Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) George Tenet said the CIA approved a passage in President Bush's January 2003 State of the Union address dealing with alleged Iraqi attempts to obtain uranium in Africa, but "These 16 words should never have been included in the text written for the President."
Although the Bush speech, which said the British government had reported that Iraq sought uranium from Africa, was "factually correct," Tenet said in a July 11 statement, "[t]his should not have been the test for clearing a Presidential address. This did not rise to the level of certainty which should be required for Presidential speeches, and CIA should have ensured that it was removed."
Tenet said "I am responsible for the approval process in my Agency," and Bush "had every reason to believe that the text presented to him was sound."
President Bush, in Nigeria on the last stop of a five-nation African trip, said in answer to a reporter's question July 12, "I've got confidence in George Tenet; I've got confidence in the men and women who work at the CIA. And I continue to—I look forward to working with them and—as we win this war on terror." — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
