Posted on 07/11/2011 9:28:55 AM PDT by MissesBush
Newly appointed US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta told American troops in Baghdad on Monday that 9/11 was the reason they were in Iraq, before he was quickly corrected by his spokesman.
"The reason you guys are here is because of 9/11. The US got attacked and 3,000 human beings got killed because of Al-Qaeda," Panetta told about 150 soldiers at the Camp Victory US base.
"We've been fighting as a result of that," he said.
The administration of former US President George W. Bush had hastily linked Saddam Hussein, the ousted Iraqi dictator, to the 9/11 attacks.
That was one of the justifications for the 2003 US-led invasion, but the argument has since been widely dismissed.
Doug Wilson, Panetta's spokesman, quickly jumped in after his boss, who just took office on July 1, made the statement.
"I don't think he's getting into the argument of 2002-2003," as the reason for the Iraq invasion, Wilson he told reporters, adding that his boss was "a plain-spoken secretary."
"He has made clear that the major threat to this country is coming from Al-Qaeda and terrorist groups and he has also made clear that wherever we are in the world today, that (Al-Qaeda) is a principle reason for a military presence," Wilson said.
The new defence secretary also committed a faux pas in Afghanistan on Saturday, telling reporters the United States intends to keep 70,000 troops there until 2014.
President Barack Obama's administration has said it plans a steady withdrawal of US forces until the Afghans can take over their own security. Panetta's aides immediately retracted his remarks.
Panetta also told troops in Baghdad that the death of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden marked "one of the proudest moments of my life."
(Excerpt) Read more at ca.news.yahoo.com ...
I'd like the AP to back up this b.s. and produce one statement by President Bush or his national security team linking Saddam to 9/11...because it never happened. What a bunch of lying aholes.
And as the former head of the CIA, you have to wonder what Panetta knows that he inadvertently revealed in saying we were in Iraq because of 9/11.
Panetta also told troops in Baghdad that the death of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden marked "one of the proudest moments of my life."
This to me is the faux pas of all his comments, pretending Panetta did all this himself, not the troops, not the CIA professional HIRED UNDER BUSH who was profiled last week in an AP piece who made it his job to track OBL, not the Bush administration whose interrogation techniques gave us the intel. breaks that lead to OBL, etc. No, the media won't focus on this bit of undo self congratulations, and in front of the military, that Panetta engaged in. No, that's not the faux pas. But pointing out we're in Iraq because post 9-11 we took on the forces of chaos and death in the region in the wake of 9-11 that contributed to the kind of culture that lead to Al Qaeda's creation and deadly legacy, no, that's the faux pas. Beam me up.
Actually the Dulfer, Butler and 9/11 Commission Reports did.
I'm no fan of Panetta, but he knows more about why we're fighting than his immediate superior.
I would suspect that much information about Saddam’s future plans came from classified sources, during an administration that used to keep secrets
For example, I remember a report that by Oct 2001, Putin warned Bush that Saddam was planning to sponsor a follow-on to 9-11. Among other things the Russians helpfully told Bush, who saw Putin’s soul when he gazed into his eyes (barf). If Putin played Bush, he did so expertly in terms of timing and effect
What analyst in that time would have ever estimated after 9-11 that Saddam Hussein and his intelligence service would take a back seat to Osama Bin Laden as the leader of jihad against the west, by any means possible (hint: none)
Bush motives aside- removing Sadddam Hussein the murderous destablizing psychopath was a noble thing, and the jury is still out on the long term effect on our attempt at reformed muslim nation-building in Iraq, and the lng term effect on our national security intersts (unfortunately all being sabotaged by democrat malevolence and incompetence)
saddam is CONNECTED to 9/11 via the airplane training center where the scumbags trained, among other things.
Well, we actually are in Iraq because of 9/11, but not in the way the idiot press has presented it. After we were attacked, we decided to no longer play around with that part of the world. We picked that battlefield to get rid of Saddam, to draw the terrorists into a fight, and to put pressure on Iran by having a U.S. force on both sides of them. We accomplished 2 out of those 3. It wasn’t sold that way, but without 9/11, we probably wouldn’t be in Iraq.
I'm sorry, but Panetta saying killing OBL was the "proudest moment of his life" sounds like shameless self-congratulations. He should he credited the troops--and his predecesors who headed the CIA as well as the president who hired those people, Bush, and allowed the interrogation methods that produced the intel breaks that lead to OBL's courier. Two thirds of the breaks that lead to Bin Laden and the start of our finding him all occured before Panetta, or Obama, were in place. A person of character would take themselves out of the equation and not pat their own back. Phrasing it as "one of the happiest moments of my life" would have made it seem less like saying "I'm so proud of what I accomplished!"
That would be Salmonpac!
Good memory RE: what Russian intelligence discovered about Saddam’s terrorism plans. You are absolutely right that occured and Putin warned Bush. Russia had the best intel. presence in Iraq and Bush would have been a fool to ignore Putin even if Putin was b.s.ing. Post 9-11, Bush was not going to take any risks nor ignore any threat. I have often brought up the Putin warnings to those who claimed Saddam was just some benign Middle East presence who would have been better left in power. I’m glad others are aware of the Putin information too.
A “gaffe” is when a politician accidentally utters the truth, so yeah, this would qualify as a gaffe.
how were we supposed to leave the military base Saudia Arabia with Saddam Hussein still in power?
Has the partisan press ever stopped to reevaluate it’s Bushlied propaganda lie? Have they ever stopped to think “maybe these people in the intel community know more than me?”
Doubtful and disgusting.
www.regimeofterror.com for more on Saddam/al Qaeda
At Salman Pak. Those Iraqi intel reports are available also.
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.