Blair Dossier to Link Saddam to Usama Bin Laden

FoxNews | 9/14/02 | FoxNews

[RobFromGa]

Just heard on FoxNews Channel that Blair says that his dossier will link Saddam Hussein to Usama Bin Laden terror planning and training. CHECKMATE.

[VaBthang4]

"Wow..this isn't clinton, is it?"

~grin~

[The Vast Right Wing]

This is why the White House keeps on insisting that it doesn't need congressional approval, it already has it.

1. 1991 congressional resolution approving force in the Gulf War is still in effect.

2. Saddam is involved with Al Qaeda invoking the September 22 2001 congressional resolution.

3. Saddam is HOSED.

[The Vast Right Wing]

'But wait! How can this be?! Scott Ritter has said there is no evidence!? Are you saying Ritter is wrong??'

So did Nancy Pelosi, is Nancy Pelosi LYING?

[Samwise]

This is like Charlie Brown holding the football for Lucy, but she never trusts him enough to kick.

Most exellent analogy.

I am constantly amazed at the brilliant strategery of our President. I have been telling Hubby that Blair knows more than he is letting on. He has bucked his own party on this one. What a great move to have Blair release the dossier instead of the Bush team. I can't wait to see little Tommy Dashle squirm. Blair has been in on the intelligence because he is trustworthy. Our own stinking Senators are out of the loop because they are a bunch of whiney, spoiled, back-atabbing prissy boys.

[Samwise]

This explains why Blair has been so rock-solid, unhesitatingly firm in his support. He has seemed even more eager that W to get it on. Now we know why.

Yes, and he has kept his mouth shut until all of the ducks were lined up. He continues to impress me.

[The Great Satan]

A flashback to April:

April 16, 2002

Bio-defense requires smallpox vaccine
By Joseph Curl
THE WASHINGTON TIMES

     British Prime Minister Tony Blair ordered 16 million doses of smallpox vaccine after Vice President Richard B. Cheney visited last month and warned about the threat of an attack by Iraq.
     In a short stopover March 12 on his way to the Middle East, Mr. Cheney met with Mr. Blair for several hours at the prime minister's 10 Downing Street office. The vice president detailed reports from intelligence sources that said the United States and Britain would be the prime targets of a biological terrorism attack.
     Just two days after the pair met, health ministers from Britain, Japan, Mexico, France, Germany and the United States met in London to trade intelligence on vaccine stocks and methods of responding to a bioterrorism attack, the London Daily Telegraph reported yesterday.
     Three weeks later, the British government placed a $46 million order for 16 million smallpox vaccines with a British company, PowderJect of Oxford.
     A senior administration official, who yesterday confirmed the Telegraph report, said the warning was not based on new information.
     Instead, the official said, the vice president was merely passing on intelligence that Britain would be among the top targets.
     U.S. security reports say Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein would use all weapons — including chemical and biological arms — if attacked. Earlier this month, President Bush and Mr. Blair discussed options for handling Iraq, which has become increasingly belligerent.
     While both leaders, who met for a weekend at Mr. Bush's Texas ranch, say there are no imminent plans to attack Iraq, each has said Saddam is a threat that cannot be ignored.
     "This guy, Saddam Hussein, is a leader who gasses his own people, goes after people in his own neighborhood with weapons of — chemical weapons," the president said.
     Mr. Blair was equally adamant. "The president is right to draw attention to the threat of weapons of mass destruction. That threat is real. That the threat exists and we have to deal with it, that seems to me a matter of plain common sense."
     The last naturally occurring case of smallpox in the world was in 1977, but Iraq is believed to have developed stocks of the smallpox virus during the 1980s, using smallpox from an outbreak in the mid-1970s.
     The only known remaining stocks of virus are in two laboratories, one at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta and the other in Russia.
     Bioterrorism experts fear that some of the Russian stockpile may have fallen into the hands of rogue scientists in nations like Russia, Iraq and North Korea.
     Talk of weapons loaded with smallpox, a highly contagious disease fatal to about one in three persons, dissipated in the aftermath of anthrax attacks across the United States. Since then, however, Iraq was caught attempting to ship arms to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
     Intelligence sources think that if attacked, Saddam would unleash attackers armed with smallpox in the United States and Britain.
     Smallpox causes pustules over the entire body, kills about 30 percent of its victims and disfigures survivors. Furthermore, because its sufferers often take 10 days to show symptoms, the disease can spread quickly over large areas, including other countries.
     The United States has made dramatic steps to increase its stockpile of 15 million doses of smallpox vaccine. The government has ordered another 209 million doses from Acambis, a British pharmaceutical company. About 150 million of those doses were not due until 2004, but all will be delivered by the end of the year.

[js1138]

Timing is everything. Give them time to make stupid statements, then knock them down.

[Samwise]

Talk of weapons loaded with smallpox, a highly contagious disease fatal to about one in three persons, dissipated in the aftermath of anthrax attacks across the United States.

Did you notice the way Bush hung on the word "Anthrax" and then looked out across the audience during his UN speech? I don't think he buys the domestic terrorist theory.

[The Great Satan]

Me neither.

[Texasforever]

THE point is... That trail would have been created if Saddam was truly smart enough to cover it...

Then why didn't Bush pin the anthrax attacks on Saddam? You have NOTHING to base your assertions on.

[ET(end tyranny)]

They were then said to have joined ranks with Osama bin Laden, accused by Washington of being the mastermind behind last year's September 11 hijack attacks.

Why do they leave out that these cretins admitted to it? And only say, accused by Washington?

[kezekiel]

"Bush.... I hate that guy."

[OrthodoxPresbyterian]

To: rdb3 I'd like to put some money on opposition. 3-to-1 odds on a sure thing? 98 posted on 9/14/02 7:39 PM Pacific by hchutch

You might lose.

While I support the troops is any field of combat to which they are commanded (they are my countrymen, no matter where the politicians send them), I was against the 1991 war against Iraq -- then AND now (I haven't changed my opinion on the subject). Kuwait is not an American State. I never bought the "free flow of oil" argument either; Saddam did not intend to drink Kuwait's crude, he intended to be the one selling it (he needed the cash after a long war, as our "ally", against Iran).

So I never bought into the 1991 war. That's the way I see it, and I've never seen an argument compelling enough to change my opinion.

Since 1991, there have been a couple of actionable incidents involving Iraq... it is reasonably alleged that they supported the Trade Center bombing in 1993; it is reasonably alleged that they attempted Assassination against an American Citizen (a certain George HW Bush) in 1993. Both of these incidents probably represented a legitimate Law-of-Nations casus belli against Iraq, which could possibly justify a military response -- of course, it could be counter-argued that the intermittent bombing of Iraq (which I did not support) and the starvation Sanctions against Iraq (designed to restrict Iraqi oil export... waidaminnit, wasn't the fear of "restricted oil export" the justification for the 1991 War?) in fact were a military response against Iraq.

Which brings us to the present day.

IF the Blair Dossier were to establish a factual and well-evidenced record of Iraqi training and support for the Al Queda lieutenants who planned the 9-11 WTC attack, I'm an open-minded man and I believe in punishing those individuals who actually contributed to the 9-11 attacks... always have. I say: bring on the dossier.

So it might not be an entirely "sure bet" that those who oppose this effort on FR will still oppose it.

---

But I would close with this thought, for pro-War conservatives... if it is not morally necessary to establish a linkage between Iraq and Al-Queda before the bombs start dropping, why would anyone care about the Blair Dossier? Why on earth would it matter?

I would instead suggest the curmudegonly reservation that if the Blair Dossier contains the evidence for Iraqi involvement in 9-11 which is alleged, it will only serve to validate a fundamental contention of libertarian Just War doctrine: if you're going to bomb somebody, it is a morally good thing to have a reason for doing so.

Just grist for the mill (grin).

Best, OP

[Snake65]

he (Blair) said he prefers Bush because he knows he can trust him when he says something.

Great comment. How long before Clinton starts going on talk shows saying that he was "obsessed" with Saddam's contribution to world terrorism and how "hard" he tried to remove him from power.

[OReilly]

Our own stinking Senators are out of the loop because they are a bunch of whiney, spoiled, back-atabbing prissy boys.

They are also not to be trusted not to leak the information like Leahy has done in the past. Ask me if Bush should trust those democrats and some of those RINOS with intelligence that could effect whether Americans that elected Bush might live or die.

[MHGinTN]

In response to your cogent #90 posting:

The one thing We the People could do to wipe the smug evil grin from the face of the Islamicists is to awaken to our sovereign right and duty and turn out to vote in the November elections at record numbers! Believe it or not, the sight of a unified 300 million free people backing their elected representatives and exercising their sovereign responsibilities is a terrifying specter for the Islamicists for their goal is to create chaos and move into the void created by such. The Islamicists, raging Islamism at the world, seek world domination and the greatetst threat to their goal is a united, active free electorate! LET'S ROLL!

[TShaunK]

All summer long we have to endure the liberal media and the liberal tv shows and the dems making fun of GW on how dumb and incompetent and he lives in a dream world. yeah he is dumb alright dumb like a fox.He has brought the dashole democrats and the UN to its knee and buried them in their own hypocracy within a 72 hr. period. Ill tell you I can't believe the the courage and leadership this man has provided. To me this is the equivelent of staring down the russians during the missle crisis in 62, except he has done it virtually on his own. What really got me today was watching Fox news and seeing this Saudi bigshot raghead actually backing us in public and publically badmouthinmg Bin Laden and Hussein.

[MHGinTN]

Bumpity-bump-bump-bump

[MHGinTN]

Luis, the #116 post is what we briefly discussed Thursday Evening during your FR Radio show. Any additional thoughts my FRiend?

[Luis Gonzalez]

"...the greatest threat to their goal is a united, active free electorate! LET'S ROLL!"

That and of course The US Air Force, The US Army, The US Navy, The US Infantry, The US Marine Corps. And if that all fails, we'll send Anna Nicole Smith over, and they'll surrender in minutes.