dave

Ex-Envoy: U.S. Twisted Iraq Intelligence
By JENNIFER C. KERR, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - An envoy sent by the CIA to Africa to investigate allegations
about Iraq's nuclear weapons program contends the Bush administration
manipulated his findings, possibly to strengthen the rationale for war.

That conclusion came on Sunday from Joseph Wilson, former U.S. ambassador to
the West African nation of Gabon, who was dispatched in February 2002 to
explore whether Iraq tried to buy uranium from Niger. That desert country is
the world's third-largest producer of mined uranium.


Writing in a New York Times op-ed piece, Wilson said it did not take him
long "to conclude that it was highly doubtful that any such transaction had
ever taken place."


In an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press," Wilson insisted his doubts about
the purported Iraq-Niger connection reached the highest levels of
government, including Vice President **** Cheney (news - web sites)'s
office.


"The question was asked of the CIA by the office of the vice president. The
office of the vice president, I am absolutely convinced, received a very
specific response to the question it asked, and that response was based upon
my trip out there," said Wilson.


Yet nearly a year after he had returned and briefed CIA officials, the
assertion that President Saddam Hussein was trying to obtain uranium from
Africa was included in President Bush's State of the Union address as the
nation marched toward war with Saddam's Iraq.


The British and Italian governments initially reported the possible
Niger-Iraq ties to the United States. Britain issued a public statement on
the matter in September 2002, a few months before the president's speech.


If the British and Bush were referring to Niger, then "that information was
erroneous, and ... they knew about it well ahead of both the publication of
the British White Paper and the president's State of the Union address,"
Wilson said on NBC's "Meet the Press."


He said there are only two conclusions to draw: "Either the administration
has some information that it has not shared with the public, or, yes, they
were using the selective use of facts and intelligence to bolster a decision
in a case that had already been made, a decision that had been made to go to
war."


About a month after Bush's speech, the United Nations determined the uranium
reports were based mostly on forged do***ents. The White House, however, has
maintained Bush's assertion about Iraq and uranium was supported by more
evidence than the forged material.


Wilson served as ambassador to Gabon in the first Bush administration and
later helped direct Africa policy for President Clinton's National Security
Council. More recently, he had argued against using force in Iraq as opposed
to strict containment.


Discussing Wilson's comments, several lawmakers expressed misgivings as they
made the rounds of Sunday's television talk shows about what transpired.


One of them - Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, top Democrat on the
Senate Intelligence Committee - said on CNN's "Late Edition" that it goes to
the question of, "was there an abuse in intelligence, or was the
intelligence wrong?"


He said, "In either case, it's not a happy outcome, and has to be fixed."


Reviews of prewar intelligence on weapons of mass destruction and whether
those assessments may have been exaggerated to justify an invasion of Iraq
are under way in the House and Senate.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030706/ap_on_re_mi_ea/us_iraq_intelligence_3

simpleton

THIS IS YOUR LIFE, ISN'T IT?
b/t/w i put in a hoist for my wife's ski boat....while you went mental
preparing your next cut and paste.


http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030706/ap_on_re_mi_ea/us
_iraq_intelligence_3

don swayser

Jeez Dave, this is older than dirt. It was a plant from a foreign agent.
Getting desperate?

--
If you want to be free, there is but one way; it is to guarantee an
equally full measure of liberty to all your neighbors. There is no other.
Carl Schurz (1829-1906)

dave

Just a reminder Don, but then you don't care if your Bush lies.


fixed."

whether

Iraq

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030706/ap_on_re_mi_ea/us_iraq_intelligence_3

don swayser

Johnson wasted 52,000 American lives in Vietnam. Just a reminder Dave.

--
If you want to be free, there is but one way; it is to guarantee an
equally full measure of liberty to all your neighbors. There is no other.
Carl Schurz (1829-1906)

dave

So your point is to go back in time? Do you live in the present? Do you try
to improve with time? I guess not.

steve

Don Swayser allegedly said:

That was wrong TOO.

At least you have tacitly admited that Bush is wrong.

You're just hung up on the partisan thing.

Weird.

--
Steve
--
"Naturally, the common people don't want war;
neither in Russia nor in England nor in America,
nor for that matter in Germany.
That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders
of the country who determine the policy and
it is always a simple matter to drag the people
along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist
dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist
dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can
always be brought to the bidding of the leaders.
That is easy. All you have to do is tell them
they are being attacked and denounce the
pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing
the country to danger. It works the same way
in any country."
- Hermann Goering, Nazi Reichsmarshall

steve

dave allegedly said:

You've won the point.

Don's admitted that Bush has killed thousands based on lies - just like
Johnson did (and he certainly did).

Otherwise, why would he compare them as he did?

Johnson was forced to not stand again by the negative public reaction to his
actions.

--
Steve
--
"Naturally, the common people don't want war;
neither in Russia nor in England nor in America,
nor for that matter in Germany.
That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders
of the country who determine the policy and
it is always a simple matter to drag the people
along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist
dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist
dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can
always be brought to the bidding of the leaders.
That is easy. All you have to do is tell them
they are being attacked and denounce the
pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing
the country to danger. It works the same way
in any country."
- Hermann Goering, Nazi Reichsmarshall

steve

dave allegedly said:

You've won the point.

Don's admitted that Bush has killed thousands based on lies - just like
Johnson did (and he certainly did).

Otherwise, why would he compare them as he did?

Johnson was forced to not stand again by the negative public reaction to his
actions.

--
Steve
--
"Naturally, the common people don't want war;
neither in Russia nor in England nor in America,
nor for that matter in Germany.
That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders
of the country who determine the policy and
it is always a simple matter to drag the people
along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist
dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist
dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can
always be brought to the bidding of the leaders.
That is easy. All you have to do is tell them
they are being attacked and denounce the
pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing
the country to danger. It works the same way
in any country."
- Hermann Goering, Nazi Reichsmarshall