Posted on 01/02/2006 10:31:29 PM PST by Gordongekko909
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A new book on the government's secret anti-terrorism operations describes how the CIA recruited an Iraqi-American anesthesiologist in 2002 to obtain information from her brother, who was a figure in Saddam Hussein's nuclear program.
Dr. Sawsan Alhaddad of Cleveland made the dangerous trip to Iraq on the CIA's behalf. The book said her brother was stunned by her questions about the nuclear program because - he said - it had been dead for a decade.
New York Times reporter James Risen uses the anecdote to illustrate how the CIA ignored information that Iraq no longer had weapons of mass destruction. His book, "State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration" describes secret operations of the Bush administration's war on terrorism.
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
Sloppy research by Risen--the WMD program was NOT dismantled by 2002 according to the 9/11 Commission. See Strata Sphere.com
Jayson Blair alert!
Cindy Sheehan, Howard Dean, Dick Durbin, and Michael Moore.
Translation: Pinch Sulzberger, Bill Keller and Risen's psychiatrist.
I wonder, why does anyone really care if they had WMD's or not? There were sufficient other reasons that they don't mention.
Saddam Hussein didn't have WMD and never in a million years would he have made more. He was building those hundreds of illegal long range missiles for decoration only.
He was never going to use them!
He was never a threat!
Saddam good!
Bush evil!
BUSH EVIL BUSH EVIL BUSH EVIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Falls over backwards frothing at the mouth)
My guess is that Risen doesn't have jack to suggest Duelfer is mistaken, but that the MSM nonetheless will just swallow and regurgitate whatever he writes because they think it will tarnish Bush. See my tagline.
If Scott Ritter wasn't a sexual predator, he would have been built up to hero status like Risen is about to be.
Sources and analysts: Wasn't little Valerie an analyst. Hmmmm.....
Saddam, Uranium and Africa
What two investigations say about Bush's statements on Iraq, yellowcake and Niger.
Thursday, July 15, 2004 12:01 a.m. EDT
From the "Review of Intelligence on Weapons of Mass Destruction" chaired by Lord Butler, published yesterday by the British House of Commons (a related editorial appears nearby):
493. In early 1999, Iraqi officials visited a number of African countries, including Niger. The visit was detected by intelligence, and some details were subsequently confirmed by Iraq. . . .
494. There was further and separate intelligence that in 1999 the Iraqi regime had also made inquiries about the purchase of uranium ore in the Democratic Republic of Congo. . . .
497. In preparing the dossier, the U.K. consulted the U.S. The CIA advised caution about any suggestion that Iraq had succeeded in acquiring uranium from Africa, but agreed that here was evidence that it had been sought.
498. The range of evidence described above underlay the relevant passage in the Prime Minister's statement in the House of Commons on 24 September 2002 that: "In addition, we know that Saddam has been trying to buy significant quantities of uranium from Africa, although we do not know whether he has been successful."
499. We conclude that, on the basis of the intelligence assessments at the time, covering both Niger and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the statements on Iraqi attempts to buy uranium from Africa in the Government's dossier, and by the Prime Minister in the House of Commons, were well-founded. By extension, we conclude also that the statement in President Bush's State of the Union Address of 28 January 2003 that "The British Government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa" was well-founded.
500. We also note that, because the intelligence evidence was inconclusive, neither the Government's dossier nor the Prime Minister went on to say that a deal between the Governments of Iraq and Niger for the supply of uranium had been signed, or uranium shipped.
501. We have been told that it was not until early 2003 that the British Government became aware that the U.S. (and other states) had received from a journalistic source a number of documents alleged to cover the Iraqi procurement of uranium from Niger. Those documents were passed to the IAEA, which in its update report to the United Nations Security Council in March 2003 determined that the papers were forgeries. . . .
503. From our examination of the intelligence and other material on Iraqi attempts to buy uranium from Africa, we have concluded that:
a. It is accepted by all parties that Iraqi officials visited Niger in 1999.
b. The British Government had intelligence from several different sources indicating that this visit was for the purpose of acquiring uranium. Since uranium constitutes almost three-quarters of Niger's exports, the intelligence was credible.
c. The evidence was not conclusive that Iraq actually purchased, as opposed to having sought, uranium and the British Government did not claim this.
d. The forged documents were not available to the British Government at the time its assessment was made, and so the fact of the forgery does not undermine it.
From page 46 of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee report published last Friday:
The CIA's DO [Directorate of Operations] gave the former ambassador's [Joe Wilson's] information a grade of "good". . . because the information responded to at least some of the outstanding questions in the Intelligence Community, but did not provide substantial new information. He [the reports officer] said he judged that the most important fact in the report was that Nigerien officials admitted that the Iraqi delegation had traveled there in 1999, and that the Nigerien Prime Minister believed the Iraqis were interested in purchasing uranium, because this provided some confirmation of foreign government service reporting. . . .
DIA [Defense Intelligence Agency] and CIA analysts said that when they saw the intelligence report they did not believe that it supplied much new information and did not think that it clarified the story on the alleged Iraq-Niger uranium deal. They did not find Nigerien denial that they had discussed uranium sales with Iraq as very surprising because they had no expectation that Niger would admit to such an agreement if it did exist. The analysts did, however, find it interesting that the former Nigerien Prime Minister said an Iraqi delegation had visited Niger for what he believed was to discuss uranium sales.
Anal cyst, I think.
"I wonder, why does anyone really care if they had WMD's or not?"
Even though Clinton and other top Democrats are on record talking about Saddam's WMDs since the mid-90s (at least), the takeaway here is that the Dems are trying to make a big issue about something that was decided years ago. That's the best that they have to try to bring Bush down. Their best effort is not one single constructive action to help the country in 5 years. Zero. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Rien.
The problem is that the Dem/libs ignorance and stupidity is dangerous in a time of war.
I love it when they lay this one out there. Answer - "Then it's a damn good thing President Bush put an end to those heartless sanctions." Clinton just let them go on and on for years.
HOLD IT!
Risen just outed the NAME AND CITY of a person who undertook a covert CIA mission ONLY 3 YEARS AGO!
This woman's life is surely at risk now. If she turns up dead soon the blook is partly on his hands.
IMO I don't think the MSM is subtle about anything - out and out shill for the DemonRAT party. No Republican or conservative in any MSM arena gets a fair shake. Bring on the Impeachment PAC - it can only help the Republican chances in '06. It will split the RAT party in two.
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