Jan 25 2007
French Hit On US?
Was the Wilson-Plame gambit nothing more than French retribution for Freedom Fries? It is clear relationship with the French took a hit that has never been recovered from when they stabbed us in the back in the UN over Iraq. But did the French plan to torpedo our plans by trying to convince the public (vie their media groupies) that the case for Iraq was based on forgeries and lies? We know Wilson had some serious connections in Niger and went there at least twice for the CIA. And his first wife was French and had connections to French intelligence. And it is the French who are in charge of securing Niger’s yellow-cake ore. And it was Valerie who was in charge of watching the French to make sure they did their job. Reader RBT points us to this enlightening article over at American thinker:
There are an amazing number of French fingerprints all over the Plame—Wilson affair. While it is not easy to penetrate the dark fog of lies, there is a highly consistent pattern pointing to French government involvement with a Watergate—style assault on the American Presidency, fronted by Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV.
In 2002 French intelligence forged the notorious document claiming that Saddam tried to obtain Niger uranium. The Italian middle man, Rocco Martino, later confessed to French involvement in open court. Rocco Martino might sound like a small—time mafia hood from the Sopranos. Actually, he works at times for Italian military intelligence. The truth about the French connection came out when Martino confessed in court that the French had given him the forged document to peddle to various intelligence agencies. The Italians and French have had a furious war of words ever since then about who was responsible for the forgery.
The FBI just leaked a claim that Rocco did it just for the money. That is very doubtful. The French naturally deny any responsibility, but the forged document was dropped on the public at exactly the time that Dominique de Villepin, then Foreign Minister, was in New York trying to make Colin Powell believe that France was prepared to help overthrow Saddam. The French forgery was a stink bomb, designed to be exposed in public as soon as Colin Powell publicly accepted it.
Or was it even worse. Was there actually traffic in yellow cake, through Libya, to points elsewhere (like Iraq and North Korea) which the French did not want exposed to the world.
For those who worry about Bush and Iraq, we still have the ugly truth that Saddam bought Russian, French, German and British elected officials and power players with money from the Oil For Food program. Did Wilson, working for Kerry’s campaing, become complicit in an attempt by foreign power (France) to influence US media and tip an election towards their preferred candidate of French descent? Is this why Kerry was so tearful this week?
Probably not payback for “Freedom Fries” but it could likely be payback for going against France and invading Iraq. I honestly believe that we never thought we would have to invade Iraq. We thought Saddam would give in and allow the inspections we demanded rather than sacrifice his regime. All the while the French are telling Saddam that we wouldn’t invade without UN approval and France was going to block that approval giving Saddam the will to defy the inspections and precipitating the invasion anyway.
So … the Plame/Wilson affair is France’s payback. France was an arms supplier to Iraq and many French politicians were making money from the Oil for Food program. They wanted things to remain just as they were. They thought they could block US action and maintain the status quo.
CP & AJ –
Chirac/France had substantial oil contracts with Saddam&Co.
as well,and hopes for more in the future along with Saddam’s
continued good health.
Saddam drained the marsh lands for the French oil contracts. I read many moons ago, can’t verify again, that Saddams scientists were in Libya helping to build their nuclear bomb. This way Saddam would not have it on his soil. We probably know the answer, but are not saying. Maybe that was part of the deal with Libya. We got everything from him, so I’m sure we also have the finger-prints and can trace it all back.
AJ
We know that Iraq had 500 tons of yellow cake under IAEA seal when this attempted deal was going down.
As far as I know there is no known source of uranium in North Korea so they have to be getting sourced from somewhere else. But that is a hard call to make since intel there is really scarce.
I have actually seen a report that Iraq did conduct a nuclear weapon test but that report has been disputed.
There are reports also that a lot of Iraq’s nuclear program material was moved to Seria in the 2 year buildup to the war at the same time Russia was removing and sanitizing their involvement in the Iraq chemical weapons program.
Recent reports show Seria is working to develop nuclear weapons like Iran. It is low key, but I believe somewhat credible from what I have read and tied together from hints at over 20 sources I follow.
It is believed the Seria program is tied well to equipment and technology acquired from Iraq when they moved the stuff out.
Good call. (But I don’t think it’s working out for either our media, or the french. On par with Dan Rather’s gambit.)
While, yesterday, reading through the posts up at Tom McQuire’s JUST ONE MINUTE, to follow the Libby Case; there are now HOOKS in place, in court, that will show Wilson’s interests (financial), with the french. Going back to 1999.
And, his slip-up, still? Those darn forged documents.
In WW2 the french and the italians also “worked together.”
What’s surprises me? You don’t see Americans complaining about WW2. Where in Iraq the people are actually in a far better position to come to democracy; without all the french and italian trimmings. I still feel sad that we have our buried dead “over there.” Bunch of undeservers, if ever there were any!
On the other hand? I think the “ediface” that built this crap up, will stain the democraps’ reputation. They’ve been at it for 60, or more, years! And, they have very little to show for it. Except the tenured idiots in academia. And, in the “old” America; before everyone thought it necessary to get tattoo’ed with a credential, most people who wanted to learn stuff used their library cards.
Heck, our wonderful President doesn’t use the “A” students who were right there, at Yale and Harvard! Early on, our President knew there was no achievable education if egg-heads were involved.
Now? The freaks are lesbians. And, women who are ruining it for women in the future. You think a dame will sit in the Oval Office? I don’t think so. I think a dame has a better chance becoming a priest within the confines of the catholic church, almost by default.
The idea that religious heads get respected in their neighborhoods went out the window when I was still a kid. How do I know? Because Jewish grandmas used to say their sons were princes. And, they’d be doctors, lawyers, or rabbis. Today, rabbis are not on the list at all. And, females get to be rabbis in America. (In Israel? They get to be politicians. But Israel’s not perfect. Their media stinks as much as ours. And, their lawyers do everything possible to smear elected politicians. Because throwing their parliament, knesset, into uproars, helps the very rich STEAL. And, there? Those with the most money can always get a rabbi to “say a prayer.”) God doesn’t talk back, though. The system is a rip-off. And, that’s a price Israel pays because their lawyers are really, really smart.
You want another example? In Israel people discount everything Olmert says. His pants-dancing is up to speed. But his mouth just gets him in trouble. And, lots of Israelis just shrug. It wouldn’t be like this if Arik Sharon didn’t stroke. And, he stroked because his doctors were also smarter than most.
that entire American Thinker article AJ linked above
spells out why JC Wilson IV would
barnstorm the media like
a man with his hair on fire.
Wilson and DeVillepin apparently
share their confidence in themselves
as “world-historical” figures.
history can be a harsh mistress.
The French political class have long used client countries to recycle money back to the home country, from former colonies and client states. So messing in their “backyard” hits the French political class harder than it would a less corrupt political establishment. Trade contacts with Iraq were among the jewels.
Don’t talk to me about the French, I have issues.
According to this article, the Clinton Administration already knew about Iraq trying to buy Uranium from Africa and the list of characters who went on this trip is enlightening.
Saddam’s Shadow-The Clinton Adminitration knew about Iraq Uranium
Africa Energy & Mining | June 18, 1997 | Indigo Publications
Saddam’s Shadow Africa Energy & Mining June 18, 1997
June 18, 1997
SECTION: MINING; DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO; N. 207 LENGTH: 787 words
HEADLINE: Saddam’s Shadow
BODY: It’s not only diamonds and base metals that interest big mining companies and the latter are not alone in being interested in Katanga. In the delegation that the United States sent to Kinshasa on June 2 under its ambassador to the United Nations, Bill Richardson, the state department’s African affairs department was represented by Marc Baas, director for Central Africa. (Susan Rice, director for African Affairs at the National Security Council, has just been appointed under secretary of state for African affairs in succession to George Moose). Baas was accompanied by a representative of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and several Defense Department officials. The mission also visited Lubumbashi and met with officials from Gecamines and provincial authorities.
AEM’s sources claim it wasn’t the small research reactor that General Electric installed in 1977 at the university of Kinshasa, and which ceased operating in 1990, that interested the NRC and the military men, but rather the Shinkolobwe uranium deposit. Its resources are negligible from a commercial viewpoint when weighed against those in Namibia and Niger and new discoveries like France’s Cogema has just made in western Canada. They weren’t negligible from the security standpoint, however. The Americans are concerned over a visit to Katanga by the head of the Iraqi Baath party’s international relations section, Shabi Al Maliki, around a year ago. He, too, showed an interest in Katanga’s uranium, and last February another high-ranking Iraqi official reportedly held talks in Kinshasa with the mines minister in the last government of the Mobutu era, Banza Mukalay. The uranium is thought to have also figured in Libya’s proposals in 1995 to supply oil to Zaire in exchange for ore.
Richardson said on June 7 that president Laurent Kabila had given permission for a UN mission to come to the country to investigate the plight of Hutu refugees starting from July 7. Richardson qualified the green light as “a breakthrough on the human rights and humanitarian front.” For his part, Brian Atwood, director of U.S.AID, announced in Brussels on June 11 that potential donors would shortly meet for talks on aiding the Democratic Republic of Congo. But such assistance would be conditional on Congo respecting human rights, Atwood indicated. He added that Washington wanted the Kabila government to succeed because if it did not this could result in violence spreading to other countries. He issued an appeal to all governments to use their influence to halt atrocities which various reports indicate are occurring in the eastern part of the country. He said that “organized groups and independent groups” were attempting to strengthen their positions in the eastern regions.
South Africa, for its part, is putting together a team to advise Kabila on reconstructing the country and reorganizing its finances (AEM 205). Deputy president Thabo Mbeki said last week the team would be ready to leave within days and that its members would be chosen in agreement with the Congo government “to discuss a variety of matters that impact on the socioeconomic situation.”
He added that Congo’s leaders had asked that it consist of officials from South Africa’s “Reserve Bank, the economic ministries and people dealing with infrastructure, public administration and so on.” Officials said south Africa’s foreign minister, Alfred Nzo, discussed Kinshasa’s needs with Congo foreign minister Bizima Karaha at the recent Organization of African Unity summit in Harare. The South African mission will be headed by deputy foreign minister Aziz Pahad.
LOAD-DATE: June 20, 1997