the $64000 question about Cheney/cia/niger

[pdxmike]

There is one issue that I have never seen addressed in the Plame affair.

Why did Cheney's office ask the CIA to investigate the phony Niger documents in the first place? They almost certainly knew that the the documents were fake. Hell, they (or the WHIG) might have helped write them. Their cause was much better served if there was no attempt at confirmation.

It's also well known that Cheney's office (and the WHIG) were openly disdainfull of the CIA and that the two were constantly sniping over intelligence.

Was Big Time trying to set up the CIA? Was this a sting gone wrong?

[acmavm]

1. Never understood that myself. Unless they thought a brown nosing

idiot would be the one to get the job.

[Marr]

2. Hard to say. But the forgeries could've come from lots of places.

Alot of people stood to benefit from an invasion of Iraq- not just Neocons. Everyone from Chalabi to business interests within the US and without.

It's possible that Cheney's office didn't know they were forgeries, and simply disregarded the opinion of the CIA out of arrogance and the desire to believe the documents were authentic. Faith-based intelligence- you know what I mean.

[creeksneakers2]

3. What's more

The CIA maintains that they didn't inform Cheney about the results of Wilson's trip because they'd already told Cheney the Niger/uranium story wasn't to be believed. The CIA says Wilson added nothing new. That means Cheney knew the story was false when he read the advance copy of the state of the union speech.

I'd also like to know why nothing is made of the fact that Cheney both asked for more information and approved the SOTU knowing the story was false.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

4. I keep getting a feeling that Cheney wanting the CIA to check it out was a

wink and nod and didn't think they would actually carry through with sending someone to Niger to investigate.