Joe Wilson In A Bind

American Spectator ^ | 10-31-05 | Clinton W. Taylor

[smoothsailing]

I found something that should be quite useful when countering your leftist aquaintances.

It's a lengthy article but contains the ammo you need for making cogent arguments, although to be honest,for me, talking to lefties has been a waste of my time.

Tale of two papers>

[liberallarry]

BTW, in the Commission report it was also stated that the CIA, rather then taking Wilsons verbal report as evidence that there was no attempt to purchase yellow cake in fact stated that it actually bolstered the case they were.

I've heard this too but I can't imagine the reasoning. Can you post the pages where it appears?

[liberallarry]

Let's say that I accept your preferred interpretation and that Plame did suggest Wilson for the trip. The report is clear - she neither came up with the idea that the trip was necessary or useful, nor decided who should go.

So why is her suggestion such a big deal?

[liberallarry]

Ah the art of creative insult is NOT dead..

Thank God. And I'm glad you appreciate it. I'm capable of recognizing it too...and of responding in kind. It's a joy to do so.

[liberallarry]

Scraping away the nonsense and snide remarks - you're right that Saddam's primary interest was in removing the sanctions so that he could reconstitute his WMD programs. That was - correctly - one of the principal justifications for attacking him.

[liberallarry]

I find it particularly amusing that the CIA says it had no other options but to send Wilson. They really need to work on their Africa desk.

The CIA had reports from the Ambassador to Niger (the woman with the hyphenated name) and General Carlton Fulford, who they sent for the same reason they sent Wilson. They probably had reports from spies and covert contacts as well.

The Senate report is no great shakes for accuracy, consistancy, and clarity.

[liberallarry]

Isn't it possible that Joe Wilson was in the uranium business himself, and had a vested interest in not finding that the Nigeriens had ever done business with Saddam Hussein?

I heard he had covert dealings in goat droppings.

[LowOiL]

Bookmark post.

[Enchante]

Yes, what's ludicrous about the whole affair is that IF there were any illicit dealings in Niger uranium, what were the chances that Joe Wilson's chats over mint tea would have revealed anything about them??? It was such an obvious bogus journey, at taxpayer expense - should have been deducted from Valerie Plame's CIA paycheck!!! And Joe Wilson has the nerve to pretend HE was doing the nation a great favor taking this junket at our expense any maybe building contacts for his bogus consulting business along the way....

Think about it: IF Niger had been taking any active secret steps toward dealing uranium to Iraq in violation of UN sanctions, would any current or former official just volunteer the info to Joe Wilson???? "Oh, yes, Mr. ex-Ambassador, we know about the UN sanctions but we decided not to pass up the chance for some foreign exchange revenue from Iraq..... please don't tell your CIA or the UN Security Council about this!"

That's what's been bogus about this matter from the start - the whole mission was preposterous and could not disprove anything at all. What's even worse is that, given that Wilson DID obtain an account of an Iraqi trade approach to Niger, which the former minister DID think was aimed at starting illicit trade in uranium, Wilson has been given a free pass from the MSM to totally lie about everything in this case. What a crock!

[devolve]

 mp3   THE  SPY  WHO  LOVED  ME   midi 

[Enchante]

p.s. one might think it's a contradiction to assert that Wilson's mission could not have yielded any useful results when in fact he did get some info on a possible Iraqi attempt to start an illicit trade for uranium, but what I mean is that the CIA could not possibly DEPEND upon Wilson's trip doing anything to prove the negative.... i.e., if everyone he talked to swore up and down that there were no illicit sales of uranium or even attempts to discuss such sales, that would not give any REASONABLE person the slightest confidence that the trip had debunked anything. This was a totally slipshod and slovenly approach to intelligence gathering!

[potlatch]

They travel with witches and 'carrier' bats!

[popdonnelly]

"The Senate report is no great shakes for accuracy, consistancy, and clarity."

You make them sound like Joe Wilson. How is the Senate version less accurate then, say, yours?

[popdonnelly]

You're splitting hairs.

[popdonnelly]

It is a big deal because Wilson attributed his trip to the Vice President's office, and not his wife.

[liberallarry]

How is the Senate version less accurate then, say, yours?

Oh, it's far more accurate than mine...but still tough to read, incomplete, and sometimes incomprehensible.

[liberallarry]

Not at all. A position opened up, she suggested her husband - but she was neither responsible for selecting him or opening the position. Those responsible could have selected someone else, or no one at all.

[liberallarry]

It is a big deal because Wilson attributed his trip to the Vice President's office, and not his wife.

The Senate report is very clear about this. The trip was initiated in response to a query by Cheney's office, not by his wife. He was selected to go on that trip by people other than his wife as well.

Inotherwords incompetent nepotism is not an accurate description of what happened.

[Boazo]

[potlatch]

LOL, two teeth, crossed eyes....whoops, you forgot the wart!