`Pre-emptive' study of Iran data started

[Sparkly]

`Pre-emptive' study of Iran data started

7 minutes ago

By Greg Miller and Bob Drogin Tribune Newspapers: Los Angeles Times

The Senate Intelligence Committee has launched what its chairman called a "pre-emptive" examination of U.S. intelligence on Iran as part of an effort to avoid the problems that plagued America's prewar assessments on Iraq.

Sen. Pat Roberts (news, bio, voting record) (R-Kan.) said he had sought the unusual review because the erroneous prewar claims about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction had made lawmakers wary of the CIA's current assessments on Iran.

"We have to be more pre-emptive on this committee to try to look ahead and determine our capabilities so that you don't get stuck with a situation like you did with Iraq," said Roberts, who also voiced concern about current intelligence on the insurgency in Iraq.

The White House has made it clear that Iran will be a focus of U.S. foreign policy in President Bush (news - web sites)'s second term. In his State of the Union speech last week, the president identified Iran as "the world's primary state sponsor of terror, pursuing nuclear weapons while depriving its people of the freedom they seek and deserve."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2027&ncid=1278&e=1&u=/chitribts/20050206/ts_chicagotrib/preemptivestudyofirandatastarted

What an interesting choice of words... They have no qualms about comparing this with Iraq and using words like "pre-emptive." :scared:

[cornermouse]

1. I'm interpreting pre-emptive as possibly meaning a way

to stop Bush in this case. I think they're starting to worry about their own careers.

[snippy]

2. I think that your interpretation is the one that Pat Roberts hopes

people will have. But I think that he may be laying the groundwork for defending the upcoming bombing of Iran. Either shortly before or shortly after we bomb Iran, Roberts will trot this examination of U.S. intelligence out and say:

"See? We did a much better job of examining the intelligence in advance this time. Unfortunately, intelligence is uncertain, but as long as republicans control the entire US government, this is the process the US will follow in the future before attacking other sovereign nations."