Senate Intel Phase II Report: Joe Wilson vindicated, again!

[sabra]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/custom/newsroom/chi-060908intel,1,2400912.story?coll=chi-news-hed

<snip>

The Niger-Iraq connection, which the Senate report concluded did not exist, is important for two reasons.

First, it was mentioned by Bush during his 2003 State of the Union speech, though the president did not mention Niger specifically, referring instead to an African nation.

Second, the Niger connection proved to be the launching point for one of Washington's more intriguing recent scandals. Ambassador Joseph Wilson was tasked by the CIA to visit Niger to examine the claims of a uranium deal. After his visit, Wilson reported that there was no evidence of a deal. The CIA did more intelligence gathering on its own and largely confirmed Wilson's conclusion.

When Bush mentioned the deal in his speech and administration officials kept discussing it, Wilson wrote a New York Times opinion piece disputing the claim. Shortly afterward, the name of his wife, who was a clandestine CIA operative, was revealed in print by Sun Times columnist Robert Novak.

Wilson has since suggested that the White House deliberately leaked his wife's name, Valerie Plame, in reprisal for his article criticizing Bush.

http://intelligence.senate.gov/phaseiiaccuracy.pdf

[hootinholler]

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2. kicking!!!

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[helderheid]

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