Posted on 06/05/2008 6:22:47 AM PDT by Heart of Georgia
Scott McClellan, the former Press Secretary to President Bush (now a puppet for the Left) has written a book named, "What Happened," (probably ghost-written by the tripartite efforts of Nancy Pelosi, Howard Dean and Harry Reid) which suggests that: The president used propaganda at worst, or bogus intelligence at best, as a basis for the invasion of Iraq; that Scooter Libby, Vice president Cheney or Karl Rove leaked the name of the CIA operative, Valerie Plame, and if the president didn't authorize it, he, at least, had knowledge of it.
Here is what really happened:
• In February, 2002, Joseph Wilson (now, a known Bush hater), formerly a U.S. Ambassador, was sent to Niger to check out an intelligence report that yellowcake uranium was sold to Iraq in the late 1990's, stockpiled by Hussein for future nuclear muscle flexing.
• Jan. 2003, Bush, in the State of the Union address, said that Hussein had (according to British intelligence) purchased the uranium from Niger.
• July 2003, (after the State of the Union speech), Wilson told the New York Times that he could not verify for certain that Niger sold uranium to Hussein.
• That same month, Richard Armitage (former Deputy Secretary of State), leaked to Robert Novak, the columnist, the identity of Valerie Plame (Wilson's wife) as a CIA operative specializing in Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) in Iraq. The Democrats immediately blamed Rove, Libby and Cheney for the leak.
• September 2003, the Justice Department opened an investigation concerning unauthorized disclosures of the identity of an undercover CIA agent. U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald was named special counsel to investigate if a crime had been committed in the "outing" of Valerie Plame. The theory was that Plame was outed in retaliation to Wilson's untimely and un-authorized gossip to the New York Times, and to further justify Bush's plans to invade Iraq.
Concerning the propaganda, Here is what really happened:
• In October 2001, Italian investigators were in possession of some forged documents naming the Italian Intelligence Service as knowing accomplices. The documents seemed to verify that Iraq had indeed purchased yellowcake uranium from Niger. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and his newly appointed Intelligence chief, Nicolo Pollari, made an official visit to Washington. Italy was well aware of Bush's perceived obsession with invading Iraq and used the occasion of the visit to discuss the dossier indicating uranium sales to Iraq. This same bogus intelligence was passed on to Britain's MI-6, who also relied upon its veracity.
• In February 2002, Pollari and Berlusconi re-submitted their report to Washington (with some embellishments), resulting in the visit by Wilson to Niger. In August 2002, the Whitehouse was intensifying its efforts to make the case for war and formed the White House Iraq Group (WHIG), whose job it was to gin up material for war by providing damming information about Iraq to the media. On October 9, 2002, the Italians sent directly to National Security Counsel (instead of to the CIA as they were supposed to do) the bogus dossier, which eventually ended up on the VP's desk.
The CIA was livid over the skip in protocol (being left out of the loop) and urged the president to not declare in his State of the Union address that uranium sales to Iraq had been confirmed. However, relying on the validity of the dossier, Bush did just that. Bottom line -- If uranium was not being sold to Iraq, only the Niger and Italian governments knew it, and chose not to share their information with us or the U.K.
Why too, did McClellan not mention in his book that in January 2001, there was a break-in at the Niger Embassy in Rome, Italy. Documents were stolen. Nothing else was taken. A man named Rocco Martino, a former (ousted) Italian intelligence officer, ended up with the documents and offered them for sale to the Italian magazine the Panorama, owned, coincidentally by Italy's Prime Minister, Berlusconi.
And now you know the rest of the story.
James Studdard is an attorney. He may be reached at studlaw2000@yahoo.com.
Sorry, James, but your second bullet in your list to set the record straight is VERY inaccurate. Bush said that according to British intelligence Hussein had ATTEMPTED TO ACQUIRE large quantities of uranium from Africa. Bush DID NOT specify Niger and he most certainly did not say that the purchase had been successfully consummated.
Again, re-read the infamous sixteen words from the SOTU address. "...British intelligence learned that Saddam ATTEMPTED to obtain uranium..."
Also the thousands of pounds of yellow-cake we did find in Iraq go a long way towards vindicating the view that Hussein was indeed interested in purchasing yellow cake uranium at some point in the past, seeings as how he was in possession of it.
Scott who?
Lots of falshood and ommissions here...
• In February, 2002, Joseph Wilson (now, a known Bush hater), formerly a U.S. Ambassador, was sent to Niger to check out an intelligence report that yellowcake uranium was sold to Iraq in the late 1990’s, stockpiled by Hussein for future nuclear muscle flexing.
- Article
Truth: His wife played an important role in having him sent to Niger
• Jan. 2003, Bush, in the State of the Union address, said that Hussein had (according to British intelligence) purchased the uranium from Niger.
- articel
Truth: In the State of the Union Bush explicity sourced the intel to the Brithish and stated the Saddam “sought” to purchase yellowcake. (not purchased)
• July 2003, (after the State of the Union speech), Wilson told the New York Times that he could not verify for certain that Niger sold uranium to Hussein.
-Article
Truth: The CIA concluded from Wilson’s debrief with them, that his finding’s confirmed the Brithish intel - That Saddam “sought” to purchase yellowcake from Niger.
Further: the forged documents showing a yellowcake transaction were not relied upon for the statement in the SoTU.
IMO - the forgeries were only a smokescreen to cast an undeserved shadow on the truth that Saddam did in fact try to purchase the yellowcake.
3
Given Mr. Studdard's willful disregard of the facts in this error filled piece, I am left wondering about the quality of legal advice he provides.
You’re right. I thought the author had done his research pretty well, but apparently that lie has been repeated so often that it’s sticking.
Jan. 2003, Bush, in the State of the Union address, said that Hussein had (according to British intelligence) purchased the uranium from Niger.
Seems we’re all on the same page!
Funny how no one followed up the Africa statement. If they had they’d realize that Congo is in Africa and Congo was busted big time by the UN for corruption in their uranium smuggling ring.
Sorry, to mess this up with facts!!!
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Uranium smuggling ring busted in Congo
BBC:
An international network set up to illegally use uranium mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has reportedly been dismantled.
Scientific Research Minister Sylvanus Mushi said DRC’s top nuclear official and a colleague were being questioned in connection with the case.
The official, Fortunat Lumu, and the colleague were arrested on Tuesday.
The move comes amid reports that a large quantity of uranium has gone missing in recent years in DRC.
State prosecutor Tshimanga Mukeba earlier told the BBC that an “important quantity” of uranium was taken from the atomic energy centre in the capital, Kinshasa, without revealing any figures.
DRC’s daily newspaper Le Phare on Wednesday reported that more than 100 bars of uranium, as well as an unknown quantity of uranium contained in helmet-shaped cases, had disappeared from the centre as part of a vast trafficking of the material going back years.
STRIKE ONE!
Joe Wilson was sent to Niger to confirm reports that Iraq was attempting to buy Uranium. An attempt to purchase uranium would indicate that Iraq had not suspended their nuclear program.
• Jan. 2003, Bush, in the State of the Union address, said that Hussein had (according to British intelligence) purchased the uranium from Niger.
STRIKE TWO!
Bush, during the SOTU, uttered the famous 16 Words -- "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa". Not "purchased". Not even "Niger". Again, he only said that they sought significant quantities, which was absolutely and demonstrably true. These 16 words are perhaps the most easily Googled quote in the history of the planet. If Studdard gets this wrong, the only explanation is that he is getting it wrong on purpose.
• July 2003, (after the State of the Union speech), Wilson told the New York Times that he could not verify for certain that Niger sold uranium to Hussein.
STRIKE THREE!
Joe Wilson did not answer the question asked.
And down goes Studdard!
Thanks for pointing out the problems with the article. I noticed a few inaccuracies, but I didn’t expect so many.
It seems he should have put more thought and research into his writting.
Geesh - that’s brutal. :) Hope Mr. Studdard reads FR and learns something.
They tell this same lie over and over again. I have the same reflexive reaction to it now that you apparently have.
I understand that there has been a plan to invade Iraq first and THEN there was a team forged to find public acceptable (forged or non forged noone really cared) reasons. Anything else really doesn’t sound convincing.
Can someone finally please come up now with a good list of reason to hang that 2 trillion war debt weight around the neck of the allready troubled dollar ?
What more then a desperate attempt or a suicidal and idiotic move is that war ?
Is it more then an Investor Realtionship Management campaign for the UAE and Saudi Arabia ?
And was it intended to protect Arabian investors or to demonstrate what happens if protection is not payed for ?
and there were Iraqis on every cable news outlet opening drums of Yellow Cake Uranium that must have come from the sky.
We will make no distinction between those who carried out these attacks and those states who give them harborIraq was one of the biggest financiers and protectors of international islamofacist terrorists, pretty much right behind the Taliban and right in front of Syria and Libya. After we deposed Hussein, Moamar Ghadafi saw how serious or resolve was (briefly) and quickly moved to abandon his WMD programs. Unfortunately Syria is still defiant and uncooperative as is Iran. Had our elected officials stood strong behind our president rather than engaging in partisan sniping over every little setback, then perhaps we could have presented a strong enough front against Syria and Iran to discourage their support and participation in the insurgency and the disruptive terror attacks in Iraq in the aftermath of the deposing of Hussein.
-- G W Bush, September 2001
Are you serious or just another German enamored with your own snarkiness?
We (US+real allies)needed to take the fight to very dangerous enemy, and strategically Iraq was perfect for numerous reasons but primarily Iraq was a trap aka a roach hotel for the scummy terrorist with added benefits of ending the Food for Oil scam that your country, the EU, Russia, etc. used to steal vast amounts of $$ from the Iraqui people, starving many children and funding the military dreams of a homocidal tyrant, Saddam.
That’s the simple answer for snarky cowards like you! BTW, what is the German/EU going to do when your $$ buddy in IRAN has nuke tipped misslies pointed at your snarky heads?
Can you answer those questions?
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