Posted on 02/09/2007 6:19:47 AM PST by SoFloFreeper
A "very damning" report by the Defense Department's inspector general depicts a Pentagon that purposely manipulated intelligence in an effort to link Saddam Hussein to al-Qaida in the runup to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, says the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
"That was the argument that was used to make the sale to the American people about the need to go to war," said Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich. He said the Pentagon's work, "which was wrong, which was distorted, which was inappropriate ... is something which is highly disturbing."
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Link me, baby!!! I want that speech!
If the Pentagon manipulated intel, they must have started in the 90's:
The 90's:
Saddam's Fingerprints on NY Bombing
June 28, 1993. The Wall Street Journal. Laurie Mylroie
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1115387/posts
The Clinton Justice Department's indictment against OBL in federal court which mentions the terrorist's connections to Iraq.
November 4, 1998. The federal indictment
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/985906/posts?page=30#30
Iraq and AQ agree to cooperate. The federal indictment against OBL working in concert with Iraq and Iran is mentioned.
November 1998. The New York Times
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/985906/posts
Saddam reaching out to OBL
January 1, 1999. Newsweek
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1158277/posts
ABC news reports on the Osama/Saddam connections
January 14, 1999. ABC News
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1229608/posts?page=1
Osama and Saddam Work Together
January 27, 1999. Laurie Mylroie interview. She is a former Clinton terrorism czar.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1158482/posts
A Much Shunned Terrorist Takes Refuge In Iraq (Abu Nidal)
New York Times. January 1999.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1433610/posts
Western Nightmare: Saddam and OBL versus the World. Iraq recruited OBL.
February 6, 1999. The Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/alqaida/story/0,12469,798270,00.html
Saddam's Link to OBL
February 6, 1999. The Guardian
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/866105/posts
Saddam offered asylum to bin Laden
February 13, 1999. Associated Press
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1158274/posts
Son of Saddam coordinates with OBL.
Iraqi Special Ops coordinates with Bin Laden's terrorist activities.
August 6, 1999. Yossef Bodansky, National Press Club
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/951911/posts
List of newspaper articles written in the 90's which mention the world's concern regarding the growing relationship between OBL and Saddam.
FrontPage Magazine.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/946809/posts?page=1
The Clinton View of Iraq/AQ Ties.
The Weekly Standard.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/003/527uwabl.asp
I continually point to the Beirut Conference in 2001 prior to 9/11 in which all the major terrorist organizations, to include Al Qaeda, and major terror sponsoring nations got together for a powwow.
If I recall that was reported by Newsweek.
Here's a 3 Star speaking of an Al Qaeda/Iraq connection. I've got dozens of these links.
http://regimeofterror.com/archives/2006/09/3star_general_reveals_addition/
As always, our problem has been the decision of the White House never to fight to prove their point. They've always simply rolled over to the media and the libs.
FYI, the autopsy on Anna Nicole has started.
uh...wait is this the Dog Chapman thread? Man, I'm lost!
The investigation found that the "contention that the CIA had underplayed the likelihood of an al-Qaida connection, was inappropriate but not illegal", and that "former Pentagon policy chief Douglas J. Feith had not engaged in illegal activities through the creation of special offices to review intelligence".
So, the bottom line is he did nothing wrong - "inappropriate", perhaps, but not wrong, much less illegal. For his part, Feith strongly denies the allegation:
"The policy office has been smeared for years by allegations that its pre-Iraq-war work was somehow 'unlawful' or 'unauthorized' and that some information it gave to congressional committees was deceptive or misleading," Feith said.
"Feith called "bizarre" the inspector general's conclusion that some intelligence activities by the Office of Special Plans, which was created while Feith served as the undersecretary of defense for policy the top policy position under Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld were inappropriate but not unauthorized."
A far cry from the implication purposely created in the headline, isn't it? Oh, and there is one little lie embedded in the story, which I won't let pass:
"The 2004 report from the Sept. 11 commission found no evidence of a collaborative relationship between Saddam and Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terror organization before the U.S. invasion."
Sorry - WRONG - that's not what the commission found. The commission found no connection between Saddam and Osama with regard to the attacks of 9/11 ONLY. The many connections between Saddam, his military intelligence network, and al-Qaida operatives are well-documented and easy to research (unless you are a moonbat reported with a left-wing agenda and no interest in the truth).
What Pentagon? The Clinton Pentagon with Wesley Clark and other Clintonites or the Bush Pentagon? It seems to me that the ranting against Saddam and his weaponry started well before GW Bush was elected or even in a presidential race. Many of the poltical rants were by Democrats. Who briefed the incoming president on Saddam? Sandy Berger has much to answer.
The Pentagon manipulated Intel? I guess I'm going to be buying strictly AMD, IBM and Freescale from now on. Screw Intel.
Maybe OBL was just gossiping over the backyard fence with Saddam about what his plans were for America.
Fritz Hollings mentioned on the floor of the Senate that Iraq's state run newspaper knew exactly what was coming to the United States -- in July 2001 they published an article about it.
http://freerepublic.com/focus/news/1472699/posts?page=1
Less than two months before 9/11/01, the state-controlled Iraqi newspaper Al-Nasiriya carried a column headlined, American, an Obsession called Osama Bin Ladin. (July 21, 2001)
In the piece, Baath Party writer Naeem Abd Muhalhal predicted that bin Laden would attack the US with the seriousness of the Bedouin of the desert about the way he will try to bomb the Pentagon after he destroys the White House.
The same state-approved column also insisted that bin Laden will strike America on the arm that is already hurting, and that the US will curse the memory of Frank Sinatra every time he hears his songs an apparent reference to the Sinatra classic, New York, New York.
Libs don't care whether there was a connection with Saddam/ alQ or WMD's or anything. ALL they care about is bringing George Bush down and winning elections. And they will do ANYTHING they can to do that. This is true evil, I believe, done in the name of power.
OK, and the DHS OIG lied to congress.
The CIA didn't believe that secular Saddam would cooperate with Al Qaeda.
Saddam was so secular he wrote the Koran in his own blood. It took him three years.
And if he was so darned secular, why did he pay Palestinian families $25,000 for each suicide bomber?
> Libs don't care whether there was a connection with Saddam/ alQ or WMD's or anything. ALL they care about is bringing George Bush down and winning elections.
that is exactly right. it is all about power and it doesn't matter how you get there.
Then I ask them if the British were justified in their action against the Taleban. They will usually say yes, because they are our allies and lost some countrymen in the World Trade Center attacks.
Then I ask them, if Saddam openly funded terrorists attacks($25K to families of homicide bombers) to kill innocent Israeli(our allies)civilians including some of our own countrymen, then why are we not justified in taking action against Saddam.
Then they clamp their hands over their ears and start chanting no blood for oil.
The Pentagon has confirmed today that Osama bin Laden, Mullah Omar and al Zawahri have been captured and are being held at an undisclosed location.
NOAA scientist have issued a press release today claiming they have found a simple low cost solution to global warming (rumored to have been assisted by algore).
Greek officials report that Natalie Holloway has been found living on a local oil magnates yacht.
A UFO has crashed near Ft Wayne Utah, the alien occupants are alive and being cared for by Air Force personnel.
Well have these and other stories, but first, out top story; New evidence has come to light that strongly suggests that Bush did in fact lie about WMDs!
Im Chris Matthews, lets play Hardball.
Saddam Regime Document: Iraqi Intelligence met with Bin Laden in 1995 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1600579/posts
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.