Scott Ritter claims the Boeing 707 fuselage at Salman Pak was used to train underage girls as "stewardesses".
The only one doubting the Atta-al Ani meet was Tenet--who, after September 11, should have been called into the Oval Office, spanked, and replaced with Woolsey.
Saddam gives al Qaeda official 300K--hey, it was soft money, right, Terry McAuliffe?
The press pool needs to be flushed after Yellowcakegate.
IMHO, this is the current strategy.....slowly building an airtight case.
The only one doubting the Atta-al Ani meet was Tenet--who, after September 11, should have been called into the Oval Office, spanked, and replaced with Woolsey.
I agree, replacing Tenet with Woolsey, a good man at the helm, would be a good thing. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I read that we captured the Iraqi agent that met with Atta.
Last time I heard he said he had no conclusive independent evidence at he time- which is most likely true- that's a far cry from doubt. The allegation came solely from Czech intel, and the Czechs had to have been keeping a lid on the details since they had a live person inside the groups involved. (A leak later exposed the individual according to one report. These leaks may have been part of the initial denials, as agencies tried to protect their sources.) Tenet had no CIA intel on this meeting and had to say as much. He cannot vouch for foreign intel without having some of his own to back it up.
This is what I have from Tenet on this and the related subject of al-Qaeda and Iraq :
In March 2002, CIA Director George Tenet told a Senate committee that it would be a mistake to dismiss Hussein as a possible sponsor of the (anthrax) attacks. Tenet said that although Hussein and Osama bin Laden had clear religious and ideological differences, they shared "mutual antipathy" to the United States and Saudi Arabia. "Tactical cooperation between them is possible," he said.
- "White House Backs Report of Link Between Iraq, September 11 Suspect" , Kansas City Star
CIA Director George J. Tenet, testifying before Congress last week, pointedly refused to rule out the possibility that Iraq or Iran may have been involved in the September 11 terrorist attacks on America. "There is no doubt that there may have been contacts and linkages to the al Qaeda organization," Mr. Tenet said when asked about Iraqi ties with Osama bin Laden's terror network. It "would be a mistake to dismiss the possibility of state sponsorship, whether Iranian or Iraqi" in connection with the attacks, the CIA director told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.
- "Still Whitewashing Saddam," The Washington Times, March 25, 2002
As for the CIA, Director George Tenet testified June 18 before the Joint Inquiry Into Terrorists Attacks: "Atta allegedly traveled outside the U.S. in early April 2001 to meet with an Iraqi intelligence officer in Prague; we are still working to confirm or deny this allegation. It is possible that Atta traveled under an unknown alias since we have been unable to establish that Atta left the U.S. or entered Europe in April 2001 under his true name or any known aliases." That is hardly a denial: It is a report of an investigation in progress, and, as you know from the botched investigation of the first World Trade Center attack, such determinations take time. I suggest that before rushing to judgment based on flawed media reports, you might wait until the CIA completes its investigation, even if that requires interviewing Consul al-Ani in Baghdad.
- Edward Jay Epstein , on "Al-Qaida, Pawn of Nations ," Wednesday, April 2, 2003, at 11:00 AM PT , http://slate.msn.com/id/2080850/entry/0/
Last time I heard he said he had no conclusive independent evidence at he time- which is most likely true- that's a far cry from doubt. The allegation came solely from Czech intel, and the Czechs had to have been keeping a lid on the details since they had a live person inside the groups involved. (A leak later exposed the individual according to one report. These leaks may have been part of the initial denials, as agencies tried to protect their sources.) Tenet had no CIA intel on this meeting and had to say as much. He cannot vouch for foreign intel without having some of his own to back it up.
This is what I have from Tenet on this and the related subject of al-Qaeda and Iraq :
In March 2002, CIA Director George Tenet told a Senate committee that it would be a mistake to dismiss Hussein as a possible sponsor of the (anthrax) attacks. Tenet said that although Hussein and Osama bin Laden had clear religious and ideological differences, they shared "mutual antipathy" to the United States and Saudi Arabia. "Tactical cooperation between them is possible," he said.
- "White House Backs Report of Link Between Iraq, September 11 Suspect" , Kansas City Star
CIA Director George J. Tenet, testifying before Congress last week, pointedly refused to rule out the possibility that Iraq or Iran may have been involved in the September 11 terrorist attacks on America. "There is no doubt that there may have been contacts and linkages to the al Qaeda organization," Mr. Tenet said when asked about Iraqi ties with Osama bin Laden's terror network. It "would be a mistake to dismiss the possibility of state sponsorship, whether Iranian or Iraqi" in connection with the attacks, the CIA director told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.
- "Still Whitewashing Saddam," The Washington Times, March 25, 2002
As for the CIA, Director George Tenet testified June 18 before the Joint Inquiry Into Terrorists Attacks: "Atta allegedly traveled outside the U.S. in early April 2001 to meet with an Iraqi intelligence officer in Prague; we are still working to confirm or deny this allegation. It is possible that Atta traveled under an unknown alias since we have been unable to establish that Atta left the U.S. or entered Europe in April 2001 under his true name or any known aliases." That is hardly a denial: It is a report of an investigation in progress, and, as you know from the botched investigation of the first World Trade Center attack, such determinations take time. I suggest that before rushing to judgment based on flawed media reports, you might wait until the CIA completes its investigation, even if that requires interviewing Consul al-Ani in Baghdad.
- Edward Jay Epstein , on "Al-Qaida, Pawn of Nations ," Wednesday, April 2, 2003, at 11:00 AM PT , http://slate.msn.com/id/2080850/entry/0/