Were the stakes not so grave, it would be quite amusing to note how the Secretary of Defense demonstrated the wisdom an article published on AT within hours after it was published.

Herbert E. Meyer's article yesterday, A Dose of Real-World Intel on Iran, warned that intelligence predictions about when Iran could have a nuclear bomb were worthless:

Of course Iran is building a nuclear bomb; the evidence is obvious and overwhelming.  The only purpose of those leaked National Intelligence Estimates asserting that Iran hasn't actually made the decision to build a nuclear bomb, and of similar leaked documents from European intelligence services, is to prevent what the analysts fear would happen.  They're afraid that if they officially judge Iran to be on the verge of having a nuclear bomb, political pressure for a military attack will become irresistible.  They want to delay action until it's too late, so we will be left with no choice except to live with a nuclear-armed Iran.

Leon Panetta confirmed the warning of the article:

If Iran decides to make a nuclear weapon, the United States would have a little more than a year to act to stop it, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Tuesday.

"It's roughly about a year right now. A little more than a year. And so ... we think we will have the opportunity once we know that they've made that decision, take the action necessary to stop (Iran)," Panetta said on CBS's "This Morning" program.