New National Intelligence Estimate

[Watser?]

There's a new National Intelligence Estimate out today.

Moon of Alabama has some questions:

Today a new National Intelligence Estimate Report says:

Al-Qa'ida is and will remain the most serious terrorist thread to the Homeland, as its central leadership continues to plan high-impact plots

Question: Why does this organisation and its central leadership still exist?

.. we assess that al-Qa'ida will probably seek to leverage the contacts and capabilities of al-Qa'ida in Iraq (AQI), its most visible and capable affiliate and the only one known to have expressed a desire to attack the Homeland ...

Question: AQI didn't exist on 9/11/2001. What did create AQI?

Bonus question: Why is "Homeland" written with a capital "H"?

I have another question: why aren't the media asking these questions?

[But]

With that title, I expected something like 2 out of 10 points.

[Watser?]

Fred Kaplan in Slate concludes there is another lesson in the report:

Some hawks and neocons want to deepen the involvement and attack Iran—either simply to destroy its bourgeoning nuclear program or (in a more fantasy-drenched scenario) to overthrow its unfriendly regime, too.

The NIE warns against this adventurism in only the most slightly veiled terms. While discussing other threats besides al-Qaida, the report states that Lebanon's Hezbollah—which, till now, has confined its attacks to targets outside the United States—"may be more likely to consider attacking the Homeland … if it perceives the United States as posing a direct threat to the group or Iran." (Italics added.)

This amounts to a direct warning to the White House: Don't attack Iran, the entire U.S. intelligence community is saying—and, if you do, you should expect to get hit back.