However, since we are on the Niger forgeries, take a look at this interview with "Truthout", Ray gave in June of 2003.:
" My primary attention is on the forgery of the Niger documents that supposedly proved Iraq was developing a nuclear program. It seems to me that you can have endless arguments about the correct interpretation of this or that piece of intelligence, or intelligence analysis, but a forgery is a forgery. It’s demonstrable that senior officials of this government, including the Vice President, knew that it was a forgery in March of last year. It was used anyway to deceive our Congressmen and Senators into voting for an unprovoked war. That seems to me to be something that needs to be borne in mind, that needs to be held up for everyone to see. If an informed public, and by extension an informed Congress, is the necessary bedrock for democracy, then we’ve got a split bedrock that is in bad need of repair."
The date of this interview is June 26th, 2003. The reference to Cheney knowing about the Niger forgeries "last year" is patently false but a reoccuring theme that the left uses even today.
Of course the reference is to Wilson's 2002 trip. On that trip, Wilson didn't see any documents, nor did he brief anyone he had seen them, and the SSCI bore this out:
"(U) The former ambassador also told Committee staff that he was the source of a Washington Post article ("CIA Did Not Share Doubt on Iraq Data; Bush Used Report of Uranium Bid," June 12,2003) which said, "among the Envoy's conclusions was that the documents may have been forged because 'the dates were wrong and the names were wrong."' Committee staff asked how the former ambassador could have come to the conclusion that the "dates were wrong and the names were wrong" when he had never seen the CIA reports and had no knowledge of what names and dates were in the reports. The former ambassador said that he may have "misspoken" to the reporter when he said he concluded the documents were "forged." He also said he may have become confused about his own recollection after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported in March 2003 that the names and dates on the documents were not correct and may have thought he had seen the names himself. The former ambassador reiterated that he had been able to collect the names of the government officials which should have been on the documents." (SSCI Page 55).
Even though there was no way in heck that Wilson saw these documents UNLESS he had been shown them by someone who would not want that information known, somehow the VP of the United States knew they were forgeries, even though it would be eight months before the IAEA would mysteriously discover (with timing reminiseant of the October 2004 IAEA Al Qaqaa story) that the documents were fakes. Truth is that Wilson being the liar he is simply doens't know when to shut up. He slipped up and hasn't been able to recover ever since. But it hasn't stopped the VIPS nor their audience in the antiwar left.
This is because "Wilson exposed the forgery" is key to the antiwar left's "Bush lied" argument.
And because it's key, while was basically killed off in 2004, it has nonetheless been revived in light of the Fitzmas fizzle. It's a kind of insanity that one would attempt to revive a lie thinking no one was paying attention the first time around.
Fat chance!
Dress it up any way you want, It's the same old tired "Bush used forged documents to get us into war" lie, which I explained in this previous post is simply not true.
The documents were not even considered in the overall analysis and in fact Bush referrenced not them but British intel which was far more reaching and intelligence by which they still stand by.
It's time for the Bush administration to take the offensive and expose the lies that have to long been allowed to grow into "legend". It's time to rumble and by God, this old war horse is ready.
UPDATE: First, the new issue of National Review is up (digital subscription needed), and Africa Joe is the cover boy.
Two quick updates: 1. Reference to Cheney and the Niger Docs, I forgot to mention the fact that the Vice President was never briefed on Joe's trip (so even if Joe knew about the forged documents it never go to where it was supposed to go). Instead the CIA/DO report draft on Wilson's trip was sent via basic distribution. Not exactly what you do when the VP of the United States asked for information. Secondly, (h/t commentor BurbankErnie) Michael Leeden has this excellent bitch slap on Wilson, and a clarification on the true source of the Niger docs here - excellent!Filed under: judith miller valerie plame karl rove Valerie Plame PlameGate john hannahcheney libbyjoe wilson
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