Sources: U.S. distorted Saddam-al Qaeda link

[arlib]

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration's insistence that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had ties to al Qaeda, one of the central arguments for a pre-emptive war, appears to have been based on even shakier intelligence than White House assertions that Iraq had hidden stocks of chemical and biological weapons.

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/8094015.htm

<snip> The Bush administration has defended its prewar descriptions of Saddam and is calling Iraq "the central front in the war on terrorism," as the president told U.S. troops two weeks ago.

But before the war and since, President Bush and his aides made rhetorical links that now appear to have been leaps:

• Administration officials reported that Farouk Hijazi, a top Iraqi intelligence officer, had met with bin Laden in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in 1998 and offered him haven in Iraq.

They left out the rest of the story. Bin Laden said he'd consider the offer, U.S. intelligence officials said. But according to a report later made available to the CIA, the al Qaeda leader told an aide afterward that he had no intention of accepting Saddam's offer because "if we go there, it would be his agenda, not ours."
<snip>

Lots more juicy tidbits here, but nothing that we haven't said before on this board many times. Still, it's nice to see these issues get a public airing.

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. You realize that this is oh from march of 03

hardly breaking news... thuogh from the Dept of DUH

[arlib]

2. The article is....

from March 3, 2004. Look at the top of the piece.

[Jackpine Radical]

3. Following quickly upon the heels of yesterday's story

on Bush passing up two shots at whatsisname with the chemical (toxin) plants because it would mess up his chances at getting the war going.

Somebody is shooting off some big guns at the Bushies.

It's not smart to piss off the keepers of the skeleton closet.

[TacticalPeek]

4. Dynamite.

This is a clear indicator to me that Shrub will be held down by a mysterious boot implanted against his neck until the election.

Cheney led his ward into the tall grass where the rough boys play.

Tah tah, bushco.

[CBHagman]

5. Here's where I make my plug for the Washington Monthly

Several months ago that particular magazine published an article on the false notions about a 9/11-Iraq link. One of the points emphasized was that Iraq became the "central front in the war on terrorism" very much after the fact, because it's only NOW that the terrorist attacks are taking place inside Iraq.

(Sarcasm alert.) Brilliant. They invade a country and create a magnet for those who would foment unrest and/or create terror.

And the people of Iraq are paying yet again for Bush administration mistakes...

[short bus president]

6. the "central front?"

Damned if that's not an oxymoron from the nottamoron.

[berry]

7. This is a great overview--in the mainstream, yet.

Is anyone else wondering if anything is going to be made of the fact that the most active "al Qaida" terrorist operating today (in Iraq) is a Palestinian? Just wondering where this is intended to lead, down the road....

We know, from example after example, that the first phase of attack is to spread disinformation. What to believe becomes a real problem. So I (for one, being ignorant on this point) would like to know much more about al Zarquawi (sorry, this is probably misspelled--no time to check it just now)....