It seemed like just yesterday that we learned that Colin Powell warned that Iran is working to adapt missiles to deliver a nuclear weapon, which was further evidence that the Islamic republic is determined to acquire a nuclear bomb. Oh wait, that was yesterday.
Today, in news that proves once again that parody of the Bush gang is impossible, we learn this:
Secretary of State Colin L. Powell shared information with reporters Wednesday about Iran’s nuclear program that was classified and based on an unvetted, single source who provided information that two U.S. officials said yesterday was highly significant if true but has not yet been verified.
[…]
[According to one official with access to the material, the] CIA remains unsure about the authenticity of the documents and how they came into the informant’s possession. A second official would say only that there are questions about the source of the information.
Officials interviewed by The Washington Post did not know the identity of the source or whether the individual is connected to an Iranian exile group that made fresh accusations about Iran at a news conference Wednesday in Paris.
What a shocker. After years of credible and reliable information about our foreign enemies, who could have imagined that top administration officials would warn the world about an adversary and WMD based on questionable evidence?
Mr. Head, meet Mr. Desk.
As Kevin Drum noted, the LA Times reported that Powell’s warning about the Iranian threat caught everyone off guard, including those in the intelligence community who are skeptical about the veracity of Powell’s claim.
Secretary of State Colin L. Powell’s statement that Iran is actively studying how to outfit a missile with a nuclear bomb caused surprise and confusion in Washington on Thursday, and members of Congress demanded that he provide more details.
Powell’s remarks Wednesday — apparently unscripted and based on classified information — appeared to catch the Bush administration and its European allies off-guard. The CIA refused to comment, and the White House and State Department declined to offer details. Some sources raised questions about the credibility of the intelligence.
[…]
One source…described the intelligence mentioned by Powell as “weak.”
Some administration officials “were surprised he went public on something that was weak and, because it was weak, was not supposed to be used,” the source said.
Remember when Bush took office and Republicans said we could all sleep better knowing the “grown-ups” were in charge?