William Safire: Claim about Saddam, Niger uranium was true

[DaveSZ]

Is this another BS piece from Safire, or is this true?


http://www.startribune.com/stories/1519/4883675.html

Last update: July 19, 2004 at 8:03 PM
William Safire: Claim about Saddam, Niger uranium was true
William Safire, New York Times
July 20, 2004 SAFIRE0720


WASHINGTON, D.C. -- "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."

George W. Bush, State of the Union address, Jan. 28, 2003.


Those were "the 16 words" in a momentous message to a joint session of Congress that were pounced on by the wrong-war left to become the simple centerpiece of its angry accusation that "Bush lied to us" -- or, as John Kerry more delicately puts it, "misled" us into thinking that Saddam's Iraq posed a danger to the United States.

The he-lied-to-us charge was led by Joseph Wilson, a former diplomat sent in early 2002 by the CIA to Niger to check out reports by several European intelligence services that Iraq had secretly tried to buy that African nation's only major export, "yellowcake" uranium ore.

Wilson testified to the Senate Intelligence Committee that he had assured U.S. officials back in 2002 that "there was nothing to the story." When columnist Robert Novak raised the question of nepotism by reporting that he got the assignment at the urging of his CIA wife, Wilson denied it heatedly and denounced her "outing," triggering an investigation. The skilled self-promoter was then embraced as an antiwar martyr, sold a book with "truth" in its title, appeared on the cover of Time and every TV talk show denouncing Bush.

Two exhaustive government reports came out last week showing that it is the president's lionized accuser, and not Bush, who has been having trouble with the truth.

-more

[kodi]

1. it is another BS piece from Safire

david corn's nation article

http://www.thenation.com/capitalgames/index.mhtml?bid=3&pid=1558

[Gman]

2. This is the latest talking point

and intended to shore up a poor lie.

[Brotherjohn]

3. NO. Not true. Typical Safire.

See my posts here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2026921

and http:/www.talkingpointsmemo.com

[DaveSZ]

4. I knew it

Safire always makes up shit.

[salinen]

5. Safire should be hung

I mean his penis is so small.