<p>Several possibilities:</p>
<p>1) different people involved with the recommendations, some more cautious/conservative than others</p>
<p>2) The rationale given for the removal in October 2002 was recognized as being weak - since when is “he already has stockpiles of yellowcake - so he must not be pursuing more” a reasonable presumption to make when you are charged with the safety of the country? It certainly is not a rationale that one can use to refute the broader conclusion that Saddam was trying to develop nuclear weapons.</p>
<p>3) They still stood by their overall conclusion that Saddam was trying to get yellowcake from Africa even though they had reservations about Niger.</p>