Posted on 06/17/2004 12:36:46 PM PDT by MadIvan
Downing Street insists Saddam created permissive environment for Al-Qaeda terrorists in Iraq.
LONDON - Saddam Hussein allowed Al-Qaeda-linked groups to operate in Iraq, Britain insisted on Thursday despite an official US inquiry conclusion that there was no evidence linking the regime and the extremist network.
Saddam created a "a permissive environment" for terrorists, a spokesman for Prime Minister Tony Blair said, while not claiming a direct connection.
"The prime minister has always said Saddam created a permissive environment for terrorism and we know that the people affiliated to Al-Qaeda operated in Iraq during the regime," the spokesman said.
"The prime minister always made it clear that Saddam's was a rogue state which threatened the security of the region and the world."
A report released Wednesday by the US national inquiry commission into the September 11, 2001 attacks said there was no "credible evidence" Iraq had helped Al-Qaeda stage its attacks on the United States.
There was also no sign of any "collaborative relationship" between Baghdad and the network, it said.
The findings contradict previous statements by a series of top US figures, notably Vice President Dick Cheney.
Blair backed the US-led war to remove Saddam last year, insisting that the regime posed a danger due to its stocks of illegal weaponry, but did not use any Al-Qaeda links as direct justification.
Regards, Ivan
Latest: England 3, Switzerland 0
Ping!
Thanks, Ivan! The press and the commission are a disgrace.
Keep repeating the lie, and by November most people will believe it.
Hey, Ivan, noting the flag, are you working for the international Red Cross now? ;-)
I seriously hope this is no surprise to anyone.
Ping!!
I think there were 15 pages by the 9-11 commission that linked terror and al Qaeda to Iraq and Saddam.
The issue is the Democrats and press jumped on the one line in one thousand that misrepresented the facts by saying there was no exact 9-11 link.
There are terrorist links everywhere and the report doesn't deny this, it just states no proven 9/11 link and that wasn't the reason we are there in Iraq.
We are there because of all the terror links, death, torture and monies given to finance terror and terror acts by Saddam.
Libs won't get this, so just tell them we went in for Saddam having no fashion sense ane they will want his head on a plate.
"The issue is the Democrats and press jumped on the one line in one thousand that misrepresented the facts by saying there was no exact 9-11 link."
Thats exactly what they did with David Kay's reports.
It's too easy to point out and this all works to the advantages of conservatives.
The press and liberals are proven to be lying for political advantage and that is going to come back and permanently bite them in the future.
I think that is happening on a significant level to the press and Democrats now, so this isn't going to do damage OUR way.
Well, as Steven Hayes said on Britt Hume the other evening, there is enough proof of a linkage to fill an entire book--and he has done so. ("The Connection")
Since most of the Brit press is just as bad as ours there probably will not be a better story.
One would have to read the actual report to find out the "missing" truth that they DID put in their summary.
BTW Iraq and Al Queada was not really their mandate, Bush and Blair have NEVER said Iraq was behind 9/11.
It's that old "bush says he never beat his wife" type question.
Yes, the exact same verbiage that Maddie Not-so-Bright used in describing why the Clinton administration never made a move against UBL. Does anyone wonder anymore what clintonista Gorelick's function is on this commission?
Throwing fodder for Kerry's campaign.
Hiding Gorelick within this group of in charge examiners the one person most responsible for turning our intelligence system inoperative are the hallmark of this commission.
Democrats masterly hid within their ranks a key person from having to answer, under oath, how she dismantled and made our intelligence ineffective.
This is absolutely false. There is not contradiction, and the President made exactly this point to the press today.
This source is discrediting itself.
The Co Chairmans of the Commission said they did have contact, ...just not 911 collaborations....
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