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The SAUDIS, especially the royal family (close personal friends of the Bush family) had DIRECT connection to bin Laden and the hijackers were SAUDIS.....
Why didn't we go to war with Saudi Arabia????
Becasue the Saudi governemnet and oil family had disowned Bin Laden before 9/11
While I am not aware of any quote by Dick Cheney that directly linked or stated that Saddam had a hand in 9-11, that is hardly where it ends.
Anyone with an iota of brain matter bouncing around their skulls knows what an implicit statement is. However in case there are readers that do not know what an implicit statement is, let me help out.
im·plic·it adj
1. Implied or understood though not directly expressed: an implicit agreement not to raise the touchy subject.
2. Contained in the nature of something though not readily apparent: "Frustration is implicit in any attempt to express the deepest self" Patricia Hampl.
3. Having no doubts or reservations; unquestioning: implicit trust.
So lets take a look at some of the language used back during 2002-2004 on this matter.
Al-Qaeda attacked the World Trade Center buildings on 9-11, fact. So lets go from there.
"His regime[Saddam] has had high-level contacts with al Qaeda going back a decade and has provided training to al Qaeda terrorists." - Remarks by the Vice President at the Air National Guard Senior Leadership Conference, White House (12/2/2002)
"His regime[Saddam] aids and protects terrorists, including members of al Qaeda. He could decide secretly to provide weapons of mass destruction to terrorists for use against us." - Vice President's Remarks at 30th Political Action Conference, White House (1/30/2003)
"And Saddam Hussein becomes a prime suspect in that regard because of his past track record and because we know he has, in fact, developed these kinds of capabilities, chemical and biological weapons. . . We know that he has a long-standing relationship with various terrorist groups, including the al-Qaeda organization." - Dick Cheney, Meet the Press, NBC (3/16/2003)
"If we're successful in Iraq, if we can stand up a good representative government in Iraq, that secures the region so that it never again becomes a threat to its neighbors or to the United States, so it's not pursuing weapons of mass destruction, so that it's not a safe haven for terrorists, now we will have struck a major blow right at the heart of the base, if you will, the geographic base of the terrorists who have had us under assault now for many years, but most especially on 9/11." - Dick Cheney, Meet the Press, NBC (9/14/2003)
What is being implied is a connection between the terrorist who committed 9-11 and Saddam Hussien. This is as crystal clear as it gets.
Sixty-nine percent of Americans said they thought it at least likely that Hussein was involved in the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, according to the latest Washington Post poll-Saturday, September 6, 2003 Washington Post
"Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment nothing can fail. Without it nothing can succeed. He who molds opinion is greater than he who enacts laws." --Abraham Lincoln
So did Dick Cheney say Saddam was involved with 9-11, no, not directly. However it was implied with extreme prejudice and judging by polling at the time, what was being implied was accepted by the public as fact.
"The first casualty of war is truth."
Of course, a review of Sun Tzu and the Art of War wouldn't hurt either
I found a few additional quotes where Cheney implied connections between those who committed 9-11 and Saddam.
"And the reason we had to do Iraq, if you hark back and think about that link between the terrorists and weapons of mass destruction, Iraq was the place where we were most fearful that that was most likely to occur, because in Iraq we've had a government -- not only was it one of the worst dictatorships in modern times, but had oftentimes hosted terrorists in the past . . . but also an established relationship with the al Qaeda organization . . . ." - Vice President Dick Cheney Remarks at Luncheon for Congressman Jim Gerlach, White House (10/3/2003)
"We'll find ample evidence confirming the link, that is the connection if you will between al Qaida and the Iraqi intelligence services. They have worked together on a number of occasions." Transcript of interview with Vice President Dick Cheney, Rocky Mountain News (1/9/2004)
"We did have reporting that was public, that came out shortly after the 9/11 attack, provided by the Czech government, suggesting there had been a meeting in Prague between Mohammed Atta, the lead hijacker, and a man named al-Ani (Ahmed Khalil Ibrahim Samir al-Ani), who was an Iraqi intelligence official in Prague, at the embassy there, in April of '01, prior to the 9/11 attacks. It has never been -- we've never been able to collect any more information on that. That was the one that possibly tied the two together to 9/11." - Transcript of Interview with Vice President Dick Cheney, Rocky Mountain News (1/9/2004)
Please note the date of the following and the previous quote.
Quote:
Czech intelligence agents, who had initially presented this story to U.S. officials, had only one source for this alleged meeting: an Arab student who saw Atta’s newpaper photo after the September 11th attacks, and claimed that he had seen Atta months earlier in a cafe in Prague.
As early as September 2001, there were doubts within the CIA and FBI that this meeting occurred and that the source was reliable. Despite these doubts, the Bush administration repeatedly cited this alleged meeting in interviews.
Within two weeks, United States intelligence doubted this claim, yet as late as 2004, Dick Cheney was implying that it had in fact occurred.
"I continue to believe. I think there's overwhelming evidence that there was a connection between al-Qaeda and the Iraqi government. We've discovered since documents indicating that a guy named Abdul Rahman Yasin, who was a part of the team that attacked the World Trade Center in '93, when he arrived back in Iraq was put on the payroll and provided a house, safe harbor and sanctuary. That's public information now. So Saddam Hussein had an established track record of providing safe harbor and sanctuary for terrorists. . . . I mean, this is a guy who was an advocate and a supporter of terrorism whenever it suited his purpose, and I'm very confident that there was an established relationship there." - Dick Cheney, Morning Edition, NPR (1/22/2004)
Lets take a look at a few Bush quotes and White House press releases.
OCT 28 Remarks by the President at New Mexico Welcome
"This is a person who has had contacts with al Qaeda."
OCT 28 Remarks by the President in Colorado Welcome
"He's got connections with al Qaeda."
OCT 31 Remarks by the President at South Dakota Welcome
"This is a guy who has had connections with these shadowy terrorist networks."
NOV 01 Remarks by the President at New Hampshire Welcome
"We know he's got ties with al Qaeda."
NOV 02 Remarks by the President in Florida Welcome
"We know that he's had connections with al Qaeda."
OCT 14 Remarks by the President in Michigan Welcome
"... we need to think about Saddam Hussein using al Qaeda to do his dirty work, to not leave fingerprints behind."
Most importantly is the vote to authorize the United States to enter into war with Iraq:
Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002
(Enrolled as Agreed to or Passed by Both House and Senate)
H.J.Res.114
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 ;
Whereas Iraq continues to aid and harbor other international terrorist organizations, including organizations that threaten the lives and safety of United States citizens;
Whereas the attacks on the United States of September 11, 2001, underscored the gravity of the threat posed by the acquisition of weapons of mass destruction by international terrorist organizations;
From day one, it was implied that Saddam harbored, supported and acted in concert with those people who committed the acts on 9-11.
If anything what we should all learn from this is the importance of the use of language, either implicit or explicit, as well as the general tone of Washington. While our leadership SOLD us an unnecessary war based upon countless implied connections that either existed in the loosest possible fashion or never existed at all, not to mention that it was not only implied but stated as fact that Iraq was littered with tones of WMD's, all of this would bear out to be false.
Yet despite that this administration sold the American people a war it wanted, the responsibility for this unnecessary war does not end with just Bush, Cheney, and a cabal of shadowy figures bent on changing the Middle East into a US filling station, there is also Congress who almost unanimously voted for this. Both Republicans and Democrats failed to do their duty to the American people and fact check or issue cautionary patience while evidence was verified. Be it out of fear of being seen as unpatriotic or just in fear from the constant rhetoric and fantasize implied connections offered by the Bush/Cheney administration, they rolled over and played dead like so many gutless cowards.
Last there is the responsibility of the people, you and I. Who much like Congress, accepted much of what we heard as fact, when in truth, we did little to verify the countless statements being made and noting those that were disproven as fast as they were released (Niger documents) Too few people risked saying, wait a minute, lets not jump into this and too many said lets go shoot some towel heads while chanting, "never forget 9-11"
The lesson is that language and words matter, and when they are issued forth in a most elusive and implicit manner that allows the speaker an exit on nearly every statement, then be cautious. If nothing else, this should prove at least one thing, Dick Cheney is a shewed and intelligent man who understand the use of language better than most.
About highly degraded nerve gases. Which we obviously knew he had at one time.
Excuse me if I'm underwhelmed.
Go parse some more posts and twist them around so you can spout your agenda.
I refuse to believe that ANYONE, who has the intelligence to turn on their computer could possibly come back with a posting like this.
First, yes, a THREE year old article, dah, they found them THREE years ago.
"highly degraded nerve gases".. that Sadam said DID NOT EXIST, which is also the EXACT same thing that I said. Wait, let me quote myself so you dont accuse me of "lying" or twisting what was said.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pghquest
WMD's were found AFTER the invasion, they were just so degraded that they were no longer usable.
They dont know if they arent usable until they are FOUND.
I also note how you completely ignored the list of OTHER WMD's found..
So before you go around spouting off your ignorance, be prepared to read the responses and then admit when you were wrong.. WMDs did exist, Saddam did lie about not having them, and terrorists did operate INSIDE of Iraq..
I said we should have let the UN deal with Iraq at the time. I never said they would have been effective. So to a point, I agree.
Yes, they would have handled it just fine, just look at what they are doing against North Korea, yep.. thats the UN, thankfully we have them to deal with dictators around the world, or else N Korea would have nuclear weapons.. ooh wait..
Yes, they would have handled it just fine, just look at what they are doing against North Korea, yep.. thats the UN, thankfully we have them to deal with dictators around the world, or else N Korea would have nuclear weapons.. ooh wait..
Regardless of the UN's ineptitude, we do not have the resources to go after every 'bad guy' in the world. Nor is it our responsibility.
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