Bush ordered 'contingency' plan for confronting Iraq during Afghan war

AP | 3/24/04

[kattracks]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush directed the Pentagon to develop plans to confront Iraq if it tried to exploit the U.S. military's engagement with Afghanistan in fall 2001, a White House official said Wednesday.

But spokesman Scott McClellan insisted the "contingency" plan was not a blueprint for a full-scale invasion of Iraq, as Bush's former counterterrorism chief contends in a new book.

"Obviously, it was important to have contingencies in place in case Iraq tried to take advantage of the president's military action in Afghanistan," McClellan said.

Moreover, Iraq had been firing for years at American pilots patroling the no-fly zone there, McClellan said.

But he stressed that the decision to invade Iraq a year ago "came much later."

Any suggestion that Bush was drawing up plans in 2001 for the Iraq war he launched in March 2003 is "revisionist history," McClellan said.

Clarke wrote in the book that Bush was preoccupied with Iraq before and after the attacks, at the expense of fighting al-Qaida. Bush asked him just after the Sept. 11 terror attacks to find out whether Iraq was involved in the suicide hijackings, Clarke wrote.

The White House has bristled at the suggestion that Bush planned to invade Iraq before March 2003 -- an accusation that former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill, another administration official now critical of Bush, also made in a recent book.

[kattracks]

Bush asked him just after the Sept. 11 terror attacks to find out whether Iraq was involved in the suicide hijackings, Clarke wrote.

That;s not what Clarke said in this 2002 Frontline interview. In fact, he didn't mention Iraq at all.

Because one of the things that surprises a lot of the public, I think, is that immediately after Sept. 11, the administration knew exactly who had done it. Was that why?

No. On the day of Sept. 11, then the day or two following, we had a very open mind. CIA and FBI were asked, "See if it's Hezbollah. See if it's Hamas. Don't assume it's Al Qaeda. Don't just assume it's Al Qaeda." Frankly, there was absolutely not a shred of evidence that it was anybody else. The evidence that it was Al Qaeda began just to be massive within days after the attack.

[Howlin]

President Bush directed the Pentagon to develop plans to confront Iraq if it tried to exploit the U.S. military's engagement with Afghanistan in fall 2001, a White House official said Wednesday.

How dare he! He should have done what any decent, thinking president would have done: left our flank exposed!

Damnit, we're America. We deserve what we get!

[Howlin]

Well, well, get a look at this.

I wonder if I start using cuss words, will I get banned?

[Howlin]

Well, well, get a look at this.

I wonder if I start using cuss words, will I get banned?

[stylin19a]

I don't know what the big deal is about President Bush going to War with Iraq.

X42i signed into law "The Iraq Liberation Act" on 10/31/1998. It includes regime change in Iraq.
It was passed unanmimously by the Senate ( remember that Sen. Kerry ? )

President Bush was carrying out the law.

Ok, now everyone can go home....

[Howlin]

I am updating the LIVE THREAD PING LIST.

If you want ON or OFF, please Freepmail me

[hoosiermama]

Was reading it as you posted......just dam....is acceptable I believe.

[Southflanknorthpawsis]

I wonder if I start using cuss words, will I get banned?

LOL. You could always do the ol' "$#@*&$". Then we could apply our own imagination, relative to our emotions. Hehehehe.......

[nopardons]

Darn paper trail.................LOL

The Dems and Clarke and all of the media sycophants are going to be severely hoisted on their own petards. :-)

[ladyinred]

How much more of this crap can a person take and hold a civil tongue in her mouth eh? I am seething inside today. I may do a man thing and punch a wall or something! :-)

[Texasforever]

Let's see, Bush is condemned for not preemptively attacking Afghanistan before 911 based on available intelligence but is also condemned for attacking Iraq preemptively based on available intelligence. Is that about right?

[Howlin]

Damn internet, you mean.

Imagine what we could find is we had a subscription to LexisNexis.........LOL.

[Amelia]

Does anyone believe we haven't had contingency plans regarding Iraq since at least the Gulf War? I don't.

The official policy of the United States has been regime change in Iraq since 1998.

In 1998 Clarke himself thought al-Qaeda and Iraq were working together to develop chemical weapons.

After the tape Jim Angle dug up today, I'm surprised anyone is talking about Clarke other than to laugh at what a liar he is.

[Carolinamom]

In keeping w/the spirit of the dem campaign, hoist them on their own jacque straps.

[Howlin]

I'm not sure.

Last week, it was that he did TOO MUCH and tricked us all into war.

This week, it is he didn't do enought.

And here's a thought: suppose he had attacked Afghanistan, and 9-11 had still occurred -- because you know they were ALL already 'in country' the day he took office.

What do you think they would have said then?

[nopardons]

No kidding. LOL

It's up to all of us to get the facts spread around and out there. Poor algore must be REALLY sorry he invented the internet. :-)

[AnAmericanMother]

The government has always had contingency plans for dealing with attacks by Iraq, Iran, Canada, Mexico, Kiribati, and the Duchy of New Fenwick.

There are people in the bowels of State who do nothing but consider the unlikely, all day long.

[nopardons]

ROTFLOL !

[Texasforever]

What do you think they would have said then?

They would have said that Osamma was acting in self defense.

[Howlin]

I am seething inside today.

Today, while we were on that live thread, and we were all FUMING, I had this visual of us all over the country, sitting at our computers, poudning away, with STEAM coming out of our ears.

I wondered if you were in space, could you have actually SEEN it.........LOL.