I saw on ABC News’ The Note that Sens. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Ten Kennedy (D-Mass.) held a pretty important press conference on Capitol Hill yesterday about the Bush administration’s claims regarding the Iraqi threat before the war.
Levin and Kennedy released a copy, The Note explained, of “the formal report that President Bush sent to Congress on January 20, 2003, justifying his reasons for going to war. The report was required by Congress as part of the resolution it passed in September authorizing the president to use force in Iraq if he deemed it necessary.”
Among the multiple claims the Bush White House made to Congress in the report was Iraq’s alleged attempts to “acquire uranium and the means to enrich it,” presumably for use in a nuclear weapons program.
The White House report was sent to Congress eight days before the State of the Union, where Bush repeated many of the same charges. This means, of course, that it was written well after several administration agencies, including the CIA, the NSC, and the State Department, knew that the Niger claim was unreliable and based on forgeries.
The report, however, didn’t say how or from whom Iraq was trying to get the uranium. There were no references, for example, to “British intelligence has learned…” or even any mention of Africa.
In response, Levin and Kennedy have sent the White House a letter, saying, “We would like to have copies of all memos from the CIA and other intelligence agencies on this matter, as well as a full explanation of how this statement was included in the January 20 report to Congress and the State of the Union address. We look forward to hearing from you about this important matter.”
At the press conference about the letter, Levin said, “Questions keep piling on top of questions.”
Sounds like a pretty substantive press conference, right? Like the kind of event reporters covering this issue should go to?
Combined articles about said press conference in the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the LA Times: Zero. Where’s the so-called liberal media when you need them?