OWK goes through pon farr every now and again. The libertarian mating ritual is not pretty.
Posted on 07/13/2003 5:14:06 PM PDT by Pokey78
The French secret service is believed to have refused to allow MI6 to give the Americans "credible" intelligence showing that Iraq was trying to buy uranium ore from Niger, US intelligence sources said yesterday.
MI6 had more than one "different and credible" piece of intelligence to show that Iraq was attempting to buy the ore, known as yellowcake, British officials insisted. But it was given to them by at least one and possibly two intelligence services and, under the rules governing cooperation, it could not be shared with anyone else without the originator's permission.
US intelligence sources believe that the most likely source of the MI6 intelligence was the French secret service, the DGSE. Niger is a former French colony and its uranium mines are run by a French company that comes under the control of the French Atomic Energy Commission.
A further factor in the refusal to hand over the information might have been concern that the US administration's willingness to publicise intelligence might lead to sources being inadvertently disclosed.
US sources also point out that the French government was vehemently opposed to the war with Iraq and so suggest that it would have been instinctively against the idea of passing on the intelligence.
British sources yesterday dismissed suggestions of a row between MI6 and the CIA on the issue. However, they admitted being surprised that George Tenet, the CIA director, had apologised to President George W Bush for allowing him to cite the British government and its claim that Saddam had sought to acquire uranium from Africa in his State of the Union speech last October.
The apology follows the International Atomic Energy Authority's dismissal of documents given to it by the CIA, which purported to prove the link, as fakes.
Those documents have been widely identified with last September's British dossier on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, which said Saddam Hussein was trying to buy uranium ore from an unnamed country in Africa.
British officials admitted that the country was Niger but insisted that the intelligence behind it was genuine and had nothing to do with the fake documents. It was convincing and they were sticking with it, the officials said.
They dismissed a report from a former US diplomat who was sent to Niger to investigate the claims and rejected them. "He seems to have asked a few people if it was true and when they said 'no' he accepted it all," one official said. "We see no reason at all to change our assessment."
The fake documents were not behind that assessment and were not seen by MI6 until after they were denounced by the IAEA. If MI6 had seen them earlier, it would have immediately advised the Americans that they were fakes.
There had been a number of reports in America in particular suggesting that the fake documents - which came from another intelligence source - were passed on via MI6, the officials said. But this was not true.
"What they can't accuse MI6 of doing is passing anything on this to the CIA because it didn't have the fake documents and it was not allowed to pass on the intelligence it did have to anyone else."
so why didn't bush just mention that in SOTU? hmmmm, i wonder.
Check out Post #149.
For those of us with anti-Republican/anti-Bush paleocon/paleolibertarian/buchananite/rockwellian/anarchist/Democrat/French/German/Iraq scorecards....
That "neo-con" gives me a
Why are you still on Jim Robinson's forum if you detest him and his forum so much?
Do you have your opus ready or is this it?
"What horrible evil". they said.
The republicans extended the assault weapons ban.
Necessary poliitcal expediency. they said.
Clinton tries to pass medicare funding of prescriptions.
"Over my dead body". they said
Republcans pass medicare funding of prescriptions.
"Finally the seniors are getting their fair share" they said.
Clinton monkey around with FEMA.
"The republic is doomed" they said.
The republicans suspend the writ of habeus corpus, and create an internal security dept with authority to spy on US citizens.
"It's about time". they said.
The Clinton administration required license checks at airports.
"What a nuisance" they said.
Republicans nationalize airport security with federal doofus workers, and confiscate 40 million pairs of toenail clippers.
"Toenail clippers can be dangerous" they said.
Clinton almost managed to balance the federal budget.
"Smoke and mirrors, and what good of it there was came from the GOP" They said.
The republicans managed to run the deficit through the roof with no end in sight, and they're STILL spending like drunken sailors.
"You just don't understand politics" they said.
And Clinton sucked... horribly.
he really really did.
Why are YOU still here? You've made it abundantly clear that you do not like or respect the owner of this forum. Why are you staying here? Is it solely to insult Jim Robinson?
OWK goes through pon farr every now and again. The libertarian mating ritual is not pretty.
Oh, thanks! I had thought this was an episode of "When Libertarians Implode," but pon farr is definitely *it*
Are you posting to this thread, rather than exchanging freepmails with Jim Robinson? Oh, you are posting on this thread, not privately. Are you, believer of civil liberties for yourself but not for me, saying that I can't post on this thread, because in your estimation it's not any of my concern? This is, after all, Jim Robinson's forum, not yours, and I can and will post here. Why is that any of your concern?
Jim posted the silly slander publicly.
He can accept the criticism publicly.
I realize that the silencing and banishment have become the primary means of rebuttal on FR (thanks to people like you).
Jim's got the button.
He can push it any time he wants.
His call.
Presumably not yours.
Or yours.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.