McCain cites debunked story when describing "evil" last night.

[jefferson_dem]

McCain cites questionable story on 'evil'

A reader points out that John McCain's example of pure evil yesterday rests on a story asserted by Iraqi officials, but since cast into doubt.

"Not long ago in Baghdad, Al Qaeda took two young women who were mentally disabled and put suicide vests on them, sent them intto a marketplace, and by remote control, detonated those suicide vests," McCain told Rick Warren. "If that isn't evil, you have to tell me what is."

The horrifying story that terrorists used two women with Down Syndrome to carry bombs was a sensation in February, but the New York Times later suggested it hadn't happened that way:

Psychiatric case files of two female suicide bombers who killed nearly 100 people in Baghdad this month show that they suffered from depression and schizophrenia but do not contain information indicating they had Down syndrome, American officials said Wednesday.

In the aftermath of the Feb. 1 bombings — the most devastating attacks in Baghdad since summer — Iraqi officials said that the women had Down syndrome, a genetic disorder. They based their opinion partly on the appearance of the remains of the women, whose heads, as often happens in suicide bombings, were severed by the blasts.

A senior American commander in Baghdad, Maj. Gen. Jeffery W. Hammond, also said there were indications that the women were mentally disabled and were unwitting victims of insurgents.

The information led to reports that Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, a homegrown Sunni extremist group that American officials say is led by foreigners, had been using mentally disabled people as suicide bombers.

But a senior American military spokesman said Wednesday that it remained unclear whether the women had Down syndrome or suffered from any medical condition that would have prevented them from understanding what they were doing.

Not that the suicide bombings weren't evil enough. But the Down Syndrome bombers -- as they were described at the time -- seems to be an urban legend.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0808/McCain_cites_questionable_story_on_evil.html

[patrice]

1. Down Syndrome = huge, VERY reliable Disabled/Special Olympics' vote.

[Muttocracy]

2. kick. I wonder about the bear DNA story too. nt

[starroute]

8. True but terribly distorted -- and not pork at all

The DNA study was mandated under the Endangered Species Act as an essential means of preserving one of our most emblematic native species.

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=mccains-beef-with-bears

February 8, 2008

Republican presidential hopeful John McCain is a well-known critic of frivolous government spending otherwise known as pork: those pricey projects that legislators routinely—and surreptitiously—slip into appropriations packages to benefit their own districts and bring them coveted votes. But scientists charge that an important study of grizzly bear DNA has gotten caught in the crosshairs as the veteran Arizona lawmaker attempts to showcase his creds as a crusader against wasteful government spending. ...

"This is not pork barrel at all," says Richard Mace, a research biologist with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP). "We have a federal law called the Endangered Species Act and the federal government is supposed to help identify and conserve threatened species."

The grizzly has been listed as a threatened species since 1975 and scientists say that it is essential to get a handle on the population to preserve it. But, according to Kendall, until the feds decided to invest in this grizzly bear DNA study, researchers lacked the funds to conduct research at the scale necessary to get a reliable measure. ...

In response, the USGS set aside $250,000 to launch the Northern Divide Grizzly Bear Project; the next year, Congress stepped in to provide additional funding, and from 2003 to 2007 appropriated $4.8 million to the effort, Kendall says.

[BrklynLiberal]

3. Why should McSame let the truth or falsity of a story bother him now?

It never bothered him before.

[geckosfeet]

4. He also repeated the "millions of people make living off of E-Bay" crock.

Millions of people may sell stuff on E-Bay, but they sure as hell don't make a living from it.

[MadMaddie]

7. As if E-bay is the basis of this economy!

McCain is an idoit!

[CitizenPatriot]

10. he doesn't get

that ebay is reselling a pre-existing item. Not a good long term plan for the economy. we need manufacturing jobs and we need product we make to sell. duh.

[hedgehog]

5. Just like Uncle Ronnie used to tell stories about what he saw when he

liberated Auschwitz

[babylonsister]

6. Maybe he can relate; didn't his evil presence in an Iraqi marketplace

cause 'evil' to happen after he left?

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article1604931.ece

The latest massacre of Iraqi children came as 21 Shia market workers were ambushed, bound and shot dead north of the capital. The victims came from the Baghdad market visited the previous day by John McCain, the US presidential candidate, who said that an American security plan in the capital was starting to show signs of progress.

[formercia]

9. Run by Xtian right-wing reactionaries with Saudi money.

"The information led to reports that Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, a homegrown Sunni extremist group that American officials say is led by foreigners, had been using mentally disabled people as suicide bombers."

That's why the hands-off with Syria.

Real Muslims don't kill innocent civilians.

[autorank]

11. Curious ring this al Queada group

First the purported leader has been killed several times. This must have some impact on how the
organization functions. Many of these groups in the ME have a GLADIO ring to them. They create chaos
and death that justifies further involvement by Bush-Cheney.

There are Christian organizations who actively seek conflict in the Middle East. This one, the
Sojourners, is preoccupied with Iraq (its a policy pre war). Who are they?
http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=action.6_point_plan

Then we have the original terrorists in the Middle East, the PLFP, which was run by George Habbash, a
Christian and other Middle East Christians. Wonder what his connections were? Some were from Syria.
And isn't there some prophesy about the end of Islam that might be motivating people.

The world is much more complex than the simplicities coming out of McCain's campaign. He's whistling
past the grave yard and not looking to see what's really going on, not even curious. He has a real
lust for conflict - "There will be more wars." What a guy for president. Talk about a self-fulfilling
prophesy!

[formercia]

12. Perhaps we will hear more as time goes on

and bits of the puzzle enter the public domain.


Nothing like a trial or lawsuit to chisel things into stone.