Quiddity makes a great catch today. (h/t Digby)

In the news conference today, it was pointed out to Bush that the intelligence on Iraq was wrong, and Bush was asked (paraphrasing) about whether the intelligence blaming Iran for supplying weapons was to be believed. Bush responded by saying that the intelligence was "not manufactured".

The questioner was not questioning whether the evidence was manufactured. The question was whether the conclusions of the intelligence were accurate. Why would Bush answer a question that wasn't asked? Here's the excerpt:

Q: What assurances can you give the American people that the intelligence this time will be accurate?

BUSH: Ed, we know they're there, we know they're provided by the Quds force. We know the Quds force is a part of the Iranian government. I don't think we know who picked up the phone and said to the Quds force, go do this, but we know it's a vital part of the Iranian government. What matters is, is that we're responding. The idea that somehow we're manufacturing the idea that Iranians are providing IEDs is preposterous.

Guess what's on Bush's mind. He's like a small child being caught lying and gives himself away.

I've read a number of speculations in the blogosphere of evidence that the physical evidence is fake. Indeed, some of the dating and writing on the munitions look pretty suspicious. But I'm no munitions expert. I do know that if there's going to be a case made to go to war with Iran, the proof is going to have to be much much better, and ideally supplied by an independent source.

Update: Josh Marshall has a really good summary post on the whole subject of the intelligence on Iran. Many of the points have been made on these pages already, but Marshall pulls it all together. He concludes:

A reporter friend told me recently that the administration is saying on background that the really slam-dunk evidence they're not yet able to release. But as I told this person, after the experience of 2002 and 2003, mere self-respect prevents me from putting any credence whatsoever in such claims.

If they had the evidence we'd be seeing it. But without any solid evidence, the president still wants to fool the American public into believing these bogus claims.

After the Iran war, we'll probably be walked back and shown that President Bush never really said that the Qods force was giving these weapons to the people using them against US troops. He didn't fib. We just didn't listen closely enough. He was just saying that the Qods folks gave them to someone. But he wasn't saying who. So before all our soldiers die and before the president makes yet a million more screw ups for which we'll pay for decades into the future, let's look closely at what he's actually saying.

Fool me ..... once ..... ah ... shame on you ..... ah .... ah ......... can't be fooled again!

Update II: Spencer Akerman, who has visited and written extensively about Iraq, gives the lowdown on the myriad of possiblities of how Iranian munitions could end up in Iraq.