First, there never was a "sale".
Who said there had to have been a sale...???
Second, there are just three uranium mines in Niger, one of which was not functioning.
Why would it be? On Feb. 8, 1999, the Iraqi delegation visited Niger. It was headed by Saddam Hussein's ambassador to the Vatican, Wissam al-Zahawie, was a very experienced Iraqi envoy for nuclear-related matters (Iraq's IAEA Rep), but his identity was not noticed by Joseph Wilson, nor emphasized in his "report" to the CIA, nor mentioned at all in his later memoir.
Wilson said that a former prime minister of Niger, Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, was unaware of any sales contract with Iraq, but said that in June 1999 a businessman approached him, insisting that he meet with an Iraqi delegation to discuss "expanding commercial relations" between Niger and Iraq -- which Mayaki interpreted to mean they wanted to discuss yellowcake sales. A report CIA officials drafted after debriefing Wilson said that "although the meeting took place, Mayaki let the matter drop due to UN sanctions on Iraq."
According to the former Niger mining minister, Wilson told his CIA contacts, Iraq tried to buy 400 tons of uranium in 1998.
So: what Wilson actually told the CIA, contrary to his own oft-repeated claims, is that he was told by the former mining minister of Niger that in 1998, Iraq had tried to buy 400 tons of uranium from that country, and that Iraq's overture was renewed the following year.
Three, all uranium production was internationally monitored.
Oil-for-Food. Need I REALLY say more?
Four---Well, why bother---Not like you give a damn.
Amen! But then, you seem to think Iraq was in a position to re-start it's nuke 'production' program while a 'surprise inspection' regime was in place. But then, wasn't Saddam's deliberate process of attempting to break OUT of that inspection regime a reason WE gave for going in in the first place???
