Plamegate explained

Many on the left think that Libby and Rove, egged on by Cheney, leaked Plame's name to the press as payback for Wilson's true article about Niger. Nothing could be further from the truth.

For review, Plame's name was revealed by Robert Novak. Plame is Joe Wilson's wife, who works for the CIA. Wilson wrote an op/ed piece in the NYTimes bashing Bush's claim about Iraq trying to purchase uranium from the country of Niger. Wilson basically said this was untrue and published such in his op/ed. As a result of Novak's column, CIA wanted the "leaker" of Plame's name published, ostensibly because she was non-official covert, and revealing her name compromised security.

OK, now the fun part...

1 Valerie Plame, Joe Wilson's wife, was the one that suggested to officials at the CIA her husband be the one to go to Niger.
2 Plame is a known Democratic contributor.
3 Rove and Libby were simply pointing out the TRUTH, that Plame recommended her husband to go to Niger. Neither one of them knew Plame was covert. Neither one of them were the original leaker.
4 Wilson was a former AMBASSADOR, not someone trained as an investigator or in WMD.
5 The CIA did not change their opinion on Iraq/Niger based on Wilson's report.
6 The UK Butler Report STILL MAINTAINS to this day that Iraq DID try to purchase Niger uranium.

So, Plame "recommened" (or at least "suggested") her husband go to Niger to investigate claims of Iraq purchasing uranium in Feb 2002. Wilson spent 8 days in Niger, at which point he made an oral report to the CIA that a uranium purchase was "highly unlikely", although Wilson did concede Iraq went to Niger in 1998 to establish "commerical contacts". The CIA did not regard Wilson's report as definitive. What did Wilson do?

HE PUBLISHED AND OP/ED IN THE NEW YORK TIMES! So, the CIA doesn't regard his report as definitive, so he publishes his opinion in the New York Times as fact! In his op/ed:
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0706-02.htm
"Based on my experience with the administration in the months leading up to the war, I have little choice but to conclude that some of the intelligence related to Iraq's nuclear weapons program was twisted to exaggerate the Iraqi threat. "

"The next day, I reminded a friend at the State Department of my trip and suggested that if the president had been referring to Niger, then his conclusion was not borne out by the facts as I understood them. "

Wilson believes that Iraq did not try to buy uranium, and so he basically accused Bush of lying when Bush said that Iraq did try to buy uranium.

However, the UK Butler Report tells a different story. The Butler Report is the UK equivalent of the 9/11 Commission, a link to which you can read here:
http://www.butlerreview.org.uk/

This report was published in July 2004, WAY after Wilson's op/ed piece, WAY after we invaded Iraq.

This commission was brought about to understand intelligence gaps between what was thought about Iraqi WMD and what turned out to be true.

If you read the actual report, aruond page 135 or so, you'll find a section entitled "6.4 URANIUM FROM AFRICA". Good read. What does it say, page 139?

"503. From our examination of the intelligence and other material on Iraqi
attempts to buy uranium from Africa, we have concluded that:
a. It is accepted by all parties that Iraqi officials visited Niger in
1999.
b. The British Government had intelligence from several different
sources indicating that this visit was for the purpose of acquiring
uranium. Since uranium constitutes almost three-quarters of
Niger’s exports, the intelligence was credible.
c. The evidence was not conclusive that Iraq actually purchased, as
opposed to having sought, uranium and the British Government
did not claim this.
d. The forged documents were not available to the British
Government at the time its assessment was made, and so the fact
of the forgery does not undermine it."

Remember, this UK Butler Report was published in 2004. 2004 PEOPLE! Way after Bush's speech, after Wilson's trip in 2002 to Niger, Wilson's op/ed in the New York Times, etc.

UK is saying in 2004 that Iraq went to Niger in 1999 to buy uranium, EXACTLY WHAT BUSH SAID and 100% contradicting Joe Wilson.

Now, everyone thinks that the story on Niger is untrue because "those documents were forgeries". Look what the UK Butler Report says: they said Iraq tried to buy uranium BEFORE THOSE FORGED DOCUMENTS WERE EVEN AVAILABLE. Pay attention people: yes, it's true that forged documents were released showing a Iraq/Niger link. HOWEVER, UK had OTHER INTELLIGENCE from SEVERAL DIFFERENT SOURCES indicating that Iraq tried to buy Niger uranium.

So, the forged documents were irrelevant; Iraq DID try to buy Niger uranium, and Wilson was WRONG. After all, Wilson is a DIPLOMAT; he even said so in his op/ed. THIS ONE GUY, Wilson, a former DIPLOMAT with NO WMD experience, NO investigative experience, and NO contacts in Niger apart from the contacts the Niger government WANTS him to have, spent 8 days "drinking sweet mint tea" and talking w/people. But what do you think Niger is going to say? You think they are going to ADMIT to Wilson that Niger sold Iraq uranium? OF COURSE NOT!

The UK INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY believes that Iraq DID IN FACT attempt to buy uranium from Niger, using "SEVERAL DIFFERENT SOURCES". The government of UK maintains this TO THIS DAY. Compare that with Wilson, a former DIPLOMAT, and his 8 day trip interviewing some people he knows and saying the opposite. Yet liberals believe WILSON!

It's ridiculous. Look at some quotes from the UK Butler Report:

"494. There was further and separate intelligence that in 1999 the Iraqi regime had also made
inquiries about the purchase of uranium ore in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In this
case, there was some evidence that by 2002 an agreement for a sale had been reached.
495. During 2002, the UK received further intelligence from additional sources which identified
the purpose of the visit to Niger as having been to negotiate the purchase of uranium ore,
though there was disagreement as to whether a sale had been agreed and uranium
shipped."

Again, there is no evidence the sale WENT THROUGH, that Iraq did in fact OBTAIN the uranium from Niger (although UK does have intel that they DID complete the sale with Congo). What's important is that Bush said Iraq ATTEMPTED to purchase uranium, which to the UK, IS ABSOLUTELY TRUE.

In conclusion:
1 Valerie Plame, Joe Wilson's wife, was the one that suggested to officials at the CIA her husband be the one to go to Niger.
2 Plame is a known Democratic contributor.
3 Rove and Libby were simply pointing out the TRUTH, that Plame recommended her husband to go to Niger. Neither one of them knew Plame was covert. Neither one of them were the original leaker.
4 Wilson was a former AMBASSADOR, not someone trained as an investigator or in WMD.
5 The CIA did not change their opinion on Iraq/Niger based on Wilson's report.
6 The UK Butler Report STILL MAINTAINS to this day that Iraq DID try to purchase Niger uranium.