Posted on 02/23/2003 8:53:24 AM PST by Sabertooth
For George W. Bush, it was just another campaign stop. But for Sami Al-Arian, a University of South Florida engineering professor, it was a golden opportunity. When Bush appeared at Tampas Strawberry Festival in March 2000, Al-Arian sidled up to the candidate and had his picture taken.
< -snip- > Al-Arians politics took on a decidedly darker cast last week when federal agents arrested him at his home in south Florida and charged him with being a top leader of one of the worlds most violent terrorist organizations: Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). < -snip- > Al-Arian certainly didnt act like a sponsor of suicide bombings. Far from keeping to the shadows, he repeatedly lobbied Congress on civil-liberties issues, made thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to influential members of Congress and renounced violence during appearances on TV talk shows. In June 2001 Al-Arian was invited to a White House briefing for 150 Muslim American activists, at which political director Karl Rove talked about the Bush administrations "outreach" efforts. A law-enforcement official told NEWSWEEK the Secret Service had flagged Al-Arian as a potential terrorist prior to the event. But White House aides, apparently reluctant to create an incident, let him through anyway. Such access had its advantages. "He always told me the charges were garbage," said Khaled Saffuri, chairman of the Islamic Institute. "When you hear hes going to the White House, you figure what hes saying must be true." In fact, federal prosecutors charged last week, Al-Arian carried out his secret terrorist agenda "under the guise of promoting and protecting Arab rights"making his public profile a critical part of his MO. "It was the perfect cover," said Steven Emerson, a terrorism analyst who has followed Al-Arian for years.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.com ...
I'd say you made that up unless you have some proof to back it up. We will, of course, wait for your answer.......Accusing this WH of harboring terrorists is a serious charge, and one I'm sure you do not make lightly. So I'm sure you have some proof? HARD proof.
# 184 "What would you say if its not really about a White House visit years ago its about now and since the charge is that it is still going on with Grover providing the White House with terrorist muslims not people that the President should be meeting with let alone taking pictures with."
Can you explain the bold....enlarged statement above then?
Wonder how long it will take this time?
I know the feeling, as any perusal of my threads the past few days can attest.
Still, for me, it comes with the territory.
It's more than just one guy. It's not a dead horse. I've posted numerous articles and links. This is a scandal that doesn't have to touch the President. but he needs to roll some heads. Some of his subordinates have been sloppy, or worse, in allowing terrorist sympathizers, supporters, and co-conspirators access to the White House, as recently as last month.
You've done yoeman's work trying to get this aired out and corrected. And you've been unfairly attacked by the 'this is old news' crowd. They're trying to do the same to TLB right now too.
Miss Marple may have something with her Clinton holdover Secret Service observations, however, I'd lay my money on the staffers. Suhail Khan and Ali Tulbah are names to keep in mind.
FWIW, when I was doing some work for President Reagan in the late 90s, I had a chance to chat with some Secret Service folks about the various assignments. Anyone with any pull or seniority got the heck off the Clinton detail, any way they could. I could never get any specific dirt, but the bemused disgust on the face of the agents was unforgettable.
But.....BUT.....BUT.......not ONE word about Norquist.... What do you think?
I think that more people read Newsweek and the Washington Post than Frank Gaffney.
As Elvis is to the building, so are the horses to the barn.
Clintonspeak.
And besides......the WP? Ewwwwww.....
Attacking the messenger. You may not like the WP, but they've got ample clout to run this story for as long as it takes. Bush must act.
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