Judge Gilbert S. Merritt of the US Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has been working in Iraq in rebuilding their judiciary. While there, he has uncovered evidence that the Hussein regime did actively work with Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda.
The document shows that an Iraqi intelligence officer, Abid Al-Karim Muhamed Aswod, assigned to the Iraq embassy in Pakistan, is "responsible for the coordination of activities with the Osama bin Laden group."
The document shows that it was written over the signature of Uday Saddam Hussein, the son of Saddam Hussein…
Of course, based on the Democratic attacks against the President you’d think Iraq was rules by a bunch of peaceful puppy-loving flower children who’d never threaten anyone rather than the cruel tyrants of one of the most horrible regimes on the globe. As the searches continue in Iraq more findings are coming to light – mass graves, documentary evidence, and former Ba’ath Paty officials. All of this evidence shows that the liberation of Iraq from the Hussein regime was an act of mercy for the Iraqi people.
quote from the article:
“he asked would it be of interest to the Americans to know that Saddam had an ongoing relationship with Osama bin Laden”
the guy who’s asking the question is supposed to be clever?
and this very same guy is the one who unveiled the whole thing????
I assume the guy also has some WMDs in his backyard. Would it be of interest?
The list was published in an Iraqi newspaper, so confirming the documentation shouldn’t be that hard. The story behind the publication of the paper is certainly plausible, and Judge Merritt is a man of impeccable credentials himself. (And a Democrat, meaning that he’d have no partisan interest in the matter.)
I’ve got some problems with this story…
1. According to the story, the list was printed in a Baghdad newspaper. The next morning, the secret police came around and tried to get all the copies back. This week, “One of the lawyers with whom I have been working for the past five weeks had come to me and asked me whether a list of the 600 people closest to Saddam Hussein would be of any value now to the Americans.
Notice the “of any value”? Do some desperate Iraqi’s with spare time and a printing press have a money making scam in mind? Maybe they are shopping it around, which would explain why it shows up earlier at whoever bit for the Weekly Standard and is now moving down the ‘con’ food chain.
2 The English name of this newspaper, the Babylon Daily Political Newspaper, doesn’t Google. According to the Weekly Standard, it’s called Babil. Why the confusion?
3. This was November 2002. Remember the pre-election war hype? There was no mention of this at the time, even though Baghdad had a lot of foreign press in town. “Samir bought his paper at a newsstand at around 8 a.m. “Within two hours, the Iraqi intelligence officers were going by every newsstand in Baghdad and confiscating the papers. A lot of newspapers get sold between 8 and 10 AM. How could so few of these papers be around? No reporters heard about it?
4. “That is the story of the ”Honor Roll of 600,” and why I believe that President Bush was right when he alleged that Saddam was in cahoots with Osama and was coordinating activities with him.” Notice the “why I believe that President Bush was right…”? Judge Merritt feels the need to editorialize and ‘assist’ Bush.
Also, “Up until this time, I have been skeptical about these claims. Now I have changed my mind.” Is he trying a little too hard to convince us of his impartiality?
5. The story appeared in the May 12 edition of the Weekly Standard, and it sank like a stone. Why did it sink like a stone? Did real reporters check it out and find it had no merit? (no pun intended)
6. Supposedly, the list had an odd preface: ”This is a list of the henchmen of the regime. Our hands will reach them sooner or later. Woe unto them.” What does this mean? Why did this Hussein controlled newspaper call the Hussein’s a ‘regime’?
7. The alleged spy was assigned to the Iraqi embassy in Pakistan. Why wasn’t he reeled in?
8. Why wasn’t the Bush administration all over this holy grail of intel–the OBL/Saddam link–like a bum on a ham sandwich back when the story was fresh?
9. Why is this Wednesday story falling into the notorious Friday night newshole?