Commission reports "no credible evidence" that al Qaeda and Iraq cooperated in 9/11 attacks on US

cnn.com ^ | 6/16/04 | cnn.com

[NYC Republican]

Developing...

[ChuckShick]

I'm always amazed when I read this story about links between 9/11 and Saddam. Just 2 days after 9/11 the WaPo took a poll and 78% of the public thought there was a connection. The Bush administration had not spoken on the issue at that point. Yet the press blames Bush for propelling that view. While the facts show that the administration has said the opposite (whether we agree or not) and the WaPo has done subesequent polls on the issue with the latest in August 2003 showing that the number is now down to 69%. The press has pushed the issue but they blame Bush for it. Oh well.

Here's the WaPo link http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/vault/stories/data082303.htm

[Monty22]

"Unfortunately, President Bush never directly came out and said "Even though we haven't found a direct link, Iraq is a danger because of X,Y, and Z... in light of the new world-wide environment of terror threats, we need to be forceful in protecting America, including pre-emptive actions..."

If he doesn't say something like that, soon.. Like today, jeez. He's just asking for trouble.

[johnb838]

But directly tied to the 9-11 plot? I do not recall that.

Last summer or fall, the Administration stated publicly that they DID NOT have any evidence that Iraq cooperated with al-Queda on 9-11.

It's just like this Abu Grab prison thing. The Administration took action, announced what they were doing, and got accused of a coverup anyway.

When you're going to get skewered no matter what you do, you might as well go ahead and do the right thing, IMO.

[NYC Republican]

See post #38, the last paragraph... I'm concerned that President Bush didn't do enough to either state the connection, or squash it outright... Now he'll be accused of propogating that thought by not directly addressing it...

[vivabushchick]

By placing an emphasis on "credible evidence", this 911 gang can dismiss anything. Funny how they can omit information on possible terrorist links( which has been reported in the Standard) from their findings yet they most emphatically criticized Bush for not jumping on the gun when he was presented with what they described as the "writing on the wall". See the following for more www.ezboard.com ,Raiders, Saddam & AL Qaeda

[jpl]

So the commission is going to make absolutely no mention at all of Mohammed Atta's multiple visits to Prague to meet with Iraqi intelligence agents in their reports? Wow, talk about a whitewash.

[Law is not justice but process]

This is precisely the reason that thread was created - makes responding to stories like this easy. The headline reads "Commission reports "no credible evidence" that Al Qaeda and Iraq cooperated in 9/11 attacks on US." Shall we parse?

Doesn't pertain to all Iraq and AQ cooperation, just cooperation on 9-11.

Doesn't say no evidence of 9-11 cooperation, but no credible evidence. If there is evidence, how about releasing it and letting us judge its credibility for ourselves? WHAT IS THIS ALLEGEDLY NON-CREDIBLE EVIDENCE?

If there wasn't cooperation, was there still material support from Iraq to AQ during that time period? Cooperation is a strong word and there is a lot of support that falls short of cooperation.

I always wondered if those parsing skills I developed during the Clinton Administration would come in handy!

[Mr. Jeeves]

The Commission comes to the exact conclusion it was created and staffed to come to.

Big surprise.

[sarasota]

Believe our party is resting up for a stronger push in September. It's summer vacation time and people are being pulled in different directions. June 30 is a critical date as well. Let's see how things play out in July/August and drop the hammers in September.

[sarasota]

Wonder how much it cost taxpayers?

[Peach]

That was really excellent parsing.

Additionally, I'd like to know WHY the Commission is even examining this.

The president has never said that Iraq WAS responsible for working with AQ regarding 9/11. The intelligence agencies have never said they were responsible either.

What the president and others have said is that this is a war on TERROR in general and that Iraq supported terrorists.

[vivabushchick]

In a word, Condoleeza. Not exactly an attack dog but she has been great at taking on the press.

[Law is not justice but process]

From your other post ":The commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks reported Wednesday that Osama bin Laden met with a top Iraqi official in 1994 but found "no credible evidence" of a link between Iraq and al Qaeda in attacks against the United States"

Sounds like the "no credible evidence" line was just to try to balance that rather INCREDIBLY DAMNING fact that Osama met directly with Iraq during the Clinton Administration. No cooperation on 9-11 clearly doesn't mean "no relationship between Saddam and Osama"!! Next thing you will tell me is there is no credible evidence of cooperation between Chirac and Saddam during the run up to the War against Saddam.

[TexKat]

9/11 Panel Says Iraq Rebuffed Bin Laden

The independent commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks has found that the Pentagon's domestic air-defense command was disastrously unprepared for a major terrorist strike on American soil, The New York Times reported on June 16, 2004. The commission says the air-defense command was slow and confused in its response to the airliner hijacking attacks on New York and Washington, according to officials who have read a draft report of the commission's findings, the paper said. Two Air-Defense Fighter F-16A Fighting Falcons lead an F-15C Eagle during a combat air patrol mission over Washington D.C. in November 2001. Photo by Greg L. Davis/Usaf/Reuters

[Mister Baredog]

The same report documents Al Queda/Iraq connections going back years.

Isn't that what the WH said?

No one ever said they had a part in 9/11.

It's the next attack were trying to avoid.

I'm sure Saddam would have liked to get in on the action at some point.

[Law is not justice but process]

"When you're going to get skewered no matter what you do, you might as well go ahead and do the right thing, IMO."

Absolutely right.

[johnb838]

Another way to say it is: "There's a certain freedom in knowing you're completely and utterly screwed."

[Law is not justice but process]

" No one ever said they had a part in 9/11"

I will say it. I think Saddam and his intelligence operatives provided aid and comfort and even active support to Al Quaida during the period they were planning and executing the 9-11 plot. I believe this makes Saddam at least partially responsible for the actions of Al Quaida on the same basis many apportion blame for Israel's actions to the U.S. I believe that is a link of Saddam to 9-11 and I believe Saddam was an accessory before the fact of 9-11.

Some may argue it is not a "direct" link. Well, maybe Iraq did not participate in planning the attack, but they clearly had at least some foreknowledge of the attack and its targets. Just that fact would make Saddam guilty of the common law crime of misprison of a felony. I have seen people in the U.S. convicted and sentenced on less evidence than what is contained in the oft-cited article in the Saddamite newspaper foreshadowing 9-11. Why should Saddam be entitled to a greater burden of proof than any defendant in a U.S. criminal court?

What evidence supports my belief? Read through the links posted by Peach earlier in this thread. Read all of it. Judge the volume and credibility of the evidence for yourself. I have, and I vote to find Saddam Hussein guilty of being an accessory before the fact of the 9-11 attacks.

[Pietro]

"You've got to wonder just how much more of these blistering attacks President Bush can stand, before collapsing."

The media has been so far over the top on their attacks that I think people are beginning to tune them out.

NPR this morning was reporting that the economy, although it looks strong, is really weak. This followed by a report on Hallibrton and KBR doing "war-profiteering".

I've never seen the dims so desparate and so totaly unable to gain any traction.

[Sam's Army]

Does anyone still have the pic of the soldiers who found the painting that depicted Saddam smiling with the Twin Towers in the background burning?