Re. Tenant and Nigergate, Was it a WH Aide or WH Official that pushed...

[MidwestTransplant]

Regarding Tenant's testimony, some reports have him saying an Aide was behind the language while others say an official. An Official would seem to be a cabinet level person while an Aide would seem to be a lower level person of some kind...possibly an Aide to an Official?

Anybody know for certain whether it was an Aide or an Official that pushed the Niger stuff into the SOTU?

[EAMcClure]

1. Couldn't be an aide, unless it was Lewis Libby

No aide would have the authority to push the head of the CIA on something like this. Libby could, but "Scooter" is answerable (directly) to Dick Cheney.

It has to be an appointed official. Don't buy the jive that some aide could walk in and muscle CIA oversight.

Condi Rice, Dick Cheney. Those are your culprits. Pick one.

[Nottingham]

2. Don't forget Rove!

:) I bet its Cheney!

[EAMcClure]

3. Ask yourself

Could Rove actually pressure CIA oversight and Tenet himself on this matter? Rove is not a government authority. He is not the head of National Security (Rice) or the veep. The NSA has final say over national security issues and the context of written presentations to the legislative body.

It's Rice and/or Cheney.

[karlschneider]

4. I've seen several claims it was someone named "xxxxx Joseph", I can't

recall the first name... allegedly in Con-di's bailiwick.

[lanlady]

5. Stephen somebody -- Condi's deputy?

If even it was him, that still means Condi.

[starscape]

6. Robert Joseph

He's hard to find. The "Joseph" figure didn't show up in any recent news pieces.. Had to find him on the National Security Council web site.. but it looks very possible that this is who you are thinking of:

Robert Joseph, Senior Director for Proliferation Strategy, Counterproliferation and Homeland Defense

[trof]

7. The Honorable Robert G. Joseph,

Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director, Proliferation Strategy, Counterproliferation and Homeland Defense, National Security Council

http://www.ifpafletcherconference.com/marines2002/joseph.htm

[seemslikeadream]

8. Read this quote from an interview he had with Leonard Spector

The Nonproliferation Rewiew on NPR
NPR: Will this be a planning team that reports directly to you or will it be chaired by an interagency group of some kind?

Joseph: The idea is to have a interagency group at the NSC. I read your piece on this. You said, "You have a choice, you can have high level offical do it, or you can have Bob Joseph do it"

[starscape]

9. prime suspect

Looks like Joseph kind of fits the profile, so to speak..

www.democraticunderground.com/articles/03/07/16_blame.html

An excerpt from the linked article:

"Here's how it went down: according to Alan Foley, a proliferation expert at the CIA, he was questioned by Robert G. Joseph, a nuclear proliferation expert at the National Security Council, about the use of the uranium claim in a draft of the State of the Union address. Foley (CIA) objected to the use of the claim because the intelligence was weak and had been essentially discredited. Joseph (NSC) then cited the British report. Foley countered that the CIA did not believe the report was correct. Joseph then asked Foley to at least confirm that the British had indeed made such a report. Foley confirmed that this was true, the British had issued such a report. End of discussion."

[LizW]

10. I've started keeping a score card

on these guys. Who are they, who have they worked for, idealogy, background, etc. My note for Robert Joseph says, "Robert Joseph, NSC (PNAC)." (Surprise.)

Also, his testimony before a Senate Committee from 1999 is interesting. He never met a nuclear weapon he didn't like.

[newyawker99]

11. Hi starscape!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[starscape]

12. hello hello

Thanks newyawker! Nice to be among friends.. and some intelligent, 'no bull' conversation for a change..