Oh what a tangled web we weave...

[khaosworks]

Tenet Says Official Wanted Iraq Claim
Thu Jul 17,10:32 AM ET
By KEN GUGGENHEIM, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - CIA Director George Tenet told members of Congress a White House official insisted that President Bush's State of the Union address include an assertion about Saddam Hussein's nuclear intentions that had not been verified, a Senate Intelligence Committee member said Thursday.

Sen. Dick Durbin, who was present for a 4 1/2-hour appearance by Tenet behind closed doors with Intelligence Committee members Wednesday, said Tenet named the official. But the Illinois Democrat said that person's identity could not be revealed because of the confidentiality of the proceedings.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan was quick to dispute Durbin's account. "That characterization is nonsense. It's not surprising, coming from someone who was in a rather small minority in Congress who did not support the action we took," McClellan told reporters.

Durbin, appearing on ABC's "Good Morning America," said that Tenet "certainly told us who the person was who was insistent on putting this language in which the CIA knew to be incredible, this language about the uranium shipment from Africa."

"And there was this negotiation between the White House and the CIA about just how far you could go and be close to the truth and unfortunately those sixteen words were included in the most important speech the president delivers in any given year," Durbin added.

Countered McClellan: "The whole idea that the threat posed by Saddam Hussein was not real was something that was never under debate previously. This is an attempt to continue to rewrite history."

Jesus God, I can't keep straight of all the different versions anymore. First the CIA missed the sentence and oops, it go through. Then it's that doubts were raised about the claim only after the State of the Union. Then it's that information was received before the State of the Union, and as early as February 2002, that the intelligence was inaccurate. Now it's a White House official wanting that statement in. And they keep saying there's no need to investigate? WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!?

Comments

[actiasluna.livejournal.com]

I can't keep straight of all the different versions anymore.

The mind positively reels.

But when Clinton lied about his sex life, he was impeached. Can't lie about getting a hummer in the oval without being hauled before a tribunal, but start a war on false pretenses. Well, apparently that's just a.ok.

Blah. Don't mind me, I'm in a pissy mood anyway.