A few weeks ago CQ reporter Josh Rogin noted the discrepancy between statements by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Mike Mullen and Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair on the question of whether Iran was pursuing a nuclear weapon. Mullen takes the view that they obviously are pursuing a weapon, while Blair hews to the conclusion of the 2007 NIE that they aren’t. Rogin quoted Senator Dianne Feinstein, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee: “You have one admiral saying one thing and one admiral saying another, I’m not going to get into the middle.” Now Greg Sargent catches Secretary Clinton taking what sounds an awful lot like the Mullen view:
As Sargent points out, this statement is “unequivocal.” A spokesman for Blair tells Sargent that the DNI stands by his earlier statements, and that despite the apparent confusion, “everyone was on the same page.” Except that nobody really believes the Iranians aren’t after a nuclear weapon except Dennis Blair. The real question reporters should be asking is whether the 2007 NIE reflects the best intelligence available. It’s 2009 now. Is the Obama administration going to base major policy decisions on a document that’s more than two years old?
