Vanity Fair: The War They Wanted, The Lies They Needed

[a_random_joel]

http://www.vanityfair.com/features/general/articles/060606fege02

The War They Wanted, The Lies They Needed
The Bush administration invaded Iraq claiming Saddam Hussein had tried to buy yellowcake uranium in Niger. As much of Washington knew, and the world soon learned, the charge was false. Worse, it appears to have been the cornerstone of a highly successful "black propaganda" campaign with links to the White House
By CRAIG UNGER

It's a crisp, clear winter morning in Rome. In the neighborhood between the Vatican and the Olympic Stadium, a phalanx of motor scooters is parked outside a graffiti-scarred 10-story apartment building. No. 10 Via Antonio Baiamonte is home to scores of middle-class families, and to the embassy for the Republic of Niger, the impoverished West African nation that was once a French colony.

Though it may be unprepossessing, the Niger Embassy is the site of one of the great mysteries of our times. On January 2, 2001, an embassy official returned there after New Year's Day and discovered that the offices had been robbed. Little of value was missing—a wristwatch, perfume, worthless documents, embassy stationery, and some official stamps bearing the seal of the Republic of Niger. Nevertheless, the consequences of the robbery were so great that the Watergate break-in pales by comparison.

A few months after the robbery, Western intelligence analysts began hearing that Saddam Hussein had sought yellowcake—a concentrated form of uranium which, if enriched, can be used in nuclear weapons—from Niger. Next came a dossier purporting to document the attempted purchase of hundreds of tons of uranium by Iraq. Information from the dossier and, later, the papers themselves made their way from Italian intelligence to, at various times, the C.I.A., other Western intelligence agencies, the U.S. Embassy in Rome, the State Department, and the White House, as well as several media outlets. Finally, in his January 2003 State of the Union address, George W. Bush told the world, "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."

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Wowzers...

[ovidsen]

1. Read this!

The truth will set us free. K and R. Thanks, Joel...

[never cry wolf]

2. K & N so I can reead..... great stuff.... n/t

[mike_c]

3. the "L" word is coming out of hiding....

K&R!

[grasswire]

4. this is the expose of the new century

They're even getting into P-2 and its links to Republicans. I haven't finished the article yet; there's so much to absorb. I hope it mentions the assassination of Sweden's Prime Minister Olaf Palme and the long-held beliefs that George H.W. Bush was involved in that crime.

[Pachamama]

5. It's because of great journalistic investigative reporting & stories like

this that I subscribe to Vanity Fair....Wish there was more of it....

Excellent article on an absolutely disgusting topic: the truth behind how this administration LIED the United States of America into a WAR OF CHOICE.

War of choice....Bush CHOSE this WAR and the deaths, both civilian and our soldiers, are on his hands. (I'd say on his conscience too, but I don't believe he has one).

[moobu2]

6. Damn, Vanity Fair’s been doing some fantastic journalism Lately

but this is the coup de gras. This is GOOD!!!

[paparush]

11. VF and rolling stone too!!

[Vidar]

7. Excellent, complete with named sources.

[grasswire]

8. kick

where is the interest in this article this morning??!!

This is a dynamite expose. Absorb it, post it, pass it around.

[notadmblnd]

9. is this the current Vanity Fair article?

Seems like I've read this information before or is the news that it has finally been linked to the WH?

[Rambis]

12. kick

:kick:

[UpInArms]

10. "black propaganda" campaign with links to the White House

kickin' and recommendin'

:kick:

[ooglymoogly]

13. vanity fair, fighting for truth, justice and the american way

and one of the last....kick and rec.

[FtWayneBlue]

14. The Most Complete Article

I have read yet on the subject. Well worth the time to read it. Thank You, Vanity Fair!

[Blue_Tires]

15. k+r

wow

[Blasphemer]

16. K& R....

Thanks!

[faithnotgreed]

17. kicking

[yorkiemommie1]

18. Read and pass it on

kicking

[Thickasabrick]

19. Do ya think this is enough for Senator Roberts to quit sitting on the

investigation he's been working on for two years. What am I saying.....nevermind.

[noel adamson]

20. Save your eyes and listen to the article...

I used a Text To Speech program to create an MP3 file of this very long article. It is a little bit faster than I probably should have made it and has the usual anomalies of a computer voice but it works. It is almost exactly one hour in length and 7 megabytes in size.

http://www.humboldtcorruption.org/VanityFairCraigUngerOnNigerianForgery.mp3

[faithnotgreed]

22. very cool noel - thank you so much for doing this

and welcome to du since i dont think i have seen you around to say hello

[noel adamson]

21. Save your eyes and listen to the article...

I used a Text To Speech program to create an MP3 file of this very long article. It is a little bit faster than I probably should have made it and has the usual anomalies of a computer voice but it works. It is almost exactly one hour in length and 7 megabytes in size.

http://www.humboldtcorruption.org/VanityFairCraigUngerOnNigerianForgery.mp3