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Newspaper NRC Handelsblad noted today that "The 900 page report, on which members of the Senate and the House have worked together, also confirms that there is no connection between the terrorist network Al-Qaeda [..] and the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein."
This is true at least to the extent that the 900-page report has hardly a mention for Iraq, and none that confirm any connection.
Use the "search" function for "Saddam Hussein", and you'll find nothing. Use it for "Iraq", and all you find is two mentions of any relevance, both involving leads that yielded nothing:
"DCI Tenet testified that "Atta may also have traveled outside of the U.S. in early April 2001 to meet an Iraqi intelligence officer, although we are still working to corroborate this." Atta may have traveled under an unknown alias: the CIA has been unable to establish that he left the United States or entered Europe in April under his true name or any known alias."
"In February 1999, the Intelligence Community obtained information that Iraq had formed a suicide pilot unit that it planned to use against British and U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf. The CIA commented that this was highly unlikely and probably disinformation."
That's it. Nothing further even worth a mention in the tome of a report. No connection to Saddam's Iraq whatsoever, when it comes to the Al-Qaeda attacks on the US that killed almost 3,000 people.
Thats the news, today. On an aside, (to go back to that again,) I can't help but think back and ask: how, then, did we get from there - from the horror of 9/11 - to this speech, one and a half years later? How come it was suddenly Iraq that posed the "clear danger", the "threat to our country", to "our national security", to an extent that we could not afford ourselves to wait with war?
President Bush, March 17
The [Iraqi] regime [..] has a deep hatred of America and our friends. And it has aided, trained and harbored terrorists, including operatives of al Qaeda.
The danger is clear: using chemical, biological or, one day, nuclear weapons, obtained with the help of Iraq, the terrorists could fulfill their stated ambitions and kill thousands or hundreds of thousands of innocent people in our country, or any other.
The United States and other nations did nothing to deserve or invite this threat. But we will do everything to defeat it. Instead of drifting along toward tragedy, we will set a course toward safety. Before the day of horror can come, before it is too late to act, this danger will be removed.
The United States of America has the sovereign authority to use force in assuring its own national security. That duty falls to me, as Commander-in-Chief, by the oath I have sworn, by the oath I will keep.
Recognizing the threat to our country, the United States Congress voted overwhelmingly last year to support the use of force against Iraq.
This is true at least to the extent that the 900-page report has hardly a mention for Iraq, and none that confirm any connection.
Use the "search" function for "Saddam Hussein", and you'll find nothing. Use it for "Iraq", and all you find is two mentions of any relevance, both involving leads that yielded nothing:
"DCI Tenet testified that "Atta may also have traveled outside of the U.S. in early April 2001 to meet an Iraqi intelligence officer, although we are still working to corroborate this." Atta may have traveled under an unknown alias: the CIA has been unable to establish that he left the United States or entered Europe in April under his true name or any known alias."
"In February 1999, the Intelligence Community obtained information that Iraq had formed a suicide pilot unit that it planned to use against British and U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf. The CIA commented that this was highly unlikely and probably disinformation."
That's it. Nothing further even worth a mention in the tome of a report. No connection to Saddam's Iraq whatsoever, when it comes to the Al-Qaeda attacks on the US that killed almost 3,000 people.
Thats the news, today. On an aside, (to go back to that again,) I can't help but think back and ask: how, then, did we get from there - from the horror of 9/11 - to this speech, one and a half years later? How come it was suddenly Iraq that posed the "clear danger", the "threat to our country", to "our national security", to an extent that we could not afford ourselves to wait with war?
President Bush, March 17
The [Iraqi] regime [..] has a deep hatred of America and our friends. And it has aided, trained and harbored terrorists, including operatives of al Qaeda.
The danger is clear: using chemical, biological or, one day, nuclear weapons, obtained with the help of Iraq, the terrorists could fulfill their stated ambitions and kill thousands or hundreds of thousands of innocent people in our country, or any other.
The United States and other nations did nothing to deserve or invite this threat. But we will do everything to defeat it. Instead of drifting along toward tragedy, we will set a course toward safety. Before the day of horror can come, before it is too late to act, this danger will be removed.
The United States of America has the sovereign authority to use force in assuring its own national security. That duty falls to me, as Commander-in-Chief, by the oath I have sworn, by the oath I will keep.
Recognizing the threat to our country, the United States Congress voted overwhelmingly last year to support the use of force against Iraq.