The IAEA quickly concluded that the documents the US had turned over to support Bush's claims were fraudulent. But even in turning over the material, the State Department sent a message to the organization that said, "We cannot confirm these reports and have questions regarding some specific claims."
That statement would appear to show that serious doubts about the intelligence were present even in the days right around Bush's presentation. But Bush also cited other evidence, noting Iraq's efforts to buy rotors and magnets, all essential parts of centrifuges that could enrich uranium.
Michael Anton, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said on Tuesday that, "The documents alleging a transaction between Iraq and Niger were not the sole basis for the line in the president's State of the Union speech that referred to recent Iraqi attempts to acquire uranium from Africa."
He added that at the time a "national intelligence estimate" cited "attempts by Iraq to acquire uranium from several countries in Africa. We now know that documents alleging a transaction between Iraq and Niger had been forged," he said.
Bush never mentioned Niger by name in his speech. But without the Niger evidence, the argument that Saddam was intent on getting a uranium supply from Africa did not hold up.
Anton noted on Tuesday that "other reporting that suggested that Iraq had tried to obtain uranium from Africa is not detailed or specific enough for us to be certain that such attempts were in fact made.
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