NYT: Condi, Cheney, Powell lied about Iraq nukes before the war

[Carla in Ca]

<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/03/international/middleeast/03tube.html?oref=login&oref=login&hp>

This is 15 web pages long. Some are suggesting this is an 'October Surprise' By the NY Times.

snip

"Senior administration officials repeatedly failed to fully disclose the contrary views of America's leading nuclear scientists," the Times said, citing Rice, Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Colin Powell by name.

<more>

[demgrrrll]

1. I thought someone posted that Condi was going to be on all of the

talk shows tomorrow morning. Wonder if this article will come up. I find it very hard to believe that this was unknowable during the run up to war.

[Carla in Ca]

2. Yes, I was surprised, too

Probably why she is going on the shows. It is also right before the Edwards/VP debate...hmmmmm

[crickets]

3. 15 pages?!

Wow. Bookmarking to read tomorrow when I can give it full, well-rested attention. Thanks for the link!

[Carla in Ca]

4. I only got through half of it myself

but it names names...Condi, Cheney and Powell. Kerry is already making remarks about it.

[ThePhilosopher04]

5. This is an IMPEACHABLE OFFENSE in my opinion!!!

DAMN BASTARDS!!!!

[Carla in Ca]

7. In the debate, * made a comment that Kerry had the same

intelligence that he had. He made it sound as if they were both duped. Did you get that sense?
So, the question is, did * know it was false or not? Was he 'out of the loop' and just the messenger?

[klyon]

9. As I remember it George said he had evidenced he couldn't show

us for security reasons. We did not see the same intelligence, we were told to trust and have faith. We were flat out lied to and deceived into supporting the invasion. Congress was forced to vote right before an election. Does anybody else remember all that brinkmanship diplomacy? People need to be reminded of that was said leading us to war, this bunch must be held accountable for their words and actions.

KL

[Toots]

11. Except that Bush* rejected the information he was given and

established his very own intelligence bureau called Office of Special Plans and got them to give him information that said what he wanted to hear. I doubt Kerry was made aware of that information.

[klyon]

12. me either

KL

[dennis4868]

15. Read Bob Graham's book

in it he explains that the CIA, before the war, sent Bush a one page summary memo of the threat from iraq and it included some of the doubts of many experts in the intelligence community. The WH refuses to release this memo to anyone, including the senate select comm. on intelligence.

Also, Bush was warned over and over of the dissnting views in the government and knew they were misleading the country into war. Read David Sirota's article called THEY KNEW.

[crickets]

6. kick (nt)

:kick:

[andino]

8. I just got done reading it

It was an interesting time line of the 2 nuclear reasonings for the war. The yellow cake papers and the tubes. Come to find out that the administration KNEW that the tubes COULD HAVE BEEN used for missiles way before the war started. As a matter of fact they cite that the inspectors found out that they WERE being used as missiles.

Of note are the paragraphs listed here:

QUOTE
The inspectors found no trace of a clandestine centrifuge program. On Jan. 10, 2003, The Times reported that the international agency was challenging "the key piece of evidence" behind "the primary rationale for going to war." The article, on Page A10, also reported that officials at the Energy Department and State Department had suggested the tubes might be for rockets.

The C.I.A. theory was in trouble, and senior members of the Bush administration seemed to know it.

Also that January, White House officials who were helping to draft what would become Secretary Powell's speech to the Security Council sent word to the intelligence community that they believed "the nuclear case was weak," the Senate report said. In an interview, a senior administration official said it was widely understood all along at the White House that the evidence of a nuclear threat was piecemeal and weaker than that for other unconventional arms.

But rather than withdraw the nuclear card - a step that could have undermined United States credibility just as tens of thousands of troops were being airlifted to the region - the White House cast about for new arguments and evidence to support it.

Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, asked the intelligence agencies for more evidence beyond the tubes to bolster the nuclear case. Winpac analysts redoubled efforts to prove that Iraq was trying to acquire uranium from Africa. When rocket engineers at the Defense Department were approached by the C.I.A. and asked to compare the Iraqi tubes with American ones, the engineers said the tubes "were perfectly usable for rockets." The agency analysts did not appear pleased. One rocket engineer complained to Senate investigators that the analysts had "an agenda" and were trying "to bias us" into agreeing that the Iraqi tubes were not fit for rockets. In interviews, agency officials denied any such effort.
:::::SNIP:::::

I think that it is important to note that most in the administration KNEW that the nuclear claims were false and STILL went to war with Iraq. If this is the claim that the NYT is making then they sure set out a great article to do it in.

At the same time they listed Kerry and Edwards in the article as having the ability to ask "the tough questions" but did not. I would just like to remind the NYT that neither Mr. Kerry nor Mr Edwards is a nuclear weapons expert. And I am sure that if they knew of the errors that they would have done something. But then again nothing really happened when Bob Graham raised questions about the intel.

[Disturbed]

10. Scott Ritter..

reported much of this and went on a few TV shows but not many paid attention to him.I smelled the bullshit and felt that I knew what this invasion was about. Oil and strategic military position in the ME. At that time I didn't know about Saddam's intent to sell oil via the Euro when the sanctions on Iraq were lifted. They would have been if Blix and his team would have been allowed to inspect a few more months. That is why Blix was kicked out of Iraq and the invasion began. No WMDs and no excuse to invade. It was a pure fraud and an illegal invasion.

[OneTwentyoNine]

13. Well,well,well.....pretty damning stuff in my humble opinion....nt

[dennis4868]

14. citing Rice, Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Colin Powel

WHAT ABOUT BUSH? He never mentioned any contrary views when he was out there before the war scaring the shit out of everyone by saying there is no doubt Sdaam has the weapon and mushroom cloud.