...there is no clear and convincing pattern of Iraqi relations with either al-Qaida or the Taliban
-Senator Edward Kennedy, Oct 4, 2002The situation was very similar with respect to Saddam's links to Al Qaeda...The Administration's assertions on this score have been totally discredited. But again, the Administration went ahead with these assertions in spite of the fact that the government's top experts did not agree with these claims.
-Senator Harry Reid, Nov, 2005
It seems clear, that the above quoted Senators should be fired by their constituents for complete incompetence. Or lying. Or both. The al Qaida-Iraq link prior to the Iraq war is common knowledge among experts and within the Senate itself.
Harry Reid himself voted for the House Joint Resolution authorizing the President of the United States to use U.S. Armed Forces against Iraq in which the al Qaida-Iraq link is clearly stated as a justification for war
Whereas members of al Qaida, an organization bearing responsibility for attacks on the United States, its citizens, and interests, including the attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, are known to be in Iraq;
And they were correct to do so. Even Middle East scholar Fawaz Gerges who is no fan of the Bush Administration's War against Terrorism and who is a frequent apologist for Islamists, admitted on NPR yesterday that it was true. In the interview with Jennifer Ludden I found this exchange to be interesting
LUDDEN: Could you give us a bit of background on Zarqawi? I mean, he was born in Jordan. How did he and his followers come to be in Iraq in the first place?
Mr. GERGES: He went to Afghanistan in 1999, then, of course, you know what happened in 2001; the American invasion of Afghanistan. He realized the place to be was Iraq, in particular in the Sunni Arab areas of Iraq. And in fact, he came to Iraq before the American-led invasion because al-Qaeda members realized that the Americans were going to plunge head-on into Iraq and Iraq would become the second most important base after Afghanistan, and that's exactly what happened.
But the Senator's don't need to consult outside sources to know this. The 9-11 Commission Report itself clearly indicated the collaboration
"On particular projects, specifically including weapons development, al Qaeda would work cooperatively with the Government of Iraq."
The commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks has received new information indicating that a senior officer in an elite unit of the security services of deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein may have been a member of al-Qaida involved in the planning of the suicide hijackings, panel members said Sunday.
John F. Lehman, a Reagan-era GOP defense official told NBC's "Meet the Press" that documents captured in Iraq "indicate that there is at least one officer of Saddam's Fedayeen, a lieutenant colonel, who was a very prominent member of al Qaida."
Both of the above quoted Senators surely should be aware of the findings of their own committees tasked to look into this.
I myself have documented the plethora of evidence available to pajama-wearing typists everywhere here and here and here and here. Apparently the Congressmen and women we task to know about this stuff, and should know even more, are woefully uninformed.
Perhaps they need to wear pajamas more.
