Originally Posted by Elphaba

Skutch, the facts of this NIE was brought to public attention more than a year ago by Symore Hersh. Google and you will find his claims and how he was poo-poo'd by Bush. Once again, Hersh was correct.

The timing of this report is an open question, but it is known that Cheney held up the report for a different result of the "facts". (Iraq, anyone?) "Faulty" intelligence took the blame for Iraq, and with the war drums pounding again, sixteen (I believe) intelligence agencies forced the publication of this NIE.

If a pre-emptive strike against Iran has been avoided due to this, we owe the authors of the NIE that did not back down, the Presidential Medal of Honor that Tenant (and others) received and did not deserve.