Let's take a good look at Iran
Patrick Lang
The CIA Vs. the Mullahs
By Reuel Marc Gerecht
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
"CIA Director-designate Leon Panetta should consider a bipartisan review of intelligence collection concerning Tehran. Since the Obama administration is reviewing policy options toward the Islamic republic, it would seem sensible to know what Langley's actions have produced. Policy built on weak intelligence and analysis obviously isn't a good idea."...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/26/AR2009012601874.htmlReuel, like nearly all CIA alumni, continues to instinctively believe that the CIA IS the intelligence community. Such old think" is pathetically out of date in a world in which Admiral Blair made it very clear at his installation ceremony that Leon Panetta will be one of his several subordinates.
But, this is clealy a case of "mind over matter." Blair does not mind and the "ancien regime" of CIA nostalgics do not matter.
Nevertheless, Reuel has a good idea. There is little that is as important as the truth about Iran. The Israelis have one view of things and the US intelligence community has another. Reuel undoubtedly prefers the Israeli view.
Admiral Blair, not Panetta, would be wise to order just such a review as Gerecht suggests.
What should it be called? Ah. Perhaps "National Intelligence Estimate - Iran" would be a good title....
http://turcopolier.typepad.com/sic_semper_tyrannis/2009/01/lets-take-a-good-look-at-iran.html*
Reuel is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. A neocon think(?) tank.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_for_the_Defense_of_Democracieshttp://www.rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/1475.htmlhttp://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Foundation_for_the_Defense_of_Democracies