NBC is reporting that their “sources” (never named) claim that Iraq?s former Foreign Minister Naji Sabri was providing the CIA with information regarding Saddam’s WMD program.

He was paid $100,000 for his information, although that probably was more symbolic in nature than the actual value of his information. Especially since he could be killed for giving it up. Which is why it’s interesting to see NBC put his name into the public, when he is avoiding interviews. He obviously does not want his name out and he knows the report puts his life at risk. Given that he helped the USA (via France) I don’t think it’s good to “out” him like this.

NBC is lauding that his information was more accurate than the other information the USA had. And they question “Saddam?s foreign minister told CIA the truth, so why didn?t agency listen?”. Well I guess the CIA was supposed to take every word from someone working for Saddam as gold? He didn’t tell us that Saddam was abusing the Oil for Food program. He didn’t tell us what was on the cargo plans that went to Syria. He did tell us that Saddam wanted a nuke. But that fact seems to elude NBC as a reason to take Saddam down before he actually got one. Knowing that Saddam had used WMDs before, paid terrorist bombers, allowed terrorists to live in his country and vowed war with America several times was more than enough reasons to attack Iraq.

And we don’t know everything he told the CIA yet.

update (3/21/2006 11:05AM ET): I should add, there was one matter regarding WMDs that the CIA and Mr. Sabri had some agreement on. But NBC seems to dismiss this agreement as incorrect.

…
On the issue of chemical weapons, the CIA said Saddam had stockpiled as much as “500 metric tons of chemical warfare agents” and had “renewed” production of deadly agents. Sabri said Iraq had stockpiled weapons and had “poison gas” left over from the first Gulf War. Both Sabri and the agency were wrong.
…

Why is NBC trying to have it both ways? They ask why the CIA did not listen to Naji Sabri, but even Sabri said Saddam had WMDs in the form of stockpiled weapons and poison gas. Sabri corroborated some CIA intelligence about Saddam possessing WMDs. NBC makes it seem like “oh they both were wrong” and mentions it after issues the CIA and Sabri disagreed on. As if Sabri offered information that should have resulted in the USA not going to war with Iraq. Sabri’s information shows reason why it was in the USA’s best interest to go to war with Iraq. Stockpiled weapons and poison gas is reason enough to claim Saddam had WMDs.

Since NBC implied that Sabri was so “right”, why do they feel he is “wrong” about the WMDs he did say were there? Because our troops did not find them. (Unfortunately our troops don’t always find what they are looking for, like Osama Bin Laden for example.) But we do know items were being sent to Syria from Iraq before the war. It is very possible that Mr. Sabri and the CIA were correct about Saddam’s stockpiled weapons and poison gas.