Posted on 07/18/2004 11:41:24 PM PDT by biotech9
Edited on 07/19/2004 12:03:36 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
It was one of the first signs that the intelligence used to go to war in Iraq was wrong: White House repudiation of 16 words in last year's State of the Union speech that had suggested Saddam Hussein (search) tried to buy uranium (search) in Africa. Yet even as two recent reports sharply criticized prewar intelligence, they also suggested President Bush's claim may not have been totally off-base. A British report concluded that Bush's statement and a similar one by Prime Minister Tony Blair (search) were "well-founded."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
There's still a problem, because of the "White House repudiation" of the 16 words. I've never understood why they did that, but since they did, there will always be an element of doubt, no matter how many reports come out at this point.
JMHO.
The White House backtracking was an error. I sure hope they have learned Never to give a millimeter to the media or the left.
bump
It's the one thing I think was handled clumsily by the WH and it hurt, no doubt about it. I can only think that Ari being on his last week and over in Africa they were all caught off guard and made a huge mistake of going on the defensive before they had properly reviewed and assessed the issue.
Same with Tenet, who otherwise ably refuted the Wilson charge, but for some reason decried the inclusion of the "sixteen words" by saying (perhaps properly so, I suppose) that the CIA could only approve information they had vetted and the phrase in the speech was dealing with British intelligence.
Wilson played politics with this issue...and American's could get killed by such politics.
All those libs out there trying to claim that Iraq was not a threat. Perhaps they should tell that to the several 100,000 dead civilians they we have found in Saddam's mass graves.
I never understood why they backtracked on that.
Those 16 words were true. Brit Intel did show that.
Too man "inside the beltway" types in certain jobs in the administration.
FNC picked up the AP wire story.
I am sure they have discussed it on tv prior to it hitting the wires though.
Hey Cyn,
What's the deal on this story today? Did it get any other play beside being run in the late of night?
I have been in meetings all morning...I have been wondering all morning if they would talk more about it.
Unfortunately, on any type of correction, the media spend less time.
Instead of a full package from a reporter...intro, VO, nat sound/pictures, outcue.....they just do an anchor reader story where Dan Rather will just read a 30-second bit on how "oops, Bush didn't lie after all" and that is it.
The misleading info always gets thet most coverage and impression in the public mind.
I don't believe this to be bias necessarily...it is just the way journalism works.
So, while it will get some coverage, it won't get enough to undo the damage.
They didn't know about the other stuff from Britain supporting the claim probably.
I was away from news most of yesterday--though Wilson appeared on CNN and Fox related how the uranium story still is not refuted, hence the president's "sixteen words" stand.
Today I haven't seen much news. I JUST sat down after doing yardwork and turned on the radio in time to hear ABC radio news inform me that "The WH is BRACING for the 9/11 commission report", as if the WH is in trouble. Nothing on the uranium story. Will stay tuned, but I think the media will focus on the commission talking about Iran and will ignore any news that supports the president's credibility.
Sooo, the Senate Intell. report supports GWB on this. Everyone now supports the Senate Intell. report (applause, applause, cheer, cheer).
Are all the findings of the Senate Intell. Cmte. also to be applauded?
The sixteen words, and Joe and Valerie Wilson are down the memoryhole.
Today's talk of the news is the Slur by Shwartzenegger that he won't retract, followed by the upcoming 9/11 Commission report.
hehehehehehehehe...yep,this is a HUGH story and the "joke" wasn't series at all;just a "funny". :-)
Thank you,thank you,thank you..........:-)
You made a hugh and series mistake. Now all your base are belong to us. Prepare for viking kitties to come and pelt you with cheese so that moose will bite you. Your beeber will be stuned.
You have been warned.
Yes they did. Go back and read the 16 words.
It appears to have been either stupidity or wimpiness, but it really weakens our position now, because the WH said months ago that they didn't have enough intelligence to include those words.
I've had democrats on the street tell me that they don't care about people outside the US. "We care too much about everyone but ourselves." So, even though most US soldiers see these foreign people and care enough about them to face enemy fire for them, most democrats, it would appear, want to protect our soldiers from their own knightly honor.
That, of course, was not the case in Bosnia or other leftist-initiated military operation.
It's a waffling attitude. Serbia was by no means a threat to the US. Most of the Leftists were either in support of it or yawned when they heard about it.
In fact, we now find the Serbs on the right side in the war on terror, and we were pre-positioned on the wrong side. [Helping the KLA dominate Kosovo. It made me uncomfortable to oppose even that war, but I'm glad I did.] Yet, it is now possible that Serbs in the future could attack us through terror methods if the Islamics are able to scare us away from one of our objectives.
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