Niger Documents--a murky affair

[jpgray]

First off, here's a good consolidation of what is out there:

http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/wot/iraq/forged_niger_documents.html#1%20%20%20%20%20%20%20How%20the%20documents%20were%20obtained.

The documents were obtained in late 2001 from the Italians. They suggested that Saddam tried to acquire 500 tons of uranium-oxide.

I assume everyone knows how ridiculous and simple the forgeries were. One letter was on the wrong letterhead, references were made to Niger's obsolete 1965 constitution, and signatures of officials, who were in some cases no longer in power, had been poorly forged. The main import of the forged documents is even more ridiculous. All of the output of "yellow-cake" in Niger comes from two French-owned mines in Niger. All of the output is pre-sold to power companies in Spain, France and Japan. 500 tons is a ridiculously large amount that could not shipped out on the sly without anyone noticing. An IAEA official is quoted as saying the forgeries were so bad that his "jaw dropped". Another said inaccuracies were found "after a few hours of going at it with a critical eye".

The IAEA had requested the Documents since September 2002, around the time Colin Powell asserted the evidence in a closed door hearing at the UN. They did not receive them until February 2003.

THe US and the British had this information for many months. It consisted of childishly forged documents. They had to know the documents were false.

So how does this fit in with any discernible political strategy? The documents are turned over to the IAEA just in time for them to be declared fraudulent before the war, yet there is no noise made in the media about their presence in the SOTU address. So why use fraudulent documents in a nationally televised speech and turn them over to the IAEA to be discredited? This shows that Bush had an expectation the false nature of the documents would be ignored in the media. Why did Bush expect to get away with this, and how did he get away with it for so long? It seems he was set up to fight this war and then fall.

[KT2000]

1. DU knew before the war too

Wasn't the inaccuracy of the Niger documents a dicussion before the war? So many knew about this and their attempt to connect 9/11 to Iraq and more.
This could be a set up but like Gergen said - these people live in an echo chamber. The hubris of the neo-cons and the administration is what made these people think they would get a pass on their propaganda. The media has worshipped Bush since he stole the election so why would he think anything would change.

[bpilgrim]

2. yeah... but yall are just a TINY, fringe, whacko, internet, echo chamber

:evilgrin:

that should be a regular feature, like the 'top ten idiots', how bout the top ten 'trends'... could have fun with that, no? :shrug:

i just hope these fools don't let another '911' or WORSE happen to save themselves :scared:

i only saw rummy on mtp and he certainly appeared to be STRUGGLING mightly to hold back his TRUE PERSONNA - a short, arrogant, patroning, bully - he was in a literal wrestling match with himself on live teeVee, with all the hand wringing.

these folks are our worst fears come true, strangelovians have got the helm and are forcing confrontations of a nuclear scale and greater with everyone we disagree with.

what a nightmare i hope it is over SOON :bounce:

peace

[KT2000]

3. The good news though

Can you imagine Bush-Condi-Rummy going on TV trying to sell another war? Who would believe them now?