Ex-ambassador's statements disputed (by Senate Intel Cmte)

[Oilwellian]

WASHINGTON - Former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, dispatched by the CIA in February 2002 to investigate reports that Iraq sought to reconstitute its nuclear weapons program with uranium from Africa, was specifically recommended for the mission by his wife, a CIA employee, contrary to what he has said publicly.

Wilson, who started a public firestorm last year with his accusations that the administration had manipulated intelligence to build a case for war, has said that his trip to Niger should have laid to rest any notion that Iraq sought uranium there and has said his findings were ignored by the White House.

Wilson's claims -- both about what he found in Niger and what the Bush administration did with the information -- were undermined Friday in a Senate Intelligence Committee report.

The panel found that Wilson's report, rather than debunking intelligence about purported uranium sales to Iraq, as he has said, bolstered the case for most intelligence analysts. And contrary to Wilson's assertions and even the government's previous statements, the CIA did not tell the White House it had qualms about the reliability of the African intelligence that made its way into 16 fateful words in President Bush's January 2003 State of the Union address.
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/nation/9124831.htm?1c

[rooboy]

1. What doesn't add up...

is why they would bother outing his wife as a CIA agent if they could have attacked Joe Wilson directly.

[w4rma]

2. The Republican-controlled panel tries to absolve themselves of guilt.

This article avoids mentioning that the panel is composed of a majority of Republicans.

[Oilwellian]

3. As you can see in another article...

They're really trying to discredit Wilson before the indictments come down:

"Time and again, Joe Wilson told anyone who would listen that the president had lied to the American people, that the vice president had lied and that he had 'debunked' the claim that Iraq was seeking uranium from Africa," committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., said in a statement of "additional views" signed by two other Republican senators.

http://www.indystar.com/articles/2/161408-4092-010.html

[leftchick]

6. exactly....

roberts and the other repuke scum are trying to discredit Wilson before Indictment D-Day! (hopefully Next Week!:) )Of course it won't work since Joe Wilson has more integrity in his little finger than all of those republican vermin put together.

[papau]

4. GOPer Sue Schmidt at Wash Post reads "open question" comment by

GOP staff as saying Wilson lied? - or is disputed? - at least she notes that the staff compromize comment that made it into the report was contrary to both Wilson, CIA, and White House statements.

Have we at DU forgot about Steno Sue and her lies about Clinton and Gore - and the letters to the editor that result in Les saying nothing in support of her - [e-mail] - and the letters not being published?


http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/nation/9124831.htm?1c

Ex-ambassador's statements disputed

By Susan Schmidt

The Washington Post


WASHINGTON - Former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, dispatched by the CIA in February 2002 to investigate reports that Iraq sought to reconstitute its nuclear weapons program with uranium from Africa, was specifically recommended for the mission by his wife, a CIA employee, contrary to what he has said publicly.

Wilson, who started a public firestorm last year with his accusations that the administration had manipulated intelligence to build a case for war, has said that his trip to Niger should have laid to rest any notion that Iraq sought uranium there and has said his findings were ignored by the White House.

Wilson's claims -- both about what he found in Niger and what the Bush administration did with the information -- were undermined Friday in a Senate Intelligence Committee report.

The panel found that Wilson's report, rather than debunking intelligence about purported uranium sales to Iraq, as he has said, bolstered the case for most intelligence analysts. And contrary to Wilson's assertions and even the government's previous statements, the CIA did not tell the White House it had qualms about the reliability of the African intelligence that made its way into 16 fateful words in President Bush's January 2003 State of the Union address.

The report Friday said that whether Iraq sought to buy lightly enriched "yellowcake" uranium from Niger is one of the few bits of prewar intelligence that remains an open question.<snip>

[Rose Siding]

5. The CIA DID tell the WH of 'qualms'- in OCTOBER

Tenet himself said that he'd nixed it in the Cincinatti speech. If they didn't question its reliability, why would he have had it taken out then?

[Rose Siding]

7. TPM covers more of this here

snip>
In her fourth paragraph Schmidt writes that "contrary to Wilson's assertions and even the government's previous statements, the CIA did not tell the White House it had qualms about the reliability of the Africa intelligence that made its way into 16 fateful words in President Bush's January 2003 State of the Union address."

This is one of those cases in which it's helpful to actually read the report rather than just run with what you've got from the majority committee staffer who gave you the spin.

The claim with regards to the back-and-forth was always that the CIA struggled to get the uranium references out the October 2002 Cincinnati speech and then failed to do so -- though why presicely is less clear -- when the same folks at the White House tried again to get it into the 2003 State of the Union address. And indeed on page 56 the report states that ...

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/

[Dudley_DUright]

8. Even more damaging to "Steno Sue's" case is the fact

that she apparently can't tell the difference between Iraq and Iran. :eyes:

Finally, down toward the end of Schmidt's article she writes that: "According to the former Niger mining minister, Wilson told his CIA contacts, Iraq tried to buy 400 tons of uranium in 1998."

I read the report's discussion of the whole Niger business. And I didn't see that reference. However, on page 44 there is a reference to Wilson reporting to the CIA that "an Iranian delegation was interested in purchasing 400 tons of yellowcake from Niger in 1998 no contract was ever signed with Iran." (emphasis added).

Perhaps I missed the reference that Schmidt is noting. But it seems awfully similar to the one the report notes about Iran -- same date, same tonnage. Presumably in this case, Schmidt innocently confused the two neighboring and similar-sounding countries, though it's a goof you'd think an editor would have caught.

[girl gone mad]

9. Don't be fooled.

http://www.indystar.com/articles/2/161408-4092-010.html

Wilson told intelligence analysts that the ownership structure of uranium mines in Niger would have made it nearly impossible for Niger to sell the ore to Iraq because the mines are run by consortiums that include French, Spanish, German and Japanese interests.

The intelligence committee's report said CIA analysts didn't believe Wilson's information was significant or that it clarified the Iraq-Niger connection.