Washington says it has not decided whether or not to pursue sanctions, instead keeping its options open in pursuit of a peaceful and non-confrontational solution to the Iranian nuclear problem. Meanwhile New York, John “anti-Muslim hate blogging = legitimate journalism” Bolton is out in front, trying to corner Condi Rice by telling the world that we’re well on our way to a sanctions resolution in the Security Council.

If that weren’t enough, Frederick Fleitz, Bolton’s former Chief of Staff and henchman at State, is still doing his dirty work. Today, the House Intelligence Committee released a report, authored by Fleitz, that blasts the intelligence community for not making a strong enough case on Iran’s weapons programs. The report also says the U.S. can’t enter talks with Iran, which Rice has said she’s willing to do. Going off the reservation, pressuring intelligence analysts – all in a day’s work for the Pamela Oshry 'bomb Iran tomorrow" cabal.

A bit of background on Fred Fleitz. Fleitz was a CIA analyst who served as Bolton’s Chief of Staff when he was Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security. There’s a lot of mystery surrounding Fleitz’s role in the Valerie Plame leak and in Bolton’s office in general, since State Department lawyers cut abruptly cut off his interview with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee staff last year during Bolton’s first confirmation hearings.

What we do know is that he continued to keep a CIA portfolio even as he was on loan to Bolton at State, a setup which helped Bolton circumvent the prescribed flow of information. We also know that Fleitz carried out much of Bolton’s intimidation of intelligence analysts who disagreed with him. He also threatened to diminish the role of the State Department’s intelligence bureau if its conclusions didn’t conform to Bolton’s. Of course, anyone who knows how State – or any government agency or business, for that matter – works, should understand that Bolton directed all of Fleitz’s activities. Fleitz’s involvement merely gave, and maybe still gives Bolton plausible deniability.

Sadly for Fleitz, if he had any integrity before he worked in Bolton’s office, he has lost it. Rightly or wrongly, many people who watch the Bush Administration closely now dismiss Fleitz as a Bolton proxy and view his work as an instrument of Bolton’s agenda. In this case, it’s certainly an open question.

The report Fleitz wrote for the House Intelligence Committee essentially says: we know Iran wants nuclear weapons, but the intelligence community needs to find us actionable evidence. As Bolton did with Syria, Cuba, and Iraq, Fleitz is pressuring the intelligence community to conform to his conclusions. What’s more, Fleitz asserts in his report that without better intelligence, the U.S. cannot effectively negotiate with Iran.

An anonymous U.S. official (quite possibly Bolton or Fleitz) told the New York Times:

“The people in the community are unwilling to make judgment calls and don’t know how to link anything together,” one senior United States official said.

“We’re not in a court of law,” he said. “When they say there is ‘no evidence,’ you have to ask them what they mean, what is the meaning of the term ‘evidence’?”

Fortunately, the intelligence community is standing up for itself:

"“I think that the intelligence community is being appropriately cautious,” said John E. McLaughlin, a former director of central intelligence.

[Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Analysis Thomas] Fingar dismissed the notion that intelligence analysts should try merely to connect random intelligence findings. “As a 40-year analyst, I’m offended by the notion of ‘connecting dots,’ ’’he said. “If you had enough monkeys you could do that.”"

Then, Middle East intelligence analyst Paul Pillar nails Bolton, Fleitz, and the rest of the Cheney rush-to-war crew:

 “It reflects a certain way of looking at the world — that all evil is traceable to the capitals of certain states...And that, in my view, is a very incorrect way of interpreting the security challenges we face.”

Meanwhile, Bolton is at the U.N. saying that the U.S. is already working on a sanctions resolution. In case it mattered, the U.S. has not officially decided to pursue sanctions against Iran, nor has it ruled out talks with Tehran. In fact, Rice has put talks squarely on the table if Iran is willing to meet some U.S. terms.

It’s unclear whether or not this is coordinated, but old pals Bolton and Fleitz are orchestrating a two-pronged attack on the State Department right now. This needs to stop immediately. The U.S. needs to speak with one voice, and that voice needs to enunciate the policies of the President and Secretary of State – not a rogue Ambassador and his henchman.