[Pubbie]

I put this in Breaking because the Media continues to LIE by saying that the Niger story is "Discredited", and it's important to let people know that this story was VERY credible.

[Support Free Republic]

Hi

[PhiKapMom]

Thank -- it belongs on Breaking News. We need to know who are the credible media and who are our enemies.

Wall Street Journal is definitely on the side of Truth!

[M. Peach]

I'm predicting that the president is setting up the Dems to put their collective feet in their mouths, then shut them up with evidence and facts. Bush is too sure of himself that the weapons will be found.

And I believe the president will find proof of WMD - just in time to get re-elected. The only thing the Dems will be able to put their hands on then is their own genetalia - and you can imagine what that will be like when you have the likes of Barney Frank in the crowd....

[FreeReign]

This information, by the way, does not come from the White House, which to our mind has handled this story in ham-handed fashion. But we are told that language identical to what was in the NIE is what the CIA presented to the White House last January 24 in preparation for President Bush's State of the Union address.

"We are told....January 24...". Does anybody know what the source is on this?

[FreeReign]

re reliably told that that now famous NIE, which is meant to be the best summary judgment of the intelligence community, isn't nearly as full of doubt about that yellowcake story as the critics assert or as even CIA director George Tenet has suggested. The section on Iraq's hunt for uranium, for example, asserts bluntly that "Iraq also began vigorously trying to procure uranium ore and yellowcake" and that "acquiring either would shorten the time Baghdad needs to produce nuclear weapons." Regarding the supposedly discredited Niger story, the NIE says that "A foreign government service reported that as of early 2001 Niger planned to send several tons of 'pure uranium' (probably yellowcake) to Iraq. As of early 2001, Niger and Iraq reportedly were still working out arrangements for this deal, which could be for up to 500 tons of yellowcake. We do not know the status of this arrangement." That foreign government service is of course the British, who still stand by their intelligence. In the next paragraph, the NIE goes on to say that "Reports indicate Iraq also has sought uranium ore from Somalia and possibly the Democratic Republic of the Congo." It then adds that "We cannot confirm whether Iraq has succeeded in acquiring uranium ore and/or yellowcake from these sources."

It was the State Department's Intelligence that disagreed with this widely held view by the other intelligence agencies about Saddam and African yellow cake. Tenet's seems to think that the 16 words should not have been in the SOTU address simply because of this State Department's dissent. The presidents National Security Coucil seemed to think the 16 words belonged, ignoring the State Department and instead trusting our other larger intelligence and also trusting the British unnamed intelligence.

So why is Bush and Condi not defending this seemingly legitimate National Security Council decision?

[OldFriend]

Two words as to why the president said he didn't believe the information should have been in the State of the Union speech. SCRUPULOUS HONESTY

[rwfromkansas]

Alright.

ENOUGH EXCERPTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I tried to load this entire damn story and found I have to shell out almost 100 bucks to subscribe to the online edition.

PLEASE....unless forbidden, post the damn story in full!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!