Who knew sixteen words could cause so much trouble. “The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.” This one sentence from the President’s State of the Union address has thrown the White House into a finger pointing frenzy and stirred a somnolent press corps into a who-knew-what-where-when tizzy.
The Administration has thrown out a swarm of contradictory statements, strangely out of character for a team known for its tight-lipped message discipline. Officials have tried to downplay the 16 words, saying the White House and the American people are “over” questions about Iraq. Getting over and under the truth. Accountability and the political half-life of yellowcake.
Guests:
Paul Reynolds, BBC World Affairs Correspondent
David Sanger, White House Correspondent for the New York Times.