Exclusive: Saddam Possessed WMD, Had Terror Ties

[samtob]

DO NOT KILL THE MESSENGER!! I just found this article, I did not write it! Is this the October Surprise?


<snip>
Exclusive: Saddam Possessed WMD, Had Extensive Terror Ties
By Scott Wheeler
CNSNews.com Staff Writer
October 04, 2004

(CNSNews.com) - Iraqi intelligence documents, confiscated by U.S. forces and obtained by CNSNews.com, show numerous efforts by Saddam Hussein's regime to work with some of the world's most notorious terror organizations, including al Qaeda, to target Americans. They demonstrate that Saddam's government possessed mustard gas and anthrax, both considered weapons of mass destruction, in the summer of 2000, during the period in which United Nations weapons inspectors were not present in Iraq. And the papers show that Iraq trained dozens of terrorists inside its borders.

One of the Iraqi memos contains an order from Saddam for his intelligence service to support terrorist attacks against Americans in Somalia. The memo was written nine months before U.S. Army Rangers were ambushed in Mogadishu by forces loyal to a warlord with alleged ties to al Qaeda.

Other memos provide a list of terrorist groups with whom Iraq had relationships and considered available for terror operations against the United States.

full article;
http://www.cnsnews.com//ViewSpecialReports.asp?Page=\SpecialReports\archive\200410\SPE20041004a.html


ON EDIT, I cannot get the link to work, you will have to cut and paste...sorry.

[trotsky]

1. CNSNews.com = biased

I'll believe it when it's reported on a real media outlet.

[samtob]

9. My opinion also

I can't see it as a credible news item until the mass media reports it either.

[Xenus Sister]

29. I wouldn't believe it even if it were reported on a "real" media outlet

I don't trust anybody anymore. There would have to be some VERY strong evidence.

Their letters to the editor are very freeperish.

[DubyaSux]

71. Oh geez...

...you know you'd have to find Laurie Mylroie, Cheney's favorite hysteria whore, behind this.

She's so credible, that when she tries to make the case that Ramsi Yousef and Muhammed Basit are different people (the guy behind the WTC 1 attack), the matching sets of fingerprints the FBI showed her doesn't sway her. She's bona fide nutjob, so you have to question this source.

[Windy]

2. CNS news is a right wing website like Newsmax

Their articles have zero credibility. If you're trolling from free republic, you already know this. If you're not a troll... a heads up.

[FlemingsGhost]

3. How about I ignore the messenger?

Surprise!

[Davis_X_Machina]

4. Brent Bozell created this outfit (CSNS) in 1998....

...and that's about all you need to know.

[dogtag]

10. Ah, yes, Brent Bozell, that paragon of truth and justice.

How many times must Bozo be discredited before he slinks back into his cave for the last time? Oh, I forgot...discredited repukes never have to go away or ever say they're sorry. Silly me.

[LiberalFighter]

68. I thought it was connected to Pat Robertson

[progressivebydesign]

69. Oh geez.. Bozzell is a nutcase! Ignore the stupid story! n/t

[Carla in Ca]

70. I saw his name on opinion section...

That is enough for me. Disregard.

[geek tragedy]

5. CNS=nuts

As someone put it, they are somewhere between WorldNutsDaily and an unattributed email in terms of journalistic credibility.

[wryter2000]

44. Thanks

My old eyes read it as CBS at first.

[Terran]

6. Is it the October surprise?

No, it's crap. If it gets reported on NPR I might begin to credit it. Why are you even bothering?

[samtob]

17. Well....

Many people have stated they believe, or would not be surprised if the * crowd announced word of UBL's capture for the "October Surprise". There have been speculation aired in the media for months now. This is along the same line.

[kymar57]

63. October surprise

This has been covered here before. I think osama's capture would be veiwed with a very jaundiced eye by anyone who'd been paying attention

[missjudy6]

74. its the people who DON'T pay attention

and still vote that concern me. THere are a lot of them out there, obviously.

[Ohio rules]

78. October surprise= bin Ladens DNA verified LOL

I still have my doubts with his health problems that he is sitting in some cave laughing and plotting to this very day.

[Ready4Change]

7. You know, there IS some truth to this. (Read first, then flame if U must.)

Many years ago Saddam was put in power by operatives and support from the US. We sold him the WMDs he later used against Iran. We also played a big role in the development of Al Queda and it's leader Osama bin Laden.

So, in a way, they ARE connected. Through US.

(Ok, if you still think I deserve flaming, go for it. :) )

[joeunderdog]

46. you mean weapons inspection worked?

damn, we didn't have to go in after all.

[ixion]

8. yawn

more drivel from the GOP lie machine.

:boring: :eyes:

[kayell]

11. I'll pay attention when the source is CBS, The Guardian, or some other

reputable news source. Even then I would be very, VERY cautious of late and convenient October Surprise like "evidence". CNS - pfffft.

This also rings some bells as something CNS tried to float in the weeks soon after the invasion and occupation.

[Alpharetta]

12. "Secret documents proving Saddam had WMD"?

If such documents existed, they'd be part of every Republican campaign speech.

Bush would have taken the documents back to the UN when he visited them and asked for their help on Iraq.

Let's get real here. This news story is STUPID.

[shockingelk]

33. here's the dumbest thing

The docs are from 1993, but it begins the article (with one comma removed)

"They demonstrate that Saddam's government possessed mustard gas and anthrax,

both considered weapons of mass destruction in the summer of 2000, during the period in which United Nations weapons inspectors were not present in Iraq."

Iraq had mustard gas and anthrax in 1993? No shit.

[Wednesdays]

60. If such documents existed...

>> Bush would have taken the documents back to the UN when he visited them and asked for their help on Iraq. <<

And * would have pounded the podium endlessly about them during the debate last Thursday, too!

[klook]

13. Oh wow, it's gotta be true!!!

If it's from CNS News, then that's good enough for me! They're so fair and balanced, they're even featured on this list of conservative news sources:
http://usconservatives.about.com/od/conservativeopinionpages/

Hey, thanks for sharing!

And now I will add you to my Ignore list. So long....

:puke:

[tishaLA]

14. Holy Christ!

I can't believe the truth has finally been discovered by that revered news gathering institution CNS! And they know these were going to be used to target Americans, too! Not just the British, French, and Kurds, but Americans! What would we do without CNS?!

On second though, how about somebody lock this bullshit thread...

[VegasWolf]

15. Wasn't there something like oh for example a 911 Commission

New Information Shows Bush Indecisive, Paranoid, Delusional

[FuzzyHamster]

16. right after polls show Kerry doing better

Weren't they one of the first to bring about controversy over the CBS memos?

Just because the source is totally biased doesn't mean that we shouldn't prepare for it. These memos convienently popping out of nowhere seem like something the Chimp's campaign might use to reverse their momentum.

[tishaLA]

22. You're right

please work up a response for us! We need your help to keep "our" party together!

[trotsky]

27. Welcome to DU, hamsterluv!

Actually it was some obscure right-wing bloggers that overnight became experts on 1970s-era typewriters, fonts, and kerning. Posting within hours of CBS's report, as a matter of fact.

But anyway, glad to have you here at DU representing a progressive viewpoint by encouraging us to go on yet ANOTHER goose chase unleashed by the totally discredited right-wing media. Enjoy your stay here (while you can!).

[Jacobin]

18. WTF is "CNS" 'news'?

somehow...........

[Doosh]

28. Conservative "News" Sensationalism

[Mountainman]

19. I think they drag this out every time Bush's numbers slump along with

a new terror elert, and a glowing picture of the situation in Ireq.

[Owlet]

20. Well CNS is a Brent Bozell operation..

L. Brent Bozell:

" Mr. Bozell is Executive Director of the Conservative Victory Committee (CVC), an independent multi-candidate political action committee that has helped elect dozens of conservative candidates over the past ten years. He was National Finance Chairman for the 1992 Buchanan for President campaign, and Finance Director and later President of the former National Conservative Political Action Committee (NCPAC). He currently belongs to the Council for National Policy (CNP).

Mr. Bozell received his B.A. in History from the University of Dallas, where he was named the 1998 Alumnus of the Year. He is married, with five children."

..and that should be all you have to know to attah any credence to the story on CNS.

http://www.mrc.org/bios/lbb/bozellbio.asp

[vonkie]

21. Really????

So you say, Mr. Messenger. Why should I not believe you if that is what you say to the masses?

[FlemingsGhost]

34. No, "Yes!!!" ... Not "Awesome?"

Must make you think, though.

[ReadTomPaine]

37. Thanks, I've noticed this as well.

RTP

[Worst Username Ever]

50. YES!! Exactly!

That is so awesome!

[gadem04]

67. Right On, Shylock

...could not have said it better myself.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

23. What a piece of major bullshit.

[VegasWolf]

24. Doesn't Cheeny say this every week? How is this LBN?

New Information Shows Bush Indecisive, Paranoid, Delusional

[hatrack]

25. CNS?!?! Puh-leeze.

Why don't you just put up something from Human Events, the Washington Times, Newsmax or Drudge? CNS has about as much credibility as Son of Sam's dog.

[Doosh]

26. CNS is less credible than Drudge and Newsmax

[Lefta Dissenter]

30. WOW!

Iraqi memos? :wow:

...now are they in proportional font or not? I have a feeling we're going to have to fire Dan Rather over this... :eyes:

[samtob]

31. Rove stated they "have surprises"

Look, my happy little source of this crap is my sister in Oregon. She is a * supporter, and sends me all kinds of mindless $hit to support her way of thinking.

Last week, via e-mail, she was spouting that the criminal ROVE promised they "had several surprises" in reference to a question about the "October surprise"

This is the first time I have ever seen this website (CNSNEWS) At least, at the very minimum, I believe it is worth looking into, There has to be a heads up blogger or fact site out there monitoring these so called news websites, the faster the link to this article is out, the faster these sites will find it...am I wrong?

[FlemingsGhost]

42. No, you're right.

And when you're right, it's your right.

(on edit: typo)

[funnymanpants]

81. tell your sister

that she must be really desperate if she is sending out such silly nonsense. Ask her why no major news sources have picked up the story, and why the Republican candidates are not using this story. Why did Collin Powell apologize around a week, stating that he was wrong to say that there were WMDs in Iraq.

[phrenzy]

32. Other Great Stories From 'CNSEWS'

Wow, yeah this site looks pretty legitimate. What with such mainstream and fair headlines as:

--->
Kerry Accepted Money from Partial-Birth Abortionists, Report Says

Commentary: Kerry's Strategic Ambiguity on Kyoto

Kerry Was Convincing to the Uninformed

Kerry Skipped Prescription Drug Vote Then; Complains Now

--->

Sounds pretty fair and balanced to me.

eat shit and die freep.

[Amigust]

36. I'll pay attention only after any documents

have had the same intense scrutiny that the CBS stuff got. Not a minute before.

They're floating this crap because they know some of it will stick. It is, after all, October.

[goodboy]

35. in a word: bullshit. (nt)

[Jane Austin]

38. What kind of typewriter did they use? :)

n/t

[4_Legs_Good]

39. LMAO

We just lost the "Right News Right Now" voting bloc who believe everything they read in CNS.

pfffft!

david

[clydefrand]

40. If this is true, we would be seeing

ads with that "news" running day and night on every channel there is...paid for by the RNC.

[MissMarple]

41. Samtob, perhaps you could refute this for your sister.

If she's going to send you this outdated, beside any cogent point, drivel, either ignore her or refute the information with valid, updated information. There is no honor in trying to make points or define positions with lies and innuendo.

Perhaps you should just drop the political stuff out of your relationship with her. Sometimes it's better that way.

[The_Casual_Observer]

43. I wouldn't waste bullets on this "messenger"

Save us the trouble and return to the wasteland with this merit-less posting.

[LSK]

45. another newsmax type site - nothing to see here

If you want proof, try reading their commentaries...

[LSK]

47. more proof

http://www.infoshop.org/focus/rightwingnuts.php

[crossroads]

64. Yes indeed!

:dem:

[Merlin]

48. Will Cheyney use this report tomorrow to justify his asinine position?

I wouldn't put it past him. Hope JE is familiar with it.

[RedEarth]

49. total BS........cns...is a garbage site.....if it were true, we would be

hearing it from this cns....BS

[Stephanie]

51. BushCO always said they were going to do this

They were going to prove their WMD case through discovery, basically, by combing through all the docs they could find. They can't find WMDs but they might find MENTION of WMDs somewhere in thousands of pages. They want to lawyer themselves out of the mess they've made.

[warrens]

52. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

This is about the 30th time they've run the same headline. They figure if they keep saying it long enough, sooner or later it will come true.

[leQ]

53. someone needs to look at the font used on those documents.

n/t

[Gregorian]

54. No. THIS is the OCTOBER SURPRISE

[samtob]

55. HAH!!

:toast:

My new desktop, thanks for it!

[0007]

56. STFU = LOL!!

[creeksneakers2]

57. I take these attacks seriously

CNS feeds into lots of other RW sources. There's at least a 50/50 chance the RW will be pushing this story. Newsmax has already made it a headline. Like all their other lies, about 45% of the public will believe it if the story gets big.

I like to make one wild prediction a year, and this year I've predicted that if the GOP is losing in October, they'll forge documents that say Iraq was behind 9/11.

The wingers come up with dozens of wild stories a day. Most of them fall flat, but a few stir up enough of an uproar that the mainstream media gets pushed into covering them. Of course, the mainstream media dutifully reports both sides and doesn't evaluate facts.

We'll probably see something like this make it into the mainstream this month.

[Tesibria]

59. I agree -- we need to know

I see people get ... aggravated ... shall we say, when one of these stories get posted.

I think that we NEED to see them. We need to know what is being reported == EVEN BY DRUDGE == because so many people are going to believe what they see on Drudge, CNS, etc.

Unless we monitor AND report to one another what is being reported out there, these stories will go unanswered.

On the other hand, when they are posted here, we know what to expect and are ready to respond.

So -- thanx for posting it -- and for all the other information that helps us respond to those who forward it to us.

[DoBotherMe]

58. Not according to Rummy ...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x883542

[BigBigBear]

61. Baghdad has been swimming in counterfeit docs

for many months.

Anyone who can come up with a document that will earn him some dollars and favors from the Americans will surely do so.

Since about late April 2003, nothing found anywhere in the country could be considered reliable.

[sysoprock]

62. BULLSHIT.

I call bullshit, but on the other hand they just have to make it believable until Nov. 2.

[Bragi]

65. This fill-in story needs debunking

I think this story is intended to fill the gap between the time when the "Kerry Pen-Gate Outrage!" story fizzled (which was about 10 minutes after real reporters came back to work Monday morning) and whenever the next planted story comes in to knock the media off substantive issues, and Kerry off message.

I recall a previous CNSNews world exclusive on something or other that sat around on google news as the first and only story on the subject for days, since no other media could verify it, believed it, or would touch it.

Anyway, I'm glad to get a heads up on this. I hope some of the people here who know this WMD stuff in detail will dissect this story, and show us how the trick was done. The sad reality is that the world now needs protection from right-wing bloggers, as do media, so quick and early debunking of this sort of crap is now important, and DU is a good place to do it.

- B

[VegasWolf]

66. Did someone check the exact wording to make sure its not

bush's weasel words "Saddam Possessed WMD capabilities,
Had Extensive Terror Ties capabilities". Well yes,
so does Greneda and the Virgin islands. I would give the all
the credence that I give used toilet paper.

New Information Shows Bush Indecisive, Paranoid, Delusional

[jackieforthedems]

72. If It's Real

Why hasn't it been on the national news?

[missjudy6]

75. Give it time n/t

[Kool Kitty]

76. It hasn't been on because it's horseshit.

Plain and simple.

[Raster]

73. Bullshit thread. Trollbait. Please lock.

CNS is about as reliable as Faux.

[Ohio rules]

77. This can't be an October surprise.

http://www.cnsnews.com//ViewSpecialReports.asp?Page= \SpecialReports\archive\200410\SPE20041004a.html

Your right, the link won't take unless you copy/paste.

Saddam is due for trial soon.....
this might be court evidence.

Hey, Saddam was nuts.
With or without him, the earth remains a dangerous place to live.

[funnymanpants]

79. This is bogus, trust me

I've followed all the WMD claims very closely, so I can tell you as of right now that this is absolutely ridiculous.

As other have pointed out, no major network has picked up this story.

About a year ago, the *Telegragph,* a Murdoch paper, made almost the same exact claim. It ended up that the documents were bogus. Probably CNS is using the same documents, just to float the story and create enough doubt to swing the vote.

The article uses the widely discredited Laurie Mylroie as an expert, and makes the claim that Bush himself doesn't know about the documents.

At this point, no Iraqi scientist have come fourth saying they worked on WMDs. In fact, every last one of them says the opposite--that they did not work on them.

This story is irresponsible and should be locked.

[MirrorAshes]

80. If info like this was confiscated by "U.S. Forces" we'd hear it from Bush

not some hack news site.

The entire Bush administration would be screaming it from the rooftops.

[PermanentRevolution]

82. Scaife-funded crap

CNS is an offshoot of the Media Research Center, which recieved just under $400,000 from the Sarah Scaife Foundation in 2001 and 2002.

We just got hit with this same crap over at the bushflash.com forum.

There is no way in hell this is credible. An unnamed source finds an untranslated 42-page document and, instead of rushing it to the top where the entire Bush camp has been desperately searching for any kind of evidence to back up their claims about Iraq, he gives it to an unknown right-wing hatchet group masquerading as journalists because, according to said unnamed source, "This is too important to let it get caught up in the political process."

Ri-i-i-i-i-i-i-g-h-t.

[samtob]

83. Granted, it might be BS, but

It is being repeated around the freeper sites and being talked about on the sheep radio shows. Yes, I have listened, and checked out the sites, plan on suffering through drug-addicted-know-it-all in the morning too.

Savage has it at his rookie site,
Regan had the author on his show spewing so called facts and he mentioned that Hannity asked rummy about the matter.

If mr. oxy brings it up, that's it, the media will pretty much be forced to give it attention. Look at what happened with CBS

It will show up in the media. You know as well as I do, the littlest thing they can use as ammo is used. $hit, look how much press the tan got last week!! Of course they all shut the hell up about it come debate time, but this is not trivial, even if it is total horse $hit.

[funnymanpants]

85. Rumsfied just admitted that there are no links to al-quaida

No one is going to bring this story up. They will look as foolish peddling obvious fraudelent documents.

The CBS story gained legs because it was true; the documents were in fact bogus.

People can talk about all sorts of things on talk radio, including sitings of Elvis.

[vajraroshana]

84. Bullshit

don't even worry about it.

[struggle4progress]

86. They should tell Rumsfeld that "Iraqi intelligence documents ...

... show ... efforts by Saddam Hussein's regime to work with ... al Qaeda ..." because he's been on the news today saying he doesn't know of any such evidence:

Rumsfeld Doubts Iraq Terror Link

American Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has admitted he has not seen seen ‘strong, hard evidence’ linking ousted Iraqi leader Sadda and Osama Bin Lade’s al Qaida.

Asked to describe the connection between Hussein and al Qaida, the Pentagon chief declined to answer the question but then said: “To my knowledge, I have not seen any strong, hard evidence that links the two.”

He said he had seen intelligence on that “migrate in amazing ways” in the past year, adding that there were ”many differences of opinion in the intelligence community.” He did not elaborate on that but said relationships among terrorists “evolve and change over time.”

When asked what he thought was the primary reason for invading Iraq, he said it was important to remove Saddam’s regime, but he acknowledged the intelligence ahead of the invasion was faulty. <snip>

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3584707

Currently getting at least 1000 hits on various versions of this through googling ...

[Zynx]

87. Freeper Posting Propaganda

Did someone say "Tombstone?"

[strizi64]

88. But Dick blow it, LOL...

< snip >

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld appeared Monday to back off earlier statements suggesting Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein had links to al Qaeda.

He also conceded that U.S. intelligence was "wrong" in its conclusions that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.

"Why the intelligence proved wrong, I'm not in a position to say. I simply don't know," Rumsfeld said in remarks to the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.

When asked about any connection between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda, Rumsfeld said, "To my knowledge, I have not seen any strong, hard evidence that links the two."

< snip >

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/10/04/rumsfeld.iraq/index.html

KKKarl and Dummi didn't talk, ey ;)?

[Moderator]

89. moving

I'm moving this to GD. It's so far from being actual LBN I hesitate even doing that.

[LynnTheDem]

90. Not this shit AGAIN!

This is exactly the same crap bullshit bogus garbage NewsMarx spewed last year.

Rightwingnut "echo chamber" extraordinaire.