Bush urges Iran to 'come clean' on nuclear work ( ie...prove the NIE is true )

U.S. President George W. Bush holds a news conference in the Brady press briefing room at the White House in Washington DC USA on 04 December 2007. Bush discussed the latest National Intelligence Estimate about the state of Iran's nuclear program. EPA/MATTHEW CAVANAUGH

Washington - US President George W Bush urged Iran on Wednesday to 'come clean' about its nuclear activities or face further international isolation.

Bush said Iran should halt uranium enrichment and enter negotiations with the United States and Europe to end the dispute over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

'The Iranians have a strategic choice to make,' Bush said. 'They can come clean with the international community about the scope of their nuclear activities and fully accept a longstanding offer to suspend their enrichment program and come to the table and negotiate.'

Bush's remarks came one day after he said US policy will not change in light of a new US intelligence assessment that Iran halted its nuclear weapons programme in 2003 but continues to enrich uranium in defiance of the UN Security Council.

Despite the intelligence, Bush said the United States will pursue more sanctions through the Security Council and has sought to keep up international support for a resolution. Bush said the report known as the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) showed Iran had a covert weapons programme and failed to disclose it to the UN nuclear monitoring body known as the International Atomic Energy Agency.

'It is clear from the latest NIE that the Iranian government has more to explain about its nuclear intentions and past actions, especially the covert nuclear weapons program pursued into the fall of 2003 which the Iranian regime has yet to acknowledge,' he said.

Bush telephoned Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke with her counterparts in Germany, France and China as well as with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, who has led negotiations with Iran.

From the Blogosphere (Strata-Sphere):

NIE Jujitsu, Bush Says “Prove It”
Posted by AJStrata on December 5th, 2007

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I am starting to wonder if this NIE release wasn’t some form of a Trojan Horse filled with rope for the far left and the Iranians to hang themselves. First off, the NIE is clear - they don’t know if Iran has a nuke program up and running, all they know it they had one in 2003 and stopped right after we swept Hussein out of power. We also know Israel, the IAEA and other nearby countries to Iran aren’t buying the spin of the NIE.

For the far left it has been an opportunity for the country to see just how crazy these folks are. They are so afraid Bush might react to a real threat by Iran that they would gladly let Iran arm itself while they hamstring (they think) the President. has gone so far as to fantasize the military would resist the order (and in essence commit treason and destroy the concept of civilian command in this country forever)

In the face of this NIE, a possibility that had once seemed remote — that the uniformed military might resist carrying out an order for a self-destructive attack on Iran –is suddenly more plausible.

From Moonbat to Fruitbat. When your reality is based on what Hollywood produces you get these kinds of silly fantasies. If the President orders a strike it will be carried out - this is so childishly naive. Which is why all the conspiracy nuts on the left miss the big point - what is holding Bush back now? Nothing. If all their fears were true (and they aren’t) Bush could order it now and declare Marshall Law and suspend elections and march everyone of to Bible school while the government listens in on everyone’s phone calls. What is stopping him? Nothing, except the fact all that silly hogwash is simply over-excited imaginations run amok.

So the far left is coming out and displaying their biggest weaknesses (national defense) to the American people, and now Iran is being called on to PROVE the NIE is factual!

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So what about that Iran - explain why you hid the weapons program you had running into 2003? This will go down in history as a great political Jujitsu moment, when Bush turned the tables on everyone who said the world is saved, Iran is good, Bush is evil, he can’t do anything. Bush just smiles, agrees and says “prove it”! What will Iran do now? Say “no” - they must if their program is up and running? What will the left do it Iran says “no”? Will they go so far to say to America “trust these mad islamic extremists who have visions of destroying Israel and America, they won’t build nukes - you should fear Bush instead!”? Too funny and my hat is off to one crafty President- George W Bush. Don’t EVER play poker with that man.

Another view (FR Thread) on just what the lefties are up to:

The Van Diepen Demarche --(more on the Iran NIE and the Nukes pursuit)

*******************Intro ************************

The latest assessment from the American intelligence community on Iran has been declassified, at least in part, and the directorate of national intelligence would have one believe that in 2003 "Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program". It's advancing a line that could be described with the word astounding if it didn't come from the same intelligence bureaucrats that so famously failed to foresee the attacks of September 11, 2001.

One doesn't have to be privy to our country's secret sources to know that this last statement strains credulity.

The damage to the nation for this NIE report has already occured. Who promoted it is shows the agenda to those of us paying attention but it has already been consumed by the American public, just like Annapolis was.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad publically stated they now have 3,000 running centrifuges, enough to make one or two low yield atomic weapons every year. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s stated goal is to have 50,000 centrifuges. The matter for Americans to have pondered is NOT the NIE report. It is whether you believe Mahmoud Ahmadinejad statements or not.

The Iranians don’t actually need to respond, they have clearly stated what they are doing, that they will not stop there enrichment program. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has stated Israel should be ‘wiped from the map’ and ‘it’s time to imagine a world without America.’ To me, all the Administration has to do is point clearly to these statements over and over and over to the American public and it should be ongoing, not when the left releases a report that puts our entire nation and our close ally Israel in mortal peril.

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