Parsing the Press Conference

I didn't take the time to comment on the Prez's news conference on Tuesday, but there were a couple of quick points I wanted to make. First of all, since he planned to use this opportunity to bash Congress rather then answer questions about the Iran NIE, he seemed his usual petulant, I don't-need-to-be-here persona. But the most significant thing he had to say about the NIE was that it truly didn't matter. He had his opinions about Iran, and no pesky bunch of facts was going to change them. Although none of the reporters commented on it or asked him about it, the Prez contradicted his National Security Advisor, who on Monday said that the Prez had been told a about this new information in August or September. The Prez claimed that, while he knew that new intelligence existed, he had no idea what it might portend until last week. Thus, when he hinted that Iran might soon be responsible for World War III, he didn't know what he was talking about. But now that there's a new understanding of what he was talking about--one that's 180 degrees away from what he claims he believed at the time--it makes no difference. He was right to regard Iran as a threat then, and he's right to regard them as a threat now.

Look, Iran was dangerous, Iran is dangerous, and Iran will be dangerous if they have the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon. The NIE says that Iran had a hidden -- a covert nuclear weapons program. That's what it said. What's to say they couldn't start another covert nuclear weapons program? And the best way to ensure that the world is peaceful in the future is for the international community to continue to work together to say to the Iranians, we're going to isolate you.

So, short of unlearning anything they may have learned when they had an active nuclear weapons program, is there anything Iran can do to step into the good graces of the world community? Or since it's now explored nuclear weaponry, is it forever a member of the imminent nuclear threat club? I hesitate to say what the implications are for countries that invade other sovereign countries for reasons based on faulty intelligence and lies.

Moving away from the NIE, another intriguing moment occurred in the press conference a little while later. The Prez was asked about a phone call he'd recently had with Putin, and he refused to discuss the matter in any way whatsoever. That's not necessarily surprising, but the manner in which he did so was quite interesting.

THE PRESIDENT: I'm not going to get into the specifics of conversations I have with any world leader. Otherwise, the next time I have a phone call it might be a short one. But I'd be glad to talk about the themes.

Q Please do.

THE PRESIDENT: I don't particularly like when people read out my phone calls with them. Sometimes the words get mischaracterized. Sometimes what I say might not be exact -- what they say I said might not be exactly what I said.

I know just how he feels. In fact, I suspect that most Americans do. Does this mean we can expect that the administration will be pulling the plug on its program of surveillance of Americans? Just wondering.