New ABC: Bush Overstated Alleged Links Between Iraq and al-Qaida

[deacon]

Ex-Officials Dispute Iraq Tie to al-Qaida

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20030713_230.html

snip
As President Bush works to quiet a controversy over his discredited claim of Iraqi uranium shopping in Africa, another of his prewar assertions is coming under fire: the alleged link between Saddam Hussein's regime and al-Qaida.

Before the war, Bush and members of his cabinet said Saddam was harboring top al-Qaida operatives and suggested Iraq could slip the terrorist network chemical, biological or even nuclear weapons. Now, two former Bush administration intelligence officials say the evidence linking Saddam to the group responsible for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks was never more than sketchy at best.

snip

[w13rd0]

1. HAMMER!!!

OVER AND OVER AGAIN!

This administration is either EVIL or INCOMPETENT, take your damn pick, they can be both, but they certainly can't be neither. LIE after LIE after LIE for the advancement of the PNAC agenda. Hey, where'd those PNAC guys go?

[annagull]

2. Lie after lie that gets our Kids killed!

Shut up you damn Bush!! Stop killing our children, you useless piece of shit! Go back to your Crawford pigfarm, a farm devoid of horses---what kind of P.O.S can't even ride a horse on a farm he bought?! You Suck!!!!

[Jack Rabbit]

3. This is going to be fun

After all, very few people beyond the reach of the multinational corporate media took calims of any such ties seriously. This was a lie from the get-go.

And yes, he should go down for it.

[RapidCreek]

4. Overstated?

What the hell does this word mean? I looked in up in Websters and it said "to state in to strong a terms:exaggerate"

Now looking up exaggerate we get this "to enlarge beyond bounds or the truth".

Now tell me if I am missing something here...but ain't this what us great unwashed call lying?

Why is it that everyone is dancing around what the fuck Bush and his cabal are doing? Why do we call it overstating, exaggerating, misstating...etc. etc. Why don't people call it what it is...lying.

I personally think it is time to begin correcting people when they attempt to soften the meaning of the word lie.

RC

[deacon]

6. good point n/t

[w4rma]

7. No kidding. There are NO links between the two. Can't exaggerate nothing

This link between Islamist zealot and secular fascist just doesn't add up
...
Moreover, an al-Qaida-Saddam alliance defies common sense. Osama bin Laden is an Islamist zealot who despises secular fascists such as Saddam. I heard from Bin Laden himself that he is no fan of Saddam. When I met with the Saudi exile in Afghanistan five years ago he volunteered that he thought the Iraqi dictator was a "bad Muslim". For Bin Laden, that's as bad as it gets.
...
This leader is identified as Abu Musab Zarqawi, who, curiously, is so important that he does not appear on the FBI's list of the 22 most wanted terrorists. Indeed, key US investigators tell me that Mr Zarqawi is not a significant player in al-Qaida. In fairness, European intelligence officials do believe that Mr Zarqawi may have played an important role in al-Qaida operations in Europe.
If al-Qaida's connection with Iraq is far from proven, its links with Saudi Arabia are real. This is not to suggest that the Saudi government, which is also a target of al-Qaida, has actively supported the group. However, Saudi citizens have provided financial and logistical support to al-Qaida and the Saudi government has been unwilling or unable to stop them.

Despite the fact that most of the September 11 hijackers were Saudi, the government is barely cooperating with the US investigation into the attacks. The printable words US investigators use to describe the Saudi attitude towards their inquiries are "obstructionist", "useless" and "despicable".
...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/alqaida/story/0,12469,885139,00.html

DUBAI - A taped message believed to be from fugitive militant Osama bin Laden on Tuesday warned Arab nations against supporting a war against Iraq as threatened by the United States -- but branded Saddam Hussein an infidel.
...
But the statement did not express support for Saddam. It said Muslims should support the Iraqi people rather than the country's government.

Concern that the United States has not made a valid case for war against Iraq has already divided the NATO Western alliance, with France, Germany and Belgium refusing to back preparations to assist fellow-member Turkey in the event of war.

A NATO official in Brussels said after two days of deadlock that efforts to break the impasse in the alliance would continue through the night, with a meeting of its North Atlantic Council set for 3:45 a.m. EST on Wednesday.

While urging Muslims to support the Iraqi people and repel any attack on their country, the tape said Saddam's secular "socialist" government had lost credibility.

"Socialists are infidels wherever they are," the statement said. But it added: "It does not hurt that in current circumstances, the interests of Muslims coincide with the interests of the socialists in the war against crusaders."
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0211-11.htm

FBI website: The 19 suspected hijackers (Note 8 of them are listed as "Possible Saudi national" and Iraq or Iraqi is not found anywhere on the page)
http://www.fbi.gov/pressrel/pressrel01/092701hjpic.htm

[JackSwift]

5. Iraq had nothing to do with Al Queda

But the Bush family and Bin Ladin family used to be business partners.

[Peachhead22]

8. Al_Queda is there now

I think Al-Queda is in Iraq now. It's turning into a much larger version of Somalia, one that "*" created. One that we won't be able to get out of so easily.

The borders are porous, the security situation stinks, there's 145,000 terrorist targets and the war was an effective recruiting device for Al-Queda.

That's definitely not to say Al-Queda was in Iraq when Saddam was in charge there. Don't let "*" get awayu with saying "they're there now, what's the difference?" SH and Osama bin Forgotton hated each other. They're both anti-US, but that doesn't mean they were working together.