By Andrew L. Jaffee, July 14, 2004
Posted on 07/14/2004 1:48:51 PM PDT by stevejackson
| Yellowcake: Joe Wilson Skating on Thin Ice By Andrew L. Jaffee, July 14, 2004 |
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Remember President Bush’s State of the Union Address in 2003? During his speech, Bush spoke of Iraqi attempts to buy uranium oxide -- now infamously known as “yellowcake” -- from Niger. The President’s assertion about a Nigerian uranium connection was attributed to British, not American, intelligence.
Now, do you remember Joseph C. Wilson IV, the one-time CIA operative in Niger? He told the Washington Post that President Bush ignored his warning that it was “highly unlikely” that Iraq tried to buy yellowcake from Niger. Even though Wilson claims to be a “political centrist,” after the President’s speech he accused the White House of “misrepresenting the facts” while asking, “What else are they [the Bush team] lying about.” Official American, British, and French reports now seem to show that Wilson was the one lying.
The Senate intelligence committee report on pre-war Iraq intelligence concluded last week that “Wilson provided misleading information to the Washington Post last June.”
An independent committee of the British parliament found in September 2003 that the Iraqi/Nigerian yellowcake connection was “reasonable.”
Lord Butler’s report, delivered today to the UK’s House of Commons, found that evidence uncovered by British Intelligence of Iraqi attempts to procure uranium from Niger was credible and based on “several different sources.”
French intelligence has also given account of Iraqi attempts to buy Nigerian yellowcake. But that’s not all the evidence now piled up against Wilson.
In the last week, both the Financial Times and Washington Post have published information that contradicts Wilson. He himself admits to spending a mere 8 days in Niger during his “investigation.” Wilson only provided a verbal report to the CIA; he never wrote down any of his findings for formal presentation. According to townhall.com,
CIA officials did not regard Wilson's intelligence as definitive, being based primarily on what the Niger officials told him and probably would have claimed under any circumstances.
Sounds to me like the President’s infamous “16 words” about yellowcake are credible and that poor ol’ Joe Wilson was trying to pump up the sales of his book. The left-wing has embraced Wilson -- he says what they want to hear. But he’s been lying all along.
Dern facts
I can't wait for this to be reported on CNN and Hardball!!
One by one, the real lies and the liars who say them are being exposed.
So that mean nasty ol' Bush outed his CIA clerk wife who worked there since she was 10 years old.
Maybe the Brits spooks talked to our spooks and they decided it was time to get Plame and her incompetent hubby out of the system.
pingero
So, why did it take so long to start discrediting Wilson?
His book and his tv appearances were several months ago. Where were the Republican/conservative defenders then? The revelation that Wilson lied didn't just bloom out of the Senate Intel committee report. Where did the Senate Intel get the truth? That truth existed when Joe was being a TV star. That truth existed but where were the truth-tellers?
The Pubs need to wake up to the fact that they cannot allow these kinds of allegations to get loose, be broadcast loudly for weeks and months. Joe and the libs got weeks of play --- and the Pubbies sit idly by twiddling their thumbs.
Just like the Abu Ghraib molehill. Except there, the worst handwringer was Senator Lindsay Graham who was doing the loudest bemoaning and wailing.
The reason that Pubs need to get off their collective butts and start counting these kinds of allegations from the start is that the allegations sink into peoples' minds. Several months of daily broadcasting a lie plants part of it in the mind.
The dems/libs don't care that the truth will come out; they just care that will come out----eventually. That gives them time to plant the seeds of doubt. Thus, when the truth does come out, some still have a cloud of doubt. And that is a plus for the lib/dems.
Joseph C. Wilson IV was a sacrifice player from the beginning. He was ready to be thrown under a wheel, if it would discredit President George W. Bush in any way. The reference to the sources of uranium that Saddam was seeking, coming from Africa, was the hook they were going to use to get the President.
And it almost got set. But first they had to draw attention to themselves, that was the outing of Valerie Plame as a "CIA operative". This was a diversion, most likely initiated by Joe Wilson himself.
But Saddam DID have a considerable quantity of uranium, and the paper trail DOES show that purchase of further supplies was attempted. And Joseph C. Wilson IV wilfully averted his eyes when sent to look for just these paper trails.
Sometimes the plan doesn't come together as well as you like. Don't ever, EVER, go raising the bid when George W. Bush is across the table holding his cards face down.
The Clinton legacy -- another FUBAR gummint agency.
Cooleroo bump
Good graphic. A few days ago, I put up a reply saying that I was taking a yellow cake to one of the Bush parties.
bookmark and ping
the plan may have been to allow the Dims/Left to adopt this idiot, get REAL happy on his spin, and then yank the rug out from under them all in a truly bruising manner.
Wilson ought to be made to wear Victoria's Secret on his head.
Thanks for the ping King!
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