New 9/11 Probe Could Spotlight Iraq Link

NewsMax ^ | 8/27/05 | NewsMax

[wagglebee]

Congressional hearings coming this fall into revelations by the military intelligence group Able Danger could spotlight other evidence overlooked by the 9/11 Commission: including a March 2001 report suggesting that Osama bin Laden was working with Iraqi intelligence operatives in Germany at a time when Mohamed Atta and two other 9/11 hijack team leaders were living in Hamburg.

On March 16, 2001, the Paris-based newspaper Al Watan al Arabi reported: "Two Iraqis were arrested in Germany, charged with spying for Baghdad. The arrests came in the wake of reports that Iraq was reorganizing the external branches of its intelligence service and that it had drawn up a plan to strike at US interests around the world through a network of alliances with extremist fundamentalist parties."

Al Watan said that German intelligence was investigating "serious indications of cooperation between Iraq and bin Ladin.* The matter was considered so important that a special team of CIA and FBI agents was sent to Germany to interrogate the two Iraqi spies."

The pre-9/11 Al Watan report continued:

"German authorities were surprised by the arrest of the two Iraqi agents and the discovery of Iraqi intelligence activities in several German cities. German authorities, acting on CIA recommendations, had been focused on monitoring the activities of Islamic groups linked to bin Ladin."

The Weekly Standard, which covered the quotes this week based on a report by Captain's Quarter's blogger Ed Morrissey," noted:

"Despite this contemporaneous report about the nature of the German arrests and the involvement of American counterintelligence officials in the investigation, not a word of the affair appears in the 9/11 Commission's final report."

This fall's hearings will undoubtedly begin with questions about why both the 9/11 Commission and the Clinton administration dismissed Able Danger's stunning identification of Mohamed Atta inside the U.S.

But any congressional investigation that doesn't explore other possible bombshells that were overlooked - including indications of possible Iraqi involvement in the 9/11 attacks - will leave even more important questions unanswered.

* Al Watan spelling

[Southack]

"Democrats can not afford to have an Al Qaeda/Iraq or a 9/11-Iraq link verified. Their entire objection to the war is based on that. Ever notice how belligerent they get when the slightest suggestion about Iraq and 9/11 or Al Qaeda is mentioned? This would completely blow them out of the water."

On the contrary. If Democrats give up their current strategy of complete capitulation to the terrorists, it would **save** the Democratic Party from losing every national election for decades to come.

Should the Democrats ever have an "Ah Ha!" moment that causes them to say that open war is justified and demanded, the current political equation will turn on a dime.

Senator Kerry, Senator Kennedy, and Senator Clinton all marching in to a press conference to demand full scale war due to Iraq's (and others) proven links to 9/11 would change national politics in a heartbeat.

Traditionally, the Left always advocates violence eventually, anyway (think: Pol Pot, Stalin, Lenin, Castro, Che Gueverra, Kim Il Sung, etc.). Their anti-war posturing nonsense is merely due to vestigial political baggage from long-duped political converts...an act at best, believed by few of their own diehards (certainly not by the Black Bloc, the anarchists, Animal Liberation Front, Weather Underground, Black Panthers, ACT UP, or Earth First).

At some point Democrats may get so tired of losing elections that they re-visit the politics of their uber-hero FDR, who certainly didn't eschew violence. When/if that point is reached, the Left's Cindy Sheehan-style useful idiots will cease being useful and will be cut loose or devoured by the Left's new war dogs.

[Southack]

c#21

[kabar]

Though why the president and his people don't talk more about this evidence is surprising to me.

The President has always said that there was no proven connection between Iraq and 9/11, which is also stated in the 9/11 Commission report. Although the Left has a hard time admitting it, the 9/11 Commission confirmed that there were AQ/Iraqi intelligence connections, albeit non-operational ones.

If it could be proved that AQ and Iraqi intelligence planned 9/11 together, the Dems would probably say. "Yeah, but Bush didn't know that when he invaded Iraq."

[Springman]

Ping for later.

[billnaz]

Slick Willie sees his legacy, and it's him getting his jollies in the Oval Office while the terrorists were planning 9/11. He has to be an unhappy camper right now.

But maybe he doesn't care. Hillary's off doing her thing with whoever, and his neighbor in Chappaqua is standing, er, kneeling in for Monica.

[zendari]

I wonder if the lefties who whine

Iraq had nothing to do with 911

will shut up now.

[EverOnward]

bump

[Congressman Billybob]

You offer a logical explanation as to why the Democrat Party should turn on a dime if this info comes out. Well, it is out now in the blogosphere, but with Senator Spector trying to take his hearing before Representative Weldon can take his, this will become public shortly.

There's nothing wrong with your logic. Only with your assumption that sheer necessity will make the Democrats change. The civics book assumption is that all parties exist for the purpose of winning the next election. But, if that were true, the Democrats would never have nominated McGovern, Dukakis, and Carter (the second time). But they did, and lost ignominiously.

Internal dynamics sometimes cause parties to run off a cliff, even when some of the cows see it coming and bleat in advance. In addition to this defect, the other is the Clinton factor. At present, Clinton (her) owns the Democrat Party and its nomination. Revelations that Clinton (him) deliberately squashed investigations that might have prevented 9/11 will also savage her. So, as long as she's in control, the lies must and will continue.

When and if the Democrats dumb and denounce both of the Clintons, your scenario might work out. Until then, it is logical but will not happen.

Congressman Billybob

Latest column: "This is a Court. Tuck in Your Shirt."

[My2Cents]

Hey hey hey!

[My2Cents]

Lookie here.

[beyond the sea]

The Warren Report was right up there.

[beyond the sea]

Apparently, the term "overlooked" is a euphemism for "covered up."

LOL....... and Sandy Berger is just "a messy fellow".

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I've been predicting that another awful story about the Clintons would slither out.

[JediForce]

I respectfully disagree. Had Atta and company been under surveillance, questioned, or otherwise tipped off that the FBI were interested in them...it may...however unlikely...have changed the course of their plans.

Remember the 9/11 special on N.G. said Osama wanted them to move more quickly with the plan for fear they may have been uncovered? Apparently Able Danger had uncovered them...just not the plan.

Makes me wonder if Osama got a tip from somewhere thus bringing on his concern and rush to move up the attacks by 5 weeks.

Just more we need to find out in the hearings.
JEDI.

[Uncle Vlad]

Oh no, this would never see the light of day in the "media."

We're the media now.

[Uncle Vlad]

Oh no, this would never see the light of day in the "media."

We're the media now.

[Uncle Vlad]

Oh no, this would never see the light of day in the "media."

We're the media now.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

3 X ?

[PeoplesRepublicOfWashington]

Though why the president and his people don't talk more about this evidence is surprising to me.

Let's face it--the Bush Administration rates a D, at best, for communication with the public. I can only hope their lack of communication is related to a desire to protect classified information or sources.

[PGalt]

The anti-truth, anti-freedom, anti-life domestic enemies (Democratic Crime Syndicate) have more in common with terrorism than they do with any poster on this thread.

Witness them. They devalue life through their words and deeds.