DJ Rumsfeld Says Zarqawi May Not Be Al-Qaida Affiliate

[peterh]

(Sorry…haven’t found a link yet)

WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said
Thursday that Abu Musab al Zarqawi, the Jordanian terrorist leader in Iraq, may
not have been linked to al-Qaida as the Bush administration has long maintained.
Instead, Rumsfeld said it might be more accurate to say Zarqawi was actually
the head of another terrorist group.
Zarqawi "may very well not have sworn allegiance to UBL (Osama bin Laden),"
Rumsfeld said.
"Maybe, because he (Zarqawi) disagrees with him on something, maybe because he
wants to be `The Man' himself, and maybe for a reason that's not known to me,"
Rumsfeld said, adding, "someone could legitimately say he's not al-Qaida."
While the exact nature of Zarqawi's ties to al-Qaida have always been subject
to debate, President George W. Bush has used Zarqawi's presence in Iraq as proof
of Saddam Hussein's ties to al-Qaida.
Bush repeated the assertion as recently as Tuesday.
"Zarqawi is the best evidence of connection to al-Qaida affiliates and
al-Qaida," Bush said.




WOW….talk about pulling the carpet out from under your boss….now I’d like to see the twit’s response to this….wonder how quickly a reporter pop that one to the WH…

[thebigidea]

1. So Zarqawi isn't al-Qaida, but he IS al-Qaida at the same time. Check.

[AlCzervik]

5. This Zarqawi must have some

some super powers, i mean he manages to be in all places at once and has really unbelievable organizational skills. His name IMHO is the generic brand for all terrorists.

[lapfog_1]

17. Actually

wasn't Zarqawi the name of the patsy Native American tribe on
F-troop?

[AlCzervik]

21. lol

i thought that was the fugawi tribe, as in....where the

[lapfog_1]

28. Yeah, I know

but Zarqawi, fuqawi, close enough for government work...

and it this guy IS an invention in a lame attempt by the CIA to
tie Iraq and Al-Quada, then I can just imagine some bonehead coming
up with F-troop fuqarwi, and morhping it to Zarqawi... and then
having "him" do the Berg thing and making statements and shit,
just to make sure the 'mericans believe that Saddam/Iraq was really
behind 9/11 and the terra in the world.

Getting my double layer tinfoil now.

[muriel_volestrangler]

30. Given your avatar, I presume you are refering to

'zark', the all purpose expletive Douglas Adams uses in the Hitch-hikers books - as in "Zark off!" "What the zarking fardwarks ..."

Hard to believe that a cynical government employee would be a Douglas Adams fan, though. They'd be more enlightened if they were.

[lapfog_1]

35. HEY

I *WAS* a cynical federal employee for over 10 years!

And I ALWAYS carried my towel.

[notadmblnd]

29. don't forget...

he's dead and only has one leg.

[OilemFirchen]

32. He USED to be dead.

And used to have one leg. Well, two actually. Which he still may have, just in case he doesn't.

[TrustingDog]

39. he's dead and only has one leg.

ahahah!
Rummy has to work up to that one...
first he has to be not quite Al Kada....
then a one legged x-Al Kada...
then, yeah, we have confirmed the one legged nonAl Kada that was involved as a ghost in the Nick Berg beheading...

is really dead.

swirlly spins, just keep baffled...

[struggle4progress]

47. Oh, wait! His leg wasn't amputated! He just had a bad cold! Sorry ...

http://www.thenation.com/capitalgames/index.mhtml?bid=3&pid=1502

[lanparty]

40. PLUS ....

He grew back an amputed leg, AND he arose from the dead.

Zarqawi must be the second coming!!!!

[keithyboy]

42. Zarqawi isn't linked to al-qaeda but Saddam IS?

WTF is going on with this administration?

[htuttle]

2. Maybe he didn't pay....

....his Al Queda™ franchise fee?

[AlCzervik]

7. OMG

Thats fing funny!!!!:yourock:

[Emboldened Chimp]

10. I don't think he put in enough terrorist hours

You need 500 hrs. of terrorism under your belt before you can become a member of AQ.

[TahitiNut]

19. He probably became the Dread Pirate Roberts.

Better retirement plan. :shrug:

[htuttle]

20. I've heard that

But nothing comes close to the benefits you get at Globex. Hank Scorpio is supposed to be great to work for!

[gatlingforme]

45. Maybe Rummy is on his way out and he is "starting" to say

Goodbye, Farewell, ...... to the Bushies. Who knows, Rummy speaks in many tongues. His capacity to spin is infinite.

[pinniped]

3. Dumbsfeld is anti-American!

and all these POS must go.

[ewagner]

4. I wonder if

Dubya will count this as "disloyalty"?

This is a direct contridiction of Dubya...hehehe and on the same day that Dubya praises Rummy publicly....again.

Oh yeah...tell me what the penalty for disloyalty is again....

[Kikosexy2]

9. More contradictions..

and confusion or is their use of Prozac just eating at their brains?? Or maybe the ghost of Reagan has already possessed Dumbsfeld?

[jobycom]

37. The penalty for disloyality

Would be anthrax. Or was that last year?

[plcdude]

6. this is another

smoking gun for *'s statement that they never said there was a relationship between Iraq and 911.

[Just Me]

8. Rummy shoulda' been a fictional writer,...

,...'cause he is the master creator of one fiction after another (e.g. perpetual liar).

[HereSince1628]

11. Note Bush hedge "Al Qaida affiliates..."

If you think the definition of "torture" can be tortured,
imagine how the affilitations of "affiliates."

That gate is 60 miles wide on either side.

[peterh]

14. And additional rummy comments fit within that 60 miles imo….

In a related Dow Jones item, Rummy adds…..

Rumsfeld added what is clear is that Zarqawi's philosophy and his network
mirror al-Qaida.
"He clearly is someone that is doing work of a very similar nature," Rumsfeld
said.

[Judi Lynn]

12. This should be enjoyable!

Found an article which tells us everything we may need to know about the dreaded al Zarqawi:

Al Zarqawi's Links to Al Qaeda

Al Zarqawi is often described as an "Osama associate", the bogyman, allegedly responsible for numerous terrorist attacks in several countries. In other reports, often emanating from the same sources, it is stated that he has no links to Al Qaeda and operates quite independently. He is often presented as an individual who is challenging the leadership of bin Laden.

His name crops up on numerous occasions in press reports and official statements. Since early 2004, he is in the news almost on a daily basis.

Osama belongs to the powerful bin Laden family, which historically had business ties to the Bushes and prominent members of the Texas oil establishment. Bin Laden was recruited by the CIA during the Soviet-Afghan war and fought as a Mujahideen. In other words, there is a longstanding documented history of bin Laden-CIA and bin Laden-Bush family links, which are an obvious source of embarrassment to the US government.

In contrast to bin Laden, Al-Zarqawi has no family history. He comes from an impoverished Palestinian family in Jordan. His parents are dead. He emerges out of the blue.

He is described by CNN as "a lone wolf" who is said to act quite independently of the Al Qaeda network. Yet surprisingly, this lone wolf is present in several countries, in Iraq, which is now his base, but also in Western Europe. He is also suspected of preparing a terrorist attack on American soil.

He seems to be in several places at the same time. He is described as "the chief U.S. enemy", "a master of disguise and bogus identification papers". We are led to believe that this "lone wolf" manages to outwit the most astute US intelligence operatives.
(snip/...)

http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO405B.html

[Just Me]

15. Great linky there, JudiLyn,...thanks!! n/t

[struggle4progress]

22. CIA News: One legged dead man terrorizes countryside!

[OilemFirchen]

34. El Chupacabra de Iraq!

nt

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

13. I thought you were telling me that Rumsfeld is a DJ. In addition to

causing untold death and misery, he can spin some rocking tunes as one of his lesser known talents. DJ Rumsfeld. MC Rumsfeld.

[hatrack]

18. The Phat Prince Of Pentagon Heights

Rockin' you 24/7, war out, uh, I mean, Peace Out!!

[sofa king]

16. That's why we can't find him--he's in a quantum state!

[Demonaut]

23. lol, this deck of cards is soggy to the core

no one is at the wheel!

[0007]

24. Jays'us fucking christ how long are we gonna tolerate this loony tune?

I'm talking about Donald Rumsfeld -

Why isn't he laughed off the podium, why isn't he being booed, why aren't folks throwing garbage at this halfwit?

[Judi Lynn]

25. We'd lose him if we could!

[Just Me]

31. You always manage to crack me up!!! That "toon" is priceless! n/t

[Ouabache]

43. duh

Dumsfeld strikes again

[Ouabache]

44. which looney tune? Dumsfeld or Bu$h or Cheney ?

not that it makes a difference. Rumsfeld's streams of unconsciousness are really out there. He should take some of the meds Bu$h is on. Might help.

[PurityOfEssence]

26. This must be one of those "unknown knowns", huh?

Or is it a "deknownified known"? Perhaps a "proknown" or an "abstract known". Maybe it's just a "no-no" or a "neener-neener" or a "hey nonny nonny" or a "nanu-nanu".

[UpInArms]

27. today's justification #82,476 from Bush is Zarqawi

http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=ahY4hRYnKbbw&refer=top_world_news

excerpt:

``He was a threat because he had used weapons of mass destruction against his own people,'' Bush said when asked about the commission's report. ``He was a threat because he was a sworn enemy of the United States of America, just like al-Qaeda. He was a threat because he had terrorist connections.''

Terrorist Connection

One of the connections, Bush said, was Abu Mussab al- Zarqawi, an associate and collaborator of bin Laden and his al- Qaeda aides. Bush said Saddam posed a threat because the former Iraqi leader ``provided safe haven'' for Zarqawi.

``The world is better off and America is more secure without Saddam Hussein in power,'' the president said.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said later that Zarqawi ``had a safe harbor in Iraq'' in a hospital as he received medical treatment, before the war began. McClellan, citing the Sept. 11 commission report, also pointed to high-level contacts between Iraqi intelligence officials and bin Laden in Sudan.

As a requirement of the congressional authorization for Bush to take military action in Iraq, the president sent Congress a letter on March 18, the eve of the invasion. It read that the government was acting to take necessary action against terrorists, ``including those nations, organizations, or persons who planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001.''

...more...

Oh Boy! I am going to get my popcorn ready!

This from the thing that said "I am never disappointed by my Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld." (iirc) Didn't that just happen today when they broke the news that he had violated the Geneva Convention by "hiding" a detainee from the Red Cross?

[davekriss]

33. Let's take the boy at his word!

After all he says what he means and means what he says.

Bush repeated the assertion as recently as Tuesday. "Zarqawi is the best evidence of connection to al-Qaida affiliates and
al-Qaida," Bush said.

...and...

Rumsfeld said, adding, "someone could legitimately say he's not al-Qaida."

MEANING: One can legitimately say of the best evidence that there is no connection between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda.

No Al Qaeda, no WMD ... remind me again why we went to war?

Impeach the regime now!

[shockingelk]

36. link for today's Rumsfeld comments:

On Thursday, however, Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told reporters Zarqawi "may very well not have sworn allegiance to UBL," shorthand for Osama bin Laden.

"Now, therefore, someone could legitimately say he's not al-Qaeda," said Rumsfeld, who stressed that "even though he may not have sworn allegiance, he clearly is someone that is doing work of a very similar nature."

http://www9.sbs.com.au/theworldnews/region.php?id=87491®ion=4

[shockingelk]

38. DoD transcript:

http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/2004/tr20040617-secdef0881.html

The -- I think the way I would put it is that George Tenet -- first of all, I would say that the -- Iraq has been on the terrorist list for decades, as I recall.  Second, they were giving -- Saddam Hussein was giving some $25,000 to families of people who would go out and become suicide bombers and kill people.  Ansar al-Islam was active in the country.  Abu Nabal (sic - Nidal) lived there in Baghdad. Zarqawi was there for long periods.  People -- George Tenet testified on this subject before the Senate Intelligence Committee, as I recall, and then -- on a classified basis, and then made public an unclassified version of what his testimony was.  And it was what it was.  And for me to get into the middle of the debate about how to characterize it I think is not terribly useful.

The other thing I would say is that it appears -- I guess I don't know if I should say this or not, but I -- I suppose I can -- it appears that Zarqawi -- who is, everyone in the intelligence community seems to agree, is engaged as a significant leader of a network in Iraq and has in his past been identified by at least some intelligence as being a leader with respect to terrorist activities in other countries, not just Iraq -- may very well not have sworn allegiance to UBL.  But he -- maybe, because he disagrees with him on something, maybe because he wants to be “The Man” himself, and maybe for a reason that's not known to me.

Now, therefore you probably -- someone could legitimately say he's not al Qaeda.  On the other hand, as many people have testified to in open hearings, the linkages in the relationships and the similarities, in some cases of financing as well as methods of operation, are such that even though he may not have sworn allegiance, he clearly is someone that is doing work of a very similar nature.  And therefore, I don't -- since I am not in the intelligence business, my instinct is to leave the direct answer to your question to what was said by Director Tenet before the Senate Intelligence Committee unless the agency is updating it since.

[leesa]

41. Well then, maybe a Bush affiliate like OBL appeared to be

[TacticalPeek]

46. Kick. n/t

:kick: