Ex-Officials Dispute Iraq Tie to al-Qaida (Another Bush Lie)

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=716&e=5&u=/ap/20030712/ap_on_re_mi_ea/bush_iraq_al_qaida

WASHINGTON - As President Bush works to quiet a controversy over his discredited claim of Iraqi uranium shopping in Africa, another of his prewar assertions is coming under fire: the alleged link between Saddam Hussein's regime and al-Qaida.

Before the war, Bush and members of his cabinet said Saddam was harboring top al-Qaida operatives and suggested Iraq (news - web sites) could slip the terrorist network chemical, biological or even nuclear weapons. Now, two former Bush administration intelligence officials say the evidence linking Saddam to the group responsible for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks was never more than sketchy at best.

"There was no significant pattern of cooperation between Iraq and the al-Qaida terrorist operation," former State Department intelligence official Greg Thielmann said this week.

Intelligence agencies agreed on the "lack of a meaningful connection to al-Qaida" and said so to the White House and Congress, said Thielmann, who left State's Bureau of Intelligence and Research last September.

Another former Bush administration intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, agreed there was no clear link between Saddam and al-Qaida.

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[petersjo]

1. Greg Thielmann...

is my new hero. I hope the anonymous voice will eventually be brave enough to allow his/her name to be used. It would make the assertions even more credible.

Edited for spelling

[NNN0LHI]

2. AP link

Bush Overstated Iraq Links to Al-Qaida, Former Intelligence Officials Say

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAYJRUT1ID.html

WASHINGTON (AP) - As President Bush works to quiet a controversy over his discredited claim of Iraqi uranium shopping in Africa, another of his prewar assertions is coming under fire: the alleged link between Saddam Hussein's regime and al-Qaida.

Before the war, Bush and members of his cabinet said Saddam was harboring top al-Qaida operatives and suggested Iraq could slip the terrorist network chemical, biological or even nuclear weapons.

Critics attacked those assertions from the beginning for being counter to the ideologies of Saddam and al-Qaida and short on corroborating evidence. Now, two former Bush administration intelligence officials say the evidence linking Saddam to the group responsible for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks was never more than sketchy at best.

"There was no significant pattern of cooperation between Iraq and the al-Qaida terrorist operation," former State Department intelligence official Greg Thielmann said this week.

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[study_war_no_more]

3. All AQ connections

were with the Kurds in the north, our allies and Saddams enemys. I like that they are picking apart the whole speech and not focusing on the Uranium claims.

[revcarol]

5. That "alQaeda training camp" we bombed in Kurdish territory

was nothing but a town. It seems some Kurds don't like other Kurds, so it was targeted falsely.Good intelligence we got from those Kurds. We didn't bother to check before we bombed, even though they were letting our troops inbefore the war.

More dead people on dicey "intelligence."No al Qaeda connection.

[DoYouEverWonder]

7. That was where the chem plant supposedly was.

The one that he tried to link to Saddam, even though it was in the Northern No Fly Zone and was an area controlled by the Kurds. Remember those lies.

Let's just keep bringing W's past and watch him twist and turn has he tries to revise it.

[jpak]

4. White House Chief-of-Staff Andy Card

repeated the "Mohammed-Atta-met-with-Iraqi-agents-before-9/11" lie on Meet the Press back in November 2002.

Russert-the-Whore called him on it (quote: "That's not true!" )but then pulled his punch.

Yet another on-camera lie by the Chimperial Junta about I-raq and Al Quaeda...

[fisu]

6. blame can^H^H^H CIA!

Maybe Tenet will get the blame for this one also ... :eyes:

"Bring 'em on!"