When a summary of the N.I.E. on Iran’s nuclear weapons program was released in October 2007, Democrats wasted no time in citing its “findings” that Iran had halted its nuclear weapons program. Prominent party members dashed in front of cameras and microphones to bolster their claims that Tehran was ripe for dialogue and the Bush administration was wrong to think otherwise:

John Edwards: “The new NIE finds that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003 and that Iran can be dissuaded from pursuing a nuclear weapon through diplomacy.”

Harry Reid: “The Administration should begin this process by finally undertaking a diplomatic surge necessary to effectively address the challenges posed by Iran.”

Nancy Pelosi: “[T]he new Iran NIE suggests there is time for a new policy toward Iran that deters it from restarting its nuclear program while also improving relations overall.”

Chris Dodd: “Taken together these findings make a strong case for pursuing robust diplomacy to resolve our differences with Iran . . .”

And the Clinton campaign’s national security director said

The assessment of the NIE vindicates the policy Senator Clinton will pursue as President: vigorous American-led diplomacy, close international cooperation, and effective economic pressure, with the prospect of carefully calibrated incentives if Iran addresses our concerns. Neither saber rattling nor unconditional meetings with Ahmadinejad will stop Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Put aside the fact that the NIE buried the most worrisome indication of Iran’s continued nuclear weaponization in a footnote. And forget that, even if Iran had halted its program, one could most readily attribute this to the display of American military might in Iraq. That’s old news. The question today is: What are Democrats saying about the new classified NIE that paints an encouraging picture of progress in Iraq?

“It’s much less insightful than other, recent products and focuses narrowly on counterterrorism efforts in Iraq and the progress of the Iraqi leadership,” said Rep. Jane Harman, California Democrat and chairwoman of the Homeland Security intelligence subcommittee.

There’s also suspicion about the supposedly funny timing of the NIE’s release, as General David Petraeus is scheduled to testify about Iraq before Congress next week.

“One might ask whether the timing of the release and the apparent departure from usual procedures means this is more of a political document than an intelligence document,” said Rep. Rush Holt, a New Jersey Democrat and member of the House Intelligence Committee. The Wall Street Journal adds, “He declined to say how the procedures were unusual.”

It’s the wrong NIE at the wrong time, as John Kerry might put it. That is, if someone could find him (or Hillary or Obama) to comment about what seems like a monumentally important document.