9-11 report shows no Iraq-Al Qaeda link

That's why the administration fought the 9-11 report so hard!

The report of the joint congressional inquiry into the suicide hijackings on Sept. 11, 2001, to be published Thursday, reveals U.S. intelligence had no evidence that the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein was involved in the attacks, or that it had supported al-Qaida, United Press International has learned.

"The report shows there is no link between Iraq and al-Qaida," said a government official who has seen the report.

Former Democratic Georgia Sen. Max Cleland, who was a member of the joint congressional committee that produced the report, confirmed the official's statement.

Asked whether he believed the report will reveal that there was no connection between al-Qaida and Iraq, Cleland replied: "I do ... There's no connection, and that's been confirmed by some of (al-Qaida leader Osama) bin Laden's terrorist followers."

The revelation is likely to embarrass the Bush administration, which made links between Saddam's support for bin Laden -- and the attendant possibility that Iraq might supply al-Qaida with weapons of mass destruction -- a major plank of its case for war.

Embarrass? Bullshit. It's clear evidence of another administration LIE -- claimed in Bush's SOTU address no less -- that ties existed between Saddam Hussein's Iraq and Al Qaeda.

Just to make clear -- Bush directly contradicted clear evidence offered by our intelligence agencies. As Cleland says,

"The reason this report was delayed for so long -- deliberately opposed at first, then slow-walked after it was created -- is that the administration wanted to get the war in Iraq in and over ... before (it) came out," he said.

"Had this report come out in January like it should have done, we would have known these things before the war in Iraq, which would not have suited the administration."

Get prepared for a fresh new shitstorm.

Time for administration apologists to run to the SOTU address and count how many words Bush spent claiming Iraq and Al Qaeda were partners in crime. Actually, let me help:

Evidence from intelligence sources, secret communications, and statements by people now in custody reveal that Saddam Hussein aids and protects terrorists, including members of al Qaeda. Secretly, and without fingerprints, he could provide one of his hidden weapons to terrorists, or help them develop their own.

Let's see ... eight, 10, carry the two ... I count 46 words. Plus 16 existing words, that makes, what, 62 words?

Is that enough for conservatives to be concerned, or does it fall short of their mythical baseline for lies (which is apparently nine words about blowjobs).

Posted July 24, 2003 02:14 AM