[marron]

There is another element that bothers me. Sending Wilson implies that the agency that is supposed to be pursuing these kinds of issues apparently does not have anyone on the ground in Niger, despite the apparent existence of a uranium black market there. And despite Al Qaeda's interest in the Mahgreb as sanctuary and base now that its other bases have become less secure.

Wilson's intervention reveals that the agency is not taking the region and the issue seriously. Sending a suit for a week is not how you penetrate a uranium smuggling operation. If thats what they think, that would be in itself evidence of incompetence. Instead they should deploy a couple of investment bankers to help the nouveau riche in the government to place their investment dollars, that would be a way to penetrate the business. Or let some of their rookies practice their craft following the trucks to Cotoneau, to see which ships they load into, that might be instructive. All they have done so far is to demonstrate their lack of assets in the region, and with it their lack of seriousness.

[Robert A Cook PE]

And, more telling of their incompetence - and of the general incompetence of the WH and Repub's on the Senate Intelligence Committee!!! -

.. is the repubb'ies refusal (!)to send anybody else to investigate!

[Deb]

Or they could have asked Niger's Prime Minister, who has said from the very beginning that Saddam did try to get "yellow cake", and other bomb making elements, from them. The press has been happy to run with the Wilson story while ignoring what the PM said about it.

The CIA, DoD and State all need to be flushed after every Democrat president.