Plame's Input Is Cited on Niger Mission (WP: Susan Schmidt)

[huckleberry]

Report Disputes Wilson's Claims on Trip, Wife's Role

By Susan Schmidt
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, July 10, 2004; Page A09

Former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, 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 last year launched a public firestorm with his accusations that the administration had manipulated intelligence to build a case for war. He 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 assertions -- both about what he found in Niger and what the Bush administration did with the information -- were undermined yesterday in a bipartisan 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 Africa intelligence that made its way into 16 fateful words in President Bush's January 2003 State of the Union address.

more at

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39834-2004Jul9.html

This article basically states that Joe Wilson lied.

[stellanoir]

1. Joe Wilson is an ace. . .

but if you look at this report in light of his former claims and consider the claims by Sibel Edmonds, Karen Kwiatowski (sp?), and Richard Clarke, a distinct pattern emerges.

People who told the administration what they wanted to hear rose in the ranks. People who told the truth either quite in disgust or were fired.

Clarke even elucidated that he was told to rewrite a report showed no connection between 9/11 & Sadaam, which he did but not to the administration's liking.

I wish the four of them would get together and compare notes.

Why does the report of the investigation into the administration's role in all of this get delayed until after the election?

This is such BS.

[Soopercali]

2. Well, it's Steno Sue.

And anything is possible when the Bushies are this desperate. I'll reserve judgement for now.

[salin]

6. Her one journalistic service: broadcasting

the GOP/Rove spin and most current attack strategy. She rather gives the headsup for what is about to be attempted/pushed next by Rove.

[nixonwasbetterthanW]

3. this stuff is out of left field.

It just doesn't go with anything that's been reported before, but the committee interpretations leave much to be desired:

(snip)

... Wilson's reports to the CIA added to the evidence that Iraq may have tried to buy uranium in Niger, although officials at the State Department remained highly skeptical, the report said.

Wilson said that a former prime minister of Niger, Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, was unaware of any sales contract with Iraq, but said that in June 1999 a businessman approached him, insisting that he meet with an Iraqi delegation to discuss "expanding commercial relations" between Niger and Iraq -- which Mayaki interpreted to mean they wanted to discuss yellowcake sales. A report CIA officials drafted after debriefing Wilson said that "although the meeting took place, Mayaki let the matter drop due to UN sanctions on Iraq."

According to the former Niger mining minister, Wilson told his CIA contacts, Iraq tried to buy 400 tons of uranium in 1998.

(snip)


So Mayaki assumed the '99 meeting foreshadowed a possible yellowcake transaction, and because of the Nigerian leader's assumption, the report says Wilson was lying. And then the committee relies on the mining minister's word to conclude that Wilson confirmed to his CIA contacts that Iraq tried to buy uranium in 1998? Does this make sense?

Methinks JMM's tectonic plates will soon rattle these peculiar interpretations.

[iamtechus]

4. Susan Schmidt is of less than average intelligence

"....was specifically recommended for the mission by his wife, a CIA employee, contrary to what he has said publicly."

Maybe he didn't mention his wife because doing so would have outed her, STUPID!

[KoKo]

5. Remember that "Media Whores Online" called her "Steno Sue." She

reports what she's told to. No need to repeat this lie again unless they are afraid of what the Fitzgerald investigation is going to show.

They always come out ahead to spin any bad news coming down the pike their way.