Colin Powell Slams U.S. Officials Over Handling Of Iraq Defector's False Claims

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell slammed U.S. intelligence officials over their handling of "Curveball," the notorious Iraqi defector who admitted his claims on weapons of mass destruction which fueled the Bush administration's drive to war had been falsified.

In a statement to CNN, Powell said it had become clear over the years that "Curveball," whose real name is Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi, was "totally unreliable." He went on to note, "The question should be put to the CIA and the DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency) as to why this wasn't known before the false information was put into [a key intelligence estimate] sent to Congress, the president's State of the Union address and my Feb. 5 presentation to the U.N."

Powell's statement made reference to a 2003 speech in which he laid out the case for U.S. involvement in Iraq. "We have firsthand descriptions of biological weapons factories on wheels and on rails," he said at the time. "The source was an eyewitness, an Iraqi chemical engineer who supervised one of these facilities. He was present during biological agent production runs. He was also at the site when an accident occurred in 1998. Twelve technicians died."

Earlier this week, "Curveball" confessed to lying in an effort to help bring down Saddam Hussein's regime. "I had the chance to fabricate something, to topple the regime," he told the Guardian. "I did this, and I am satisfied, because there is no dictator in Iraq anymore." In a 2008 interview with CNN, he had previously hinted at withdrawing the testimony which Powell had referenced. "I never told anyone Saddam Hussein was producing weapons of mass destruction," he said.

Comments

[KOCT]

02:34 PM on 03/21/2011

I'm sorry Gen. Powell, the question is not: "The question should be put to the CIA and the DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency) as to why this wasn't known before the false information was put into [a key intelligence estimate] sent to Congress, the president's State of the Union address and my Feb. 5 presentation to the U.N."

They obviously knew about curveball, the real questions are: Why did someone as smart and as experienced as you accept this evidence so uncritically? And, why is their no investigation of the CIA lies that amount to a subversion of the Constitution?

[2lib4oh]

02:52 AM on 02/22/2011

There is so much we have forgotten.Remember the Downing Street Memo where one of Blair's people wrote about how Bush "fixed the facts" around the plan to go to war with Iraq?It was an admission of Bush's intention.
Powell never denied he wanted Saddam gone but his way was to take another crack at sanctions by preventing WMD materials to come into the country.That was what Valerie Plame was doing in her job.She was tracking bomb making materials.She didn't find any and was concerned over Powell's speech.They outed her for speaking out and to punish her husband for writing,"What I didn't find in Africa (?)"I can't recall the exact title but it was in the NYT.

Col.Lawrence Wilkerson,who worked under Powell,has insisted all along that Powell was set up.Does anyone find this impossible to believe? We're talking about Cheney and Bush and Rumsfeld.These aren't men of great integrity.

Focusing on Powell takes our focus off the real villians in this story.

[Just in]

01:12 PM on 02/21/2011

With one exception I must say, the tone & tenor of the responses has demonstrated that HuffPost bloggers were far more intelligent and new far more than even those on the Senate Select Intelligence Committee. Bravo. As for the one exception - thanks for having that rarest of human traits . . . common sense.

[imusintheevening]

12:26 PM on 02/21/2011

How could Secretary "waterboy" not have known something many of us were screaming about when it occurred?

[Just in]

12:45 PM on 02/21/2011

Please share with us some of your published quotes (er - screams) from '98-'03. Cite dates & sources. No doubt there are many. Thank you.

[imusintheevening]

01:00 PM on 02/21/2011

You can start by reviewing the extensive citations in the references at the end of the book "Ghost Wars" by Washington Post reporter Steve Coll.

[imusintheevening]

01:19 PM on 02/21/2011

There are many, and plenty of the publications from 2004 and later document with reference what was public prior to 2004.

Douglas Jehl, "Chief of CIA Tells His Staff to Back Bush," the New York Times, November 17, 2004.

Melvin A. Goodman, "Righting the CIA," the Baltimore Sun, November 19, 2004.

See, among several references, the remarks of a CIA officer who actually heard Schlesinger: Ray McGovern, "Cheney's Cat's Paw: Porter Goss as CIA Director," Counterpunch, July 6, 2004.

David Brooks, "The C.I.A. Versus Bush," the New York Times, November 13, 2004.

See Federation of American Scientists, Weapons of Mass Destruction, R-36/SS-9 SCARP; and Fred Kaplan, The Rumsfeld Intelligence Agency, Slate, October 28, 2002.

Steven Coll, Ghost Wars [New York: Penguin, 2004], p. 562.

Ray McGovern, "Cheney's Cat's Paw," Counterpunch, July 6, 2004.

Richard A. Clark, Against All Enemies: Inside America's War on Terrorism (New York: Free Press, 2004); Michael Scheuer, "How Not to Catch a Terrorist," Atlantic Monthly, December 2004, pp. 50-52.

Douglas Jehl, "Ex-CIA Chief Nets $500,000 on Talk Circuit," the New York Times, November 11, 2004.

Spencer Ackerman, "Killing the Messenger," Salon, November 16, 2004.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...693255,00.html July, 2003

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/denis-healey-blair-must-quit-if-he-is-wrong-about-these-weapons-539769.html June, 2003
Blair spin-doctor admits tinkering

[EuGeneTherapy]

12:26 PM on 02/21/2011

He went on to note, "The question should be put to the CIA and the DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency) as to why this wasn't known before the false information was put into [a key intelligence estimate] sent to Congress, the president's State of the Union address and my Feb. 5 presentation to the U.N."


That just plain is not going to cut it. When subordinates (CIA, DIA) are told what to do by their superiors (Bush and Cheney), they do what they are told or are destroyed.

Powell, on the other hand, could have resigned and refused. He alone had the chance to save the world and our country a lot of heartache. He failed, due more to his committment to the Republican party than to the truth and the American people.

He not only lost my repect, but he lost all respect, never to be regained!!!

[Republic Products]

01:34 PM on 02/21/2011

Had Colin Powell not followed orders and resigned he would have mysteriously come down with cancer, fall into a coma, or have a heart attack.

Who knows....he may have even been killed by a lone crazed gunman.

[lthuedk 1]

12:17 PM on 02/21/2011

Just in needs to realize that Bush and Cheney convinced nearly every congressperson that Saddam had WMD. Nearly every American thought there were WMD in Iraq-not just Democratic Congresspersons.

The Republicans, under Cheney and Bush were outed as liars and the Democrats collectively turned. Interesting that you carefully sidestepped the truth of the years leading up to PNAC activity.

Please tell us: What did the Republicans do with that newly acquired information? Well, they're still acting like the truth never came out.

So, you can list nearly all Democrats in the time frame you specify and add nothing to the conversation that wasn't already crystal clear. I'd say you're eleven years behind the curve.

http://www.light-to-dark.com/The_Decider_and_Dark_Cloud_Cheney.html

But General Powell knew in advance of his U.N. presentation that his words were a lie. He needs to admit he turned, on or about the July 2003 flight to Africa, when his eyes saw the Plame/CIA document prior to the WHIG vote to out her, destroying America's anti-WMD program. That was too much treason for Powell to consume at one sitting. He turned.

http://www.light-to-dark.com/coffee_tea_or_treason.html

[Just in]

12:23 PM on 02/21/2011

It's quite amazing. As dumb as they were, you claim Bush/Cheney "convinced nearly congressperson . . . " Who were the real dummies?

[wgravey]

12:15 PM on 02/21/2011

Mr. Powell's distinguised military career was sacrificed and destroyed to advance the Bush/Cheney imperialist agenda. It wouldn't surprise me if Powell had no idea he was being manipulated with false info. at the time.

[2lib4oh]

12:12 PM on 02/21/2011

Its easy to blame Powell, but the truth Powell was one of the dissenting voices from the early beginnings,actually 10 days into Bush's administration when members of the National Security Council met for the first time.The topic was "The Mideast Policy" and Suddam was a very important topic.In Bush's own words,"We're going to correct the imbalances of the previous administration on the Mideast conflict..to tilt it back toward Israel."

Bush wanted to disengage from the Arab-Israeli conflict.Powell thought this would lead to dire consequences for the Palestinians but Bush washed his hands of this.His focus was on Iraq.
Powell admitted sanctions had not worked out in weakening Saddam.He wanted the sanctions to focus on arms control.

By Feb.1st Powell's arm's control was pushed aside by Rumsfeld who pushed for a broader goal of "getting rid of Saddam".Building the case to do it became a focus.

Paul O'Neill,Bush's Sec.of Treasurer,another witness to this plan in the building stage,said Powell was the one who asked the tough questions.He didn't just want to take out Saddam and replace him with another "bad guy".
We might like to demonize Powell folks but the truth is stranger.We are all a part of this story.Did you every ask yourself why we needed to go to war? Did you demonstrate against it in the streets? I did.I got villianized too.We were all used one way or another.

[ThinkCreeps]

12:04 PM on 02/21/2011

Hey, Mr In,

There's no cap on the number of members of the ignorant club.

You'll tend to find that dramatic claims get published more often than modest and sensible
statements.

[A Wright]

12:04 PM on 02/21/2011

Saddam Hussein never had nuclear weapons. He never had a functioning nuclear program. The chemical and biological weapons he used against the Kurds and Iranians were purchased from the United States. Don Rumsfeld brokered the deal, while we were also selling weapons to Iran on the other side of the war. Thank you, Reagan. May you rot in the ground and never have to see the economic and military disasters that have killed hundreds of thousands because of your ignorance, arrogance, and greed.

[Just in]

12:01 PM on 02/21/2011

BILL MOYERS: President Bush's recent speech to the American Enterprise Institute, he said, let me quote it to you. "The danger posed by Saddam Hussein and his weapons cannot be ignored or wished away." You agree with that?

JOE WILSON: I agree with that. Sure.

BILL MOYERS: "The danger must be confronted." You agree with that? "We would hope that the Iraqi regime will meet the demands of the United Nations and disarm fully and peacefully. If it does not, we are prepared to disarm Iraq by force. Either way, this danger will be removed. The safety of the American people depends on ending this direct and growing threat." You agree with that?

JOE WILSON: I agree with that. Sure. The President goes on to say in that speech, as he did in the State of the Union Address, is we will liberate Iraq from a brutal dictator. All of which is true.


Joseph Wilson, Advisor to John Kerry 2004 Presidential Campaign
During an interview with Bill Moyers
February 28, 2003

[A Wright]

12:11 PM on 02/21/2011

Repetition of lies and talking points from the government.

[ReckingBall]

12:17 PM on 02/21/2011

Noted, Thanks.

[Just in]

12:01 PM on 02/21/2011

"There is now no incentive for Hussein to comply with the inspectors or to refrain from using weapons of mass destruction to defend himself if the United States comes after him. And he will use them; we should be under no illusion about that."

Joseph Wilson, Advisor to John Kerry 2004 Presidential Campaign
In a Los Angeles Times editorial: "A 'Big Cat' With Nothing to Lose"
February 6, 2003; Page B17

[A Wright]

12:12 PM on 02/21/2011

Did he use them? No. Did we? Ask the kids in Fallujah who have cancer because of the thousands of tons of depleted uranium shells we left in their homes and neighbors.

[Just in]

11:58 AM on 02/21/2011

"No one has done what Saddam Hussein has done, or is thinking of doing. He is producing weapons of mass destruction, and he is qualitatively and quantitatively different from other dictators."

Madeleine Albright, President Clinton's Secretary of State
Town Hall Meeting on Iraq at Ohio State University
February 18, 1998

[Just in]

11:58 AM on 02/21/2011

"Imagine the consequences if Saddam fails to comply and we fail to act. Saddam will be emboldened, believing the international community has lost its will. He will rebuild his arsenal of weapons of mass destruction. And some day, some way, I am certain, he will use that arsenal again, as he has ten times since 1983."

Sandy Berger, President Clinton's National Security Advisor
Town Hall Meeting on Iraq at Ohio State University
February 18, 1998

[Just in]

11:58 AM on 02/21/2011

"Iraq is a long way from Ohio, but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face."

Madeleine Albright, President Clinton's Secretary of State
Town Hall Meeting on Iraq at Ohio State University
February 18, 1998

[A Wright]

12:09 PM on 02/21/2011

Based on lies.