True to form, Bush refuses to budge on Iran

By Tabassum Zakaria - Analysis

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush is not known for changing his mind. Unmoved by the collective wisdom of the U.S. intelligence community, he still insists that Iran is a threat, even if it did give up its nuclear weapons program four years ago.

Experts say Bush is a president who tends to see the world in black and white rather than shades of gray.

"He has always been known for being decisive and sticking to his guns," said Kathryn Dunn Tenpas, a political scientist at the University of Pennsylvania.

"I'm not surprised that he is clinging to a policy that he agrees with because he is not somebody who is easily persuaded to change his mind."

After months of berating Iran over its nuclear program and raising the specter of World War III, Bush seemed unswayed by a new national intelligence finding that Iran halted its nuclear weapons work in 2003.

The National Intelligence Estimate, representing the consensus view of all 16 American spy agencies, directly contradicted Bush's the hawkish rhetoric on Iran and that of Vice President Dick Cheney.

At a news conference on Tuesday Bush would not budge.

"I think the NIE makes it clear that Iran needs to be taken seriously as a threat to peace," he said. My opinion hasn't changed."