Wilson lied about the sixteen words

Joseph Wilson, former US ambassador and author of a book entitled "The Politics of Truth: Inside the Lies that Led to War and Betrayed My Wife's CIA Identity: A Diplomat's Memoir" (a title almost as pompous as Wilson himself), lied about the yellowcake uranium in Niger and lied about his wife's involvement in the affair. The information is now coming out in a number of places, including (astonishingly) in the Washington Post (irritating "subscription" required.) (You can read the full Senate Intelligence Committe report here.)

The article reads, in part:

Former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, dispatched by the CIA in February 2002 to investigate reports that Iraq sought to reconstitute its nuclear weapons program with uranium from Africa, was specifically recommended for the mission by his wife, a CIA employee, contrary to what he has said publicly.

Wilson last year launched a public firestorm with his accusations that the administration had manipulated intelligence to build a case for war. He has said that his trip to Niger should have laid to rest any notion that Iraq sought uranium there and has said his findings were ignored by the White House.

Wilson's assertions -- both about what he found in Niger and what the Bush administration did with the information -- were undermined yesterday in a bipartisan Senate intelligence committee report.

This story illustrates an ongoing problem with the press. When they hear what they already want to hear, they play it up and don't bother to do any opposition research at all. Will the press now play the story of Wilson's lies as prominently as they did the "sixteen words" and his book promotion?

This story may get "legs" and it may not. But the truth about the story of yellowcake uranium, Niger and Sadaam has been out there for some time, and the media has hardly noticed it at all.

In January, USA Today carried a story about yellowcake uranium that was found in Rotterdam and, after an investigation by the IAEA, was confirmed to have come from Iraq.

But back when the controversy of the "sixteen words" was all the rage, there were dissenting voices in the press crying "foul", including Clifford May, the Wall Street Journal and Michael Smith, who points out that the French knew but had reasons not to want to share the information. (We now know that the French had plenty to hide with regard to Iraq.)

Will the press now loudly proclaim Bush's innocence and hound Wilson to find out why he lied? Don't hold your breath.