John McCain: Town Hall Meeting 12/19/07

John McCain
Town Hall
Pelham, NH 12/19/07

TRANSCRIPT:
MCCAIN: "Let me just say that it's a huge problem in my view. This National Intelligence Estimate, I believe was an assertion of influence over national policy by our intelligence agencies which was inappropriate, to say the least. [...] it said it's clear that they've stopped the weaponization, and then there was a very small footnote that clarified that.

"When you build a nuclear weapon the major two components are the enrichment of the material and the building of the weapon of itself. That's a much shorter process. They're still proceeding with the enrichment.

"But yet that National Intelligence Estimate, which is supposed to be secret was broadcast all over America as that the Iranians have ceased their activities. They haven't. They have not.

"And I'm very concerned about the effect on our European allies and our abilities to impose sanctions. So frankly I am very concerned about our intelligence agencies and exactly what they're doing. I can't imagine why they destroyed those tapes of an interrogation.

"They were told apparently by the White House and others not to destroy the tapes. I do not think that this National Intelligence Estimate was something that was in the purview of the intelligence agencies. I think the intelligence agencies should provide the facts and then the policy-makers make the decision.

"We've got a lot of work to do on intelligence. Human intelligence is sadly lacking. There's a lot of intelligence capabilities that we are missing.

"But most importantly I don't think that this NIE did America any good service, and I think it's going have to be fixed."

LABEL: JM NH 12-19 (BH#34) EHAGO- Clip A

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Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• TRACKING
• John
• McCain
• Iran
• NIE
• CIA
• Bushism
• tapes
• intelligence
• agencies

[uneak2k]

should be President!