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Bush told repeatedly that aluminum tubes were not for building a nuclear weapon

In October of 2002, a National Security Estimate summary called a President's Summary, was written specifically for George W. Bush. In that document, Bush was told that despite the buzz that Iraq's procurement of aluminum tubes was "related to a uranium enrichment effort," the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research and the Energy Department's intelligence branch "believe that the tubes more likely are intended for conventional weapons."

This memo, however, did not stop Bush from announcing, three months later, in the State of the Union speech, that Iraq was procuring high-strength aluminum tubes in order to build a nuclear weapon. Later that year, when then-Deputy National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley did a review of documents, and discovered the President's Summary, Karl Rove gathered White House aides together and explained that it would look bad if the American people knew that Bush had been advised that the aluminum tubes were probably harmless.

Hadley was reviewing classified records because of statements made by former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson that Bush's claims about the uranium were not true. George Tenet, who was CIA director at the time, took the blame for the gaffe in the State of the Union address, saying his staff had failed to warn Bush that the uranium claims might not be true. However, two weeks before Bush was given the President's Summary, Tenet had already told him that both the Department of State and the Department of Energy had doubts about the tubes, and that the CIA was also doubtful. In addition, Bush was advised that then-Secretary of State Colin Powell had doubts about the aluminum tubes, also.

Bush clearly knew he was not being accurate when he implied that Iraq was building a nuclear weapon. The State Department knew he was not being accurate. The Department of Energy knew he was not being accurate. The CIA knew he was not being accurate. They all made a circle around him, but eventually, there could not be enough protection for so great an instance of misleading the American people.

For a detailed looked at the history of the memo and everything surrounding it, you may read the complete report in National Journal.

Posted by Diane E. Dees on 03/30/06 at 8:24 PM | E-mail | Print | Digg this | de.licio.us



Comments

IMPEACH, IMPEACH, IMPEACH!

Posted by: Dr. Mark Bamberger on 03/31/06 at 1:08 PM

So W is a lying bastard - what a surprise!

Posted by: Bill Grabarec on 03/31/06 at 1:09 PM

I'm not sure it is fair to call Bush a "lying bastard". That is, not fair to the average lying bastard.

Posted by: Richard Aberdeen on 03/31/06 at 1:16 PM

but did tenet lie to congress, people go to jail for things like that.

Posted by: steve on 03/31/06 at 2:01 PM

W has been lying through his teeth since he began his campaign for the 2000 presidential election. At this point I doubt he is capable of telling the difference between truth and lies. That makes him an ideal puppet for his corporate cronies. Now he hides behind a convenient "war" that he instigated. If the Dems take back Congress... then we could do something about this situation. If not, they'll probably give him a medal after he leaves office. LOL.

Posted by: peter on 03/31/06 at 3:43 PM

"Bush told repeatedly that aluminum tubes were not for building a nuclear weapon!

So doesn't this mean that all around him (Bush) would have some complicity by being deceitful to we the public, and our military? This also includes the senate and congress!

Posted by: Dennis Ely on 03/31/06 at 4:07 PM

Impose term limits and vote out all incumbents that have not supported censure or impeachment. Then in January with mostly new blood we can impeach George and Dick.

Posted by: Gregg on 03/31/06 at 4:20 PM

The neolithic depths of this idiot's incompetence disqualifies him as fit for the office of idiot ambassador to embiciles, let alone the presidency. Yet, that the slim majority of misinformed American voters, cravenly cowardly congressmen, and mendacious senators have supported this beast, while the media remains strangely silent on one hand and coyly symbiotic on the other, leads me to know that we're getting exactly what we deserve. When America as a whole decides she's tired of wealth, corporate muscle, and right wing wingnuts, and actually rises up with one voice to scream declarations of intolerance of utter stupidity another minute longer, only then will a change come. Until then, buckle up, return your tray tables and seats to the upright position, and place your heads between your knees. The cabin lost pressure 11Sep01, and we've been plunging toward annihilation ever since.

Posted by: CovertRage on 03/31/06 at 4:29 PM

America would be in such better shape if she had a system of government that could not be so easily co-opted by corporations. Your elected corporate shills do not remotley reflect their constituents. That in spite of a constant barrage of bs and distraction from the corporate media. We have the same fight in canada but our parliamentary system keeps the scum in check somewhat. In america the whore/politician rules supreme.

Posted by: garry walsh on 04/01/06 at 7:11 AM

I agree with the above comments totally & ain't it the sad truth! Just wish all the good, caring & intelligent citizens here would get mad as hell, & decide they're not going to take it anymore. We need a massive grassroots uprising to take back our country.

Posted by: Eileen Davis on 04/01/06 at 7:39 AM

We are way beyond needing proof that this man is a liar, and has taken us into a major conflict on the basis of lies. The bigger problem (and I think the commenters here seem to agree), is that so many people just don't care. Nixon burglarized a political opponent's office, an act so commonplace that it was depicted as an aside in TV sitcoms of the day, and it cracked the ice that eventually sank his entire regime, permanently diminishing the dignity of the office. Today we have Nixon-era proteges guiding a president into criminal actions of much greater, international scope, with human rights implications rivaling those exposed at Nuremburg, and nothing serious has thus far come of it.

The time is more than ripe for me (and like-minded people) to get out of our god damned armchairs and do something about this man. RISE UP AND DEMAND IMPEACHMENT!

Posted by: James Quinn on 04/01/06 at 8:59 AM

I enjoy your coverage. It leaves one to wonder what has the Bush Admin accomplished over the years? In speeches, Bush keeps talking about the Iraqi invasion as a war on terrorism, but every commission has proven it isn't. The invasion has only destabilized the entire region. It's the biggest U.S. screw up ever. And its basic motivation was to control the oil supply.

But the environmental problems are now real and undeniable. And again, Bush has remained completely negligent. We keep fighting for petroleum, but it's an obsolete and extremely lethal energy source. Every day we use petroleum as an energy source, we move closer to a proven fact about environmental disaster. Bush has not touched this, the most important issue today. Rather, he ignores it and goes on fighting for petroleum while Ethanol and other renewable energy sources are now available but the government does not support or promote them for the sake of maintaining status quo with the most profitable corporations, the oil refiners.

All other social issues now appear minute in the shadow of a looming ecological disaster.

Social Security is disappearing like the polar cap ice.

Solutions for a "pro-life" approach to health care is as hopeful as the polar bears who now drown daily in their attempt to find stable, habitable ice packs.

Illegal immigrants from Mexico, China, and elsewhere now invade our country where the Bush Admin has no control of the borders, despite its claims to "national security." Countries like Mexico and China are drastically overpopulated and their governments provide no solutions for sustaining the excess numbers of people. So they flock to the US where the economy, for the moment, is more attractive. But with every new illegal immigrant, America's social infrastructure declines one step further down in a spiral.

Pres. Bush has gone down in history as by far the most incompetent man ever to be president. His ignorance and negligence is complete and consistent in every area.

Posted by: Mark Biskeborn on 04/01/06 at 11:34 AM

In fact, Bush has had a willing accomplice all along: the American public. Even now, a large sector of the U.S. public still supports this man. I wonder, what do you want to see him doing to change your mind? Yes, he should be impeached and not only for lying and manipulating, but also for bringing so much suffering upon the lives of so many people -both American and Iraqi.

Posted by: Jaime Galarza on 04/02/06 at 4:44 PM

Yes, But why do we keep letting him get away with it!

Posted by: Jon on 04/03/06 at 4:52 PM

sure glad this guy with b*lls, as you call it alex, is stepping over the rights of all of you. I could say I don't care because I'm not American nor do I live in the U.S. However, his crazy actions are affecting the rest of the world even if we didn't elect him. In reading your comments I sure get a good idea of the kind of people who support him.

Posted by: Jaime Galarza on 04/05/06 at 7:46 AM

The american people are to damn stupid to see what is going on in the USofA.
They better wake up before it to late.

Posted by: old man on 04/11/06 at 9:50 AM

I can't be bothered with anything these days, but shrug. I just don't have anything to say recently. I haven't gotten much done recently. Nothing seems worth thinking about.

Posted by: TramadoL28821 on 07/21/06 at 12:11 PM

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