Posted on 10/27/2005 7:25:10 AM PDT by AdmSmith
It was one of the biggest of the American pre-war blunders. Iraq, documents showed, had tried to buy uranium from Niger. The papers, though, soon proved to be false. But who forged them? Now, a new article in an Italian newspaper says that the Italian government was heavily involved.
Remember the Niger "yellow cake" scandal? Back in the days before the US invasion of Iraq, nobody except of course the UN weapons inspectors on the ground in Iraq, was really sure whether Saddam had the Bomb or not. US President George W. Bush was desperately looking for some shred of proof that might work as pretence for invasion. In 2002, he thought he had just what he was looking for. Iraq, or so it seemed based on some documents turned up by the CIA and British intelligence, had been attempting to buy so-called "yellow cake", a substance rich in uranium, from Niger. Indeed, the yellow cake deal became one of the main early foundations for the US justification of an Iraq invasion.
Problem is, as we all know, the documents were falsified. But where did they originate? A new, three-part series (Part one http://nuralcubicle.blogspot.com/2005/10/berlusconi-behind-fake-yellowcake.html , part two http://nuralcubicle.blogspot.com/2005/10/yellowcake-dossier-not-work-of-cia.html , and part three http://nuralcubicle.blogspot.com/2005/10/nigergate-great-nuclear-centrifuge.html ) by the Italian daily La Repubblica, and translated by blogger Nur al-Cubicle, digs deep into the secret-services netherworld and comes to a rather surprising answer. The article implicates none other than Silvio Berlusconi. (Read the original Italian http://www.repubblica.it/2005/j/sezioni/esteri/iraq69/sismicia/sismicia.html .)
Interesting stuff.
Since they found yellow cake in Iraq after the war, the question of whether Saddam wanted to acquire yellow cake is somewhat irrelevant.
"Indeed, the yellow cake deal became one of the main early foundations for the US justification of an Iraq invasion. "
False statement right in the beginning of the article.
Der Spiegel is full of sh*t in every way, shape and form. BUSH NEVER MENTIONED NIGER OR THAT DAMN ITALIAN DOCUMENT.
Bush said Britain had learned of an attempt to buy yellowcake from AFRICA. And Britains intelligence had NOTHING to do with the forged document or Joe f***ing Wilson.
You are making an attempt to use common sense. Shame on you.
"Since they found yellow cake in Iraq after the war, the question of whether Saddam wanted to acquire yellow cake is somewhat irrelevant."
But,but,but it wasn't the 'refined' kind that makes atom bombs.
Don't cha know!
Problem is, as we all know, the documents were falsified. But where did they originate?<<<
Hmmm...Dan Rather maybe?
Utter nonsense. Russo Martino has admittd under oath he did this in the pay of French intelligence.
Le bump for the real story...
Isn't it awesome how the "facts" the MSM uses change over time? I listened carefully to public comments and speeches Bush made prior to the Iraq war. What he *actually* said bears absolutely no resemblance to the new media mythology. Even Saddam's weapons of mass destruction played only a minor role in the Administration's build-up to the war as I remember. It was Saddam's refusal to allow UN inspections to look for them, and his rejection of the UN resolution requiring inspections, that set things off. The media learned long ago it can create "history" to suit their political needs. We the people have short attention spans.
"Since they found yellow cake in Iraq after the war, the question of whether Saddam wanted to acquire yellow cake is somewhat irrelevant."
this is disinformation and counter spin to the revelation that the person who supplied the forgeries to the Italian security services has now come forward (this past week) and turned himself in to Italian authorities. He has admitted that he was a paid agent of the French DGSE and that they provided him the forgeries. He is saying he thought they were genuine.
Fitzgerald reportedly made a trip to Italy three weeks ago. If true, was it to show evidence of the French intelligence service's involvement in a plot to undermine the American government? A plot involving rogue elements in the CIA along with Joe Wilson and willing accomplices in the MSM?
If the above is true the French would have every incentive to eliminate their agent/dupe so that he can't implicate them, hence his coming forward as his only means of protecting himself.
The French had two motives for pulling off such an operation. First they were actively supporting Saddam and trying to stop the US from enforcing the peace agreement that ended GW1 and the subsequent UN resolutions. Second a French government owned company controls the yellow cake urnaium mining operations in Niger. There was already other intelligence that Saddam was working with this company to obtain yellow cake to replace the material under UN inspector seal so that he could restart his nuke program. The French created the forgeries and planted them in the intelligence community so that they could later be exposed as fakes. That would then discredit any other evidence as likely fake as well.
The elements within the CIA who mounted their end of the operation (e.g. sending a partisan opponent of President Bush to Niger) were desperate to deflect criticism for their pitiful failure for 30 years in dealing with islamic terrorism. They also have been in a war with Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld who are trying to clean house of the paper shufflers and clintonistas and this was a way to strike back.
The Plame / Wilson / Rove / Libby "scandal" is a bonus. That is unless Fitzgerald is actually investigating the underlying crime of treason exposed by the "leak" investigation.
Bits and pieces. That's how a good prosecutor builds a case. Wouldn't it be great if this is what Fitzgerald was doing? Imagine the rhetorical whiplash the MSM goons who have been praising Fitzgerald as "non partison" and "above politics" when they have to start attacking him. Of course, there are a few on the other side, such as Sean Hannity, who will have the opposite problem.
It would be fun.
BTW - The Spiegel is maybe leftist but for sure the best information base in Germany.
Thanks for the link. Strange that the Italian never said anything when he was in Washington (see the three links above)
I haven't dug real deep into the stories at all. What Bush said was that the British learned Saddam tried to obtain yellow cake from Africa. The parsing of the words to try to make it a lie based on Niger is and always has been silly. Clearly the security council was in Saddam's pocket.
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