THE MARKUP
The Boy Who Cried "Intelligence Sources Say" [Stephen Spruiell]
Some of you might remember our fruitless efforts to get MSNBC correspondent David Shuster to correct his undeniably false assertion that the October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate did not contain the words "vigorously trying to procure uranium" in reference to Iraq. In fact, the words can be found on page 24 of the document. Some of you might recall the exact language Shuster used:
SHUSTER: [B]ased on Libby's grand jury testimony, much of what Libby told New York Times reporter Judith Miller about the intelligence document was wrong. In their crucial July 8th, 2003 meeting, Libby told her, quote, "One key judgment of the NIE held that Iraq was vigorously trying to procure uranium." But that was not a judgment at all, much less a key judgment, according to CIA officials who wrote the document. And they said the "vigorously trying to pursue" language was not in the document at all.
(Fitzgerald later
admitted that he got the quote wrong: Libby said he was authorized to talk about "some of the key judgments of the NIE, and that the NIE stated that Iraq was 'vigorously trying to procure' uranium.")
In Shuster's false report, which he has yet to correct anywhere, he relied on "CIA officials" who told him that "the 'vigorously trying to pursue' language was not in the document at all." (The small discrepancy — between "pursue" and "procure" — is consistent with Shuster's
well-documented sloppiness in reporting quotes.) The language clearly was in the document. Shuster could have easily gone online and checked it himself. Instead, he relayed what his anonymous CIA sources told him.
Now, despite his history of reporting false information from anonymous CIA sources, Shuster asks us to
give him another chance:
SHUSTER: Intelligence Sources say Valerie Wilson was part of an operation three years ago tracking the proliferation of nuclear weapons material into Iran. And the sources allege that when Mrs. Wilson’s cover was blown, the administration’s ability to track Iran’s nuclear ambitions was damaged as well.
Forgive me if I wait for someone who doesn't have a proven track record of eagerly helping anonymous CIA sources attack the Bush administration with lies.
ALSO: As usual, Tom Maguire
provides conflicting reports on the fallout from Plame's "outing."
UPDATE: Expose the Left has the
video.
05/02 03:21 AM
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