Something here for Raven

[WilliamPitt]

Ask and receive...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4431601

Avoiding attacking suspected terrorist mastermind

Abu Musab Zarqawi blamed for more than 700 killings in Iraq

By Jim Miklaszewski
Correspondent
NBC News

Updated: 7:14 p.m. ET March 02, 2004

With Tuesday’s attacks, Abu Musab Zarqawi, a Jordanian militant with ties to al-Qaida, is now blamed for more than 700 terrorist killings in Iraq.

But NBC News has learned that long before the war the Bush administration had several chances to wipe out his terrorist operation and perhaps kill Zarqawi himself — but never pulled the trigger.

In June 2002, U.S. officials say intelligence had revealed that Zarqawi and members of al-Qaida had set up a weapons lab at Kirma, in northern Iraq, producing deadly ricin and cyanide.

The Pentagon quickly drafted plans to attack the camp with cruise missiles and airstrikes and sent it to the White House, where, according to U.S. government sources, the plan was debated to death in the National Security Council.

"Here we had targets, we had opportunities, we had a country willing to support casualties, or risk casualties after 9/11 and we still didn’t do it,” said Michael O’Hanlon, military analyst with the Brookings Institution.

...more...

[VelmaD]

1. That is just obscene

And lord knows it just helps fuel the sentiment over there that we are to blame for what happened yesterday.

[zbdent]

2. I suppose that this is one of those "chem weapons sites" that

GWB was actually thinking about when Powell said that "Saddam has tons of chem weapons" in Iraq.

[WilliamPitt]

3. kick

[VelmaD]

4. *punt*

Because this is important. :kick:

[GOPisEvil]

5. Sigh...I'm so glad the adults are in charge.

:eyes::grr::mad:

[Raven]

6. Thank you, William!

I thought I was imagining things when I heard this on NBC News last night! I may be overreacting, but I think that this is the most damning information to date on Bush's bogus war on terrorism. Thanks for finding the cite for me!