what should be done

[spence]

Originally Posted by scottw

I think the UN was monitoring the "Oil for Food" program as well lock and key?

Facts are facts. Saddam didn't touch the yellow cake the UN put under lock and key.

Later that spring, the Clinton Justice Department prepared an indictment of Osama bin Laden. The relevant passage, prominently placed in the fourth paragraph, reads:


Al Qaeda reached an understanding with the government of Iraq that al Qaeda would not work against that government and that on particular projects, specifically including weapons development, al Qaeda would work cooperatively with the government of Iraq.

Patrick Fitzgerald, a U.S. attorney involved in the preparation of the indictment, testified before the 9/11 Commission. He said the intelligence behind that assertion came from Jamal al Fadl, a former high-ranking al Qaeda terrorist who before the 9/11 attacks gave the U.S intelligence community its first intimate look at al Qaeda. According to Fitzgerald, al Fadl told his interrogators that bin Laden associate Mamdouh Mahmud Salim (Abu Hajer al Iraqi) "tried to reach a sort of agreement where they wouldn't work against each other--sort of the enemy of my enemy is my friend--and that there were indications that within Sudan when al Qaeda was there, which al Qaeda left in the summer of '96, or the spring of '96, there were efforts to work on jointly acquiring weapons."

And here's what he actually said.

FITZGERALD: And the question of relationship between Iraq and Al Qaida is an interesting one. I don't have information post-2001 when I got involved in a trial, and I don't have information post-September 11th. I can tell you what led to that inclusion in that sealed indictment in May [1998] and then when we superseded, which meant we broadened the charges in the Fall, we dropped that language.

We understood there was a very, very intimate relationship between Al Qaida and the Sudan. They worked hand in hand. We understood there was a working relationship with Iran and Hezbollah, and they shared training. We also understood that there had been antipathy between Al Qaida and Saddam Hussein because Saddam Hussein was not viewed as being religious.

We did understand from people, including Al-Fadl — and my recollection is that he would have described this most likely in public at the trial that we had, but I can't tell you that for sure; that was a few years ago — that at a certain point they decided that they wouldn't work against each other and that we believed a fellow in Al Qaida named [Mamdouh Mahmud Salim, aka Abu Hajer al-Iraqi], tried to reach a, sort of, understanding where they wouldn't work against each other. Sort of, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

And that there were indications that within Sudan when Al Qaida was there — which Al Qaida left in the summer of '96 or spring '96 — there were efforts to work on joint — you know, acquiring weapons.

Clearly, Al Qaida worked with the Sudan in getting those weapons in the national defense force there and the intelligence service. There were indications that Al-Fadl had heard from others that Iran was involved. And they also had heard that Iraq was involved.

The clearest account from Al-Fadl as a Sudanese was that he had dealt directly with the Sudanese intelligence service, so we had first-hand knowledge of that.

We corroborated the relationship with Iran to a lesser extent but to a solid extent. And then we had information from Al-Fadl, who we believe was truthful, learning from others that there were also was efforts to try to work with Iraq. That was the basis for what we put in that indictment. Clearly, we put Sudan in the first order at that time as being the partner of Al Qaida.

We understood the relationship with Iran but Iraq, we understood, went from a position where they were working against each other to a standing down against each other. And we understood they were going to explore the possibility of working on weapons together.

That's my piece of what I know. I don't represent to know everything else, so I can't tell you, well, what we've learned since then. But there was that relationship that went from opposing each other to not opposing each other to possibly working with each other.

It's amazing, quite astonishing really, how every post you make appears to distort reality.

-spence

[scottw]

what did I distort? perhaps you ignore reality, like everything that occured up until the Iraq invasion AND ANYTHING THAT DOESN'T AID YOUR OBSESSION WITH BUSH WHACKING, kinda the same way the left ignores the Carter years when referring to past bad economies...you live in an alternate universe Spence Alynski, he may have not touched the yellow snow but wouldn't it's existence ALONG WITH ALL OF THE OTHER CRAP BURIED AND LAYING AROUND THE COUNTRY be factored into the question of what to do with a tyrannical and unpredictable regime that continued to sponsor terrorism, supress it's people and ignore umpteen UN sanctions for more than a decade, he played games with UN inspectors, he played games with the UN...HE WAS THE MOST AMBITIOUS DICTATOR IN THE WORLD AT THE TIME, VICIOUS RAPE AND TORTURE WAS HIS NATIONAL PASTTIME....THE CLINTONISTAS COMPARED HIM TO HITLER...but he a wasn't all that bad...really, just isolate him, keep piling on the sanctions as he bribes and games and waves his middle finger...

hey, that's exactly what NK and Iran are doing to Obama Chamberlain, redicluing, taunting, waving both middle fingers at the guy that wants to sit down without pre-conditions and and charm their pants off...this is just great..:bshake

how does the UN have any credability on anything???

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by spence

It's amazing, quite astonishing really, how every post you make appears to distort reality.

-spence

By "post you make", I think you mean "Conservative editorial you copy and paste."

[justplugit]

When it comes to the shipment of illegal arms, blockade the destined port
until NK allows onboard inspection.
While they have a lot of submarines and patrol boats they only have one frigate to defend.

If they send a missile any where near Hawaii, armed or unarmed, knock it out with the Aegis BMD system,
then send a #1000 lb. bomb down Jung IL"s chimney,Kadafi style.
See if he's a fast learner like Omar.

[scottw]

Originally Posted by JohnnyD

By "post you make", I think you mean "Conservative editorial you copy and paste."

be nice JD, OBAMA copy and pastes everything that he says...you know full well that any of what you call "informed opinion" is either dismissed or attacked by Spence with "where's your evidence lowly earthling!!!", it's a no win, he's so caught up in his spinning game that he doesn't know what the truth is except to turn everything into either a "perhaps this was Bush's greatest failure" or "what the Obama administration was actually saying is either truly genius or perfectly brlliant"...pretty funny to watch and to prod the little guy........I can't even count how many Bush Greatest Failures there have been according to him..hey Spence, how are those unemployment claims trending now?

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by scottw

be nice JD

Just busting stones. Caught 20+ fish yesterday and did a ton of work at my girlfriend's parent's house, no time to bicker in here lately.