From Today's papers on Slate:
snip...
In a double-column off-lead, the NYT has what seems to be a giant story: According to emails and named sources, in February Saddam tried to convey through backchannels that he was willing to do just about anything—including holding U.N.-supervised elections and letting U.S. investigators roam around Iraq looking for banned weapons— to avoid an invasion. Approached by intermediaries about the potential offer, White House advisor Richard Perle told the Times though he was "dubious" he dutifully passed the offer up the chain of command at which point he was told the bosses weren't interested: "The message was, `Tell them that we will see them in Baghdad.' " (ABC News and Newsweek also have similar reports.)
Before you get too excited: The WP, which plays follow-up and files a short dispatch, essentially dismisses the alleged backchannel. It avoids any spicy quotes from Perle (see above) and instead suggests that Perle agreed with the White House's decision. "I had doubts about whether there was a real offer, because the Iraqis had a lot of ways to get in touch with the U.S.," Perle told the Post.
Meanwhile, the Times' case that the backchannel offer was a serious missed opportunity relies heavily—in fact, almost exclusively—on the intermediary who approached Perle, a Lebanese-American businessman named Imad Hage. Hage details the various meetings he had with top Iraqi officials and how they were begging to do anything to avoid war. "At least
could have talked to them," says Hage, in the last, line of the article.
Despite the reliance on Hage, the Times doesn't tell readers what might be motivating his decision to tell his story, seven months after the invasion. Blogger/journalist Josh Marshall, meanwhile, has a solid theory, namely that Hage is trying to make himself and particularly one of his co-intermediaries look like angels. And though the Times doesn't mention it, Hage might have another job apart from his gig as Mr. Give Peace a Chance. According to an August Knight Ridder story, Hage is "under federal investigation for possible involvement in a gun-running scheme to Liberia."
snip...
http://slate.msn.com/id/2090849/
And here is the link to Josh Marshall....
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2003_11_02.html#002171