What Cheney was trying to do in his radio appearance with Limbaugh was to link the fear of the attacks of 9-11 his administration had allowed, with their invented prospect that someone identifying themselves with al-Qaeda in Iraq would "follow our soldiers home" and attack us. To buy into all of that we'd have to accept, as the administration's own National Security Estimate concluded, that Bush's occupation that he's intent on continuing indefinitely has actually 'fueled' and increased the numbers of individuals and groups in Iraq and elsewhere who would do our nation harm.
Sen. Carl Levin, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today released the newly declassified report of the Department of Defense Inspector General on its "Review of the Pre-Iraqi War Activities of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy," which directly contradicts Cheney's reassertion that Saddam and al-Qaeda were linked. The IG's report concluded that Douglas Feith's office 'developed, produced and then disseminated alternative intelligence assessments on the Iraq and al-Qaeda relationship,' which included 'conclusions that were inconsistent with the consensus of the intelligence community', after the initial request for an invasion-justifying link from his boss Paul Wolfowitz.
In fact, the main orchestrator of the lies which led the U.S. to institute a policy of regime change against Iraq, Ahmed Chalabi, was a twenty-year friend Richard Perle and Douglas Feith. Feith used Chalabi's web of misinformation about Iraqi WMD's to develop a rationale for war against Saddam; including the 'intelligence' that Saddam was conspiring with bin Laden. Feith is known for a 1996 paper he co-authored and presented to President Clinton advocating the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. The letter was also signed by Richard Perle, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, and others.
In the letter they argued that, "In the present climate in Washington, some may misunderstand and misinterpret strong American action against Iraq as having ulterior political motives. We believe, on the contrary, that strong American action against Saddam is in the national interest, that it must be supported, and that it must succeed."
Co-author Feith was also one of about five members of the Bush administration who formed a separate 'special plans office' in October 2001, whose purpose was to collect information from the CIA and the intelligence community to develop their own strategy for the war on terrorism. The group highlighted "interrelationships among terrorist organizations and state sponsors." They claimed "strategic alliances" between Al-Qaeda and Iraq, and a "mature, symbiotic" relationship, despite the argument that such an alliance would have to withstand deep ideological and religious differences.
Moreover, Bush's invasion and occupation of Iraq has be the ultimate realization of the original al-Qaeda's dream. Bush and his republican apologists can twist the facts every which way they want, but their diversion from the hunt for bin-Laden and his accomplices in Afghanistan to invade and occupy Iraq has to have been the single, most blundering appeasement of terrorist violence by our government ever; certainly the largest since Reagan and Bush were caught in Iran trading arms for hostages.
Consider the argument that Bush and his republicans are making after five years of letting bin-Laden run free; after five years of shifting justifications for diverting to Iraq, and flip-flops regarding the importance of capturing or killing the rebel leader and his band of thugs. They are now reduced to arguing that the best place to wage their 'war on terror' is in Iraq. As Bush put it, Iraq is the "center" of his terror war. Why? "Because bin-Laden says so."
"We know what the terrorists intend to do because they've told us -- and we need to take their words seriously." Bush said last September.
Bush and his minions are more than content to listen to the terrorists, and they want us to listen too. "Don't believe me," Bush told Americans in his Rose Garden news conference last October. "Listen to the enemy, or listen to Mr. Zawahri, the number two of al Qaeda, both of whom made it clear that Iraq is central in their plans."
"I take the words of the enemy very seriously," Bush said, "and so should the American people."
The consequence of allowing Bush and Cheney to continue to prosecute their counter-productive militarism would be that bin-Laden and his accomplices would be able to continue to run loose in Afghanistan/Pakistan while the administration continues to direct the bulk of our defenses the other direction, to Iraq.
That's Bush and Cheney's promise to the American people. "For as long as Bush is president," as he has said, " they will continue to sacrifice lives and limbs in Iraq (where 16 of his intelligence agencies say our occupation is creating terrorists, not eliminating them) and continue to short-shrift the search for the leaders of the original al-Qaeda who are influencing other combatants with the example of their historic attack on the U.S. and their escape from justice.
"Remember what al Qaeda is betting on here," Cheney told Limbaugh. "What they're betting is that they can break our will, that they can, in fact, force the American people to retreat, that we'll finally get tired of the battle and go home, and then they win. The only way they can win is if we quit. And to adopt a policy that says we're going to withdraw from Iraq would do precisely that, and in effect, hands victory to the terrorists, it validates the whole al Qaeda strategy," Cheney said.
Whatever 'al-Qaeda' is betting on, we can be certain that one of those bets covers their safety from prosecution as they enjoy the 'safe-haven' Bush has allowed them in Afghanistan by directing the bulk of our nation's defenses to fight and die defending his Iraq junta. Over 3500 have been killed in Iraq alone since the initial invasion. This is what Bush and Cheney insist they are determined to continue, despite the overwhelming opposition around the nation, and, against the will of Congress in legislation passed and legislation pending demanding an end to the occupation and the withdrawal of our soldiers.
Bush and Cheney are dangerous for America. Americans can't afford any more of their reckless indifference to the plights of our soldiers, or to the inevitable and continuing consequences of their assaults against Iraqis. As they continue to allow the original 9-11 suspects to run free, they are themselves free to continue their fearmongering against Americans using the terrorists' specter to brush off criticisms of their unconstitutional manipulations and disregard of the constitution and the rule of law.
Bush and Cheney are busy escalating the danger to our nation using their original lies. They couldn't wait to bury our nation in Iraq, and they won't preside willingly over the digging out. Who are these folks still out there listening and believing them?
Sen. Carl Levin, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today released the newly declassified report of the Department of Defense Inspector General on its "Review of the Pre-Iraqi War Activities of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy," which directly contradicts Cheney's reassertion that Saddam and al-Qaeda were linked. The IG's report concluded that Douglas Feith's office 'developed, produced and then disseminated alternative intelligence assessments on the Iraq and al-Qaeda relationship,' which included 'conclusions that were inconsistent with the consensus of the intelligence community', after the initial request for an invasion-justifying link from his boss Paul Wolfowitz.
In fact, the main orchestrator of the lies which led the U.S. to institute a policy of regime change against Iraq, Ahmed Chalabi, was a twenty-year friend Richard Perle and Douglas Feith. Feith used Chalabi's web of misinformation about Iraqi WMD's to develop a rationale for war against Saddam; including the 'intelligence' that Saddam was conspiring with bin Laden. Feith is known for a 1996 paper he co-authored and presented to President Clinton advocating the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. The letter was also signed by Richard Perle, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, and others.
In the letter they argued that, "In the present climate in Washington, some may misunderstand and misinterpret strong American action against Iraq as having ulterior political motives. We believe, on the contrary, that strong American action against Saddam is in the national interest, that it must be supported, and that it must succeed."
Co-author Feith was also one of about five members of the Bush administration who formed a separate 'special plans office' in October 2001, whose purpose was to collect information from the CIA and the intelligence community to develop their own strategy for the war on terrorism. The group highlighted "interrelationships among terrorist organizations and state sponsors." They claimed "strategic alliances" between Al-Qaeda and Iraq, and a "mature, symbiotic" relationship, despite the argument that such an alliance would have to withstand deep ideological and religious differences.
Consider the argument that Bush and his republicans are making after five years of letting bin-Laden run free; after five years of shifting justifications for diverting to Iraq, and flip-flops regarding the importance of capturing or killing the rebel leader and his band of thugs. They are now reduced to arguing that the best place to wage their 'war on terror' is in Iraq. As Bush put it, Iraq is the "center" of his terror war. Why? "Because bin-Laden says so."
"We know what the terrorists intend to do because they've told us -- and we need to take their words seriously." Bush said last September.
Bush and his minions are more than content to listen to the terrorists, and they want us to listen too. "Don't believe me," Bush told Americans in his Rose Garden news conference last October. "Listen to the enemy, or listen to Mr. Zawahri, the number two of al Qaeda, both of whom made it clear that Iraq is central in their plans."
"I take the words of the enemy very seriously," Bush said, "and so should the American people."
The consequence of allowing Bush and Cheney to continue to prosecute their counter-productive militarism would be that bin-Laden and his accomplices would be able to continue to run loose in Afghanistan/Pakistan while the administration continues to direct the bulk of our defenses the other direction, to Iraq.
That's Bush and Cheney's promise to the American people. "For as long as Bush is president," as he has said, " they will continue to sacrifice lives and limbs in Iraq (where 16 of his intelligence agencies say our occupation is creating terrorists, not eliminating them) and continue to short-shrift the search for the leaders of the original al-Qaeda who are influencing other combatants with the example of their historic attack on the U.S. and their escape from justice.
"Remember what al Qaeda is betting on here," Cheney told Limbaugh. "What they're betting is that they can break our will, that they can, in fact, force the American people to retreat, that we'll finally get tired of the battle and go home, and then they win. The only way they can win is if we quit. And to adopt a policy that says we're going to withdraw from Iraq would do precisely that, and in effect, hands victory to the terrorists, it validates the whole al Qaeda strategy," Cheney said.
Whatever 'al-Qaeda' is betting on, we can be certain that one of those bets covers their safety from prosecution as they enjoy the 'safe-haven' Bush has allowed them in Afghanistan by directing the bulk of our nation's defenses to fight and die defending his Iraq junta. Over 3500 have been killed in Iraq alone since the initial invasion. This is what Bush and Cheney insist they are determined to continue, despite the overwhelming opposition around the nation, and, against the will of Congress in legislation passed and legislation pending demanding an end to the occupation and the withdrawal of our soldiers.
Bush and Cheney are dangerous for America. Americans can't afford any more of their reckless indifference to the plights of our soldiers, or to the inevitable and continuing consequences of their assaults against Iraqis. As they continue to allow the original 9-11 suspects to run free, they are themselves free to continue their fearmongering against Americans using the terrorists' specter to brush off criticisms of their unconstitutional manipulations and disregard of the constitution and the rule of law.
Bush and Cheney are busy escalating the danger to our nation using their original lies. They couldn't wait to bury our nation in Iraq, and they won't preside willingly over the digging out. Who are these folks still out there listening and believing them?
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