Tuesday, March 18, 2008

CHENEY TELLS REPORTERS IN BAGHDAD THERE WAS A LINK BETWEEN IRAQ AND AL QAEDA

Over five years ago, Vice President Dick Cheney was telling anyone who would listen to him that there was a link between Iraq and Al Qaeda. Since then all intelligence reports have indicated there NEVER was a tie between Iraq and Al Qaeda, but that hasn't stopped Cheney.

At a press conference in Baghdad Monday, Cheney was still talking about how there was a link between Iraq and Al Qaeda before the United States invaded and occupied Iraq five years ago.

During the press conference, Cheney again cited a thoroughly-debunked Weekly Standard article written by his own biographer Stephen Hayes as laying out the best case of an Iraq/al Qaeda connection. “It was the Weekly Standard that dealt with this subject,” Cheney said.

Though Cheney urged reporters to “go read the report,” reporters will have a difficult time doing that. According to ABC News, the new Pentagon report “won’t be emailed to reporters and it won’t be posted online.” So you’ll just have to take Dick Cheney’s word for it.

Source: http://thinkprogress.org/2008/03/17/cheney-iraq-al-qaeda-again/

Before the Iraq war began, Dick Cheney was among the most prominent messengers of the false claim that Saddam Hussein had a relationship with al Qaeda. For example, he said it was “pretty well confirmed” that a 9/11 hijacker met with Iraqi intelligence officials before 9/11.

Over the past five years, numerous intelligence reports have conclusively proved that there was no Iraq/al Qaeda relationship. A Senate Intelligence Committee report stated in Sept. 2006 that Saddam and Osama bin Laden were not collaborators, but rather enemies.

More recently, a study commissioned by the Defense Department to look into the Iraq/al Qaeda ties “showed no connection between the two.” But Dick Cheney still isn’t convinced. Speaking at a press conference in Iraq today, Cheney shot down the new report. He acknowledged that — while no “operational link” has been found between Iraq and al Qaeda — it’s “pretty clear” there is a link:

CHENEY: Well, this is no operational link. But there was, as I recall from looking at it, extensive links with Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Egyptian Islamic Jihad was the organization headed by Zawahiri, and he merged EIJ with Al Qaeda when he became the deputy director of Al Qaida, Osama bin Laden’s number two. Now, was that a link between Iraq and Al Qaeda? Seems to me pretty clear that there was.

But it’s a question — I would urge you to go read the report. I know ABC reported on it. If you dig into the report in depth, I think you may find that there was an extensive relationship with a broad range of terrorist groups, that he was a state sponsor of terror. And I don’t think there’s any doubt about that.

To refresh everyone’s memories about Zarqawi, he operated in a region of Iraq before the war that was independent of Saddam and completely outside his control.

During the press conference, Cheney again cited a thoroughly-debunked Weekly Standard article written by his own biographer Stephen Hayes as laying out the best case of an Iraq/al Qaeda connection. “It was the Weekly Standard that dealt with this subject,” Cheney said.

Though Cheney urged reporters to “go read the report,” reporters will have a difficult time doing that. According to ABC News, the new Pentagon report “won’t be emailed to reporters and it won’t be posted online.” So you’ll just have to take Dick Cheney’s word for it.

Transcript: Read the rest of this entry »

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gee, DICK, if you click your heels together...what is it,,,three times, and say "I think I can, I think I can," well sure, you'll find a connection.
This doublespeak from our leaders is what got so many Americans killed.
You see, how does this guy get to have it both ways? That's right, his handlers control our media. Sometimes I wish I could stick my head in the sand and pretend all is well, but I know better.

Bill Corcoran said...

Everyone who has followed this war knows it was Dick Cheney who wanted to go to war with Iraq and so he is going to say anything to defend his position.

Thanks for your comment.

Anonymous said...

Here are words from a man who is so far right that as a representative, he was only one of four who voted for a "see through" gun, which could pass through airports undetected. (Cheney)And yet, our Saudi friends, who birthed 11 of the 17, 911 boys, go unpunished or even slighted, indeed our pres. even holds hands with them! Our vice pres. didn't serve one day and we can't seem to find the pres.service for 2 yrs! My uncle was WWII pow for 2 yrs.(a fighter pilot over Burma) Thx. so much!

Bill Corcoran said...

I hope you had a chance to watch Frontline on PBS Monday night. Part two will be on tonight. It is called "Bush's War" and shows how Cheney was the one who was really in charge of taking us to war with Iraq. You might want to check YOUTUBE if you missed it. One of the best documentaries I have ever seen on the war. A belated thanks to your uncle for his service to our country.