White House Faulted on Uranium Claim -(by US Board)WaPost

[Rose Siding]

Intelligence Warnings Disregarded, President's Advisory Board Says
By Walter Pincus

The President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board has concluded that the White House made a questionable claim in January's State of the Union address about Saddam Hussein's efforts to obtain nuclear materials because of its desperation to show that Hussein had an active program to develop nuclear weapons, according to a well-placed source familiar with the board's findings.

In the speech Jan. 28, President Bush cited British intelligence in asserting that Hussein had tried to buy uranium from an unnamed country in Africa. The White House later said the claim should not have been made because of doubt in the U.S. intelligence community that it was true.

After reviewing the matter for several months, the intelligence board -- chaired by former national security adviser Brent Scowcroft -- has determined that there was "no deliberate effort to fabricate" a story, the source said. Instead, the source said, the board believes the White House was so anxious "to grab onto something affirmative" about Hussein's nuclear ambitions that it disregarded warnings from the intelligence community that the claim was questionable.

The source said that at the time of the State of the Union speech, there was no organized system at the White House to vet intelligence, and the informal system that was followed did not work in the case of that speech. The White House has since established procedures for handling intelligence in presidential speeches by including a CIA officer in the speechwriting process.

more............

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25935-2003Dec23.html

[grytpype]

1. So, all the Adminstration is guilty of is trying too hard.

Bullshit. Farking bullshit.

[acmavm]

2. They have since established procedures, have they? Does that mean

that they'll stop lying now? Somehow I sincerely doubt it.

[otohara]

3. "no deliberate effort to fabricate" Utter BS -

now Brent Scowcroft is a liar. Bush has got practically everyone in government scared to say tell the simple truth...they lied and lied and lied somemore. Pack of lies

[0007]

4. First Nixon, then raygun, then poopy bush did his share but .....

nothin' like junior and the Carlyle thugs that have James Baker staring as the glib talker of the times and Dick Cheney Halliburton's won't take a back seat to anyone, no siree!

[grasswire]

6. don't forget....

....that Condoleezza Rice is the long-time protege of Scowcroft.

And don't forget that Scowcroft is a Bush family fixer.

Don't forget that he secretly went to Beijing after Tienamen Square to smooth things over so that Prescott Bush (W's uncle) could continue to do bidness there.

Just another criminal in the BFEE.

[TacticalPeek]

5. Jeez, Walter, what do you want? A mushroom cloud?

It was nice of the suits to let this article be printed; it almost makes things seem safer, if you agree that damage to this administration could help the safety of the planet.

"More recently, the Iraq Survey Group looking into weapons activities in that country under the direction of David Kay reported in October that it found no support for the report that Hussein was seeking uranium in Africa. In fact, Kay said, the group found that the Iraqis had turned down an offer of uranium from a still-unidentified country."

Turned down an offer of uraniuum? I must have missed that on the TV "news" and in American "news"papers.

:evilgrin:

[killbotfactory]

7. What bullshit...

Yeah, they're only guilty of being really eager to demonize Saddam... it's not like it was deliberate... Har har har...

[WhereIsMyFreedom]

8. How is

"the White House was so anxious 'to grab onto something affirmative' about Hussein's nuclear ambitions that it disregarded warnings from the intelligence community that the claim was questionable"

not a case of

"no deliberate effort to fabricate"

???

[mikeytherat]

10. Take a deep breath and repeat after me:

As it regards "facts" and "truth", the Bush Administration has, so far:

"misstated"
"ignored"
"disregarded"
"overstated"
"failed to clarify"
"emphasized too much"
"misunderstood"

but they have not, EVER, lied! Are we clear, now?

"A rose by any other name would be a bald-faced, bold-type, front-page banner headline LIE by the Bush Administration."

mikey_the_rat
The Bush Administration -- So many lies, betcha can't catch 'em all!

[truthisfreedom]

9. page A01 according to article.

hmm. sounds serious.

[Palacsinta]

11. So after 9/11.................

<The source said that at the time of the State of the Union speech, there was no organized system at the White House to vet intelligence, and the informal system that was followed did not work in the case of that speech. The White House has since established procedures for handling intelligence in presidential speeches by including a CIA officer in the speechwriting process>

No one thought to have a formal system to vet intelligence????

What utter bull crap.

[pinto]

14. kick

no organized system to vet intelligence? - given to the leader* of the free world to be used in a speech heard all over the world???

BS

[DoYouEverWonder]

12. Sorry Brent you're lying too

What about the reports back in July that the WH claimed that the speech was fully vetted by the CIA? Now, the new story is that there was no mechanism in place to vet the speeches? Which one is it Brent? Either the CIA vetted the speech or they didn't, pick one.



http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2003/s900652.htm

12 July , 2003

Meanwhile, in Washington, the Bush Administration continues to be plagued by questions about whether it misled the American public and the world with some of the intelligence it used to justify the war in Iraq.

So far, there's been no clear answer as to how the discredited evidence about uranium trade between Iraq and Africa ended up in President Bush's State of the Union address. The White House says the State of the Union speech was cleared in full by the CIA.

[NoKingGeorge]

13. Rockefeller will now follow up with continuing the investigation

into the WH and what their roles were. A stolen memo from Rockefellers computers had layed out the plan to launch investigation into WH role because Scowcroft had limited the Invesg to intelligence. How can committe make this statement about Administrations role, when they declared their charter only went to intelligence community....

[are_we_united_yet]

15. Yet another

Get out of jail free card for *.

[schultzee]

16. If we had an educated informed public, they could not get

away with this. But most people come home from work, watch the news, go to bed and start all over again. Either they don't have time, won't make time, or don't care about keeping informed.

17. It's a shame

that this is late breaking news. It really should be old old news.
When will people get it?