It seems that lately some newspaper headlines and left-of-center pundits have latched onto this idea that there are no ties between Al Qaeda and Saddam's Iraq. First of all, to imply there are "no ties" is intellectually dishonest. The report from the 9/11 commission, which appears to be what the headlines are condensing, clearly states that there are ties. But of course, you already knew that if you read the report when I linked to it a few days ago. What! You didn't read it? Well, for those of you who didn't, here is an op-ed summary of the findings.
However, here is a little piece of information that you may not have heard yet:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks has been told "a very prominent member" of al Qaeda served as an officer in Saddam Hussein's militia, a panel member said on Sunday.
Republican commissioner John Lehman told NBC's "Meet the Press" program that the new intelligence, if proven true, buttresses claims by the Bush administration of ties between Iraq and the militant network believed responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on America...."Some of these documents indicate that (there was) at least one officer of Saddam's Fedayeen, a lieutenant colonel, who was a very prominent member of al Qaeda," Lehman said.
Ready? Cue the dramatic, discordant music: Bum Bum BUUUUUMM!
Can't wait to see how this one plays out.
Looks like they're plucking the feathers off of that crow and bringing the pot to a boil:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.seanet.com/~jimxc/Politics/June2004_3.html#jrm2306