Rice: CIA approved Bush remark on Iraq

AP | 7/11/03 | MIKE GLOVER

[kattracks]

ENTEBBE, Uganda (AP) — President Bush's national security adviser said Friday the CIA cleared Bush's State of the Union speech in its entirety, including a sentence alleging that Iraq was seeking to buy nuclear material from Africa.

If CIA Director George Tenet had any misgivings about that sentence in the president's speech, "he did not make them known" to Bush or his staff, said national security adviser Condoleezza Rice.

Her comments to reporters aboard Air Force One came as the administration presented a full-press defense of Bush's use of that allegation against Saddam Hussein, which the White House subsequently acknowledged was based on false information.

"The CIA cleared the speech. The CIA cleared the speech in its entirety," Rice said as Bush flew from South Africa to Uganda. Questions about the allegations in Bush's January speech have followed him on this five-day trip through Africa.

The agency raised only one objection to the sentence involving an allegation that Iraq was trying to obtain yellow cake uranium, she said. "Some specifics about amount and place were taken out," Rice said.

"With the changes in that sentence, the speech was cleared," she said. "The agency did not say they wanted that sentence out."

Rice made the defense of the White House in a rare 50-minute meeting with reporters aboard the president's plane.

The comments come amid published reports that some CIA officials had conveyed to the White House misgivings about the yellow cake allegation prior to Bush's Jan. 28 State of the Union address.

Rice dismissed that notion, noting that the CIA had mentioned such a claim — that Iraq was seeking to buy uranium from Africa — in a classified National Intelligence Assessment made periodically to the president.

"If the CIA — the director of central intelligence — had said take this out of the speech — it would have been gone," Rice said. "We have a high standard for the president's speeches."

Asked whether Bush had confidence in the intelligence agency, Rice replied, "Absolutely."

When queried on reports the CIA expressed concern to the White House about the allegation, she suggested that Tenet should be asked directly. "I'm not blaming anyone here," Rice said.

"The president did not knowingly say anything that we knew to be false," she said. "We wouldn't put anything knowingly in the speech that was false."

[Just mythoughts]

Now we are getting somewhere, who is the mole in the CIA?

Who produced the fraudulent documents?

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[section9]

Not only that, both Rice and Powell have come out to kill this story in its infancy. Both have been around Washington long enough to know a jumped up story when they see it. Good one-two punch on the part of the Administration.

Be Seeing You,

Chris

[kattracks]

ping

[gov_bean_ counter]

I find it just a bit curious that this would happen shortly after the arrest of an Iraqi spy. Remember, the US military discovered literally thousands of Iraqi intelligence documents that reportedly identified agents across the world.

[WhiteGuy]

"The president did not knowingly say anything that we knew to be false," she said

---

It's the "plausable deniability" defense!

We haven't seen this used in a long time!

[mewzilla]

I've always thought that Saddamn was smart enough to figure why bomb when you can blackmail? I really doubt that Bristish MP George Galloway was Saddamn's only pol pal.

[The G Man]

[Howard Cosell mode]

THERE! RIGHT THERE! RICE WITH A RIGHT HOOK!! DOWN GO THE LIBERALS! DOWN GO THE LIBERALS!

[/Howard Cosell mode]

[Dane]

All this brouhaha over one sentence about some bad intelligence from the CIA in a State of the Union speech.

I don't remember the press going bonkers over the easily refuted Clinton remark in one of his SOTU's where he said that Russian nukes were not pointed towards the US anymore.

[gov_bean_ counter]

Now cut that out. Can't have you making that much sense this early in the morning.

[gov_bean_ counter]

Now cut that out. Can't have you making that much sense this early in the morning.

[lelio]

The problem I see is that Bush wanted a real zinger in his speach and thought this one would probably pan out. Why did he overreach when it wasn't necessary? Now all intelligence presented by the administration is going to be treated as suspect.

[No Truce With Kings]

As I recall this whole flap started with the bogus "CIA" agent that was the source for the later-repudiated Capital Hill Blue article.

Was there another, independent source for the story, or is this an example of a lie getting around the world before the truth gets its boots on?

[Dane]

The problem I see is that Bush wanted a real zinger in his speach and thought this one would probably pan out. Why did he overreach when it wasn't necessary? Now all intelligence presented by the administration is going to be treated as suspect

Oh I see, one sentence is wrong, so the other 1,000 sentences are now "suspect".

Send me a postcard when you reach that place called "a perfect world".

[rintense]

The intell was based on British intelligence, not our own from what I've read. That's why Bush cited British intelligence in the speech, not our own.

[No Truce With Kings]

'Oh I see, one sentence is wrong, so the other 1,000 sentences are now "suspect".'


I am not even sure that the one he is accused of getting "wrong" was wrong. Certainly not in the context of people knowing it was wrong in Dec-Jan.

THE ORIGINAL SOURCE FOR THAT CLAIM WAS SOMEONE *PRETENDING* TO BE A CIA AGENT. (Yes, I *AM* shouting. That deserves to be shouted.)

I have seen no evidence that the accusation that the President or the CIA knew the uranium claim was false came from anyone OTHER than the "source" for the Capitol Hill Blue article that posted the original "Bush Lied" claim.

In other words it is the fabrication of a nutcase who was good enough to fool a reporter. (Not that fooling a reporter is hard, mind. Kind of like getting a junkie to take another drag on the crack pipe.)

Am I wrong?

[rintense]

A real zinger? Well if he thought Iraq trying to by nuclear components in Africa was it, then he fell way short. Again, this intell was based on British intelligence, not the CIA. Probably why Tenet had no problem with it- because it wasn't our own.

[conservativecorner]

Just as I thought. Thank you for posting the FACTS!!

[OldFriend]

GO CONDI GO!