A copy of one of several documents obtained by Italian newspaper La Repubblica that may have been used as proof that Iraq was trying to buy uranium from Niger.

U.S. had uranium papers earlier

Officials say forgeries on Iraqi efforts reached
State Department before State of Union speech

By Walter Pincus and Dana Priest THE WASHINGTON POST

July 18 — The State Department received copies of what would turn out to be forged documents suggesting that Iraq tried to purchase uranium oxide from Niger three months before the president’s State of the Union address, administration officials said.

THE DOCUMENTS, which officials said appeared to be of “dubious authenticity,” were distributed to the CIA and other agencies within days, but the U.S. government waited four months to turn them over to United Nations weapons inspectors who had been demanding to see evidence of U.S. and British claims that Iraq’s attempted purchase of uranium oxide violated U.N. resolutions and was among the reasons to go to war. State Department officials could not say yesterday why they did not turn over the documents when the inspectors asked for them in December.

GROWING CRITICISM
The administration, facing increased criticism over the claims it made about Iraq’s attempts to buy uranium, had said until now that it did not have the documents before the State of the Union speech.
Even before these documents arrived, both the State Department and the CIA had questions about the reliability of intelligence reports that Iraq was seeking uranium from Niger and other African countries.

http://www.msnbc.com/news/940493.asp?0na=x235D160-
-------------------------------------------------------------

drip, srip, drip

I guess that's what comes with the turf when they tell sooooooo MANY of them! :eyes:

B-)

http://www.tnr.com/etc.mhtml?pid=537
Well, at least they didn't give up!