Bush Aide Takes Blame for Iraq Uranium Flap

Reuters ^ | July 22, 2003

[Timesink]

Bush Aide Takes Blame for Iraq Uranium Flap

Tue July 22, 2003 05:32 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush's number two national security aide on Tuesday took blame for a controversy over charges Iraq tried to buy African uranium, saying the CIA had warned him earlier that intelligence cited by Bush was suspect.

Stephen Hadley, deputy national security adviser, said he should have deleted a reference to Iraqi attempts to buy African uranium from Bush's State of the Union speech in January, because the CIA had asked him to remove similar language from an October speech by the president.

"It is now clear to me that I failed in that responsibility," Hadley told reporters. White House communications director Dan Bartlett said Bush retained confidence in Hadley and the rest of his national security team.

[Timesink]

Tom Daschle is deeply saddened.

[dead]

I think a few dozen more people should take responsibility, just to be sure.

[Cooter]

Good timing, considering the Hussein boys will dominate the news...

[Parley Baer]

These stories are hard to drive a stake through the heart. It was my understanding that there was more than one source to the yellow cake story and that is why the British are standing by it. Parley

[Cyber Liberty]

Why is Bush working so hard to keep this story alive?

[Mo1]

It was my understanding that there was more than one source to the yellow cake story and that is why the British are standing by it. Parley

Yes there are more than one source .. this is about the CIA having doubts that they couldn't confirm nor deny at the time

[sirchtruth]

I be dambed (CS) if I get this whole stupid thing.

Can someone tell me exactly what the flap is about or are the Libs just making Bush defend himself over their inadaquate failure to recognize what he actually stated?

Thank you.

[rwfromkansas]

Why did Hadley open his mouth?

This story was finally over....now it will at least merit a mention, though luckily Saddam's kids are the big stuff.

[Timesink]

The AP version:

Bush Adviser Apologizes for Intel Flap

By TOM RAUM

WASHINGTON (AP) - Stephen Hadley, President Bush's deputy national security adviser, on Tuesday became the second administration official to apologize for a role in allowing a tainted intelligence report on Iraq's nuclear ambitions to find its way into Bush's State of the Union address.

Hadley, in a rare on-the-record session with reporters, said that he had received two memos from the CIA and a phone call from agency Director George Tenet last October raising objections to an allegation that Iraq was seeking to buy uranium ore from Africa to use in building nuclear weapons.

As a result, Hadley said the offending passage was excised from a speech on Iraq the president gave in Cincinnati last Oct. 7. But Hadley suggested that details from the memos and phone call had slipped from his attention as the State of the Union was being put together.

"The high standards the president set were not met," Hadley said. He said he apologized to the president on Monday.

Tenet previously issued a statement saying that he should have raised objections to the Iraq-Africa-uranium sentence when the CIA reviewed an advance copy of the president's State of the Union message.

Hadley is the top aide to National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice.

The controversial passage citing a British intelligence report "should have been taken out of the State of the Union," Hadley said. He said he was taking responsibility on behalf of the White House staff just as Tenet had done for the CIA.

"There were a number of people who could have raised a hand" to have the passage removed from the draft of Bush's Jan. 28 address, Hadley said. "And no one raised a hand."

"The process failed," said White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett.

Still, Bartlett said that Bush, while perturbed by the developments, "has full confidence in his national security adviser, his deputy national security adviser and the director of central intelligence."

The disclosure came as the administration went into full damage-control mode, releasing a variety of information and reaching out to its Republican allies in Congress in an effort to counter criticism of Bush's Iraq policy and his use of discredited intelligence to advance the case for toppling Saddam Hussein.

With Bush's job approval ratings slipping and U.S. casualties in Iraq continuing to climb, the White House sought to move the debate over the Iraq war away from the flap over Bush's 16-word assertion that Iraq was trying to buy uranium in Africa.

[LayoutGuru2]

Why is Bush working so hard to keep this story alive?

To keep the useful idiots harping on it.

[AntiGuv]

Evidently, whatever further sources may've existed were little more credible than the Niger claim, or else the Director of the CIA and the Deputy National Security Advisor would not have both apologized for including that in the SOTU...

[Maria S]

"Good timing, considering the Hussein boys will dominate the news..."

Ha! Want to bet?!? I'd be willing to bet Dantompeteretal will spend more time spinning how Bush found a subordinate to take the fall for HIS lie! I've already heard one liberal crack that it took more than 100 of our troops to "GET" 4 of Hussein's men. It's not going to matter what Bush accomplishes in Iraq, he's going to be attacked by the liberals.

[GraniteStateConservative]

It's pretty straight forward, actually. SOTU speeches have high standards and the inclusion of the information didn't meet those standards (namely, that all information contained in SOTU speeches must be independently confirmed by the Administration). The implication was that the WH agreed with the British intelligence. That's fine, but in order to include it in the speech we had to be able to confirm the uranium story ourselves. The only proof we had was the word of Tony Blair-- again, perfectly fine for policy making or whatever, just not good enough for SOTU speeches.

[grania]

1. Those who don't like this Iraq thing don't like it with or without the uranium tale. It wasn't believed, anyway, by those who did not want to rush to war.

2. Back in college we learned that whomever gives a speech or takes credit for a paper is ultimately responsible for checking the sources. GWB is ultimately responsible for the veracity of anything in that speech.

3. The sons are dead. Declare victory and come home. Iraquis are coming across as intelligent, educated, and pretty aware of stuff. We gave them democracy...they should have the same right to elect lousy leaders as does every democracy.

4. If we get out now, Iraq ceases to be a campaign issue.

[SierraWasp]

"It's not going to matter what Bush accomplishes in Iraq, he's going to be attacked by the liberals."

Well... That's so easy to understand, when you consider that:
"They're here... They're queer... AND THEY'RE NOT GOING TO STOP IT!!!"

How's that for poetic, bob?

[CedarDave]

Good question. Every time they open their mouths, it gives the Rats time to think of more questions to ask. It's like picking a scab thats healing. Why don't they just STFU.

[RightWhale]

I have reflected and now realize that RightWhale must share responsibility for the Niger yellowcake fiasco, although I am not sure where Niger is, nor what yellowcake looks like. I assume it is yellow.

[Consort]

Did we ever find out who hired Craig Livingstone?

[AntiGuv]

I assume it is yellow.

Yellow as can be!

[Sloth]

Fellow FReepers, I would like to use this oppportunity to take full responsibility for the recent uranium flap. The fault was entirely mine, and I have great sorrow over the effects my mistake has generated.