WaPo: Bush concealed knowledge of Pakistani plutonium plant from Congress

[kpete]

U.S. Says It Knew of Pakistani Reactor Plan
Congress Learned of Nation's Nuclear Expansion From Independent Analysts

By Joby Warrick
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 25, 2006; Page A11

The Bush administration acknowledged yesterday that it had long known about Pakistan's plans to build a large plutonium-production reactor, but it said the White House was working to dissuade Pakistan from using the plant to expand its nuclear arsenal.

.........................

The reactor, which reportedly will be capable of producing enough plutonium for as many as 50 bombs each year, was brought to light on Sunday by independent analysts who spotted the partially completed plant in commercial-satellite photos. Snow said the administration had "known of these plans for some time."

...................

Henry D. Sokolski, the Defense Department's top nonproliferation official during the George H.W. Bush administration, said he was most surprised by the way news of the reactor in Pakistan became known.

"What is baffling is that this information -- which was surely information that our own intelligence agencies had -- was kept from Congress," said Sokolski, now director of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center. "We lack imagination if we think that this is no big deal."

more at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/24/AR2006072400995.html

[Drum]

1. Kick/Rec

:kick:

[elehhhhna]

2. k&r

[Ganja Ninja]

3. When are the neocons going to catch on?

Pakistan is not on our side whether it be in the war on terror or nuclear arms proliferation. Most assuredly there are members of their government that have assisted Bin Laden in avoiding capture. They sold nuke tech to Iran & N. Korea. They are the training ground for the taliban. When are the conservatives going to connect the dots?

[springhill]

17. They know all that.......

The question is why, knowing all that, they still continue to support Pakistan. They are an ally in something, otherwise we would drop them like a hot potato.

[arcane1]

27. well, they do have that warm-water port

[nealmhughes]

34. Yeah, but India has a bunch on both sides of the subcontinent...

and it is a liberal democracy.

[arcane1]

35. true, but Unocal is already building a pipeline to PK

[WarNoMore]

4. kicked & recommended

[Little Star]

5. All those congress people are short sighted dumbasses......

The executive is rendering them useless. With the collusion of the court and the executive who needs congress. Its a true neocon wet dream.

[KansDem]

6. WTF? Just who does this guy work for?!?!?

One day it's the Saudis
The next day it's India
The next day it's the UAE
The next day it's Mexico
The next day it's China
The next day it's Israel
Now it's Pakistan

At least he's consistent in that he's always worked for the corporations...

[Kikosexy2]

29. Bush ...

is the Devil himself...evil, evil, evil...temptator, deceiver, liar, murderer, scoundrel, etc.... Definitely, Hell on earth..

[Skidmore]

7. I don't know what to say right now.

I'll come back when I think of something printable. I just don't know what to say. I'm speechless.

[twaddler01]

11. Same here,

but I guess I'm not all too surprised that this could come from * ...and that is pretty sad.

[thereismore]

8. Takl about double standard: Iran bad, Pakistan good. nt

[Jeanette in FL]

9. Bush has systematically made Congress impotent

With signing statements and only allowing certain key member of congress to hear certain aspects of what the administration was doing and then silencing them. Congress has no power at all. All they do is make excuses. Time to call them and let them know that they all are useless to us "The People".

[The Cleaner]

10. Impeach the tryant already!!

Dear Congress and the American People,

You are so damn gullible. For over five years now, I've hoodwinked ya like a bad armadilla. I've lulled ya to sleep, you see, with talk of Jesus and all this freedom crap. My buddy Cheney boy thought Nixon's presidential powers were diluted, that the prez should be king. I've said before and I'll say it again: It'd be a heck of a lot easier if this were a dictatorship, and that's what I'm doin. That's all I'm doin.

My Congress is especially naive. My Republican party folks do whatever I say, and back me up even if I break the law (and I have, he he he, I have, gotta admit it). For those who don't fall in line, especially the Democratssss, I've just gotta send some white powerder here, some anthrax there to those who disagree with me (funny wasn't it, when we hit 'ol Tom Daschle with some of that good stuff!).

You guys keep on sleepin.' I'll take over. Economy is best it's been in 23 years, home ownership is up, jobs are increasing, blah blah yada yada. I'll have to get Cheney boy to revise this script, I think it's gettin' old, or maybe not? You fools still fall for it.

I'll protect you. Ha, protect you, yeah right! Oh hell, there's one of those mushroom cloudssss....wait, sorry, that's just one of them screen-sabers from the internets.

Love,
George W. Bush
:sarcasm:

[twaddler01]

12. This is an OUTRAGE that he is actually president

:mad:

[Tesha]

13. Some bombs are good, some bombs are bad, I guess.

Israeli nuclear bomb: Good. US knew, took no steps to stop it.

Iraqi nuclear bomb: Very bad. US used Israel as our proxy to destroy Iraqi reactor.

Pakistani nuclear bomb: Bad, but, Hey!, what can you do? Pakistan is on "our" side!

Iranian nuclear bomb: Very, very bad. We'll start WW-III to prevent it.

Tom Lehrer had it right:

"We'll try and stay serene and calm...
When *ALABAMA gets the bomb!
Who's next, who's next, who's next?"

Tesha

[Straight Shooter]

14. From 3/10/2005: "Pakistan admits Khan gave Iran nuke material"

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7147179

Now we know why it was kept secret. Who is/was colluding with whom to set Iran up, so we have a pretext for war against Iran? I seem to recall some involvement by Cheney, which of course would explain his frantic need to betray Plame who was working on tracking WMD, with special emphasis on Iran.

Those bastards in the bush administration are selling us all out.

[Drops_not_Dope]

25. Cheney and Khan

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/content/?040119fr_archive02

[Straight Shooter]

30. Thanks for the link. Excellent source.

:thumbsup:

[blm]

33. It all tracks back to BCCI - BushInc's crimes almost all do, don't they?

.

[hootinholler]

15. And what % of that plant was bought from Halliburton?

Follow the money.

-Hoot

[ArmchairMeme]

16. Remember A Q Khan - selling nuclear technology

Why don't we know who he sold the technology to?

Hey if Pakistan could be creating 50 bombs a year would it then be important who they were selling them to?

They are not on our side.

[Blackhatjack]

18. Confirms World's Opinion of Hypocritical US President/Policy

So Bush is ready to bring military force against Iran because Bush believes Iran "may" be trying to make a nuclear weapon, yet the US agrees to give nuclear information to India(a non-proliferation treaty signer) and knows about Pakistan actually building nuclear reactors that produce fuel that allow building 30-40 nuclear weapons a year, yet remains silent and does not brief Congress.

US citizens are insulated by the so-called MSM from the World opinion of Bush and US policy. We have no credibility whatsoever, and that is why we have no authority to engage in diplomacy. This has all occurred since Clinton left office, and won't be remedied anytime soon in light of the mistakes the BushCo Neocons have visited on the world during their reign.

[Vinca]

19. We have a Congress????? nt

[C_U_L8R]

22. Just a ceremonial institution

a place to hold the
annual State of Union
and clap fervently in awe
of the wisdom and
sheer magnitude of
your Dear Leader.

ack puke !

[jwirr]

20. Isn't it Pakistan that sold nukes to a bunch of other countries behind

our back?

[BadgerKid]

21. And *'s crusade continues

Congress not acting on this information would seem to paint them as co-conspirators.

[EVDebs]

23. Related DU post on Bush admin TREASON

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=2736579

[bigbrother05]

24. Could explain why * gave India the go-ahead

It was always rather odd that he backed India's ramp-up without any balance on the Pakistani side. Guess he was just juicing up India with his "largess" when he knew they were already behind their neighbor.

Also: Wasn't ABB selling nuclear technology to the ME (Iran/Iraq/Pakistan) while Rummy was on the board?

[originalpckelly]

26. Deeply troubling. One dictator helping another.

So much for democracy in America. Maybe we should move to Iraq, then they'll care about us.

[seemslikeadream]

28. If this planet blows to pieces this year, thank Khan Labs' and Bush

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=1104251

You may never have heard of Khan Laboratories, but if this planet blows to pieces this year, it will be thanks to Khan Labs' creating nuclear warheads for Pakistan's military. Because investigators had been tracking the funding for this so-called "Islamic Bomb" back to Saudi Arabia, under Bush security restrictions, the inquiry was stymied. (The restrictions were lifted, the agent told me without a hint of dark humor, on September 11.)

Noam Chomsky, who read the story on page one of the Times of India, has wondered, "Why wasn't it all over US papers?

.. A top-level CIA operative who spoke with us on condition of strictest anonymity said that, after Bush took office, "There was a major policy shift" at the National Security Agency. Investigators were ordered to "back off" from any inquiries into Saudi Arabian financing of terror networks, especially if they touched on Saudi royals and their retainers. That put the Bin Ladens, a family worth a reported $12 billion and a virtual arm of the Saudi royal household, off limits for investigation.

I probed our CIA contact for specifics of investigations that were hampered by orders to back off of the Saudis. He told us that Khan Laboratories investigation had been effectively put on hold.

[Disturbed]

32. The Busholini Junta knew about this at the time

they made a deal with India. Congress is a nuetered dog waging it's tail when scraps are thrown at it.

[stepnw1f]

31. Anybody Still Think Bush is Just "Stupid"?

the "dumb" defense

[wiley]

36. Treason.

[City Lights]

37. The Decider don't need no Congress.

:nuke:

[warrens]

38. They lie by commision, by omission, and just by moving their lips

Or not moving them. They're just stone liars; the truth is like kryptonite to them.

[Up2Late]

39. I think I'm about reaching the point of bad and outrageous news overload.

And still no action from the Co-conspirators in CONgress. :banghead: :grr: :nuke:

[svpadgham]

40. So...

Does this mean that the * administration will be calling the WaPo treasonous for releasing this kind of information? It seems that anything damning of them is considered treason.

[AnnieBW]

41. Valerie Plame

I believe that it's been confirmed that Valerie Plame was one of the people that was following this. So, obviously *Co doesn't feel that Pakistani nukes are worth caring about.

[progressoid]

42. B - b - but, Pakistan is our ally now. That makes it OK.

[w4rma]

43. omg. . . (nt)