I am glad to see that I’m not alone in my skepticism of the recently released N.I.E. concerning Iran’s nuclear weapons program. The report claims that Iran halted it’s covert nuclear weapons program back in 2003.

However, since it took U.S. intelligence more than a decade to discover they had such a program in the first place doesn’t inspire much confidence in their findings.

Combine that with the many rogue elements within the intelligence community who actively try to undermine the Bush Administration’s foreign policy, and you get the perfect storm for a bunk intelligence report.

According to Rasmussen Reports just 18% of American voters believe that Iran has halted its nuclear weapons program. A whopping 66% of voters believe that Iran has not halted it’s program.

Here are some other interesting bits of data:

The Rasmussen Reports survey also found that 67% of American voters believe that Iran remains a threat to the national security of the United States Only 19% disagree while 14% are not sure.

Fifty-nine percent (59%) believe that the United States should continue sanctions against Iran. Twenty percent (20%) disagree and 21% are not sure.

Forty-seven percent (47%) believe it is Very Likely that Iran will develop nuclear weapons in the future and another 34% believe Iran is Somewhat Likely to do so.

Twenty-nine percent (29%) of liberal voters believe that Iran has stopped its weapons program but 54% disagree.

Among conservatives, just 8% believe Iran has stopped and 81% disagree.

So it looks like the American people just aren’t buying the liberal hogwash that Bush “lied” about Iran so he could take us to war. Clear thinking Americans know full well that Iran was a threat before the NIE report, and remains a threat after the NIE report.

-Chris Jones