W. House: Iraq Intelligence Uproar 'Bunch of Bull'
Mon July 14, 2003 

By Adam Entous

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Monday dismissed as a "bunch of bull" charges that President Bush used disputed intelligence to justify the invasion of Iraq and said there was no need to delve further into the matter, which Democrats want investigated.

"As far as the president's concerned, he's moved on. ... I think the bottom has been gotten to," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said of a disputed statement in the president's State of the Union address that Iraq sought to buy uranium from Africa for its alleged nuclear weapons program.

"This revisionist notion that somehow this is now the core of why we went to war, a central issue in why we went to war, a fundamental underpinning of the president's decisions, is a bunch of bull," Fleischer added.

The White House acknowledged last week that the accusation should not have been in the speech.

Bush met face-to-face with CIA Director George Tenet for the first time since the political firestorm erupted over the statement, which Bush attributed to the British even though U.S. intelligence was unable to confirm it.

Tenet took responsibility for the CIA's approval of the speech which contained the uranium claim, but did not himself read the text of the State of the Union prior to its delivery before a joint session of Congress.

White House officials insist that the British intelligence was not inaccurate, just unproven by the United States. "No one can accurately tell you that it was wrong. That is not known," Fleischer said. "The president said that Iraq was seeking uranium in Africa. That still may be absolute fact."

Bush said over the weekend that he had confidence in Tenet.

But the controversy threatened to further erode public support for the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq and create more difficulty at home for U.S. ally British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who will meet with Bush at the White House on Thursday.

DEMOCRATS WANT INVESTIGATION

Both leaders have been accused of overplaying intelligence about weapons of mass destruction, one of the prime justifications cited in the attack on Iraq. Three months after Saddam's fall, no such weapons have been found.

Fleischer dismissed any suggestion that Bush misled the American public about the threat posed by Iraq.

"That's absolute, total nonsense. The president said something that was based on the information that was available to date. In hindsight, we have said that it should not have risen to the president's level and that's exactly what we have reported to the American people," he said.

But with recent polls showing an erosion of support for the Iraqi operation, there was heavy criticism from Democrats, some of whom hope to replace Bush in the White House in the 2004 presidential election.

"There ought to be a thorough investigation, either by the existing committees or by a select committee," said Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, top Armed Services Committee Democrat.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, the senior Democrat on the intelligence committee, said the panel may call Tenet to answer questions this week.