White House Faulted on Uranium Claim

[radfringe]

White House Faulted on Uranium Claim
Intelligence Warnings Disregarded, President's Advisory Board Says
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25935-2003Dec23.html
By Walter Pincus
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 24, 2003; Page A01

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. (duuuuhhhh)

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, after reports that the intelligence community expressed doubts 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.

[Dover]

1. A better headline: White House charged for false uraniuum claims.

Misadministration imposters to receive LIFE at Guantanamo. No legal representation permitted. News at 11.

I'd like to see that scrolling along the bottom of CNN's screen.

[Tuttle]

2. Oh... that thing??? No prob...

Never forget - eleven years ago today





Tut-tut

[Pale_Rider]

3. Thanks for the flashback ...

... of the Bush Crime Family. A criminal investigation 'all but swept away'.

[Bozita]

9. Very few people read newspapers on December 24

Bush the Elder knew that.

[Rex]

4. Democrats call for a round of hand slappings

maybe even a spanking (if the Repukes approve) or two.

[priller]

5. Here's the most amazing thing:

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.

Alright, first off, I really don't think it is the job of the White House to "vet intelligence". That's what we have intelligence agencies for. Second, I think this reinforces what others have said repeatedly, that the WH (probably Cheney) had his own "informal" intelligence conduit, bypassing the CIA and others. He didn't want any vetting, he wanted to get everything so he could pick and choose whatever info matched his preconceived notions. Of course, they later blamed the CIA for not warning them about the uranium claim after actively ignorning them for months.

[gulliver]

6. Page 1!!

Now that's what I'm talkin' about!

[Tuttle]

7. Kick

n/t

Tut-tut

[wellst0nev0ter]

8. Merry Christmas, Mr. Bush

and may you have a crappy New Year :evilgrin:

[Tuttle]

10. Another kick

This is someone conservatives deny all the time, while crying about Clinton's use of pardons -- this is outrageous and offense, even after years and years! You can bet there are pardons in the wings for Cheney, Ken Lay, the anthrax killer and many more.

Tut-tut

PS: Anyone care to make a prediction about about which Bush will be in office when the Kurds (or the Northern Alliance) fly planes into American strongholds?