Monday, June 28, 2004

Let Them Eat Yellowcake

This story just does not want to die. Financial Times now reports that the forged documents (that form the background for the Valerie Plame affair [Wikipedia]) "appear to have been part of a 'scam', and the actual intelligence showing discussion of uranium supply has been ignored." FT claims:

Human intelligence gathered in Italy and Africa more than three years before the Iraq war had shown Niger officials referring to possible illicit uranium deals with at least five countries, including Iraq.

Hmm.

Make what you will of that story, things get far more interesting when you read Josh Marshall's account of things over at Talking Points Memo. I have found Marshall's analysis very insightful and accurate, and he suggests in no uncertain terms that FT's story is wrong and is designed to muddy the waters when the real story comes out. As a hint of what is to come, the FT story suggests that the forger (who "has a record of extortion and deception and had been convicted by a Rome court in 1985 and later arrested at least twice") plans to reveal "selected aspects of his story to a US television channel."

And rumor has it that Patrick Fitzgerald (U.S. attorney in Chicago) may announce indictments in the Valerie Plame affair sometime this summer.

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