Bush Reported to Authorize Leak

[aps]

Well here is just some

"
Wilson said that a former prime minister of *****, Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, was unaware of any sales contract with Iraq, but said that in June 1999 a businessman approached him, insisting that he meet with an Iraqi delegation to discuss "expanding commercial relations" between ***** and Iraq -- which Mayaki interpreted to mean they wanted to discuss yellowcake sales. A report CIA officials drafted after debriefing Wilson said that "although the meeting took place, Mayaki let the matter drop due to UN sanctions on Iraq."
According to the former ***** mining minister, Wilson told his CIA contacts, Iraq tried to buy 400 tons of uranium in 1998."


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39834-2004Jul9.html?referrer=emailarticle


or


By Mark Huband
The Financial Times of London | June 28, 2004Illicit sales of uranium from ***** were being negotiated with five states including Iraq at least three years before the US-led invasion, senior European intelligence officials have told the Financial Times.

Intelligence officers learned between 1999 and 2001 that uranium smugglers planned to sell illicitly mined Nigerien uranium ore, or refined ore called yellow cake, to Iran, Libya, China, North Korea and Iraq.

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=13997

But the important fact for this discussion is that Joe Wilson and his wife tried to perpetrate a fraud on the American people by thier attack on the Administration. The Administration would have none of it and release the intelligence information which discredited what he was saying. Now do you fault them for doing so or should they have just let Joe and Valerie carry out their little plan?

So please help me understand this:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A line in President Bush's State of the Union address alleging that Iraq was trying to buy uranium in Africa should never have been included in the speech, CIA Director George Tenet said Friday. . . .

In his speech, Bush -- citing British intelligence information -- said Iraq was trying to buy uranium, which could be used to make nuclear weapons, in Africa. The White House concedes that information wasn't true.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/07/11/sprj.irq.wmdspeech/

 

[Deegan]

Yes, classified information is declassified; however, there is a process that one undergoes to declassify information. The way Bush did it in this circumstance is highly unusual. And the parts he wanted to declassify were solely those that supported his arguments that Saddam was reconstituting WMDs. What about the portions of that report that refute such finding? Why wasn't that going to be declassified?

What you fail to acknowledge, Deegan, is the circumstances that portions of this document were declassified. If the information in the NIE report was necessary for all of us to know, why didn't Bush hold a press conference about it? This way, everyone would know that Joe Wilson was wrong about his findings in N iger. Rather, Bush wanted to get the information leaked out by a reporter. Why? If you don't have the common sense to question that, then you shouldn't be telling those of us who are wondering why Bush handled this the way he did that we don't have common sense.

You act as if just Bush wanted this information out, half the country wanted him to justify this war, and to answer to claims that were being made by Joe Wilson, I suspect many pro-war folks on this very forum. You call it leaking, I call it passing along relevant information, information that rivals that of false claims made by a partisan official.

 

[aps]

You act as if just Bush wanted this information out, half the country wanted him to justify this war, and to answer to claims that were being made by Joe Wilson, I suspect many pro-war folks on this very forum. You call it leaking, I call it passing along relevant information, information that rivals that of false claims made by a partisan official.

So please address the part of the NIE report that would NOT justify our going to war. Oh, forget it, Deegan. Go back and drink some more Koolaid, will ya?

 

[Trajan Octavian Titus]

So please help me understand this:

And here's what Wilson did when he went to Sudan.

Wilson: "Did you guys sell yellow cake to Saddam."

Sudanese: "Of course not."

Wilson: "Good enough for me dee dee dee."

News flash aps they found 500 tons of yellow cake in Iraq the first week of the intitial push into Iraq.

 

[Simon W. Moon]

More distractions...

The only reason I ask is so that I may answer your question. How can I answer your question w/o knowing which info in particular was released?

Do you know how many reports I have seen with words or sentences blackened out

No, actually I don't. Why on earth do you ask?

Afaict, the allegation is that incomplete excerpts were leaked to provide an appearance that was not quite in line with the whole thing.

The Admin is said to have done what it says it deplores - selectively parceling classified info for political gain.

 

[galenrox]

Now you're just playing dumb, did it shock you, did you think to yourself, "gee whiz, I shouldn't know this stuff, our enemies shouldn't know this stuff?" No, it was pretty much harmless information, which at one time was deemed classified, but then declassified after it had become common knowledge. It's really funny how I hear these reporters talking about "oh my, classified information, how dare he use this information" when the same people are pumping insiders for as much as they can get on a daily basis!

The point is, classified information is declassified everyday, and just because this may have helped the admin., they now act like there is something wrong with that, like you said, political gain. This is all about a common frustration, some want to believe intelligence was made up, or cherry picked, and that has not been proved. So the best they can do is to now try and throw this out as something that will stick, it won't, not for common sense thinking folks.

Well to a degree you're playing dumb too. You know full well that the face value of this leak doesn't come anywhere close to all of the effects of this. There are ongoing investigations that she was part of. Now that her face is plastered all over the news, you don't think that maybe someone might recognize her, and think "Oh, so this whole thing's run by the CIA you say?" etc.

 

[Trajan Octavian Titus]

Well to a degree you're playing dumb too. You know full well that the face value of this leak doesn't come anywhere close to all of the effects of this. There are ongoing investigations that she was part of. Now that her face is plastered all over the news, you don't think that maybe someone might recognize her, and think "Oh, so this whole thing's run by the CIA you say?" etc.

Except for one thing: "SHE WAS NEVER COVERT!!!!:

 

[aps]

Except for one thing: "SHE WAS NEVER COVERT!!!!:

Who says? Says you?

So you think that they are going to start an investigation on outing a covert CIA agent when the agent isn't covert to begin with? LMAO

 

[galenrox]

Except for one thing: "SHE WAS NEVER COVERT!!!!:

Never covert? Now I've heard people claim that she may not have been covert at the time, but never covert, that's something new.

It would raise the question, if it was that clear, why would a special prosecutor who has been described by both sides of eisle as unbiased and extremely well qualified investigate it at all?

 

[Simon W. Moon]

lmfao, do you even know what classified means?

Yes, actually. Does your question really further the conversation?

Once the President says it publicly by the very definition of the word it is no longer classified!

What part of GWB authorizing Cheney to tell Libby to give info the press involves the PotUSA saying something publicly?

This was not top secret it was confidential ...

Are you maintaining that the NIE was not classified info?

 

[Stinger]

So please help me understand this:

Well you left out this part

"Tenet said that at the time the speech was delivered, the line was factually correct because British intelligence did indeed believe that it had evidence of such activity. But he said the CIA's own investigation of those same allegations had led the agency to decide that that the evidence was inconclusive."

You would have to take it up with CNN why they reported it the way they did and they were only relating the documents which we later found our were forged but were NOT the ONLY evidence concerning Iraq's desire to find a source for yellow-cake. I have given you what the the Senate committe and the 9/11 commission concluded. Wilson was a liar.

 

[Trajan Octavian Titus]

Yes, actually. Does your question really further the conversation?

Becuase you obviously don't know what classified means as per your final statement.

What part of GWB authorizing Cheney to tell Libby to give info the press involves the PotUSA saying something publicly?

Once the President authorizes the release of the information it ceases to be classified by the very definition of the word.

Are you maintaining that the NIE was not classified info?

No, Simon there are 3 levels of classified information, confidential, secret, and top secret, the NIE is confidential the lowest rank of classified intel.

Where's the story? There is none thic crap is 3 years old and absolutely meaningless.

Where's the scandal? There is none so the media has to manufacture one through biased opinion, half truths, and conjecture.

They got the buzz words to grab the attention of idiotic America: "Libby," "scandal," "classified," "leaked," it would be freaking hilarious if people didn't actually buy into this bullshit.

 

[Stinger]

Have you taken the time to send these to the US Intel Community yet?

Since they are based on their testimony to both commissions I don't see a need to.

 

[Trajan Octavian Titus]

Never covert? Now I've heard people claim that she may not have been covert at the time, but never covert, that's something new.

It would raise the question, if it was that clear, why would a special prosecutor who has been described by both sides of eisle as unbiased and extremely well qualified investigate it at all?

Because the administration had to do something to respond to the drive by medias latest action line.

 

[Simon W. Moon]

No, Simon there are 3 levels of classified information, confidential, secret, and top secret, the NIE is confidential the lowest rank of classified intel.

Is that 'no' to the NIE being classified info? Or is that 'no' to you asserting that the NIE was classified info?

Afaict, I said the info was classified and you said the info was classified, yet you seem to be trying to disagree w/ something.

 

[python416]

Just watching the WH briefing. Come on Scotty - Dance, Dance, Dance!

 

[Trajan Octavian Titus]

Is that 'no' to the NIE being classified info? Or is that 'no' to you asserting that the NIE was classified info?

Afaict, I said the info was classified and you said the info was classified, yet you seem to be trying to disagree w/ something.

After Bush gave permission for excerpts from the NIE to be disseminated to the media it was no longer classified, so not it wasn't classified.

 

[Simon W. Moon]

Since they are based on their testimony to both commissions I don't see a need to.

So what are we to make of their assessment that is contrary to yours? Are the USIC in error, or are you?

 

[tecoyah]

Once the President authorizes the release of the information it ceases to be classified by the very definition of the word.

So....Let me get this straight, If the President decides its ok to release Classified Military Documents that the Pentagon feels are important to keep secret....its OK for him to do so, simply because he is president? What of Nuclear Arms secrets....would this be acceptable as well?

 

[Trajan Octavian Titus]

So....Let me get this straight, If the President decides its ok to release Classified Military Documents that the Pentagon feels are important to keep secret....its OK for him to do so, simply because he is president? What of Nuclear Arms secrets....would this be acceptable as well?

There are many levels of classification, some levels of classification are classified even to the Executive branch, other classified materials derive their classified status from the presidents Constitutional authority as commander in chief. This report falls into the ladder. So yes it was OK for him to do declassify this information.

Like I said this is another piece of **** thrown up against the wall by the drive by media to see if it will stick.

There is no scandal so they manufacture one to fit their action line through conjecture and extrapolation.

They got the buzz words to capture the attention spans of idiotic America: "Libby," "Classified," "Leaked." And from those buzz words they'll make up the stuff in between through extrapolation, half truths, and conjecture, in their on going attempts to "get," Bush, regardless of what the facts are.

 

[Simon W. Moon]

After Bush gave permission for excerpts from the NIE to be disseminated to the media it was no longer classified, so not it wasn't classified.

So your making a point of semantics. Got it.

 

[Trajan Octavian Titus]

So your making a point of semantics. Got it.

So you have absolutely no point whatsoever. Got it.

It's not semantics it's the difference between classified and declassified.

But hay why be bothered with those little things called facts when opinion and conjecture are so much more fun?

 

[Simon W. Moon]

It's not semantics it's the difference between classified and declassified.

So, what exactly do you pick a bone with in my inintial description where I called it "sensitive national security info"?
Anything?

 

[Trajan Octavian Titus]

So, what exactly do you pick a bone with in my inintial description where I called it "sensitive national security info"?
Anything?

It was not classified, it is the Presidents perogative to determine if the information was to sensitive to be released or not. The information is not classified nothing more really needs to be said about it.

Do you have a point? There is no crime and there is no scandal no matter how far the drive by media will go in their attempt to manufacture one.

 

[Simon W. Moon]

It was not classified, it is the Presidents perogative to determine if the information was to sensitive to be released or not. The information is not classified nothing more really needs to be said about it.

So basically, you have no disagreement. We both agree that the NIE is sensitive national security info and that the info in it was classified.