|
|
|
 > |
FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
|
|
It is in the breaking news sidebar! |
|
Posted on 07/11/2003 4:39:50 PM PDT by BCrago66
|
|
|
|
> |
FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
|
|
It is in the breaking news sidebar! |
|
Ever heard of this capture and who is this guy??
Bush Doctrine Unfolds :
| To find all articles tagged or indexed using Bush Doctrine Unfold , click below: | ||||
| click here >>> | Bush Doctrine Unfold | <<< click here | ||
| (To view all FR Bump Lists, click here) | ||||
I was especially intrigued to read about all of these Saddam-Bin Laden connection articles which were written in the mainstream press around 1999. I find that especially odd because nothing in the mainstream media in the past year or two - even in the actual magazines where those 1999 articles were published - would have given anyone the idea that a Saddam-bin Laden connection is anything other than some kind of wild-speculation pipe dream that "the Bush Administration works really hard to argue for based on no evidence at all" and whatnot. This is weird because you'd think all these magazines would love to be screaming out, "we were warning about this four years ago! Here's the proof: we published articles about it, in such-and-such issue page X!" And yet, for some reason, they haven't. I can't figure out why!
I do start to fear though that by now the bar on words like "connection" has been raised so high that there's no possible way to prove any single human has any hard-and-fast "connection" to any other human. To some people, I'm not even sure I could prove that I'm "connected" to my family or friends. I mean, let's even assume that 9/11 was a joint Saddam/bin Laden operation, and then just try to imagine the best conceivable evidence which could possibly prove it (say, a video of them talking about doing it). The leftist response to it practically writes itself:
You have a video of Saddam and bin Laden talking and hugging? So grainy, who's to say, maybe they're frowning at each other! It's digital? Probably edited by CIA! You say that's Saddam now french-kissing bin Laden? Could be his double, remember all his doubles! Got DNA of this guy you say is "Saddam" on that video? Thought not! The audio has them talking about destroying America? Betcha paid CIA hacks did the translation! On the audio Saddam said "I really want you to help me kill Americans"? How do you know he's not being sarcastic, like "I *really* want you to help me kill Americans, yeah sure"!
If you ask me, the endless focus over the past six months about whether "connections" are "proved" or "smoking guns" for this or that are found has set up a bunch of red herrings. We are not prosecuting attorneys and this is not a court of law, we are fighting a war of national defense against people who wish ill towards American citizens.
Saddam wished ill towards American citizens. That is not in dispute. We have been in a state of war with his country since 1991. That is a cold, hard fact.
Al Qaeda wishes ill towards American citizens. That is their raison d'etre. They had declared war against America, even back when few Americans had heard the phrase "Al Qaeda". That is a documentable fact.
With both groups of people, we are and have been in a state of war. So I can't figure out why the idea that they would seek each other out and at least loosely try to help each other achieve their common aims is supposed to be so far-fetched. It seems to all boil down to the supposedly ironclad law of humanity, "SECULAR and RELIGIOUS people can't possibly interact!!" in which it is now fashionable to pretend to believe, among certain circles. But unless they're idiotic and naive enough to actually believe that theory, then I have a hard time figuring out why stuff like this, or the Atta meeting in Prague are so quickly poo-pooed by some people.
But even if there's no "connection" whatsoever, both groups of people (Al qaeda and Husseinists) are and have been our enemies. It is difficult to fathom why certain people have such a problem with fighting our overt, stated enemies, whether they're "proved" to be "connected" (if that's possible) or not.
"We urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs." -- From a letter signed by Joe Lieberman, Dianne Feinstein, Barbara A. Milulski, Tom Daschle, & John Kerry among others on October 9, 1998
"Saddam's goal ... is to achieve the lifting of U.N. sanctions while retaining and enhancing Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs. We cannot, we must not and we will not let him succeed." -- Madeline Albright, 1998
"The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retained some stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, and that he has since embarked on a crash course to build up his chemical and biological warfare capability. Intelligence reports also indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons, but has not yet achieved nuclear capability." -- Robert Byrd, October 2002
"What is at stake is how to answer the potential threat Iraq represents with the risk of proliferation of WMD. Baghdad's regime did use such weapons in the past. Today, a number of evidences may lead to think that, over the past four years, in the absence of international inspectors, this country has continued armament programs." -- Jacques Chirac, October 16, 2002
"The community of nations may see more and more of the very kind of threat Iraq poses now: a rogue state with weapons of mass destruction, ready to use them or provide them to terrorists. If we fail to respond today, Saddam and all those who would follow in his footsteps will be emboldened tomorrow." -- Bill Clinton in 1998
"In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including Al Qaeda members, though there is apparently no evidence of his involvement in the terrible events of September 11, 2001. It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons. Should he succeed in that endeavor, he could alter the political and security landscape of the Middle East, which as we know all too well affects American security." -- Hillary Clinton, October 10, 2002
"I am absolutely convinced that there are weapons...I saw evidence back in 1998 when we would see the inspectors being barred from gaining entry into a warehouse for three hours with trucks rolling up and then moving those trucks out." -- Clinton's Secretary of Defense William Cohen in April of 2003
"Iraq is not the only nation in the world to possess weapons of mass destruction, but it is the only nation with a leader who has used them against his own people." -- Tom Daschle in 1998
"I share the administration's goals in dealing with Iraq and its weapons of mass destruction." -- Dick Gephardt in September of 2002
"Iraq does pose a serious threat to the stability of the Persian Gulf and we should organize an international coalition to eliminate his access to weapons of mass destruction. Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to completely deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power." -- Al Gore, 2002
"We are in possession of what I think to be compelling evidence that Saddam Hussein has, and has had for a number of years, a developing capacity for the production and storage of weapons of mass destruction." -- Bob Graham, December 2002
"We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction." -- Ted Kennedy, September 27, 2002
"As a member of the House Intelligence Committee, I am keenly aware that the proliferation of chemical and biological weapons is an issue of grave importance to all nations. Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process." -- Nancy Pelosi, December 16, 1998
"Even today, Iraq is not nearly disarmed. Based on highly credible intelligence, UNSCOM [the U.N. weapons inspectors] suspects that Iraq still has biological agents like anthrax, botulinum toxin, and clostridium perfringens in sufficient quantity to fill several dozen bombs and ballistic missile warheads, as well as the means to continue manufacturing these deadly agents. Iraq probably retains several tons of the highly toxic VX substance, as well as sarin nerve gas and mustard gas. This agent is stored in artillery shells, bombs, and ballistic missile warheads. And Iraq retains significant dual-use industrial infrastructure that can be used to rapidly reconstitute large-scale chemical weapons production." -- Ex-Un Weapons Inspector Scott Ritter in 1998
A remarkable combination, indeed.
All in black and white.
Newsweek will deny they ever published such a story. Any presentation to the contrary will be called a complete fabrication -- and abuse of copyright.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.