranic

Update 1: I forgot about Badtux’s post, That Iranian nuclear program… that was supposed to be part of this.

Update 2: The Christian Science Monitor: Study calls Iran ‘biggest beneficiary’ of US war on terror.

Professor Cole vents some spleen about the House Republican report on the lack of intelligence concerning Iran.

The House ?Intelligence? Committee missed a few realities. Dr. Cole directs them to Larry Johnson’s piece, Republican Chutzpah on Iran, which points out that the Republican White House blew the cover on the CIA asset most involved with Iran’s WMD program – Valerie Plame’s network.

I would add that we would certainly know more if our “friends” in Pakistan had allowed us to talk to Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, the man who sold Iran much of their nuclear research equipment.

Of course, the scorched earth policy of Porter Goss, eliminating many of the experienced people in the CIA who didn’t toe the Republican line on Iraq, certainly didn’t help, nor did saddling a HUMINT agency with a SIGINT spook for a boss.

They don’t have a good product because they started their reign under-funding counter-terrorism and intelligence. Demanded justification rather than intelligence. Have repeatedly damaged intelligence capabilities by gratuitous statements that revealed sources and methods. Have repeatedly brought unreliable people into the process, who have been, at best, incompetent, and, at worst, agents of enemy powers.

They have burdened the intelligence community with mountains of unfiltered data that hides the real information that is needed. They want some type of “magic” solution that doesn’t involve training, experience, craft, and persistence to find answers instantly.

While everyone has been dismissing the Iranian response to the UN demand, they are missing the key point – Iran wants security guarantees that they won’t be attacked. Iran is never going to cooperate without those guarantees. That is exactly what North Korea wanted to halt its program.

We have nuclear proliferation problems not despite US efforts, but because of US efforts.