Intelligence Puts Rationale For War on Shakier Ground

[rodeodance]

Source: wpost



Intelligence Puts Rationale For War on Shakier Ground

By Michael Abramowitz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 18, 2007; Page A05

The White House faced fresh political peril yesterday in the form of a new intelligence assessment that raised sharp questions about the success of its counterterrorism strategy and judgment in making Iraq the focus of that effort.

Since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, President Bush has been able to deflect criticism of his counterterrorism policy by repeatedly noting the absence of any new domestic attacks and by citing the continuing threat that terrorists in Iraq pose to U.S. interests.

But this line of defense seemed to unravel a bit yesterday with the release of a new National Intelligence Estimate that concludes that al-Qaeda "has protected or regenerated key elements of its Homeland attack capability" by reestablishing a haven in Pakistan and reconstituting its top leadership. The report also notes that al-Qaeda has been able "to recruit and indoctrinate operatives, including for Homeland attacks," by associating itself with an Iraqi subsidiary.

These disclosures triggered a new round of criticism from Democrats and others who say that the administration took its eye off the ball by invading Iraq without first destroying Osama bin Laden's organization in Afghanistan.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/17/AR2007071702007.html?hpid=topnews

[ClintonTyree]

1. Wow, file this story in the.....

"no shit, Sherlock" category. I just heard Oral Hatch lie on C-SPAN, "withdrawing our troops from Iraq would allow Al Qaeda to reclaim the territory which they lost". :wtf:

Apparently Hatch hasn't heard that Saddam HATED Al Qaeda and there WAS NO AL Qaeda presence in Iraq before the ham-handed idiot Bush invaded it. They just keep repeating the same lies, over and over, and the dutiful corporate media echoes it to the American people like the good little lap dogs they are. :grr: