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May 28, 2004
Al Qaida in Iraq? Not in an election year!
Al Qaida in Iraq? Those are fighting words to anyone who opposes the war in Iraq, because it seems to be an article of faith with them that there has never been a connection between al Qaida and Iraq. How did Al Gore put it the other day? THE PRESIDENT CONVINCED the country with a mixture of documents that turned out to be forged and blatantly false assertions that Saddam was in league with al Qaeda. And if you believe in these false assertions, why, there's a study which shows you're suffering from "misperceptions." Stephen F.Hayes has written a book documenting the numerous connections between Iraq and al Qaida. You can read some of it here. But no matter what the evidence is, it won't convince any of the true disbelievers.... I read about it in 1999, in a book called Bin Laden: The Man Who Declared War on America. Yeah, war was declared, but in those days no one was looking. No one cared whether al Qaida and Iraq were linked either. That's because it just wasn't an election issue. Truth these days depends on political considerations.
UPDATE: Because I have cited it repeatedly in this blog, I think it's appropriate to quote a couple of passages from the Bodansky book. This is from page 324: ....[T]wo of bin Laden's senior military commanders, Muhammad Abu-Islam and Abdallah Qassim, visited Baghdad between April 25 and May 1 [1998] for discussions with Iraqi intelligence. The importance of these contacts to Baghdad was shown by their meeting with Qusay Hussein, Saddam's son, who is now responsible for intelligence matters and was personally involved in both the Iraqi contribution to the Somalia operation and later the intelligence cooperation with Iran. Both sides were very satisfied with the results of the negotiations. From page 346: In retrospect, the U.S.-Iraqi crisis of mid-November [1998] was the turning point in galvanizing Baghdad's resolve to strike out and sponsor an unprecedented terrorist campaign. A well-connected Arab source stated that "Saddam Hussein became convinced for the first time that Washington was seriously seeking to topple him and had decided to bring him down in any possible way. He chose to confront [the United States] with all possible means) too, particularly extremism and terrorism) since he had nothing else to lose." Convinced that he had Co act urgently, Hussein held lengthy discussions with the two people he truly trusts -- his sons Qusay and Uday -- on how to confront the Unired States and spoil its designs against their family. Qusay argued, and Saddam ultimately agreed, that there was no way emaciated Iraq could deflect a determined American attempt to assassinate them and bring down the regime. The key to their survival was in deterring such a campaign in the first place through a series of devastating anti-American terrorist attacks that would persuade Washington of the futility of challenging the Hussein regime. The option of conducting such a terrorist campaign under bin Laden's "deniable" banner was irresistible.Bear in mind that this wasn't written as Bush election material. In fact, it was written two years before September 11! This contradicts the common view that al Qaida only established a presence in Iraq because of "Bush's war." If anything, it shows that the Iraqis decided to team up with al Qaida because of Bill Clinton. My apologies for any misspellings in the above, for I had to transcribe the damn thing, and it wasn't easy. Hope someone can use it! UPDATE: Glenn Reynolds notes that it is an antiwar "article of faith" that there was "no connection between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda." He's interested in hearing their response to the Hayes book, but I'm not holding my breath. (Most likely, the response will consist of attacks on the author. Should I be holding my breath?) MORE: Here's an October 7, 2002 statement from George Tenet, which pretty much confirms what I read in 1999: "We have solid reporting of senior level contacts between Iraq and Al Qaeda going back a decade. Credible information indicates that Iraq and Al Qaeda have discussed safe haven and reciprocal nonaggression. Since Operation Enduring Freedom, we have solid evidence of the presence in Iraq of al-Qaeda members, including some that have been in Baghdad. We have credible reporting that al-Qaeda leaders sought contacts in Iraq who could help them acquire W.M.D. capabilities. The reporting also stated that Iraq has provided training to al-Qaeda members in the areas of poisons and gases and making conventional bombs."Forgive me for not being more surprised. And even Newsweek and ABC reported similar stuff, back in 1999: Newsweek magazine ran an article in its January 11, 1999, issue headed "Saddam + Bin Laden?" "Here's what is known so far," it read:More here. Surprise, surprise, surprise!Saddam Hussein, who has a long record of supporting terrorism, is trying to rebuild his intelligence network overseas--assets that would allow him to establish a terrorism network. U.S. sources say he is reaching out to Islamic terrorists, including some who may be linked to Osama bin Laden, the wealthy Saudi exile accused of masterminding the bombing of two U.S. embassies in Africa last summer. UPDATE: My thanks to Glenn Reynolds for his link to this post, and a warm welcome to all InstaPundit readers! UPDATE: The above post by Glenn Reynolds on the Hayes book appeared in hard copy in the Blog Cabin section of today's Philadelphia Inquirer. Glad to see it! MORE: Newsmax.com reports that Iraq's new Prime Minister Ayad Allawi has "vouched for the authenticity of evidence that links Saddam Hussein to the 9/11 attacks." Though the notion that Iraq played a role in 9/11 is considered heresy in U.S. intelligence circles, newly appointed Iraq Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said in December that a document purported to be from Saddam's intelligence service that places lead 9/11 hijacker Mohamed Atta in Baghdad two months before the attacks was indeed "genuine."Whether this view will continue to be regarded as "heresy" remains to be seen. MORE: Deroy Murdock offers more intriguing evidence on the Iraqi connection with Mohamed Atta, including perfidy by the New York Times: Czech authorities have defended their story despite the American media's valiant efforts to discredit it.Surprise? posted by Eric on 05.28.04 at 07:53 PM
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» Hitting the links from The Smoking Room
In case your oh-so-smart friends tell you otherwise, yes, there is a lot of evidence - most of it before the 2000 election - to support the theory that al... [Read More] Tracked on June 2, 2004 03:26 AM
» Read My Lips Proudly Presents the 89th Edition of the Carnival of the Vanities from Read My Lips
10 things about this Carnival of the Vanities:This is the first time I have hosted a Carnival of this type, although I did once host a review of the blogs on the New Blog Showcase over a year ago.This is... [Read More] Tracked on June 2, 2004 10:39 AM
» http://tvh.rjwest.com/archives/004764.html from Croooow Blog
Thanks in part to Stephen Hayes' new book, the growing evidence linking al Qaeda and Hussein is chronicled here...UPDATE: Even... [Read More] Tracked on June 2, 2004 01:39 PM
Comments
"al-Qaeda is linked to Saddam as firmly as Bush is linked to Saddam." Wow, that was a clever post. I am ready to hand over the keys to the country and the responsiblity for my family's safety to a party that thinks like that. NOT If you have some evidence that shows that the links to terrorism aren't there, I would sure like to see it, otherwise, I have to conclude that your side has become so partisan that it is not fit to lead. moptop · June 1, 2004 10:43 PM Their side hasn't been fit to lead, ever. They started as the party of slavery, and they've been the same animal ever since. Mr. Bowen · June 1, 2004 11:15 PM Has anyone made a comprehensive search of the media misrepresentations on this matter? To read the news, you would think that Bush was the first amn on earth to suggest Saddam had WMDs and the first to suggest a terror link. Was there this much calumny about Clinton's airstrikes against Al Qaeda and Iraq? Bleeding heart conservative · June 2, 2004 02:44 AM The Guardian reported in 1999 on a link between Iraq and Osama bin Laden. Note the repeated references to U.S. officials. Also note that the date is early February 1999, and Bush didn't take office until late January 2001. So, in the sentence "The president convinced the country with . . . blatantly false assertions that Saddam was in league with al Qaeda," the president in question is obviously Bill Clinton, whose administration made such claims two years before Bush was in office. So why didn't Gore blow the whistle then, so we could have added the charges to the Clinton impeachment trial scheduled for six days after this Guardian report? Warmongering Lunatic · June 2, 2004 02:57 AM you guys are the very reason the whole world thinks Americans are a bunch of fucking idiots. crikey! robert0 · June 21, 2004 12:58 PM You mean the whole world reads the comments on this blog? I'm impressed. Crikey indeed! Eric Scheie · June 21, 2004 01:56 PM |
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In other words, al-Qaeda is linked to Saddam as firmly as Bush is linked to Saddam.