Did Bush pass up Zarqawi three times to help sell war?

Come on, you know I like to stir the pot a bit some days.



DD

 

It seems to me, though, that raiding the camp and killing those people provided better proof of terrorist connections in Iraq (even if they were in a part of Iraq that was not controlled by Saddam and were not there at his invitation, apparently).

There being only one camp is of no import. It doesn't appear there were any WMAs, but that didn't stop the claim.

It's just that if I were running things, I'd make sure we took out the terrorist training camp, and I'd make a big point that we did it, saving Europe from the threat that a terrorist base in Iraq posed. And then I'd make a big point about how the base was in Iraq and that's about all that would be needed to convince a lot of people. But I'd hammer it home by noting that other bases could be in Iraq.

Since the camp wasn't that large of a part of the selling of the war, it just seems like it makes a better story if the U.S. blew up a terrorist camp in Iraq and made a big deal about it.

 

You would think that would occur to someone.

 

The Clinton Administration could have shown more support for Massoud, the Afghanistan leader killed shortly before 9-11
They could have been perhaps a bit more ruthless and not worried about the <i>political niceness</i> about how bin Laden was removed as a threat......but that is in hindsight after subsequent events.


A nice series of articles on attempts to get bin Laden while he was in Afghanistan (pre 9-11).

<a HREF="http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A59775-2004Feb21&notFound=true">A Secret Hunt Unravels in Afghanistan Mission to Capture or Kill al Qaeda Leader Frustrated by Near Misses, Political Disputes</a> Part I

<a HREF="http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A62889-2004Feb22&notFound=true">Flawed Ally Was Hunt's Best Hope Afghan Guerrilla, U.S. Shared Enemy</a> Part II