Debunking Distortions About My Trip to Niger [Joe Wilson letter to WP editor]

Washington Post letters ^ | 7/17/04 | Joseph C. Wilson IV

[Paul_B]

(Excerpts only:) For the second time in a year, your paper has published an article [news story, July 10] falsely suggesting that my wife, Valerie Plame, was responsible for the trip I took to Niger on behalf of the U.S. government...

But that is not the only inaccurate assertion or conclusion in the Senate report uncritically parroted in the article. Other inaccuracies and distortions include the suggestion that my findings "bolstered" the case that Niger was engaged in illegal sales of uranium to Iraq. In fact, the Senate report is clear that the intelligence community attempted to keep the claim out of presidential documents because of the weakness of the evidence...

Between March 2003 and July 2003, the administration refused to acknowledge that it had known for more than a year that the claim on uranium sales from Niger had been discredited, until the day after my article in the New York Times.

[Churchjack]

In fact, the Senate report is clear that the intelligence community attempted to keep the claim out of presidential documents because of the weakness of the evidence...

Not the weakness of the evidence, but the weakness of Joe Wilson's report, evidently.

[angkor]

A lame and content-free response.

[G.Mason]

"Could you please clarify, in simple wordage what J. Wilson supposedly lied about?

From the Washington Post

“The (SENATE) report states that a CIA official told the Senate committee that Plame "offered up" Wilson's name for the Niger trip, then on Feb. 12, 2002, sent a memo to a deputy chief in the CIA's Directorate of Operations saying her husband "has good relations with both the PM [prime minister] and the former Minister of Mines (not to mention lots of French contacts), both of whom could possibly shed light on this sort of activity." The next day, the operations official cabled an overseas officer seeking concurrence with the idea of sending Wilson, the report said.”

A lie …“Wilson has asserted that his wife was not involved in the decision to send him to Niger. “

A lie… “The (SENATE) report also said Wilson provided misleading information to The Washington Post last June. He said then that he concluded the Niger intelligence was based on documents that had clearly been forged because "the dates were wrong and the names were wrong."

Explanation of this lie … "Committee staff asked how the former ambassador could have come to the conclusion that the 'dates were wrong and the names were wrong' when he had never seen the CIA reports and had no knowledge of what names and dates were in the reports," the Senate panel said. Wilson told the panel he may have been confused and may have "misspoken" to reporters. The documents -- purported sales agreements between Niger and Iraq -- were not in U.S. hands until eight months after Wilson made his trip to Niger.

From article in the Washington Post. CLICK HERE

These thing aren’t really that hard to find.

[SW6906]

BTTT!!

[angkor]

Is the Washington Post the ONLY newspaper to cover this story??

Just did a search at news.google.com.

"Results 1 - 20 of about 306 for joe-wilson".

Don't worry, it's getting plenty of coverage.

[sirchtruth]

It is Joe Wilson who lied.

My point is that if Kerry still has J. Wilson's stuff up on his sight and is still calling Bush a liar, when infact it is J. Wilson who has been lying then the media should be all over this, but they are not, why? I'll tell you why, because it is not CLEAR CUT as to what J. Wilson's lies cover.

So someone who is a much better communicator than I better get to work and make it crystal clear so the fence sitters will care and see what scumbags these dem pricks have become!

Is it not painfully obvious that a lie of this magnitude about the President's position should go unnoticed by the masses, especially when the MSM can pick and chose what they selectively deem "news worthy!"

Somebody better make this into a HUGH;-) deal!

Where's Tim Russert now who gave J. Wilson an open forum when he was spewing this crappola?

[Gothmog]

More on the media coverage of the Plame fiasco and the dispute over the facts of Wilson's trip in this LATimes column:

http://www.latimes.com/features/lifestyle/cl-et-rutten17jul17,1,397000.column?coll=la-home-utilities

Tim Rutten, the LA Times, 7/17/04

Wilson points out from the Senate committee report:

• "On Oct. 6, 2002, the CIA sent a second fax to the White House that said, 'More on why we recommend removing the sentence about procuring uranium oxide from Africa: Three points (1) The evidence is weak. One of the two mines cited by the source as the location of the uranium oxide is flooded. The other mine cited by the source is under the control of the French authorities. (2) The procurement is not particularly significant to Iraq's nuclear ambitions because the Iraqis already have a large stock of uranium oxide in their inventory. And (3) we have shared points one and two with Congress, telling them that the Africa story is overblown and telling them this is one of the two issues where we differed with the British.' " (Page 56)

[Eva]

Wilson is just trying to deflect attention from the fact that he has been lying about what was in the report. His report confirmed that Iraq was trying to buy yellow cake from Niger. But, after Wilson started working for the Kerry campaign, he changed his story to fit the "Bush lied in his STOU" campaign. Now, the question is who is the real liar? Wilson or Kerry? Certainly not George Bush.

HERE is a link to an old Boston Herald editorial (10/03) that discusses the fact that Joe Wilson was working for the Kerry campaign at the time the "Bush Lied" campaign was begun. Chris Lehane, the infamous campaign dirty trickster was behind the whole thing. Please help me demand that Kerry apologize for this slanderous lie.

[G.Mason]

"My point is that if Kerry still has J. Wilson's stuff up on his sight and is still calling Bush a liar, when infact it is J. Wilson who has been lying then the media should be all over this, but they are not, why? I'll tell you why, because it is not CLEAR CUT as to what J. Wilson's lies cover."

"Where's Tim Russert now who gave J. Wilson an open forum when he was spewing this crappola?"

Really?

Your naievity seems to be showing.

As far as Tim Russert? ... Your naievity is definitely showing.

[sirchtruth]

Wilson told the panel he may have been confused and may have "misspoken" to reporters. The documents -- purported sales agreements between Niger and Iraq -- were not in U.S. hands until eight months after Wilson made his trip to Niger.

Thanks for that!! What needs to happen is we need to plainly tell how J. Wilson lied about what BUSH said...

[JENINMO]

He has neither integrity, nor balls.......... ;)

[sirchtruth]

Your naievity seems to be showing.

I'm trying to make a point about why should any fence sitter care about this...Do you think that every fairminded person reads FR or even cares about the facts that prove BUSH didn't lie after years of the MSM and dems screaming it?

Who's naive'?

[G.Mason]

"Thanks for that!! What needs to happen is we need to plainly tell how J. Wilson lied about what BUSH said..."

We are

I'm afraid the alphabet media won't, and if they mention it at all, it will be on the back of the comic section.

Tim Russert may seem like a nice guy, however, like the Dims worse schill, he also lays in the same bed.

I sure wish I had an answer besides open warfare! ;)

[sirchtruth]

Wilson is just trying to deflect attention from the fact that he has been lying about what was in the report.

Now we're getting somewhere...

[Paul_B]

It's extraordinarily weak indeed. It's also the perfect set up for a WP house editorial, my bet is tomorrow, to add more fuel to the Sunday talk show fire.

[Eva]

Now we're getting somewhere...

Yeah, we sure are, we're getting right back to the Kerry campaign and the start of the real Joe Wilson lie. Call the Kerry campaign and demand that he apologize to the President and to the voters for the misleading, libelous smear campaign that he has run for the past year.

[Poincare]

In fact, the Senate report is clear that the intelligence community attempted to keep the claim out of presidential documents because of the weakness of the evidence...

NO. The evidence was strong, it just could not be shown to the Senate Committee because the Brits would not allow it as per an agreement going back to FDR's time.

The Brit intel, it is now revealed, got some of the back-up evidence from bugging French intel.

[G.Mason]

Please keep in mind that what I write, like you, are simply "the world according to G.Mason".

"I'm trying to make a point about why should any fence sitter care about this.."

IMHO ... "fence sitters" are incredibly ignorant people, who are, more or less, one issue persons.

In this election, if one is on the "fence" they are deaf, dumb, and blind.

"Who's naive'?"

No slur intended. We all are to one degree, or another.

[Mr Ramsbotham]

No one ever said his wife made the decision, they only said she suggested he be the one sent.

That's always been my understanding of the case. But he can't try to refute that point, so he's got to create a straw man in order to sow confusion.

[Paul_B]

As to Wilson's political leanings, I'm not sure there are any laws against that, as long as it's done honestly and is properly reported. But I found this, from the thread you referenced, very interesting indeed:

Novak: The Wilsons for Gore
Townhall.com ^ | 10/05/03 | Robert Novak
Posted on 10/05/2003 12:58 AM EDT by Pokey78
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/995369/posts

WASHINGTON -- On the same day in 1999 that retired diplomat Joseph Wilson was returned $1,000 of $2,000 he contributed to Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore a month earlier because it exceeded the federal limit, his CIA-employee wife gave $1,000 to Gore using a fictitious identification for herself.

In making her April 22, 1999, contribution, Valerie E. Wilson identified herself as an "analyst" with "Brewster-Jennings & Associates." No such firm is listed anywhere, but the late Brewster Jennings was president of Socony-Vacuum oil company a half-century ago. Any CIA employee working under "non-official cover" always is listed with a real firm, but never an imaginary one.

A footnote: In July when he revealed himself as author of a report commissioned by the CIA, Wilson sought a book agent. After being turned down by a prominent agent, he has now found one.