katymine @ 72

Scott was just in Iran last fall and said they cannot even make uranium fuel to make a weapon. They do NOT have access to pure uranium to convert to weapon grade. They need over 3000 centrifuges but they only have 167.

They have been increasing that number, but I still think it’s only 350 or thereabouts. And, from some reports, they can’t get those working very well–having problems with things like valving and rotary seals, load-bearing members (so-called spiders), etc.

To give you an idea of what’s necessary to produce bomb fuel on an industrial scale, one U.S. facility had about 14,000 centrifuges and I think there are three such plants here. Moreover, the IAEA can figure out if they’re producing bomb fuel or reactor fuel by how the centrifuge cascades are set up. If they’d seen evidence of that to date, I’m reasonably certain they would have said so.

Whatever the evidence presented, it’s going to be thin. Very thin.

It’s the ball bearings running at 70,000 rpm — not happening.

lee5 @ 55

What happened in SDak? Who was suggested?

Something about that here,
via dKos.

Kind of complicated, but the salient point was that all this came about sometime around May, 2006. The discussions about slipping that little tidbit into the Patriot Act started in 2004. And, true to form, Specter seems to have been trying to give Abu some wiggle room on that one.

thanks — very confusing. sure seems like something was up there …

Preznit Sunbeam

egregious. I will be retiring in less than 5 years, so if you need someone to carry your bags in 2011, just let me know. would be an honor.

Oooh, I am keeping YOUR phone number :)

And yes I am back from trip #30. Yay frequent flyer miles.