Bush 'warned over uranium claim'

[Nambe]

BBC World News

The CIA warned the US Government that claims about Iraq's nuclear ambitions were not true months before President Bush used them to make his case for war, the BBC has learned.

Doubts about a claim that Iraq had tried to buy uranium from the African state of Niger were aired 10 months before Mr Bush included the allegation in his key State of the Union address this year, the CIA has told the BBC. ---

But the CIA has said that a former US diplomat had already established the claim was false in March 2002 - and that the information had been passed on to government departments, including the White House, well before Mr Bush mentioned it in the speech.

Privatize bush It’s a Good Thing

[tinnypriv]

1. WOW - that's it

Game over. Bye bye Bush.

[LauraK]

13. If the Dems don't call for Impeachment over this......

I'm giving up. Maybe.

[Demobrat]

2. Yaaaaaaay Britain.

I'm so proud to be English (well, half)!

[Jacobin]

3. Sorry. Can't say that in the U. S.

Just did the run down on CNN, network news, etc.

Not saying that.

Uh uh. Nope.

Hush. Can't talk about it.

Bush was mislead.

He was told a lie and mistakenly repeated.

Not bush's* fault.

sorry

[Maccagirl]

4. I wish I could say that you're wrong

but as of right now-it looks like the mofo is going get a pass-again! Will this nightmare never end!!!

[JNelson6563]

34. I think some are pretty pissed

like Carl Levin. I saw the thread in GD earlier where some lamented he was goin' after the intelligence sources but I do not concur with their assessments that he's letting Bush off.

I saw him holding a paper and he was reading Rice's quote, read from it more than once, seemed disgusted.

As disgusted as we all felt watching her lie that day "...we never dreamed they'd fly airplanes into buildings..."

Levin seemed like a man on a mission not to be deterred. He possesses a dogged single-mindedness that, while never propelling him to star status, can be the most effective method around. I've seen such men in world affairs in centuries past (studying history) and you might just be surprised. I won't be. ;-)

Julie

[indepat]

18. And if those are not sufficient, there will be more where they came

from.

[GCP]

24. ABC told the same story earlier tonight

Including having Wilson stating that he'd told Cheney's office in March 2002 that the story was false.

[Jacobin]

25. Glad to hear that

ABC is showing unusual talents lately for telling the truth.

I wonder if it will be catching.

VERY glad to hear that. :-)

[ChompySnack]

5. Did the CIA really just drop the dime on Bush & Co?

If all that the White House can respond with is "the White House received hundreds of intelligence reports every day." then I think that they are basically admitting that they knew over a year before the war that the documents were forgeries.

High crimes indeed!

[htuttle]

8. Yup. Phones were dialing at Langley!

From the BBC article:

But the CIA has now told the BBC that Mr Wilson's findings had been passed onto the White House in March 2002.

That means that the administration would have known before the State of the Union address that the information was likely false - not just subsequently.

I'm glad they decided to just spell it out plain in that second paragraph. :)

[diamond14]

12. bigger than a dime...more like ten ton rock....

.

[diamond14]

15. Nuremburg trials: criminals because they STARTED the war...

Statement by American Justice Jackson at Nuremburg War Criminal Trials... August 12, 1945

"We must make clear to the Germans that the wrong for which their fallen leaders are on trial is not that they lost the war, but that they started it. And we must not allow ourselves to be drawn into a trial of the causes of the war, for our position is that no grievances or policies will justify resort to aggressive war. It is utterly renounced and condemned as an instrument of policy."

http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/imt/jack02.htm

[Elidor]

19. They said the same thing about 911

What do they think they're getting paid to do?

[warren pease]

6. The Brits made him do it...

See:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=3488&mesg_id=3488&page=

Looks like the BushCo swine are setting Blair up for the fall. Not that he doesn't deserve it, mind you.


wp

[diamond14]

17. shrub's WH is scrambling for any excuse...and they've pulled

out all the stops...what next...shrub and his minions are totally desperate for some kind of excuse...running around like rats in a sinking ship....

nobody is even reminding them of the California graduate students thesis that they plagerized, which was written over 12 years ago...

that'll have to wait for the war crimes trial....

[Purrfessor]

7. Poor Poor Pitiful Bush.....

at least he's consistent: he's failed at everything he's done.

[peterh]

9. A few items really stand out in this article…..

Doubts about a claim that Iraq had tried to buy uranium from the African state of Niger were aired 10 months before Mr Bush included the allegation in his key State of the Union address this year, the CIA has told the BBC.

But the CIA has now told the BBC that Mr Wilson's findings had been passed onto the White House in March 2002.

That means that the administration would have known before the State of the Union address that the information was likely false - not just subsequently.



It is obvious that the CIA is not going to be the fall guy for the PNAC group. This has a better feel to it than the Capital Hill Blue item.

[diamond14]

10. "CIA has told the BBC"...heheheheh....drip, drip, drip...GUSH

shrub should have tried harder to become "friends" with those nice people over at the CIA....while shrub dallies in Africa, the CIA is busy giving exclusive news stories to major news media all across the world...


time to take shrub to the Haig...maybe they can pick 'em up, courtesy of a nice country in Africa...

the CIA said "that the information had been passed on to government departments, including the White House, well before Mr Bush mentioned it in the speech."

[thinkahead]

11. These are the people in charge of Homeland Security

They're going to blame beaurocracy and say they missed it in the report. Of course, the truth is probably much worse, so they will settle for looking like fools. Now we're supposed to buy that the hard sell he was doing on justification for the war was based on some bad intelligence.

This is becoming a theme for the Bush Administration: Bad Intelligence.

[WhataBildeberger]

21. Bad intelligence, or unintelligent?

[LauraK]

31. Poor Oscar! It's small enough to put in the toilet now.

Flush.

[Nottingham]

14. See! He was warned and he still used it!

Bush has to reap what he sowed!

Thats from the Bible too

[David Zephyr]

16. Come On, Baby! It's Finger...Finger...Finger Pointing Time!

n/t

[Gman]

20. If someone else at the meeting will swear to this then

it's an open and shut, "your ass is on the street" case for impeachment.

Then send him to The Hague to stand trial for war crimes. This in and of itself is enough to convict Bush for war crimes. No wonder they're fighting the ICC so hard.

[Barrett808]

30. There was somebody present: Terrance J. Wilkinson

"The report had already been discredited," said Terrance J. Wilkinson, a CIA advisor present at two White House briefings. "This point was clearly made when the President was in the room during at least two of the briefings."

Bush's response was anger, Wilkinson said.

"He said that if the current operatives working for the CIA couldn't prove the story was true, then the agency had better find some who could," Wilkinson said. "He said he knew the story was true and so would the world after American troops secured the country."

http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_2518.shtml

If Mr. Wilkinson is willing to testify under oath, it appears the case is open and shut.

[msanger]

22. George Bush Center for Intelligence

That is the name for the headquarters building at the CIA in Langley. It used to strike me as funny, till GW started sc*wing everybody.

If you want to see an attempt at CIA humor, check out and read the July 2 briefing. It's the "cloaking technlogy" joke

michael in dc

[copithorne]

23. READ THIS ARTICLE TOO!

http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_2518.shtml

I haven't come across this source. Does anyone know it?

<snip>

An intelligence consultant who was present at two White House briefings where the uranium report was discussed confirmed that the President was told the intelligence was questionable and that his national security advisors urged him not to include the claim in his State of the Union address.

"The report had already been discredited," said Terrance J. Wilkinson, a CIA advisor present at two White House briefings. "This point was clearly made when the President was in the room during at least two of the briefings."

Bush's response was anger, Wilkinson said.

"He said that if the current operatives working for the CIA couldn't prove the story was true, then the agency had better find some who could," Wilkinson said. "He said he knew the story was true and so would the world after American troops secured the country."

[Oilwellian]

32. Remember that name

Terrance Wilkinson. He's the man chosen to testify against Bush.

[Jack Rabbit]

26. He lied

He willfully lied. His aides willfully lied.

They must resign. All of them.

[neverforget]

28. Damn right he lied! It was the only way he could get his war that

our soldiers are dying in now.

[rocketdem]

27. I give it two, maybe three, news cycles, and then it'll be gone

After all, isn't the world a better place with Saddam out of power?

Sometimes the ends justify the means. It's about time that you silly Democrats grow up and stop seeing the world through your commie-rose-colored glasses.

Saddam gone = good.

War = Saddam gone.

QED, War = good.

Everything else is just stuff and nonsense.

<sarcasm off>

I hope that I'm wrong, but my cynicism is reaching new heights on a daily basis.

[joeunderdog]

38. I'm just now thinking that this story is getting REAL traction.

When the WH comes out in a press release and officially says "OOPS" then it's getting warm in there. I haven't been too excited before this, but some reputable sources are coming out of the woodwork now.

This story is gaining momentum and it says nothing about the plagerized document and other misrepresentations befor the war.

[Terran]

29. Dammit!

I was hoping this was a headline in an American paper. Silly me. :eyes:

[leesa]

33. The CIA is NOT going to take the hit for this

They did their job and Bush and his criminal thugs are going to try to lie their way out of it in that fine old Republican sleezebag tradition. No wonder they are the family values/christian party! Such upstanding criminals!!

[Robin Hood]

35. Not only is the mother fucker a liar!!!!!

But he is also a murderer, that's what his lies led to.

And all the other dumb ass murdering freeper sheep are just as culpable as the idot murderer. The freepers are toast, their "morality and credibility" is shot.

Some repuke talking head was on the tube saying that on a scale between 1-10, this is only a 10. Well what the fuck was getting a blow job? Is that a god damn 10???!!


For christ sake, the veil has been lifted, can we say it now? This emperor wears no clothes.

[Hailtothechimp]

36. So who will call for his impeachment first?

I hope it comes soon. This is too damned important to let simmer until November, 2004.

[Redbear]

37. BBC keeps putting American media to shame.

I hope they are chasing this story right now to gain back some dignity.

[madmax]

39. Investigate

check out:

http://www.moveon.org/