Bush: DNI Told Me ‘We Have Some New Information, He Didn’t Tell What The Information Was’

[ProSense]

Bush: DNI Told Me ‘We Have Some New Information, He Didn’t Tell What The Information Was’

At a press briefing this morning, President Bush said he was told by his Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell “in August” that “we have some new information” regarding Iran’s nuclear program. But Bush asserted “he didn’t tell me what the information was”:

BUSH: I was made aware of the NIE last week. In August, I think it was John — Mike McConnell came in and said, We have some new information. He didn’t tell me what the information was. He did tell me it was going to take a while to analyze.

Later, when a reporter followed-up on this statement, Bush asserted no one ever told him to stop ratcheting up the rhetoric against Iran:

REPORTER: Are you saying at no point while the rhetoric was escalating, as World War III was making it into conversation — at no point, nobody from your intelligence team or your administration was saying, Maybe you want to back it down a little bit?

BUSH: No — I’ve never — nobody ever told me that.

Watch it:

Yesterday, National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley said, “when the President was told that we had some additional information, he was basically told: stand down; needs to be evaluated; we’ll come to you and tell you what we think it means.” Later in the briefing, Hadley reversed course and said, “In terms of stand down, they did not tell the President to stand down and stop talking about Iran’s nuclear program.”

<...>

To recap: At the same time Bush was ratcheting up the rhetoric on Iran, he was told by the intelligence community that that have “some new information.” Yet Bush wants the public to believe he never learned what the information was, nor was he interested.

[tekisui]

1. "we have new information"

He didn't care to ask what it was?

This proves, again, that this idiot lives in a tight, protected, filtered bubble. They wouldn't tell him because he doesn't take bad news well.

He has got to go.

ITMFA!!!

[ProSense]

2. Bush's claims are

complete bullshit!

[gateley]

5. Exactly! So I'm the President and this guy comes to me and says "we have ne

information" the first words out of my mouth are "WHAT information?". The very thought is ludicrous.

[TwilightGardener]

3. Someone comes to you and says he has new information on

a very delicate and important international situation, and...you don't make that person tell you? As President of the United States? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME????

[Mountainman]

4. The NIE is a year old by now isn't it? New news? Give me a break.

[KharmaTrain]

6. He Doesn't Give A Shit

Remember how boooshie avoided press conferences during the first 4 years? Rove was afraid to put him out there for the stupidity that oozed from that smirk. Then after the re-selection, when it no longer matters, it's "let booshie be boooshie"...and David Letterman's show has had a ton of material since.

This shitstain doesn't care what he says anymore. "The village" will never challenge him and he knows it. He can lie and they print it as gospel. He can make shit up and no one will dare challenge him to his face. It's "respecting the office"...on this fukstick abuses every day he squats in the oval office.

One can't help but wonder what the real world thinks of this charade. So few of us are fooled by it anymore. Yet, we'll have to endure a news cycle of lies and distortions. I put this up in another thread...I think it's worth doing again...

[aquart]

7. So did the reporters burst out laughing?

If not, why not?

[tekisui]

9. They only laugh with him at his boyish jokes.

:puke: :puke: :puke:

[ProSense]

8. How do you know when Bush is lying...

'Great discovery' led to change in Iran nuclear assessment: Bush

by Jim Mannion

WASHINGTON (AFP) - President George W. Bush said Tuesday that a "great discovery" as recently as August prompted the US intelligence community's stunning reversal of its long-held view that Iran had an active nuclear weapons program.

Bush provided no details on the nature of the new intelligence, which set off an in-depth intelligence review of the evidence and assumptions that underpinned a 2005 assessment, which had held with "high confidence" that Iran was determined to acquire nuclear weapons.

Mike McConnell, the director of national intelligence, came to Bush in August and said: "We have some new information."

"He didn't tell me what the information was. He did tell me it was going to take a while to analyze," Bush said at a White House news conference in describing the encounter.

more

October 2007:

Q But you definitively believe Iran wants to build a nuclear weapon?

THE PRESIDENT: I think so long -- until they suspend and/or make it clear that they -- that their statements aren't real, yeah, I believe they want to have the capacity, the knowledge, in order to make a nuclear weapon. And I know it's in the world's interest to prevent them from doing so. I believe that the Iranian -- if Iran had a nuclear weapon, it would be a dangerous threat to world peace.

But this -- we got a leader in Iran who has announced that he wants to destroy Israel. So I've told people that if you're interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from have the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon. I take the threat of Iran with a nuclear weapon very seriously. And we'll continue to work with all nations about the seriousness of this threat. Plus we'll continue working the financial measures that we're in the process of doing. In other words, I think -- the whole strategy is, is that at some point in time, leaders or responsible folks inside of Iran may get tired of isolation and say, this isn't worth it. And to me, it's worth the effort to keep the pressure on this government.

And secondly, it's important for the Iranian people to know we harbor no resentment to them. We're disappointed in the Iranian government's actions, as should they be. Inflation is way too high; isolation is causing economic pain. This is a country that has got a much better future, people have got a much better -- should have better hope inside Iran than this current government is providing them.

So it's -- look, it's a complex issue, no question about it. But my intent is to continue to rally the world to send a focused signal to the Iranian government that we will continue to work to isolate you, in the hopes that at some point in time, somebody else shows up and says it's not worth the isolation.

Rice says Iran 'lying' about nukes

[ladjf]

10. That's laughable. nt