Bush Knew Iraq Info Was False
Quote:
CBS)_Senior administration officials tell CBS News the President?s mistaken claim that Iraq tried to buy uranium from Africa was included in his State of the Union address -- despite objections from the CIA.
Before the speech was delivered, the portions dealing with Iraq?s weapons of mass destruction were checked with the CIA for accuracy, reports CBS News National Security Correspondent David Martin.
CIA officials warned members of the President?s National Security Council staff the intelligence was not good enough to make the flat statement Iraq tried to buy uranium from Africa.
The White House officials responded that a paper issued by the British government contained the unequivocal assertion: ?Iraq has ... sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.? As long as the statement was attributed to British Intelligence, the White House officials argued, it would be factually accurate. The CIA officials dropped their objections and that?s how it was delivered.
?The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa,? Mr. Bush said.
The statement was technically correct, since it accurately reflected the British paper. But the bottom line is the White House knowingly included in a presidential address information its own CIA had explicitly warned might not be true.
Today at a press conference during the President?s trip to Africa, Secretary of State Colin Powell portrayed it as an honest mistake.
?There was no effort or attempt on the part of the president or anyone else in the administration to mislead or to deceive the American people,? said Powell.
But eight days after the State of the Union, when Powell addressed the U.N., he deliberately left out any reference to Iraqi attempts to buy uranium from Africa.
?I didn?t use the uranium at that point because I didn?t think that was sufficiently strong as evidence to present before the world,? Powell said.
That is exactly what CIA officials told the White House before the State of the Union. The top CIA official, Director George Tenet, was not involved in those discussions and apparently never warned the President he was on thin ice.
Secretary Powell said today he read the State of the Union speech before it was delivered and understood it had been seen and cleared by the intelligence community. But intelligence officials say the director of the CIA never saw the final draft.
CBS)_Senior administration officials tell CBS News the President?s mistaken claim that Iraq tried to buy uranium from Africa was included in his State of the Union address -- despite objections from the CIA.
Before the speech was delivered, the portions dealing with Iraq?s weapons of mass destruction were checked with the CIA for accuracy, reports CBS News National Security Correspondent David Martin.
CIA officials warned members of the President?s National Security Council staff the intelligence was not good enough to make the flat statement Iraq tried to buy uranium from Africa.
The White House officials responded that a paper issued by the British government contained the unequivocal assertion: ?Iraq has ... sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.? As long as the statement was attributed to British Intelligence, the White House officials argued, it would be factually accurate. The CIA officials dropped their objections and that?s how it was delivered.
?The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa,? Mr. Bush said.
The statement was technically correct, since it accurately reflected the British paper. But the bottom line is the White House knowingly included in a presidential address information its own CIA had explicitly warned might not be true.
Today at a press conference during the President?s trip to Africa, Secretary of State Colin Powell portrayed it as an honest mistake.
?There was no effort or attempt on the part of the president or anyone else in the administration to mislead or to deceive the American people,? said Powell.
But eight days after the State of the Union, when Powell addressed the U.N., he deliberately left out any reference to Iraqi attempts to buy uranium from Africa.
?I didn?t use the uranium at that point because I didn?t think that was sufficiently strong as evidence to present before the world,? Powell said.
That is exactly what CIA officials told the White House before the State of the Union. The top CIA official, Director George Tenet, was not involved in those discussions and apparently never warned the President he was on thin ice.
Secretary Powell said today he read the State of the Union speech before it was delivered and understood it had been seen and cleared by the intelligence community. But intelligence officials say the director of the CIA never saw the final draft.
"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States."
Lieing during the State of the Union, well now, that cann't be against the Constitution. I mean come on, the lie has only lead to the death of 250 US soldiers, 1000 injuries, atleast 50 billion dollars, and thousands of civilian deaths.
I'll expect the resignation letter on my desk in the morning Mr. President.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/...in560449.shtml
Comments
Originally posted by keyboardf12
yep. liberal media.... freakin commies that they are...
PHEW! I thought for a second that someone might have lied or something...
Originally posted by SDW2001
oh good, another one! Tell you what: You guys just keep posting this stuff. Maybe you'll be so busy you'll forget to vote.
Typical republican tactic. If you can't beat 'em, don't let 'em vote!
Originally posted by bunge
Typical republican tactic. If you can't beat 'em, don't let 'em vote!
If you can't beat 'em, don't let 'em vote!
Kathleen Harris 2!
Tenet = patsy
They must have tenet's prize poodle locked up somewhere...
"The president did not knowingly say anything that we knew to be false. ... We wouldn't put anything ... knowingly in the speech that was false."
OK, so they didn't know it was false.... I'm sure they also didn't know if it was true, either
Either that, or it just confirms that this administration really knows nothing.