The New York Times revealed yesterday that top
administration officials grossly mislead the public about Iraq's
supposed nuclear weapons program.[1] The government's top nuclear
scientists said that the aluminum tubes Iraq had acquired
were "too heavy, too narrow and too long" for use in
creating nuclear weapons.[2] They were perfectly suited, however,
for use in Iraq's existing legal rockets.[3] Meanwhile,
National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice went on CNN before
the invasion of Iraq and said the tubes "are only really
suited for nuclear weapons programs."[4]
In October 2003, David Kay - the administration's
handpicked weapons inspector - concluded, "We have not uncovered
evidence that Iraq undertook significant post-1998 steps to
actually build nuclear weapons or produce fissile
material."[5] Stunningly, appearing on talk shows yesterday morning,
Rice continued to insist that Iraq may have been pursuing
nuclear weapons and that the aluminum tubes may have been
involved in that process. On ABC's "This Week" Rice said, "As
I understand it, people are still debating this."[6] David
Albright, the president of the Institute for Science and
International Security, said Rice "is being disingenuous, and
just departing from any effort to find the truth."[7]
Sources:
1. "How the White House Embraced Disputed Arms
Intelligence," New York Times, 10/03/04,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2131193&l=60492 .
2. Ibid.,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2131193&l=60492 .
3. Ibid.,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2131193&l=60492 .
4. "Ritter Meets With Iraqi Leaders," CNN, 9/08/04,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2131193&l=60493.
5. "Statement by David Kay ," CIA, 10/02/03,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2131193&l=60494.
6. "Rice: Iraqi nuclear plans unclear," MSNBC, 10/03/04,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2131193&l=60495.
7. Ibid.,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=2131193&l=60495 .
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distortion.
