GOP Again Accusing Wilson of Lies

Steno Susan Gives GOP Blame of Plame

Susan Schmidt, Washington Post reporter known for regurgitating GOP talking points, has an article saying the 9/11 Commission accuses former ambassador Wilson of lying about many things.

As usual, a Knight-Ridder reporter has a much better story clearly stating who is putting out the story, the GOP members of the committee, and Wilson's key point - it was impossible for Iraq to acquire uranium from Niger. Note this is not even mentioned in Schmidt's story.

Susan's story says Wilson did not disprove Iraq was trying to acquire uranium from Niger and that he lied about that, about his wife recommending him to investigate this, and lied to the Washington Post about when he learned some documents were forged.

Josh Marshall notes where Susan was lied to in her article and she didn't check and another case where she was either lied to or made a mistake to make Wilson look bad.

Parts of my letter to the Washington Post ombudsman:

In this latest article she seems to be going out of her way to accuse former ambassador Wilson of lying to extent of bungling basic facts in her article.

It has been well known that she often merely parrots back what she is told by GOP officials but should she or her editor be doing more fact checking and shouldn't she be more forthcoming about her sources?

The key point that Wilson made was that it was impossible for Iraq to acquire uranium from Niger. This is nowhere mentioned in her article. Instead she claims that Wilson supported the claims that Iraq tried to acquire uranium and then lied and said he didn't. It also purports to say that Wilson lied about his wife Plame, the outed deep-cover CIA agent preventing nuclear material from falling in the hands of terrorists and non-nuclear states, recommending him for the job. It then says Wilson lied about when he discovered the forged documents. It then says Wilson himself said Iraq tried to get 400 tons of yellow-cake from Niger. She speculates about how this will help the White House in someone's defense of outing a CIA agent. She states the CIA did not tell the White House about problems with the Niger claims.

Iran tried to get the 400 tons of yellow-cake, not Iraq.

No where is there any indication she talked to anyone to get the other side of any of this.

Does she read your own paper about the times the CIA removed the claims from speeches?

It is only by going to the Knight Ridder newspapers report that I find the likely source of her information - GOP members or their staff on the 9/11 Commission.

http://www.indystar.com/articles/2/161408-4092-010.html

Did she talk to anyone about the reasons for outing a CIA agent might play good politics but has nothing to do with the legality or our nation's safety?

With all of this I have to reserve judgment on her other claims.

In conclusion I think this article is uninformative, mistaken, one-sided and seems to have a biased political agenda.

Gary Denton

Here is his address: ombudsman@washpost.com