This thing about safe harbor gor al Qaeda really pisses me off because its complete and utter bullshit. They are referring to the group Ansar al Islam that operated in Northern Iraq for years. Powell was the first Administration official to try and sell this shinola before the war. The press actually did its job and pointed out that the group operated well WITHIN THE NO FLY ZONE. These zones were allegedly set up to prevent military action by the Iraqis against the Kurds (North) and Shia (South) and any military incursion into these over the past decade has been met with immediate retaliation.

Before the war in iraq, this Administration passed on the opportunity to destroy Ansar al Islam. i would suggest it did so precisely in order to raise this argument about support of terrorism.

I don't know if I'd go that far, John. I think it is more a matter of that the Kurdish militias couldn't attack the Ansar bases until after the war started b/c it would leave them vulnerable to a land incursion from Saddam. And the US couldn't put troops on the ground there since it was a "no fly" enforcement only. Once the ground war kicked in, the US could put troops on the ground and that allowed the Kurds to help wipe the base out.

That being said, it's abhorent that the Bush team is using this as prima facie eveidence of a "collaboration" between Saddam and Al Qaeda. It's not even close to anything resembling evidence. Just one more lie from the Administration.

Teddy,

i wouldnt have gone that far either, however, your suggestion about land incursion from Iraq is a touch inaccurate. Every military move in the zones by Iraq were bombed. But that is beside the point. The Pentagon drew up plans three times to bomb the Ansar camps but these were spiked by the White House.

"Military officials insist their case for attacking Zarqawi’s operation was airtight, but the administration feared destroying the terrorist camp in Iraq could undercut its case for war against Saddam."

Truly disgusting.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4431601/

Don't bring up true stuff about Cheney, you'll just get banned and deleted. No, wait, wrong site.