LA TIMES: White House says Mohammed Atta met Iraqi agent

LA Times ^ | Aug 2, 2002 | Bob Drogin, Paul Richter and Doyle McManus

[Frank_Discussion]

Despite deep doubts by the CIA and FBI, the White House is now backing claims that suspected Sept. 11 skyjacker Mohammed Atta secretly met five months earlier with an Iraqi agent in Prague, Czech Republic, a possible indication that Saddam Hussein's regime was involved in the terror attacks.

[Frank_Discussion]

I sure hope this gets backed up, because it sounds like the other shoe to be dropped.

At the end of the article:

"The Iraqi government yesterday invited the chief U.N. weapons inspector to Baghdad for discussion, hinting that inspections could be renewed nearly four years after inspectors left ahead of allied airstrikes..."

This makes it sound like the inspectors left so we could start bombing. I thought the inspectors were kicked out be Saddam?

[GraniteStateConservative]

There are reports the attack won't happen this year and there are reports it might. Who knows?

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

Atta Iraqi agent Prague

[sam_paine]

WASHINGTON — Despite deep doubts by the CIA and FBI, the White House is now backing claims...

"deep doubts" is an interesting way to say "the white house is full of it."

Why can't reporters either write without such gratuitous modifiers, or quote someone specifically? Especially to say that an organization has deep doubts....that makes no sense. Like General Motors has "deep doubts" about Toyota's line of small pickups.

[Guillermo]

No, they weren't.

This was around Clintons impeachment, so, he had to have a good "excuse" to bomb Iraq.

[dirtboy]

Despite deep doubts by the CIA and FBI, the White House is now backing claims that suspected Sept. 11 skyjacker Mohammed Atta secretly met five months earlier with an Iraqi agent in Prague, Czech Republic, a possible indication that Saddam Hussein's regime was involved in the terror attacks.

So lemme get this straight. The Clinton Administration lobbed cruise missiles into Sudan, a country that represented no real threat to the United States at the time, on the flimsiest of evidence cobbled together by White House staffers, but the LA Slimes condemned anyone who questioned the Clintonista's motives. Now that we are looking to take out a thug nation that is clearly buildings WMDs, all of a sudden the Slimes is saying "whoa, there, let's make sure we have ironclad evidence!"

Telling...

[HarryH]

"WASHINGTON — Despite deep doubts by the CIA and FBI, the White House is now backing claims..."

This is the way a liberal newspaper spins/distorts it's news. Sneaky, isn't it?

[Linda Liberty]

The reports that atta met with iraquis in prague are from
the czech government, which has never backed off these
reports-- when doubts surfaced in the media high ranking
czech ministers went on the record confirming their
original account.If the FBI has deep doubts, I'd like
to know what they're based on. Plenty of people have
deep doubts about the FBI.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Notice Drudge's link goes to the Seattle-PI reprint of this article.

Is he ticked at the LA Times or just sticking it to them for us. Maybe some papers pay him to run their stories and the LA Times isn't one of them.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Make that the Seattle Times.

[epluribus_2]

yikes. it's going off...

[katana]

The next shoe to drop will be evidence that the Anthrax agent used last Fall was of Iraqi origin. I'm confident that Atta was an agent of Saddam and that the Iraqis did provide a few vials of anthrax for what they hoped would be an effective terror attack.

To acknowledge either or both of these facts while we were still concentrating on Afghanistan would have diverted attantion from the matter then at hand.

That it is being slowly reintroduced now seems to me a sign that we are approaching a ready status to clean Iraq's clock and have begun the process of pissing off the American public to the point where annihilation of the Iraqis is demanded. At least I hope so.

An example to the Islamic world of what happens when you screw with America must be made and Iraq is as good a place as any to start.

[katana]

attention

[AmishDude]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: We are STILL at war with Iraq. By the accord that ended the hostilities, weapons inspectors had to be allowed into Iraq with unfettered access at any time. They are not. We are at war and Clinton should have resumed hostilities as soon as the inspectors were kicked out.

[denydenydeny]

Finally acknowledging that the Atta-Al-Ani meetings happened is a major and necessary step before a war.

The official added, "We're going to talk more about this case."

That's a guarantee. We will get more confirmation of the meeting, probably with actual records, including the reported videotape.

[Frank_Discussion]

I hope the "official" and his associates start talking soon. If the adminstration is waiting until the public is prepared and pissed enough to support an invasion, I think they're missing some signals. I think we're all ready to deal with Saddam.

The issues are probably more complex than simple public support, something more strategic.

[demlosers]

This makes it sound like the inspectors left so we could start bombing. I thought the inspectors were kicked out be Saddam?

Ah......the subtle spin of LA Slime propaganda.

[Types_with_Fist]

Notice Drudge's link goes to the Seattle-PI reprint of this article.

Here's why he does that: http://www.latimes.com/services/site/registration/view.reg?temp=rc-restricted

[Travis McGee]

Memo From White House to FBI:

The Sheeple are now ready to be brought back to war against Iraq mode.

You may drop the bogus "lone white male domestic scientist" anthrax origin investigation.

Nice work, prepare for new instructions.

[NeoCaveman]

If they make the 9/11-Iraq link Bush is already authorized by Congress to use miliary force against them. If not, he needs Congressional approval which he'd get easily....even from the Senate.