Several analysts interviewed by Committee staff also pointed out that information in the second intelligence report matched [Several words blacked out] reporting from 1999 which showed that an Algerian businessman, Baraka, was arranging a trip for the Iraqi Ambassador to the Vatican, Wissam al-Zahawi, to visit Niger and other African countries in early February 1999. The former ambassador was selected for the 1999 trip after his wife [Plame] mentioned to her supervisors that her husband was planning a business trip to Niger in the near future and might be willing to use his contacts in the region [a few words blacked out]. Because the former ambassador did not uncover any information about [word blacked out] during this visit to Niger, CPD did not distribute an intelligence report on the visit.I have not been able to find anything on Baraka...although to Islam it means "a supernatural gift that has been defined variously as blessing or mystical power". So...it may have not been his real name. Dang.
fwiw, some important info for understanding Joseph Wilson IV's mentality as some deranged far-left "prophet" of doom spouting "wag the dog" nonsense:
Below are excerpts from a speech (June 14, 2003) given by the supposedly non-partisan professional diplomat Joe Wilson in the same time period in which he was launching his jihad against the Bush administration.
For the coming 15 months (run-up to 2004 presidential election), Wilson 'predicts' US casualties at a rate of 10-20 per DAY (at least 3,650 per year), huge catastrophe around Israel/Palestinians, and then Pres. Bush will START A NEW WAR to distract attention and rally patriotism before the US elections. Yes, this is Joe Wilson embracing whole-hog the loony-left's favorite "wag the dog" scenarios......
Now tell me whether a pompous self-important egomaniac like Joe Wilson would have scruples about doing anything he thinks he can get away with to block what he views as the evil neo-cons of the Bush administration, even if it involved undermining US relations with Turkey or deceiving the public about the whole "Niger uranium" issue???
http://billhobbs.com/hobbsonline/000503.html
Joe Wilson (June 14, 2003):
"The pressure here in the United States will begin to build because by that time (November 2004 US elections] Ariel Sharon will have made life so miserable for the Palestinians that you'll either see a de facto transfer occurring, the movement of Palestinians across into Jordan, or you will just see a lot of bloodshed. You will see Hamas just doing things every day, you'll see Israeli gunships... It will be not very pleasant for the President in the run-up to the campaign. So you'll have ten Americans dying every day in Iraq and you'll have the Middle East peace process in tatters, and the president who will find that it is increasingly difficult for him to run for reelection as Commander in Chief."
"And of course at the same time you'll still have the American economy that is weak, unemployment will be up by perhaps another percent and people will be pretty unhappy. And we'll be looking at $500 to $600 billion deficits and we'll still be looking at tremendous trade deficits and all that will start to make people wonder about things like tax cuts and all that stuff we ought to be wondering about anyway. The President wants to run away from that. He doesn't want to run as President. He wants to run as Commander in Chief. so if the Commander in Chief stuff isn't working very well for him and the President stuff isn't working very well for him, what's he gonna do? Start another war."