December 4, 2007 (LPAC)--The release, yesterday, of the new National Intelligence Estimate on Iran's nuclear program, was a profound defeat, even if not the final defeat, for the treasonable Cheney faction. Cheney was defeated immediately by those patriotic U.S. military and intelligence who know his Iran war plan is suicidal for our country. It was also a victory for Lyndon LaRouche, who kept the flame of opposition and hope alive throughout the last five years and more.

Issuance of the new NIE has taken the military option off the table for the moment, or at least lowered the likelihood of its being used. This was also the view of a panel of arms control experts who spoke at the Arms Control Association this morning. David Albright, the president of the Institute for Science and International Security, said that the NIE shows that the U.S. is "recalibrating itself." "I hope this means that there'll be a recalibration of diplomacy," he said. He added that he hoped that the implied "we will whack you" will be dropped, and said it's also time to drop the precondition that Iran must halt its enrichment activities before we agree to negotiations with them.

Joseph Cirincione, director for Nuclear Policy at the Center for American Progress, called the NIE "a remarkable document," both for its candor and for laying out policy options. "This is a clear sign of the struggle within the Bush Administration over the strategic direction of the United States," he said. He called it "the final nail in the coffin" of the Bush doctrine, which policy "has proved to be a complete disaster." Any U.S. policy on Iran to replace it has to have three goals, Cirincione said. It has to prevent industrial scale production of fissile materials, it has to verify all of Iran's nuclear related activities, and, most importantly, it has to change the strategic dynamic. Cirincione defined the third point as meaning a change in the relationship with Iran. Iran, he said, has to be brought into the process of stabilizing Iraq, it has to be brought into the Middle East peace process, and then it might be possible for the Iranian people to do only what they can do, and that is bring about political change in Iran.