Can we handle the truth?

We keep hearing it--"Iraq has nothing to do with the Global War on Terror". It's been reflected in recent polls and is essentially part of the "Six Point Plan" the democrats are pushing this fall.

And why not? Since it's been established there were no bubbling cauldrons of WMD buried under Saddam's palaces (only loose shells in the sand) the reputed spidery connections to bin Laden remain the most compelling casus belli left to debunk.

It's big. Both parties are literally hanging their political futures on it, especially the democrats, whose official plan is now to 'tell the truth' about the lies. That's refreshing and all, but why stop with Bush? Let's allow the public a chance to understand the story epilogues of a few interesting individuals. To name a few:

1) Abdul Rahman Yasin. Still on the FBI's most wanted list, he was involved with Ramzi Yousef in bombing the World Trade Center in 1993. An American by birth with Iraqi parents, he boogied to Baghdad shortly after the attacks by flim-flamming the FBI into believing he was not involved. That's a talent not possessed by everyone, so perhaps he'd had some previous training in the art of defeating interrogations. It could explain why he's still at large.

2) Mubarak al-Duri. An Iraqi by birth, he was known to have taken residence in Arizona at the same general time 9/11 pilot Hani Hanjour was taking flight lessons there. The 9/11 Commission Report described him as al-Qaeda's WMD Procurement person. It's still not clear whether al-Duri has any familial relationship to the more famous al-Duri, Izzat Ibrahim, nor is it clear as to where he might be at the moment, assuming he's still alive.

3) Ahmad Khalil Ibrahim Samir Al-Ani. He's the infamous diplomatic counsel who was assigned to the Iraqi Embassy in Prague in 2001 when 9/11 lead hijacker Mohammed Atta reportedly passed through town. About that same time he was expelled from the embassy for spying on Radio Free Iraq, which had been targeted by Saddam.

He was captured in 2003 and denied meeting Atta--hardly surprising for a former intelligence agent, yet the alternative is to trust the Czech BIS folks, who are also intelligence agents. Perhaps Andrew McCarthy can clear this up a bit more.

On a similar note it would be nice to learn the backstory on Farouk Hijazi, who during his interrogation admitted to meetings with al-Qaeda representatives. Maybe he's in the same place they put al-Ani.

These guys are but few of many. The recent violence in Iraq, supported all along by the bearded cave talkers, is being spurred mainly by ex-regime members who dominate the new Iraqi government's recent list of 41 most wanted characters.

What does any of this mean? Well, looking back it's hard to say with certainty what the Bush administration knew in the summer of 2001. It's pretty clear our intelligence apparatus was buzzing like an alarm clock. Chatter was up and bin Laden had hardly 'bin forgotten' according to this story.

We're now discovering documentary hints of contact between Saddam and the Taliban coming from Project Harmony. Things were about to blow, but a newly arriving President couldn't very well start a war a few months after a contentious election. Perhaps that's why bin Laden was itching to pull the trigger in August, according to KSM. If indeed Iraq had assets in Khandahar it would seem to suggest Saddam knew about the impending attack.

If the Democrats are really interested in 'telling the truth' this fall perhaps they can start with the above individuals. After all, most of these guys were making their history on Clinton's watch, a president known for his honesty and integrity, right?

MORE 9/4/06

Speaking of the truth, Andy McCarthy wonders if it's about to get airbrushed.

(ht Jim Rose).

SNAKE! 9/4/06

Speaking of Democrat strategies, the Gateway Pundit shows us how history is repeating itself. Don't miss the comments section, either.

RATHER SEEDY 9/6/06

What does the recent capture of Hamed al-Saeidi, the man who reportedly supervised the Sammara Golden Mosque bombing, have in common with the premise of the post above? Well...

Iraqi officials said Saeidi, an intelligence officer for ousted president Saddam Hussein,

Hmm, as they say. When asked, a spokesterrorist from the Mujahadeen Shura Council laughably said,

"But he is not that famous or any sort of leader,"

Even though America was calling him the most important capture short of al-Zarqawi. Meanwhile, this didn't get much press, either:

A coalition of 300 Iraqi tribal leaders on Saturday demanded the release of Saddam Hussein so he could reclaim the presidency and also called for armed resistance against U.S.-led coalition forces.

Evidently these dead-enders were members of the Obeidi clan, one of whose members was in the news a few months ago. Wonder if that clan also produced the good doctor of Haditha fame?

HT Glenstein, Hatfill Deception