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Today's Must Read
If there's one thing the Bush Administration has demonstrated, it's the difficulty of proving a negative.
It took a number of months after the invasion of weapons inspectors crawling all over Iraq to show that Saddam Hussein did not, in fact, have weapons of mass destruction. And it's time to chalk up another victory for completeness.
A good portion of those 935 false statements uttered by administration officials in the run-up to the invasion had to do with claims of Iraq ties to Al Qaeda. That was, in part, thanks to the intelligence shenanigans of Doug Feith at the Pentagon, but of course it was an administration-wide mentality. Which explains that even after the 9/11 Commission found that there was no significant relationship, they kept on pleading the point.
Well, I think it's time to finally consider this negative proven:
An exhaustive review of more than 600,000 Iraqi documents that were captured after the 2003 U.S. invasion has found no evidence that Saddam Hussein's regime had any operational links with Osama bin Laden's al Qaida terrorist network.The Pentagon-sponsored study, scheduled for release later this week, did confirm that Saddam's regime provided some support to other terrorist groups, particularly in the Middle East, U.S. officials told McClatchy. However, his security services were directed primarily against Iraqi exiles, Shiite Muslims, Kurds and others he considered enemies of his regime.
The new study of the Iraqi regime's archives found no documents indicating a "direct operational link" between Hussein's Iraq and al Qaida before the invasion, according to a U.S. official familiar with the report.
So what's next?
Josh
Zachary
Just like to point out that Hillary Clinton parroted Dick Cheney's favorite talking point and cited a link between between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaida in her October 2002 floor speech in which stated her support for the Iraq war resolution.
100 REASONS NOT TO VOTE FOR HILLARY CLINTON
WHAT THIS PAGE DOESN’T CONTAIN
No Vincent Foster, cocaine smuggling conspiracy theories. No dirty tricks or fraudulent smears. No right-wing BS.
WHAT THIS PAGE DOES CONTAIN
Legitimate, sourced and link filled, point by point criticism of Hillary Clinton’s politics, positions, and staff.
March 11, 2008 10:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
100 Reassons...:
Interesting stuff on the 100 Reasons site.
One suggestion: list them in reverse order so the most recent reasons appear at the top. It'll be more user friendly for return visitors.
March 11, 2008 11:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
Impressive, I'll be sure to circulate widely!
March 11, 2008 12:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wow.
I wonder how the Masters of Mendacity in the White House Press Office will spin, fold, spindle and mutilate this one?
"How could we have known this then?"
"We used the best intelligence available at the time"?
"Saddam Hussein was an evil man. Are you saying we should have left him to continue his murderous, torturous, oppression of the Iraqi people?"
"We struck back at the people who attacked us on 9/11"
Aaarrrggghhhhhh!!!
and no one will ask a cogent, penetrating rebuttal question that points out the twisted lies spouted by Shrubland!
aaaarrrrggggghh!!!
I'm Mad As Hell. And I'm Not Going To Take It Anymore!
March 11, 2008 11:09 AM | Reply | Permalink
Who had a direct link to Al Quada? We did. Who armed Osama Bin Laden and the Mujahadeen? We did. Who helped Iran gain the knowledge that could lead to a nuclear weapon? We did. In fact, we helped build all their initial nuclear facilities. Who had a direct link to overthrow the first democratically-elected government in Iran? We did. Here's a partial but handy list of direct links we've had to terrorists and dictators in the middle east. It only goes up to the 90s. Everyone knows the rest.
1953 -After 2 years of U.S. sponsored sanctions CIA supports plot to overthrow Mossadigh and place Shah in power. American Gen. Norman Schwartzkopf Sr. helps Shah develop SAVAK secret police.
1963 -coup aided by CIA overthrows Kassem. Baathist party briefly in power. Hussein runs torture center
1968 - Baathist Party comes to power for good in Iraq
1972-Iraq announces the nationalization of oil. Pres. Nixon plots with Shah to arm Iraqui Kurds. Iraq placed on list of nations supporting terrorism
1975-Iraq Vice-president Saddam Hussein and Shah reach agreement ceding control of Shatt-al-Arab waterway to Iran. Kurdish aid abruptly stopped. Concerning the Kurds who were left in the lurch, Henry Kissinger said , " Covert operations should not be confused with missionary work".
1979-Shah is overthrown. National Security adviser Brzezinski publicly encouraged Iraq to attack Iran to take back the Shatt-al-Arab waterway - which the U.S had forced Iraq to cede to Iran four years earlier.
1980-"Carter Doctrine" states U.S. will intervene militarily to protect U.S. access to oil. Iraq invades Iran at U.S. urging.
1982-Iraq removed from terrorist nation list
1984-U.S restores full diplomatic relations with Iraq. Pres. Reagan authorizes intelligence sharing with Iraq. At same time U.S. begins sharing intelligence and selling weapons to Iran.
1985-Oliver North tells Iran that U.S. will help Iran overthrow Saddam Hussein
1986-U.S increases aid to Iraq
1987-Norman Schwartzkopf Jr. Named head of CENT-COM. U.S bombs Iranian oil platforms.
1988-Cease fire signed between Iran and Iraq. Center for Strategic and International Studies begins 2 year study predicting outcome of war between U.S and Iraq. Saddam Hussein announces $40 billion plan to peacefully rebuild Iraq.
1989-War Plan 1002 originally conceived to counter Soviet threat is adjusted to name Iraq as main threat in region. Plan renamed 1002-90.
January 1990 - CENT-COM stages computer games testing 1002-90. U.S. War College report states that "Baghdad should not be expected to deliberately provoke military confrontations with anyone. Its best interests now and in immediate future are served by peace".
February 1990-Schwartzkopf tells congress of need to increase U.S. military presence in Gulf region
May 1990 - At Arab summit Saddam accuses Gulf states of waging economic war against Iraq. The Iraq economy has been devastated by the war. Iraq had borrowed billions to wage war against Iran. Price of oil was down because Gulf states were dumping oil on world market. Kuwait was slant drilling with American equipment into Iraqi oilfields. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia at behest of U.S. demanded immediate repayment of loans to Iraq.
July 1990 -- Saddam accuses Kuwait of conspiring to destroy Iraq economy. Iraq troops mass on Iraq border
August 2, 1990 -Iraq invades Kuwait.
August 3, 1990 -U.N. passes Resolution 660 condemning Iraq
August 6, 1990 - U.N. passes Resolution 661 levying sanctions against Iraq. At this time Iraq imports 70% of it's food.
August 7, 1990 - U.S. tells Saudi Arabia that Iraq troops are massed on their border and convinces reluctant King Faud to accept U.S.troop deployment. Satellite photos show no troops massing on Iraq side of border.
August 8, 1990 -U.S.dispatches 40,000 troops to "protect" Saudi Arabia. Iraq announces it is annexing Kuwait.
August 12, 1990 - Iraq suggests withdrawal of it's troops from Kuwait be linked to Israel withdrawal from occupied territories. U.S. rejects. Later proposal to withdraw troops not linked to Israel rejected by U.S.
September 2, 1990 -Iraq begins rationing food.
November 8, 1990 - with no significant change in crisis U.S. doubles number of troops in area to 400,000
November 29, 1990 - U.N. authorizes use of force if Iraq doesn't voluntarily leave Kuwait by January 15, 1991.
December 22, 1990 - Infant mortality has doubled due to sanctions
January 17, 1991 - U.S. begins air assault. 42 days of 2,000 sorties a day throughout Iraq and Kuwait.
February 13, 1991 - U.S kills 1,500 civilians at Al-Amariyah shelter
February 15, 1991 - Pres. Bush urges Iraqi people to overthrow Saddam.
February 21, 1991 - Russia announces that Iraq has agreed to full and unconditional withdrawal from Kuwait. U.S rejects plan and says that if Iraq not out of Kuwait by noon February 23 a ground attack will proceed.
February 26, 1991 -- Iraq announces it's troops are withdrawing from Kuwait. U.S bombs road that would be used to retreat and kills thousands from air including civilians in "turkey shoot".
February 28, 1991-Iraq and U.S. agree to cease-fire
March 2, 1991 - 24th Mechanized Infantry slaughters thousands of Iraqi soldiers in post cease fire battle. No Americans die.
March 1991 - U.S-encouraged rebellions against Saddam are put down. Schwartzkopf allows Saddam helicopters to fly through U.S. lines to kill Shiites in south and Kurds in North. He refused to allow rebelling members of the Republican Guard in the South get weapons from their storehouses.
March 11, 2008 11:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
"Who gave Saddam anthrax? George Bush got the answers..."
-Kanye West
The obvious rebuttal to this is that "we" had to go into Iraq and overthrow Saddam in order to get these papers and prove that there was no link and no WMD. How would one prove these things without the papers that only the invasion could bring? Certainly not the inspectors... Certainly not everyone who was saying "Why would Saddam and Bin Laden be in bed together? That doesn't make any sense..."
All we had were our ideas and our theories and our REASON. Now they have the evidence.
March 11, 2008 11:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
Awesome post, TPMGary.
March 11, 2008 11:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
Awesome post, TPMGary.
March 11, 2008 11:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
Good job academics, for the historical record once again it will prove that the presidents tenure in office is marked by one consitency, mismanagement!
I guess that whole thing about his image being repudiated in time, especially if the middle-east is able to bare a democratic Iraq, will not come the way he thought? We can thank our brave men and women who have served their country as public servants, military personel and the Iraqi people if these things come true, not the fantasy's of our current president.
March 11, 2008 11:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
Ondioline, are you being ironical? If not, then your logic is, shoot first, ask questions later?
March 11, 2008 11:41 AM | Reply | Permalink
100 Reasons...
Man, you are so off topic. I only saw 5 by the way.
March 11, 2008 12:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
If you click the link and read it, then you'd understand why there's only five - dude just started it, and will add one daily. Duh. And who cares about being off-topic?
March 11, 2008 12:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
I care and long time readers who care.
March 11, 2008 1:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
HOW IS THIS OFF TOPIC?...
In Hillary Clinton's October 2, 2002 floor speech in which she stated her support for the resolution she regurgitated the fraudulent Dick Cheney talking point that Saddam Hussein had links to Al Queda. Here’s the key quote from that speech...
“In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including Al Qaeda members”.
Keep in mind that, unlike the general claim that Saddam Hussein still possessed stockpiles of WMD, which was widely accepted as fact (albeit erroneously) throughout intelligence community back in 2002, There was a lot of skepticism and outright disbelief about this alleged link between Saddam Hussein and al Queda EVEN THEN . Both the CIA and the DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency) had reported information calling this claim into question prior to Hillary’s speech.
100 REASONS NOT TO VOTE FOR HILLARY CLINTON
March 11, 2008 3:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm pretty sure Edwards voted for war, too, as did Biden, Dodd, etc. Obama had no skin in the game at that time.
March 12, 2008 12:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
No links between Saddam and Al Qaeda, but there is a flip side to this story:
http://www.asecondlookatthesaudis.com
March 11, 2008 12:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
I wonder what Cheney will say now? He has been holding onto this claim for years even after it was debunked.
March 11, 2008 12:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Tpmgary:
Excellent progression of history. It's just a shame that REAL history is no longer taught in American schools. If it were, young folk would not be caught up enlisting without actual knowledge of why and how they are being used... by the folks willing to send them to their deaths.. IMHO
Perhaps, rather than worrying who the next president will be, our money would be more wisely spent educating our youth concerning our REAL history. That way, they could make better choices as to who to vote for and who to support.
March 11, 2008 1:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Cheney's allegiance hasn't changed, so neither will his story.
March 11, 2008 1:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
So, somebody wanna' tell McCain?
March 11, 2008 2:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
An RSS feed for the 100 reasons would also be nice. I don't know if Googlepages will do this for you, but Google's Blogger definitely will.
March 11, 2008 2:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
What will happen next? I'll tell you. John McCain will say, "Hello! I've got news for you. Al Qaeda *is* in Iraq!" And the GOP masses and their right wing talking heads will roar with approval. Nothing will change.
March 11, 2008 9:48 PM | Reply | Permalink