Why are the RW think tanks silent/unprepared for the NIE on Iran?

[blondeatlast]

This is inspired by and a continuation from this thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2401050&mesg_id=2401050

It is disturbingly odd that they need to play catch-up and it bears exploration.

For those who know how the RW Noise Machine operates, this is VERY strange. The last info on Iran on the the Heritage Foundation, and CATO are dated early November--very odd considering the gravity of the report.

It's my guess they were totally unprepared for this which is hard to believe as they are key elements in not only shaping policy but shaping how it is presented to the public.

How on earth could they have missed this? We may despise what they do, but we should never, ever dismiss the role they play in shaping foreign policy and how it is presented.

Edit: links:
http://www.heritage.org/research/iran/

http://find.cato.org/search?q=iran&btnG=Search&restrict=Cato&site=cato_all&output=xml_no_dtd&client=cato_all&lr=lang_en&proxystylesheet=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cato.org%2Ftemplates%2Fsearch%2Fcato.xslt&getfields=summary&oe=UTF-8

[AX10]

1. They've been hit a deadly blow. Their plans...

to engulf us in war after war after war (endless, sensless bloodshed) have been crushed. The only way they can go to war with Iran now is to overtly say "Hell with the people" and do as they wish, just as dictators do. This report also deals a blow to AIPAC (which badly needs to be tamed).

I assure you, AIPAC, the Heritage Foundation, and CATO know of this report. They have been silenced. They are scared because they are now in a corner.

[tridim]

2. Or they could stage another 9/11. nt

[riderinthestorm]

3. Who silenced them?

THAT needs to be examined. Someone shut them out. These organizations may have a tarnished rep since the whole Iraq thing hasn't gone so well, but that doesn't mean they aren't still players.

I theorized on the other thread that it's one of two scenarios:
1. This report had to come out now and there wasn't enough time to get the usual shills onboard and up to speed.
2. The people who released this report are either oblivious or unconcerned about the role these organizations play in our political discourse.

[AX10]

7. Heritage, AIPAC, CATO don't have much of a choice at this time.

The NIE clearly states that Iran gave up on developing a Nuclear weapon in 2003, long before * was threatening them. It is quite likely that they were left out of this by whomever researched and wrote the NIE because they were concerned that Heritage, AIPAC, and CATO were going to spin this in favor of the Neo-Conservative viewpoint. The writers of the NIE denied them the chance to do so.

[blondeatlast]

11. It seems that there would be few powerful enough to shut the WH out

of the loop on it, though.

I dunno, I suppose someone in a supervisory position would be able to table the report for some time before sending it to the WH but they would be someone not real concerned about their future in DC or foreign relations.

There's another thread that says Bush had the information (but not the report) in August. If that's the case, I would think the WH would have pulled every string possible to get that report sooner and possibly/likely vet it.

It's got to be someone (or some entity) with tremendous power and friends in the State Department and/or WH. Condi? But why?

Something tells me these sorts of things don't stay in your run-of-the-mill lockable filing cabinet when the WH is expecting them. :shrug:

[Virginia Dare]

17. I was thinking likely somebody in the intelligence community..

no doubt folks at the CIA have some axes to grind with the Bush Admin....:shrug:

[kestrel91316]

14. If Rove is truly out of the loop, maybe that's why they are on

the outside looking in now........

[PATRICK]

4. I am guessing

that the NIE nail was hitting an already sealed coffin. I think someone told them to finally swallow this pill, for economic reasons primarily from allies primarily concerned about money. Bush acted like he was a doomed, depressed punching bag just taking late hits semi-consciously after knockout.

Depressed but aunable to think of anything, any alternatives, any immediate surging ahead with the agenda anyway. They INTEND still to do their one track policy, but act like they have in fact hit the wall.

Their only option requires more energy than this behavior displays. More daring and risk than they are likely capable of.

You can have genuine hope that action against Iran is no longer inevitable, maybe no longer even possible.

[Virginia Dare]

5. I think Cheney is very ill and out of the loop...

and with Scooter and Rove gone, nobody is in charge anymore. This shows what a heavy hand he's been using to keep all of this together.

[blondeatlast]

8. Good point, but there are still plenty of players in the think tanks.

I think this may have come as a surprise to them hard as it is to believe. But who released it without WH vetting?

[leveymg]

9. I think Darth is about to leave for "health reasons".

Someone really high up has to take the heat, or else they'll all have to be pushed under the bus by the Generals.

[Virginia Dare]

18. I think perhaps you're right...

I've wondered for a while who would make it to the finish line, the Cheney faction or the Bush faction?..:popcorn:

[Ganja Ninja]

6. Short answer: Karl Rove is out peddling his book.

He's too busy to coordinate the response.

[BuyingThyme]

10. And where are the Dem leaders who read the thing?

[kestrel91316]

12. The courageous bunch who produced that NIE are HEROS.

They did an end run around the administration and put the kibosh on Caligula's plans to attack Iran for "making nukes".

Score one TD for the GOOD GUYS!!!!!!

[blondeatlast]

15. Indeed they are. That took guts beyond measure.

:patriot:

[Supersedeas]

13. the invasion of Iraq is the deterent the changed things in Iran in 2003 - that the meme

[90-percent]

16. Don't misunderestimate our sociopath in chief

Don't misunderestimate our sociopath in chief. He was fine with allowing the execution of inmates that were known to be completely innocent when he was Governor of Texas.

Just because his rational has blown up in his face doesn't mean he can't attack Iran anyway. Who needs reasons? JUST DO IT. (thanks to Jack Cafferty on CNN)

-85% jimmy

[Skidmore]

19. After reading some of the responses on this thread, I am struck with

what a bleak, cynical, and horrible world this must be, particularly if there is a truly a monster in the machine of our government and not just confluence of corrupt opportunist who just happened to land in the same place at the same time. What kind of people does it take to malevolently seek the destruction of so many? What type of moral depravity must be present to see such actions as justifiable or necessary?

[Perry Logan]

20. The rightwing think-tank people are all looking for jobs.

[wuushew]

21. kick

:kick:

[BurtWorm]

22. It could be one of their giant blind spots

Or it could be that they knew about this but didn't believe it would get released to the public.

[riderinthestorm]

23. Kicking for the evening crowd... nt