I don't believe that Mr. Wilson claimed that Mr. Cheney was directly involved in his selection to travel to Niger. Strawman.
Wison also lied about his wife's involvement in his selection to go to Niger. He stated publically that she was not involved. Later, a memo from his wife recommending him for the trip was made public. The memo clearly undermined his public statements.
No, the memo makes no mention of a trip, just lists his credentials as someone the interested parties could consult.
And finally, the Senate Intelligence committee report concluded that Wilson's trip debriefing actually confirmed Iraqi interest in African uranium. British Intel also stands by the Niger yellowcake story to this day. These facts conflict with Wilson's public statements about his Niger trip.
The Senate Intelligence report does the exact opposite. It cites agency after agency unwilling to back up the contention that there was some kind of Niger/Iraq deal. That is why it was necessary for the president to ultimately depend on a British source to make the claim that is now universally accepted as being bunk by American intelligence and highly placed government officials.
Only those souls truly blinded by their partisan hatred for Bush still cling to Wilson's propaganda and lies.
There was a pattern of completely false claims that were a pretext for war, including drones, mobile biological weapons labs, and aluminum tubes for use in nuclear weapon production. One needn't be a partisan to appreciate the propaganda that was foisted on the American people, and see that the yellowcake was part of that pattern. As well, the defamation of anyone that would question the government's veracity or contradict their claims, such as Richard Clark or Paul O'Neil, is also an established pattern used by this administration and its backers, and Mr. Wilson just another example.
Again, here are some facts...
1. Wilson gave the strong impression publically that Cheney was responsible for his trip. Disingenuous at best.
2. The internal CIA memo from Valarie Wilson recommended her husband as someone who might consult because he had contacts in Niger. It has also been reported that she participated in a meeting about the Niger trip and recommended her husband. While she did not make the final decision, she was clearly involved and influenced CIA management. This contrasts with Wilson's public statements that his wife was "not involved" in his selection for the Niger trip.
3. The Senate Intel committee report suggests that Wilson's debrief actually strengthened the notion that Iraq had made contacts in Africa with an interest in obtaining uranium. It was not clear that an actual transaction with Niger had occurred. There is a difference.
4. There were historical facts known and believed by previous administrations that justified the war. Saddam was known to have developed WMD (chemical, biological, and fledgling nuclear) capability before the first gulf war. There were multiple UN resolutions defied by Saddam. Aside from some of the controversial issues around the Niger connection, there were plently of reason to justify the war. And these were well communicated by the Bush administration. The truth and the facts do not seem to matter to those blinded by their emotional hatred for Bush.
Here you go St. Chuck, more information for you to refute. You should consider changing your moniker to ST. CHUCKLEHEAD!
Scooter and Joe: If only both had been under oath
Manchester Union Leader ^ | November 1, 2005 | Editorial
Posted on 11/01/2005 4:32:06 AM PST by billorites
LYING TO a grand jury to protect your own skin is never acceptable. If the charges against Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby are true — that he is guilty of perjury, obstruction of justice, and false statement — then he should be dealt with accordingly. Funny, though, that Libby is charged with lying in an attempt to cover up an attempt to expose the lies of former ambassador Joe Wilson.
Wilson wrote in his memoir that his wife, Valerie Wilson, aka Valerie Plame, "had nothing to do with" sending him to Niger. Yet the Senate Intelligence Committee found that Plame suggested her husband for the trip.
In June 2003, Wilson claimed he knew that documents claiming that Saddam Hussein had sought uranium in Niger were false because "the dates were wrong and the names were wrong." But the Senate Intelligence Committee discovered that Wilson had never seen the documents. He later admitted this.
Wilson also claimed that his trip to Niger proved that Iraq never sought nuclear material from that country. But the Senate Intelligence Committee found that the CIA had concluded that Wilson's trip did not disprove the charge.
We find it interesting that so many press reports about this saga never mention Wilson's series of falsehoods.
The charges against Libby are serious. So were the charges Wilson made against the Bush administration. It's a shame Wilson wasn't under oath when he made them.