Did The President Read The NIE Before He Declassified It?

Helen Thomas swings a mighty cast iron skillet and beans Scotty right where it hurts. Did the president read the report and understand fully the ramifications of releasing the information before he declassified it? Note, no answer given by Scott, but a great set of questions nonetheless:

Helen.

Q Before the President declassified the Intelligence Estimate, had he read it?

MR. McCLELLAN: Had he read it?

Q Yes.

MR. McCLELLAN: Yes -- I think we talked about at the time that he was briefed on it --

Q A 90-page document --

MR. McCLELLAN: I think we talked about that at the time.

Q -- and the whole question of the accusation against Saddam trying to buy uranium was on page 24, with many caveats. It was very dubious and --

MR. McCLELLAN: That's not the issue here, Helen.

Q -- an annex to it, questioning this whole business. So did he take note of all these caveats?

MR. McCLELLAN: That's not the issue here, Helen. The issue was the underlying intelligence that was used as part of the basis for going into Iraq. You're singling out one specific part which we --

Q Yes, I am.

MR. McCLELLAN: --- which we already spoke to.

Q Is that your defense, though?

MR. McCLELLAN: We already spoke to that issue. We spoke to it back at the time.

Q Why would he put that out when it's so dubious?

MR. McCLELLAN: Why would he --

Q It's so questionable.

MR. McCLELLAN: Why would he put what out when it's --

Q Using that as your defense to go into Iraq.

MR. McCLELLAN: Using what, the National Intelligence Estimate?

Q No, the whole business that Saddam --

MR. McCLELLAN: That was the collective judgment of the community -- no, you're singling out one thing, and that's not the issue here. The issue here is that back in the summer of 2003, there was a real debate going on in the public about the intelligence that was used as part of the rationale to go into Iraq.

Q But the issue centers on outing Valerie Plame -- wasn't that the issue that dealt with Niger and uranium?

MR. McCLELLAN: You're getting into something that's part of an ongoing investigation, and you know I'm not going to comment further on that.

Les, go ahead.