And they correct the initial report immediately. Wise dems who believe breaking news is always reported accurately by "The Big Media Industrial Complex" are not wise.
Sunday Sept. 29, 2002; 7:04 p.m. EDT
Uranium Seizure Less Than Thought, Still 'Frightening'
newsmax.com
The amount of uranium seized from smugglers who were intercepted by Turkish police on Friday just 155 miles from the Iraqi border has been revised dramatically downward.
A Turkish police official told Reuters Sunday that the amount was 5 ounces rather than 33 pounds as first reported, though he still described the uranium as "weapons grade."
The confusion apparently arose from weight on the lead container that housed the uranium, which was included in initial estimates.
Though the new numbers seemed to diminish the threat, U.S. officials had suggested earlier in the day that any amount of weapons grade uranium would be cause for concern.
"If it turns out that this is weapons grade uranium, that would be frightening," reported CNN's John King on "Late Edition." "In the words of one official, (it would be) confirmation of all our worse fears about loose nukes."
King said U.S. officials remained skeptical that the substance seized in Turkey was indeed enriched uranium, but added, "You can be sure there are diplomatic conversations with the Turkish government but also military-to-military and technical experts in touch with the Turkish government, trying to find out just what it is those police seized."
A spokeswoman for the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna told Reuters that her organization is still unsure what Turkish police found in the lead container that was hidden beneath a seat in the smugglers' taxicab. "We have no primary information and are trying to verify the contents of the object."
"But it's very suspicious," she added.
One leading Republican said that if the substance was indeed enriched uranium, the smuggling bust vindicated the White House's call for preemptive action against Iraq.
"All sources tell us that (Saddam Hussein) wants these weapons, particularly a nuclear weapon," Sen. John McCain, R-Az., told "Late Edition."
"I think it gives authentication, although a small amount of authentication, to the administration's policies," he added. |
