While the left spins the results of the Libby verdict, the fact of the matter is Joe Wilson has been further exposed as a fraud and just might bring the whole plan down around his compadre’s heads.

First, let’s go back to George Tenants press release of June 11th, 2003:

“For perspective, a little history is in order.

There was fragmentary intelligence gathered in late 2001 and early 2002 on the allegations of Saddam‚Äôs efforts to obtain additional raw uranium from Africa, beyond the 550 metric tons already in Iraq. In an effort to inquire about certain reports involving Niger, CIA‚Äôs counter-proliferation experts, on their own initiative, asked an individual with ties to the region to make a visit to see what he could learn. He reported back to us that one of the former Nigerien officials he met stated that he was unaware of any contract being signed between Niger and rogue states for the sale of uranium during his tenure in office. The same former official also said that in June 1999 a businessman approached him and insisted that the former official meet with an Iraqi delegation to discuss ‚Äúexpanding commercial relations‚Äù between Iraq and Niger. The former official interpreted the overture as an attempt to discuss uranium sales. The former officials also offered details regarding Niger‚Äôs processes for monitoring and transporting uranium that suggested it would be very unlikely that material could be illicitly diverted. There was no mention in the report of forged documents — or any suggestion of the existence of documents at all.”

I’ve bolded the relevant sentences because they cite 1) Valerie Wilson - without the knowledge of the CIA - indeed under their nose - offered up Wilson for the trip to Niger. 2) Wilson didn’t go to do anything except “prove” that there was no way that uranium - or an illegal uranium trade - could take place.

Now of course Iraq trying to obtain uranium would have been “illegal”, but only under international UN laws which are essentially worthless.

Hold the thought…..let’s review more from our Friends at Free Republic from back in 2004:

“The FT has now learnt that three European intelligence services were aware of possible illicit trade in uranium from Niger between 1999 and 2001.

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.

This intelligence provided clues about plans by Libya and Iran to develop their undeclared nuclear programmes. Niger officials were also discussing sales to North Korea and China of uranium ore or the “yellow cake” refined from it: the raw materials that can be progressively enriched to make nuclear bombs.

The raw intelligence on the negotiations included indications that Libya was investing in Niger’s uranium industry to prop it up at a time when demand had fallen, and that sales to Iraq were just a part of the clandestine export plan.

These secret exports would allow countries with undeclared nuclear programmes to build up uranium stockpiles.

One nuclear counter-proliferation expert told the FT: “If I am going to make a bomb, I am not going to use the uranium that I have declared. I am going to use what I acquire clandestinely, if I am going to keep the programme hidden.”

This may have been the method being used by Libya before it agreed last December to abandon its secret nuclear programme. According to the IAEA, there are 2,600 tonnes of refined uranium ore - “yellow cake” - in Libya.

However, less than 1,500 tonnes of it is accounted for in Niger records, even though Niger was Libya’s main supplier.

Information gathered in 1999-2001 suggested that the uranium sold illicitly would be extracted from mines in Niger that had been abandoned as uneconomic by the two French-owned mining companies - Cominak and Somair, both of which are owned by the mining giant Cogema - operating in Niger.

“Mines can be abandoned by Cogema when they become unproductive. This doesn’t mean that people near the mines can’t keep on extracting,” a senior European counter-proliferation official said.

He added that there was no evidence the companies were aware of the plans for illicit mining.

When the intelligence gathered in 1999-2001 was thrown into the diplomatic maelstrom that preceded the US-led invasion of Iraq, it took on new significance. Several services contributed to the picture.

The Italians, looking for corroboration but lacking the global reach of the CIA or the UK intelligence service MI6, passed information to the US in 2001 and to the UK in 2002.

The UK eavesdropping centre GCHQ had intercepted communications suggesting Iraq was seeking clandestine uranium supplies, as had the French intelligence service.

The Italian intelligence was not incorporated in detail into the assessments of the CIA, which seeks to use such information only when it is gathered from its own sources rather than as a result of liaison with foreign intelligence services.

But five months after receiving it, the US sent former ambassador Joseph Wilson to Niger to assess the credibility of separate US intelligence information that suggested Iraq had approached Niger.

Mr Wilson was critical of the Bush administration’s use of secret intelligence, and has since charged that the White House sought to intimidate him by leaking the identity of his wife, Valerie Plame, as a CIA agent.

But Mr Wilson also stated in his account of the visit that Mohamed Sayeed al-Sahaf, Iraq’s former information minister, was identified to him by a Niger official as having sought to discuss trade with Niger.

As Niger’s other main export is goats, some intelligence officials have surmised uranium was what Mr Sahaf was referring to.”

Now a lot of this is old news but important as because of the misdirecting of the last three years (again, the leak story was a designed diversion), its important to go back to the beginning to ask the obvious question. Why did Valerie Plame move so fast to get her husband over to Niger?

Additionally as I eluded to in a previous post Senator Rockefeller’s almost politically suicidal visit to Syria in 2002. What would prompt such as rash action other than the fact that Rockefeller - specifically his family’s foundation - had a specific business interests in the US not invading Iraq.

But why not? As we know COGEMA was cited in the report of The Oil for Food Scandal, and is currently being tied to Iranian nuclear development. Point of fact COGEMA is more than 80 percent owned by the French which should ring a bell as to why the French were against the war and more specific to James Lewis’s contention that the French were behind the Niger forgeries.

For a quick review you can visit AJ Strata’s post on some of these points from last year, as well you can review the thread from my blogspot site here.

Again, there is much more to explore and this I will do. Interestingly enough as you will remember last month this site was hacked. Nothing really suspicious at the time, hacking happens. However, after recovering I noticed that only posts related to the Plame Game were hosed. Perhaps nothing, and I’m not one to see the Devil behind every rock.

Nevertheless, It’s time to dig deep and get to what exactly took place under the palms.