The Belgravia Dispatch finds more evidence that Niger was the center of a major international traffic of uranium yellowcake despite former Ambassador Joe Wilson’s controversial trip to Niger. (I’ve covered this story in detail previously.)
It’s becoming increasingly evident that Wilson did not do a single bit of investigation while in Niger, the trip was a waste, and the arguments that Bush "lied" about Iraq seeking uranium from Africa are utterly meritless. The spin that the only evidence was in the collection of forged documents ignores the mountain of evidence (including the British assertion that Bush mentioned in his State of the Union address) that indeed Niger was connected to a uranium smuggling operation that extended beyond Baghdad to Pyongyang and Tehran as well.
It appears that the only person who is completely lacking in credibility is Wilson himself…
Jay, this is still just speculation and rumor. Nothing concret, nothing that even remotely resembles proof. And certainly, nothing the justifies going to war in Iraq.
Why are you neocons still harping on this? Wasn’t the invasion about freeing Iraqi’s from tyranny? Or, ws it about finding weapons of mass destruction?
The dirty air in American politics would clear up if neocons would just let this obvious forgery. There is no evidence that Iraq purchased anything from Niger. Until there is, speculation, rumor, and lies have no business in this debate.
Let this go. It is deader than Saddam’s sons.
Bubbahotep: You’re distorting the argument. The President never argued that Iraq succeeded in buying uranium from Niger, but that they were trying and would sooner or later succeed.
Ambassador Wilson himself said that Mohammad Saeed al-Sahhaf was in Niger on a trade mission. Unless the Iraqis had a significant goat shortage, that mission could have only been to secure a source of uranium yellowcake.
The Financial Times article specifically mentions that they have found credible evidence from multiple sources confirming a trade in uranium out of Niger – exactly what the President had stated. British Intelligence continues to stand by their statement that Iraq was seeking African uranium. The President’s statement in the 2003 State of the Union was and is absolutely 100% correct.
The only lies are coming from those who would try to ignore what doesn’t fit into their partisan worldview.
Another case of Berg’s Law in action. The war in Iraq had more than one reason, and more than one justification. You don’t go to war for one reason and one reason only. The war was about simultaneously removing the threat of Iraqi WMD as well as freeing the Iraqi people from Saddam’s tyranny. Arguing that it had to be one or the other and couldn’t be both is an infantile and patently ridiculous argument.