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First - I don't doubt the story on its fact, nor did I say that I did. One of these days, perhaps, you will choose to respond to what I actually do say instead of some position you want to ascribe to me.

You're saying that you doubt that Baghdad Bob was on that mission, for that purpose, because of how Baghdad Bob is such a funny figure and so on. That's all I meant. I don't know what you think I meant but that's all I meant: you doubt the story because it doesn't jibe with what you know, or think you know, about "Baghdad Bob".

Second, it is not necessary to "doubt the story" to find the circumstances ridiculous.

So are you saying that you don't doubt the story? In that case, what the heck are we talking about?

First, no one is claiming that B-Bob was going around asking for u-235. The only claim I see from the Nigerian is that he "interpreted the overture" as one looking for uranium. Perhaps he is an idiot. Perhaps he wanted to curry favor with US officials by pumping up information. Whatever.

Ah. So Wilson's source is either an idiot or self-serving and unreliable.

In which case there's no reason for the "16 words" controversy, like I said.

the only think I commented upon, is the idea that B-Bob could be involved in anything more serious than parroting the idiotic information being fed to him by his masters

I see. So you don't think "B-Bob" was involved in what Wilson says his source says B-Bob was involved in. That's FINE. That means one of two things:

-Wilson is unreliable

-Wilson's source is unreliable.

Bye bye "16 words" controversy.

If you want to pick at that and defend Bob, have at it.

For crying out loud who the hell is "defending Bob"? You misread me entirely.

If I misread you, please clarify, because I have no intention of doing that. I thought you were basing your whole view of this on the idea that B-Bob skulking around trying to buy nuke material is realistic. If you weren't, then I did misread you.

Now, assuming my view that it is not realistic, it could have several possible meanings. It could mean what you suggest - that this particular Nigerian is, in fact, an idiot for whatever he read into the "overture." Was this the only Nigerian that provided Wilson with any information? I don't know. It seems that your post assumes this. I don't really know that much about the details of his claims, so I don't know how you can say that his source for this claim being an idiot dispenses with anything else he may have heard or found.

The bottom line is that I was commenting on one aspect of the article - the involvement of a laughable character in international intrigue. I don't pretend for a second - on this issue or any other - that the entire universe of available positions or information is addressed in this article or in the entire printed record on the incident. Frankly, there is a lot missing - like the key part: why did the Nigerian "interpret the overture as an effort to purchase uranium." I mean, did B-Bob say he wanted to talk about trade while drawing the international symbol for radioactivity on a bar napkin? I don't know. But anyone who thinks they can blow open a whole story or assert "case closed" on an issue by pointing to some comment in a newspaper article gives far more weight to the accuracy and thoroughness of the media than I'm sure they would admit here.