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Bush Drops Standard on Iran as Credibility Questioned Ken Fireman and Jeff Bliss President George W. Bush, his credibility under fire because
of intelligence that Iran halted its nuclear weapons drive in 2003, adopted
a new argument yesterday to justify tougher sanctions: Just knowing how
to produce a bomb is dangerous. ``I view this report as a warning signal that they had the program, they halted the program,'' the president said. ``And the reason why it's a warning signal is that they could restart it. And the thing that would make a restarted program effective and dangerous is the ability to enrich uranium.''
As a result, Bush said, ``Iran was dangerous, Iran is dangerous and Iran will be dangerous if they have the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon.'' That argument resonated among U.S. allies in Europe, who are frustrated over what they regard as Iranian intransigence and may be skeptical about the accuracy of American intelligence. It drew no support from China and Russia, whose backing will be needed for any new United Nations sanctions, or among the president's domestic political adversaries.
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