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9/11 Commission members say there were Iraq-Al Qaeda Links; media jumped the gun

I find it particularly interesting that the US press, so quick to indict the Bush administration, didn't even bother to finish reading the 9/11 report, nor did they attempt to clarify the one sentence on which they hang their entire claims of "no link."

The following is the statement of 9/11 Commission Spokesman Jonathan Stull:

quote:

I'd recommend that you look directly at staff statement number 15 when discussing the Iraq Al-Qaeda issue, specifically regarding the commission's hearing today. Note that the paragraph in question is on page 5 of the attached statement. I'd point out that it is but one paragraph in a 12-page statement. The AP and others have picked up on one sentence which was carefully worded: 'We have no credible evidence that Iraq and Al-Qaeda cooperated on attacks against the United States.' The rest of the paragraph concisely summarizes the cases where we can identify cooperation and other connections between Al-Qaeda and Saddam where they exist. "The other relevant information is included on page 8 of staff statement number 16. In the statement, which exhaustively discusses the 9/11 plot, we addressed the movements of the hijackers in the years leading up to the attacks. This paragraph addresses reports that Mohammed Atta met with an Iraqi intelligence agent in Prague on April 9th, 2001. While some have criticized the questioning during public hearings, I've seen few quibbles with our staff statements. I urge you to look over all of the statements," and I got the link to the statements here. This is the spokesman. I just read an e-mail that he sent out yesterday, because they really have taken one sentence and totally turned and done a 180 with what this report says. The report says there were connections. The report says that Mohammed Atta did meet with an Iraqi intelligence agent in Prague on April 9th of 2001. We've known this for a long time. The sentence that everybody is focusing on, "We have no credible evidence that Iraq and Al-Qaeda cooperated on attacks against the United States."

And then today, Chairman Kean and Vice-Chairman Hamilton confirmed this, stating clearly that there were links between Iraq and al Qaeda. Gotta love those reporters.

If you want to check out the report that the spokesman referenced, check out the 9/11 Commission website. http://www.9-11commission.gov/

The issue is, of course, the Iraq-9/11 link, and if you've kept up on the news, you'll note that the Bush administration never alleged such a link.

I saw the same in the news and am equally disturbed that the media didn't bother to read the report before sensationalizing the facts. Problem is that media doesn't like to back down from previous reporting, so facts will get obscured.


[[[smoke]]]

Re: 9/11 Commission members say there were Iraq-Al Qaeda Links; media jumped the gun

quote:

Originally posted by imokruok I find it particularly interesting that the US press, so quick to indict the Bush administration, didn't even bother to finish reading the 9/11 report, nor did they attempt to clarify the one sentence on which they hang their entire claims of "no link." The following is the statement of 9/11 Commission Spokesman Jonathan Stull: And then today, Chairman Kean and Vice-Chairman Hamilton confirmed this, stating clearly that there were links between Iraq and al Qaeda. Gotta love those reporters.

Well now we're back to the old Clinton game of defining "is", aren't we? If you define "link" by meaning the two groups had contact with one another, then yes that is most certainly true. But if you're defining "link" by an established relationship, and to take it one step further - Saddam aiding and supporting Al Qaeda (i.e. an alliance), well this is what is clearly false. Let's look at some of the details of what Bush and Cheney have stated:

In a news conference yesterday, Bush was asked by a reporter the following:

Reporter: "The Vice President, who I see standing over there, said yesterday that Saddam Hussein has long-established ties to al Qaeda. As you know, this is disputed within the US intelligence community. Mr. President, would you add any qualifiers to that flat statement? And what do you think is the best evidence of it?"

The response:

Bush: Zarqawi. Zarqawi is the best evidence of connection to al Qaeda affiliates and al Qaeda. He�s the person who�s still killing. He�s the person � and remember the email exchange between al Qaeda leadership and he, himself, about how to disrupt the progress toward freedom?

The problem:

the �email exchange� he mentioned suggests the exact opposite of what he claimed. And, by the way, it was not an email exchange. Here's what occurred:

On February 10, The New York Times reported on its front page that the Kurds had intercepted a courier for Ansar al-Islam, a fundamentalist terrorist group that had been based in northern Iraq. The messenger, Hassan Ghul, had on him a CD-ROM that contained a seventeen-page document that appeared to be a letter to al Qaeda from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a supposed leader of Ansar al-Islam. Zarqawi is the much sought-after terrorist who apparently beheaded American contractor Nick Berg and who is widely regarded as responsible for much of the post-invasion terrorist attacks in Iraq. The letter was a request for assistance. Ansar al-Islam wanted to start an Iraqi civil war by attacking Shi�ite Muslims, and Zarqawi was hoping al Qaeda would help him.

The Times story noted that the letter was not evidence of a link between al Qaeda and Ansar al-Islam. The dispatch said that if the document was authentic, it would �constitute the strongest evidence to date of contacts between extremists in Iraq and Al Qaeda. But it does not speak to the debate about whether there was a Qaeda presence in Iraq during the Saddam Hussein era, nor is there any mention [in the request for help] of a collaboration with Hussein loyalists.�

Ten days later, the Times reported�again on the front page�that Ansar al-Islam �appears to be operating mostly apart from al Qaeda, senior American officials say.� According to the newspaper, �Most significantly, the officials said, American intelligence had picked up signs that Qaeda members outside Iraq had refused a request from the group, Ansar al-Islam, for help in attacking Shi�ite Muslims in Iraq.� It seems that Zarqawi had asked for help, and bin Laden had said no. So if one looks at the �email exchange� Bush cited, there is no evidence of a strong operational alliance between Zarqawi and al Qaeda.

It would be a mistake to consider al Qaeda�s refusal to provide assistance as definitive evidence that the two outfits were at odds and unable to hook up in the future. �But, officials said, there are growing indications,� the Times reported, �that the two groups are distinct and independent, and are embracing different tactics and agendas.� (In February 2003, CIA chief George Tenet testified in Congress that that while the CIA believed Ansar al-Islam had received funding from al Qaeda, Zarqawi considered himself and his network �quite independent� of al Qaeda.)

So does Bush have intelligence reports that contradict the public record? If so, he should let those White House reporters know. There is also the question of whether a connection between Zarqawi and al Qaeda would mean there was a connection between Hussein and al Qaeda. Neocons who have been pushing the al Qaeda-Iraq link claim that Zarqawi was in Baghdad before the war to receive medical treatment and that this could not have occurred without the approval of Hussein�s regime. But details are rather sketchy about this episode. And before the war Ansar-al-Islam operated in the northern territory, where Baghdad had limited control. Its head, Najm al-Din Faraj�who goes by the nom de guerre as Mullah Krekar�has repeatedly said his group never had any ties to Hussein�s regime. Earlier this year, he told the Guardian of London, �I am against Saddam Hussein. I want [Iraq] to change into an Islamic regime.� Moreover, in January, when Secretary of State Colin Powell was asked whether there was evidence linking Hussein and al Qaeda, he replied, �There is not�you know, I have not seen smoking-gun concrete evidence about the connection.�

Bush, though, declared that a postwar �email exchange"�which does not exist � is the concrete evidence that Hussein was in cahoots with al Qaeda. The president should really read the papers more often. I know�he says he doesn�t bother; he�d rather get his information from Andrew Card and Condoleezza Rice. But he ought to glance at the front page once in a while. That at least might prevent him from making stuff up.

And just recently today Bush stated: "There was a relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda." He added, "We did say there were numerous contacts between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda, for example, Iraqi intelligence officers met with bin Laden, the head of al Qaeda, in Sudan."

Well if Iraqi intelligence agents did meet with bin Laden in Sudan, they did so before 1996, when bin Laden shifted his operations to Afghanistan. The existence of such contacts five years before 9/11 tells us nothing about any "relationship" that might have existed in the time before or after September 11.

Bush also said, Hussein "was a threat because he provided safe haven for a terrorist like al-Zarqawi who is still killing innocents inside Iraq." Neoconservative supporters of the war have claimed that the (supposed) fact that Zarqawi received medical attention in Baghdad before the war indicates that he was in league with Hussein's regime. But the Zarqawi-in-Baghdad episode remains sketchy. And Zarqawi has been linked to Ansar al-Islam, a fundamentalist terrorist outfit that claimed it was opposed to Hussein and that (prior to the war) operated out of northern Iraq, in territory not controlled by Hussein's regime.

By the way, on March 2, NBC News reported that "long before the war the Bush administration had several chances to wipe out [Zarqawi's] terrorist operation and perhaps kill Zarqawi himself--but never pulled the trigger." Three times in 2002 and 2003, according to this report, the Pentagon drew up plans to attack Zarqawi in his camp in northern Iraq. Yet the White House said no. According to NBC News, "Military officials insist their case for attacking Zarqawi's operation was airtight, but the administration feared destroying the terrorist camp in Iraq could undercut its case for war against Saddam."

If this report was true, it should be big news. The White House had Zarqawi in its sights. Yet Bush officials believed that if they took him out, they would lose an argument for war. (At his presentation to the UN, Powell tried to use Zarqawi to link al Qaeda to Hussein.) So did politics trump a national security decision? Did the administration allow to roam free a terrorist who would become perhaps the biggest threat to American GIs in Iraqi today? Is Bush now playing politics with the truth by insisting there was a connection between al Qaeda and Hussein, even though the more objective members of the 9/11 commission--who have had access to the intelligence reporting on this dicey matter--have reviewed the record and found no compelling evidence of a signficant relationship?

And as for the supposed meeting in Prague involving Mohammed Atta, both the CIA and FBI discredited this long ago. We now have the 9/11 Commission reporting that it likely never happened as well. Let's keep in mind that the 9/11 Commission staff has more than 80 investigators. They have interviewed 1,000 witnesses and reviewed more than 2 million documents. So I ask in all seriousness, will this ever be fucking good enough for Bush apologists?!?!?!

quote:

If you want to check out the report that the spokesman referenced, check out the 9/11 Commission website. http://www.9-11commission.gov/ The issue is, of course, the Iraq-9/11 link, and if you've kept up on the news, you'll note that the Bush administration never alleged such a link.

I have kept up quite well, and to me this Administration did a helluva job trying to establish that link ever since the beginning days of the OSP and Cheney/Gingrich making special "visits" over to the CIA.:

http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/...17/6294563s.htm

quote:

However, Bush and Cheney also have sought to tie Iraq specifically to the 9/11 attacks. In a letter to Congress on March 19, 2003 -- the day the war in Iraq began -- Bush said that the war was permitted under legislation authorizing force against those who ''planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001.'' Cheney said on NBC's Meet the Press in September 2003 that ''I think it's not surprising that people make that connection'' between Saddam and Sept. 11.

What I want to know is, if Cheney and this Administration knew all along that there was no established link between Saddam and the 9/11 terrorists, why did he not come clean when interviewed here? Indeed it appears that he more or less supports the public misconception - why not tell the public they were wrong?


BTW: the bulk of my info. came from David Corn, that whacky left-winger. I don't mind attacking his politics, but the facts given above are well known.

So how shall we define "is"?

Cheney was just on CNBC this evening. Check out the transcript posted on Drudge: http://www.drudgereport.com/flash3.htm

Good stuff. Sorry - got work to get back to tonight.

quote:

Originally posted by imokruok Cheney was just on CNBC this evening. Check out the transcript posted on Drudge: http://www.drudgereport.com/flash3.htm Good stuff. Sorry - got work to get back to tonight.

I just simply don't get that old bastard. He's doing nothing but regurgitating the same thing over and over - and what's worse, he keeps stating a "relationship" when there really wasn't a relationship in the first place! Having a meeting about help and assistance - ok, is that a relationship? Well, if that's a relationship, then what is it called when that call for help was turned down by Saddam, or what's worse, Saddam failed to even answer that call for help?!?!? Should we call that a "sour" relationship then?

He keeps going on and on about that meeting in Prague - how many mother fucking intelligence agencies, along with a commission with seemingly limitless intelligence agents at their disposal, is it going to take for Cheney to concede the fact that this fucking meeting is a farce?!?!?!

His refusal to admit even the most simplest mistakes, or even clarify himself even a smidgeon, is truly picturesque of a bratty, recalcitrant child.

To me, this depicts our current Administration in a nutshell.

I'm still confused. So did Clinton have sexual relations with that woman or not???

this coupled with the new facts of gathered intellegence from russia about iraqi plans for attacks on american grounds helps solidify the fact that a threat was growing from iraq

"Russian President Vladimir, in comments sure to help President Bush, declared Friday that Russia knew Iraq's Saddam Hussein had planned terror attacks on U.S. soil and had warned Washington."
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...ssia_us_iraq_dc

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Originally posted by occrider I'm still confused. So did Clinton have sexual relations with that woman or not???

yes, thank you for reminding us what real political scandal is all about.

lol

quote:

Originally posted by Izzy this coupled with the new facts of gathered intellegence from russia about iraqi plans for attacks on american grounds helps solidify the fact that a threat was growing from iraq "Russian President Vladimir, in comments sure to help President Bush, declared Friday that Russia knew Iraq's Saddam Hussein had planned terror attacks on U.S. soil and had warned Washington." http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...ssia_us_iraq_dc

yes, and what about the president being warned by our own CIA about 9/11?

oops, has that already been swept under the rug?
sorry.
won't bring it up again

quote:

Originally posted by ResonantDrag yes, thank you for reminding us what real political scandal is all about. lol

Heh it's front page on CNN right now:

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS...k.ap/index.html

I can't imagine the POTUS getting kicked out of the bedroom and sleeping on a couch. Stand up to that freaking bitch. Hehe humorous times for a secret service agent.

i think the real scandal revolved around "who" he had the relation with. if she was a bit more Monroesque we'd be celebrating his birthday

quote:

Originally posted by Izzy this coupled with the new facts of gathered intellegence from russia about iraqi plans for attacks on american grounds helps solidify the fact that a threat was growing from iraq "Russian President Vladimir, in comments sure to help President Bush, declared Friday that Russia knew Iraq's Saddam Hussein had planned terror attacks on U.S. soil and had warned Washington." http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...ssia_us_iraq_dc

I heard this on NPR this morning. What I tend to wonder is, why have we not heard about this before? This is the first time I've personally heard of this.

Keep in mind that Putin admits that this did not change his stance whatsoever on being against the war. I think more will come to light on this in the coming days. I personally predict that we'll see these "planned terror attacks" by Iraq were likely nothing more than veiled threats - but hey, that's just my partisan bias talkin'.

quote:

Originally posted by ResonantDrag yes, and what about the president being warned by our own CIA about 9/11?

What about it? This pertains to Iraq how?

quote:

oops, has that already been swept under the rug? sorry. won't bring it up again

By all means please do - I personally need some clarification as to where you are going with this.

quote:

Originally posted by MisterOpus1 Keep in mind that Putin admits that this did not change his stance whatsoever on being against the war. I think more will come to light on this in the coming days. I personally predict that we'll see these "planned terror attacks" by Iraq were likely nothing more than veiled threats - but hey, that's just my partisan bias talkin'.

Partisan, maybe. But at least you come to decent enough conclusions.

quote:

Originally posted by MisterOpus1 What about it? This pertains to Iraq how? By all means please do - I personally need some clarification as to where you are going with this.

i apologize for the vagueness pertaining to the subject of this reference. I was inferring that the present administration could help justify the attack of Iraq based on Russian intellegence reports, whereas when confronted by (of course suppositional based on allegations) our own intellegence, choose to ignore a true threat.

I wasn't trying to reference an Iraq/Al-Qaeda connection on 9/11; as to my knowledge, none exists.

In my sweeping under the carpet comment, I was just a little miffed that the focus of the commission has shifted to an Iraq/Al-Qaeda connection vs. the subject in which i thought the commission was supposed to tackle (the mishandling of intellegence previous to 9/11)

please correct me if i'm wrong, but most of the uproar regarding the closed door hearing with cheaney and the boy were made by families of the victims of the world trade center who wanted to know Cheaney's responses to intellegence allegations.

I'll try to be a little more long-winded with my posts from here on out to avoid further misconceptions of my comments

quote:

Originally posted by ResonantDrag i apologize for the vagueness pertaining to the subject of this reference. I was inferring that the present administration could help justify the attack of Iraq based on Russian intellegence reports, whereas when confronted by (of course suppositional based on allegations) our own intellegence, choose to ignore a true threat.

maybe he learned his lesson

if you remember prior to 9/11 bush had run under the campaign of not going out on nation building. I am glad that after 9/11 he came around to realize that he was wrong and indeed it is nessacry in order to prevent catastrophies and help stabalize the world. where-as before he would brush off outside threats on the US now he takes every intellegnce threat more seriously.

it is a shame that people in the middle east do not realize the better life they could have after the US has helped rebuild their nation to a free and prosperious one.

quote:

Originally posted by ResonantDrag i apologize for the vagueness pertaining to the subject of this reference. I was inferring that the present administration could help justify the attack of Iraq based on Russian intellegence reports, whereas when confronted by (of course suppositional based on allegations) our own intellegence, choose to ignore a true threat.

No apology necessary. Thank you for your clarification. It truly gets my nipples hard when you assume the role of an erudite debater. My compliments, dear sir.

quote:

I wasn't trying to reference an Iraq/Al-Qaeda connection on 9/11; as to my knowledge, none exists.

Gotcha.

quote:

In my sweeping under the carpet comment, I was just a little miffed that the focus of the commission has shifted to an Iraq/Al-Qaeda connection vs. the subject in which i thought the commission was supposed to tackle (the mishandling of intellegence previous to 9/11)

I tend to agree, though I'm sure there is a sound reason why the 9/11 Commission investigated this link. I surmise it is because they were told to examine this, along with some other various prior intelligence issues, but admittedly I'm uncertain. Perhaps someone could intervene here to enlighten us as to the specific roles the 9/11 Commission was given in regards to intelligence.

quote:

please correct me if i'm wrong, but most of the uproar regarding the closed door hearing with cheaney and the boy were made by families of the victims of the world trade center who wanted to know Cheaney's responses to intellegence allegations.

Ok, I'm afraid that I am again going to ask for clarification. Who is "the boy", and what closed door hearing are you referring to? I swear I am not playing dumb - I simply do not understand which meeting you are referring to here.

quote:

I'll try to be a little more long-winded with my posts from here on out to avoid further misconceptions of my comments

No need to be long-winded; anyone prefers a clear and concise answer over a long drawn-out one. That's simply what I was asking from you, and I appreciate your assistance.

quote:

Originally posted by Izzy maybe he learned his lesson

Never! Muuhaaahaa!!!!!!

quote:

if you remember prior to 9/11 bush had run under the campaign of not going out on nation building. I am glad that after 9/11 he came around to realize that he was wrong and indeed it is nessacry in order to prevent catastrophies and help stabalize the world. where-as before he would brush off outside threats on the US now he takes every intellegnce threat more seriously.

Some might characterize Bush's reversal as a "flip-flop". I'm not saying who, of course , but I think he just might receive this label as a consequence.

It's just not fair, is it?

quote:

it is a shame that people in the middle east do not realize the better life they could have after the US has helped rebuild their nation to a free and prosperious one.

Now I know that our democratic republic, our liberties and our freedoms creates a much better environment than nearly all areas in the Middle East. Nevertheless, who gave us the authority to inflict our way of life onto theirs, esp. when we consider just how little they've taken our way of life in thus far?

damn you're just bustin my balls

"the boy" is our dear beloved president..

I'll get post some old articles referring to the closed door hearings in the oval office with the 9/11 hearings later, but i gotta shower and get to work now..

thank you for your patience with the n00bs

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