Rep. Hinchey: Bush Purposely Let Bin Laden Escape To Justify Iraq War

[kpete]

Source: Talking Points Memo

Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) claimed on MSNBC this afternoon that the Bush administration purposely let Osama bin Laden get away in 2001 so they could use al-Qaeda as an excuse to invade Iraq.

"Look what happened with regard to our invasion into Afghanistan, how we apparently intentionally let bin Laden get away. How we intentionally did not follow the Taliban and al-Qaeda as they were escaping," Hinchey said. "That was done by the previous administration because they knew very well that if they would capture al-Qaeda, there would be no justification for an invasion in Iraq."

When host David Shuster pushed back, Hinchey stood by his claim.

"There's no question that the leader of the military operations of the U.S. called back our military. Called them back from going after the head of al-Qaeda," he said.

"I don't think will strike a lot of people as crazy. I think it'll strike a lot of people as accurate," Hinchey said. "That's exactly what happened."

Read more: http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/11/rep-hinchey-bush-purposely-let-bin-laden-escape-to-justify-iraq-war.php?ref=fpb

[icee2]

1. Sounds like a cover story/limited hangout

More likely, bush let OBL escape because OBL was bush's 9/11 pet scapegoat & could spill the truth about that false flag operation.

[SoFlaJet]

5. Look up Tora Bora

...

[YvonneCa]

18. SFRC link...

...http://foreign.senate.gov/

[yurbud]

76. Pulitzer winner Seymour Hersh wrote about how Bush allowed Pakistan to evac top

al Qeada leaders.

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2002/01/28/020128fa_FACT

[Jackpine Radical]

27. The other day I sent a link to the AP story to my favorite wingnut with

the following Multiple Choice question:

Why did Bush & Rumsfeld make the deliberate decision to let Bin Laden go when they had him trapped at Tora Bora?

Was it because
1) They had made a deal when they let his people through to commit the 9-11 attack?
2) They needed a bogeyman at large to keep everyone scared?
3) Bush, Cheney et al owed the Bin Laden family some big favors?
4 All of the above?

[PSzymeczek]

42. I'll say

all of the above.

[Jackpine Radical]

44. His answer was

Doc. Let it go. I know your kidding because your not that far out there.
In case you do not remember, Bush is no longer the president. The
community organizer is.

[lib_wit_it]

80. There are none so blind... /m

[Rosa Luxemburg]

50. 5. Bin Alladin worked for them

[Name removed]

54. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

56. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[sasquuatch55]

125. That's why there has been little or no attempt to capture OBL!

nt

[indepat]

126. Nothing here: move on

[CJCRANE]

2. It's true. They did let him escape. They can't deny that. nt

[Botany]

3. no more bin Laden = no war in Iraq

Of course "they" him go part of bush's tough choices in keeping us safer.


“Yet I have always acted with the best interests of our country in mind.”

“But I hope you can agree that I was willing to make the tough decisions.” gwb Jan. 15 2009

[CJCRANE]

10. Tora Bora is the incident that made me do a double-take

on the whole war on terror. Up until then I grudgingly gave Bush the benefit of the doubt. It just seemed inexplicably strange that public enemy number one was simply allowed to skip over the border like a bank robber at the end of a movie. It was like Bushco just threw their hands up in the air and said "that's it, he's home free, we can't get him now, forget about him".

ed: sp

[Botany]

13. Rummy gave the "stand down order"

These fuckers need to be in prison.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

51. Shouldn't this be headlines somewhere like US Today

"Bush let him go on purpose - to go into Iraq" Bogeyman at large...

[Ichingcarpenter]

78. It awoken me too on that war...never did buy the Iraqi War

But thought Afghanistan, which had and has a real coalition, to fight Al Quida was almost justifiable after 9-11.

Then I started reading and became disillusioned on its real purpose.

[mike_c]

4. Afghanistan is the gift that just keeps on giving....

Oh, wait....

[optimator]

6. stop trying to sell us bullshit

This bin laden nonsense isn't going to suddenly make anyone support this abomination of a "war."

[Demoiselle]

9. Oh come on...This story has been out there since 2002.

Via first hand accounts of military personnel at Tora Bora, ordered to back off.
I don't see how it offers a rationale for staying in Afghanistan. It just tells us once again how dishonest the Bushies were.

[YvonneCa]

19. Yes, it has...

...http://foreign.senate.gov/

[truedelphi]

34. + 1. n/t

[annm4peace]

70. Glad someone else knew that also

It was in a FRontline on PBS, or a Documentary. The officer in charge talked about it.

It seems like it takes the Corporate Media 3-5 years to catch up to real news, but they are only calling it a "mistake was made".

Letting "Bin Laden" go is not a "mistake"

[raccoon]

94. When the Corporate Media or TPTB put something in the passive tense,

"a mistake was made"---Your antennae should shoot out like fireworks.

What a cutesy way of avoiding saying that somebody screwed the pooch....

[annabanana]

47. Just because you are late to the story doesn't make the story false...

You got some research to do . .

[Enthusiast]

85. It's not bullshit.

It wouldn't generate more support for the war, true or not. Actually if it was accepted as true support for the war would further erode.

[Democracyinkind]

92. Bullshit in your head? Try and read.

1. http://www.buch.ch/shop/bch_start_startseite/suchartikel/jawbreaker_the_attack_on_bin_laden_and_al_qaeda_a_personal_accou/gary_berntsen/ISBN0-307-35106-8/ID13521635.html?jumpId=473833 (Garry Berntsen, Jawbreaker

2.http://www.buch.ch/shop/bch_start_startseite/suchartikel/first_in_an_insider_s_account_of_how_the_cia_spearheaded_the_war/gary_schroen/ISBN0-345-49661-2/ID14314676.html?jumpId=474607 (Gary Schroen, First in)

3. http://www.buch.ch/shop/bch_start_startseite/suchartikel/kill_bin_laden_a_delta_force_commander_s_account_of_the_hunt_for/dalton_fury/ISBN0-312-56740-5/ID17598810.html?jumpId=475838 (Dalton Fury, Kill Bin Laden)


As posters above have pointed out, these books most surely are limited hangouts. But it does make you think: If the CIA ok'd 3 of their guys to basically out the we-let-OBL-go-story... What are they hiding with it? Them coming out and practically admitting this is something very un-cia like. Makes one wonder what the grand strategy is.

[fascisthunter]

7. Funny how the Media Doesn't Talk about this more. It would spark public interest

and boost ratings... so, one would conclude the media felt it necessary to ignore something this important... can you guess why? After all, they always claim the media does everything for ratings, well?

[HughMoran]

8. Absolutely true

He should be executed for this too.

[Bluenorthwest]

12. But Obama demands we turn the page

And so he holds the book, turned to a page with his name on it.

[PatrynXX]

14. I voted for Obama....

to get us out of Iraq. and to actually go after UBL. Clearly he's in Pakistan. Can't we smoke him out? Flood him out ? uh foam him out?

Of course it's too late because now it's a movement bigger than UBL. I still disagree with Obama that these guys get the death penalty. They need to be locked.. er welded into a room with no lights and a tiny window for food.

[PSzymeczek]

43. I'm convinced

that Osama bin Laden has been dead for several years.

[tavalon]

61. I'm suspecting his grave is in Pakistan

[AzDar]

11. John Kerry brought this little tidbit up during the ' Furious George' debates in '04.

Right again.

[pjt7]

16. Start with 9.11 being

aided from within & then you go to Bush/Cheney/Rumsifeld/Franks letting the "boogeyman" escape.


Americans are DUMB & hardly anybody is getting smarter

[Amonester]

28. It's the "it can't happen here" mentality...

although History is full of "it can, and it did happen here, like it can and it did happen anywhere else anytime" evidence to the contrary.

And the PNAC site is still operative.

Go figure!

[YvonneCa]

20. Yes...

...and he's still on the case: http://foreign.senate.gov/

[Divine Discontent]

48. Kerry kicked his F99ddsing disgusting ass in those debates - and anyone with a FUNCTIONING brain

could see that B*sh was unfit to lead this nation.

Tora Bora was brought up by Senator Kerry and he slammed the B*sh misadministration on it, and B*sh just sheepishly argued back because they were lying and he knew it. If everyone understood what was done in our name - they demand heads.

[blm]

64. Not ONE wellknown Dem would back Kerry up when he first attacked Bush with it in Jan2002

and the next three years, even though he was the nominee. The big name Dems managed to get on TV to support and defend Bush's military leadership, though.

[Enthusiast]

86. Ask yourself why that is.

It is because the M$M is so thoroughly controlled by right wing interests. The media would have come down on those Democrats you speak of like a deadly hammer.

[blm]

96. Had both Clintons, Biden, Bayh, Schumer, and other TV Dems chosen to back Kerry up

on this in a united way, the story would have broken through the media wall. Instead, they left Kerry hanging on his own.

[blm]

124. Kerry brought it up at every campaign speech I saw and every interview since Jan2002.

The media downplayed or ignored it, while giving Bush's spokespeople, including Tommy Franks, all the time they wanted to claim Kerry's attack was a lie to attack Bush for political gain.

[greengestalt]

15. Not just justify Iraq

But to protect a co-conspirator.

Farenheit 9/11 exposed deep ties with the Bush/Bin Laden clan. And, not that I claim to be an expert on that culture, but isn't the "House of Bin Laden" the #2 royal house in Saudi Arabia, just under the "House of Saud" and they'd perhaps take an "Opportunity" if one presented itself?

[MetaTrope]

25. I just wonder why Osama's elder brother never invested $10,000 in MY first business

[mdmc]

17. Big Mo

kickin it old school..

[Doctor_J]

21. It's news like this that makes me glad Mike Malloy is still on the air

or at least on the internets. He will run with this tonight. No one else will touch this

[stevedeshazer]

22. This story is huge and should bring down the Neocon Empire once and for all.

Except that it won't.

:grr:

[Atticus]

40. Uh, wouldn't that require a free press? Just sayin'----nt

[Enthusiast]

88. Yup. Fixed that for you.

Except that it won't(even be mentioned).

:fistbump:

[Faygo Kid]

23. We were going to war with Iraq no matter what. Bush didn't need this excuse.

He had The Washington Post and New York Times, among others, to be cheerleaders for his drive for war.

[gratuitous]

66. And read the transcript

The folks talking to Hinchey simply can't believe their ears! Sure, the Bush administration might have been incompetent, or bumbling, or just had some stinky bad luck, but to imply that they were . . . well, just plain evil? There's no evidence of that, unless you're gonna insist on dredging up a lot of old nonsense that the media never examined too closely in the first place, then you're just talking crazy, and we won't have you on our show anymore. So there! :P

[santamargarita]

24. Yes he did so he could promote fascism

What would one expect from the grandson of Hitler's Angel?

[The_Commonist]

26. Some of us have been saying this for years...

Sounds a little different when a Congressman says it.

[Demeter]

29. Nothing Would Surprise Me About the BFEE

[Lilith Velkor]

62. A prosecution would sure surprise the shit out of me.

[Demeter]

81. Poppy, Too, I Suspect

and Cheney might finally have a fatal attack

[Enthusiast]

89. The most unlikely of

possible outcomes.

[Plucketeer]

30. Hey! We screwed up BIG TIME!

If only we'd elected McCain, he'd have told the military how to get Bin Laden and we'd have him already. Then we could bomb-bomb-bombing Iran!

We can only conclude that JM has never shared his secret know-how with our military, since they haven't come up with him yet. Isn't it treason or some such thing to hold out on info like that???

[KamaAina]

31. I wouldn't fly in any small planes if I were him

:scared:

[MissDeeds]

32. Most of us here knew that from the get-go n/t

K&R

[JNelson6563]

33. Hoo-boy.

IF this really hits the fan it'll be quite something. I hope it does. :toast:

Julie

[demigoddess]

35. doesn't sound crazy to me!

pretty much what happened. either they were incompetent or they weren't working to actually capture him. I think the latter. One thing they assumed the guy would stand still in one location for them to get.

[dred654321]

36. I forget

who armed and funded Bin Laden in the 80's to fight against the Soviets? Ahh yes, it was the US. We also installed Hussein in Iraq. Much blood is on our hands

[laughingliberal]

38. Yep, that would be us. Setting up ruthless assholes all over the world

so we can take 'em out later.

Welcome to DU

:toast:

[dred654321]

130. thanks for the welcome

[thegoodfight]

37. Its quite obvious

those defending this old fart are biased and I've noticed are omitting a few details (so Cindy is painted in a bad angle and that she was the aggressor). This was an anti-war protest, that old fucking fart knew what would happen when the clashed and he seemed to get off on getting in her face, anything to piss her off, because he was so consumed with malice (the only reason as to why,
is because he's obviously for these two unjust wars and has a thirst for killing more brown people). Hope she presses charges and sends this fucker to jail, one less thug, bloodthirsty repuke and you're all the better for it.

[ManicZen]

41. TheGoodfight

Seems stuck on the other video lol

[thegoodfight]

53. LOL!

My bad, I had two windows open....... ahahaha.

[RoccoR5955]

39. K & R for MY Congressman.

He mentioned it in '02, and he's mentioning it again. Look up Hinchey's voting record. It's by far one of the best in the House. Hinchey has been taking this up all along. He never voted for war appropriations, or the transfer of power to Bush.
Hinchey is as progressive as they come, but he's quiet about it... Most of the time.

When I first saw this, I said to myself, "That's my man, Maurice!"

[Kolesar]

58. Hinchey sponsored some great energy/environmental bills five years ago

That's how I remember him :thumbsup:

[snot]

75. He also sponsored a media reform bill,

which unfortunately went nowhere.

[RoccoR5955]

109. The Media Ownership Refprm Act will be resurrected

when it's time. Right now there are a lot more pressing issues that should take precedence to MORA, but I know that it will eventually come back. Count on it.

[blm]

106. He mentioned it then did little to backup Kerry's attack on Bush. Maybe Clinton camp asked him to

not be so public with his analysis? After all, they were publicly siding with Bush on his military leadership and leaving Kerry to attack the ToraBora decision on his own.

[RoccoR5955]

110. I'll have to ask him

the next time I see him. When he's in town, he always has town hall meetings. I can ask him before or after the thing gets going.

Hinchey was my State Assemblyman before he went to Congress, and he did a bang up job there too. I am proud to have him as my representative in Congress.

[tomg]

119. Hey Rocco, he's mine, too

and he has been saying this for years. Mo is great. You are right that he is quite some of the time, but when he has something to say, he is utterly fearless.

[Soylent Brice]

45. finally. somebody said what a lot of folks on DU have been saying for YEARS.

[EFerrari]

57. Yep. Sometimes we're more than a few days ahead of the curve. n/t

[Soylent Brice]

95. i would say almost always rather than sometimes. yes indeed.

[TACFIRE]

46. Delta Commander Confirmed this to 60 Minutes July 2009

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/02/60minutes/main4494937_page3.shtml?tag=contentMain;contentBody

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4502669n

Delta developed an audacious plan to come at bin Laden from the one direction he would never expect.

"We want to come in on the back door," Fury explains. "The original plan that we sent up through our higher headquarters, Delta Force wants to come in over the mountain with oxygen, coming from the Pakistan side, over the mountains and come in and get a drop on bin Laden from behind."

But they didn't take that route, because Fury says they didn't get approval from a higher level. "Whether that was Central Command all the way up to the president of the United States, I'm not sure," he says.

The next option that Delta wanted to employ was to drop hundreds of landmines in the mountain passes that led to Pakistan, which was bin Laden’s escape route.

"First guy blows his leg off, everybody else stops. That allows aircraft overhead to find them. They see all these heat sources out there. Okay, there a big large group of Al Qaeda moving south. They can engage that," Fury explains.

But they didn't do that either, because Fury says that plan was also disapproved. He says he has "no idea" why.

"How often does Delta come up with a tactical plan that's disapproved by higher headquarters?" Pelley asks.

"In my experience, in my five years at Delta, never before," Fury says

[One_Life_To_Give]

82. Welcome to DU

On edit

It's tempting to believe that means something. But Special Op's forces Planning sections along with other planning sections are always coming up with plans to accomplish different objectives. There were plans to rescue the Iran hostages that Carter turned down as well. Not for anything to do with not wanting our people back home.

[TACFIRE]

128. Yes But...

Carter DID send in a rescue mission, and was ready to try it again.

Gives the lie to "dead or Alive, Smoke 'em out" and all that other swagger BS.

[Krashkopf]

49. IMPEACH, PROSECUTE, SAVE AMERICA

Its not too late to do all three!

[24601]

98. You don't impeach members of Congress, you expell them. n/t

[RedCloud]

52. That's it! Off with the traitor's head.

[Flatulo]

55. Think about this for a minute - if Bush could have captured Bin Laden,

he would have been a national hero on the order of Patton or MacArthur. The American people would have followed him into Iraq cheering every step of the way.

I don't believe the two events are related. We were going into Iraq with or without 9/11. Bin Laden getting away was just one of the first of a long series of major fuckups.

[bbgrunt]

117. they always want you to think everything is

simply a ginormous fuck up. While you're right about gwb being a hero IF he brought OBL's head home on a stick, the deeper reason for not doing so still needs to be understood--and that goes back to the BFEE's ties to the Saudi's and OBL as an operative.

[winyanstaz]

59. Thank God...another Democrate with some balls.

Speaking truth to power even!...Thank you sir!

[tavalon]

60. This is not new information

Well, at least not to DUers.

[winyanstaz]

63. I am back to post again...just because the more I thought about this the madder I got..

It's simply nothing less than treason to have allowed bin ladin to get away...twice!

[SHRED]

65. I don't give a rat's ass about Bush anymore

It's Obama's escalation in Afghanistan that pisses me off.

---

[Lindsey]

73. We have known this for a long time. It's so incredibly disturbing

that this isn't all over the news 24/7. On a post recently here at DU, we were all saying that Bush/Cheny let Bin Laden go as an excuse to invade Iraq. I also don't believe that if Bush has gotten him, Americans would have been behind him for the war in Iraq. These people are criminals, mass murders (don't even get me started on Katrina), and should be in prison for the rest of their lives (I don't believe in the death penalty so that's the ONLY reason I don't want to see them executed). I remember hearing some kind of a response Bush made to the press when asked about Bin Laden - it went something like "I don't really think about Bin Laden that much anymore". WTF! This whole thing is the biggest travesty ever to have happened in our country. I have to have hope that they will someday be brought to justice. If I didn't have that hope, I don't know if I could continue to reside here.

As far as Afghanastan goes, I support President Obama's decision. That country is completely run by Al Queda. I believe that if we don't straighten things out over there, we'll have 9/11's all over the place - these people are suicide bombers who have no regard for human life. It's an honor to them to die for their sick, demented beliefs. They hate us. They want to see us and our "Western Ways" obliterated. If we pulled out, I think it would quite possibly cause our country to be destroyed . IMHO, President Obama has no choice.

[edwardian]

131. US Intelligence claims

that there are no more than 100 Al-Qaida fighters in Afghanistan. Obama has NO JUSTIFICATION for his escalation. Corrupt and appeasing distinguish the current admin.

[davepc]

67. The Delta Force Major in charge on the ground had his plans rejected by the Pentagon numerous times.

Major Thomas Greer is the name of the officer though he wrote the book under a pseudonym. 60 Minutes did an interview with him.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/02/60minutes/main4494937.shtml

[annm4peace]

71. thank you for this link.

[DeltaLitProf]

68. Have the Bushies EVER defended this decision?

I recall John Kerry bringing it up during one of the three debates he won against W. And the press did little with it. Bush didn't answer it. Kerry did little to follow up with it during the rest of his campaign. I thought some TV ads referring to the Tora Bora catastrophe might have hammered it home. Nothing happened.

Is there anything about this in any of the memoirs? Feith's? Tenet's?

[Zambero]

69. Wanted dead, alive, or (preferably) at large

This would make "sense". If Bin Laden had been captured or killed he'd no longer pose a credible threat. But if he was still out and about and purportedly making big plans for the next 9/11, he'd be an invaluable tool for whipping up the fear factor, making political hay, and providing an excuse to declare war for whatever reason the administration might want to associate him with.

The case of capturing Saddam was a bit different. We'd already jumped into the Iraq War, found zilch WMD's, and needed some other reasons to justify the mistake that was made. So we rooted him out and declared a momentary "victory" in getting the bad guy.

[grahamhgreen]

72. Is'nt it time we put BUSH BEHIND BARS?

[lyonspotter]

74. Unfortunately, nothing is ever...

going to happen to Bush (as far as justice goes). Just like with Nixon.

Bush did his job. He did all 'they' wanted him to do. (He certainly wasn't ever listening to the majority of America, which 'elected' his opponent twice.)

[NavyMom]

77. My brother in law has made this same commet for years, he said

they followed Bin Laden and the CO asked to cut off his route and to send additional backup. When they asked on ETA they were told to stand down and before they knew it they were told to fall back to the amazement of all of the soldiers there, he has taken some serious flack here in red TX but never, not once has he deferred from his statement....even went so far as to say Rumsfeld underestimated the soldiers looking for bin Lade as he never expected them to hunt him down. He said to this day all the men in his regiment has no respect for Rumsfeld or any of the people that worked for him and especially Bush & Cheney.

[RoccoR5955]

112. Thank you for that

From the horse's mouth! They followed him, and were told to stand down, when they had him in their sights. That should tell ALL of us something.

[Andronex]

79. you think that maybe...

[Name removed]

83. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Enthusiast]

84. This sounds very plausible.

Remember Bush was at his peak of power and influence as long as they kept the threat of terrorism alive. The American people believed the Bush lies then and some still believe them even today, contrary to all evidence.

You do not have to watch Faux Noise long to see that terrorism is still all the Republican Party has. They should change their name to the "Terrorism Fighters Party".

[cowcommander]

87. No shit

Worst kept secret ever.

[DailyGrind51]

90. Tell something else we didn't already know or, at least, suspect.

[INdemo]

91. Although Congressman and Senators must think the public is stupid

most of us figured this out many years ago..In 2004 we knew this but why now...Why didn't a Democrat any Democrat come forward earlier when it would have made a difference..Were the Democrats under some sort of pledge never to disclose the real truth?
After the puppet is out of office why mention this now..
Something that most of us had already figured out...

[tomg]

120. Mo's been saying this and more

publicly for years. I heard him at an anti-war rally in New Paltz a few years ago say words to this effect (Spring 2005 I think). Just because MSM mentions it now doesn't mean Hinchey didn't say it then.

[Jester Messiah]

93. Without his bogeyman, Bush would have been nothing. [nt]

[24601]

97. Sure, and he intentionally didn't use the secret time machine to

stop Japan from bombing Pearl Harbor.

And he intentionally didn't stop Oswald and Booth.

And when his dad ran for reelection in 1992, he intentionally let President Clinton win in 1992, just to get a Repug Congress elected in 1994.

And he personally ordered Rumsfeld to mail the Anthrax letters.

And he hosted a double-secret state dinner for Atta and the other 9-11 terrorists back in March 2001 - only Bush, Cheney, Elvis, several 396th degree Masons, the Pope, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and members of the Trilateral Commission attended - along with those two asshats who talked their way past the Secret Service.

Shoot me, but don't shit me, please.

[get the red out]

99. Is this supposed to shock anyone?

I have always figured either this was the case or Bin Laden was dead but Bush still needed "the Boogyman".

[The Backlash Cometh]

100. I'm speechless.

[pjt7]

101. American are stunned dummies & that's why Cheney/Bush got

away with 8 years of lying, stealing & murder.

When the Afghan Green Beret Commander comes out & say's he was not givin proper support to go after Bin Laden. You would think some lightbulbs would go on.

[The Backlash Cometh]

102. I'm speechless that it took this long to get someone to come out and

make this connection.

[AlphaCentauri]

105. Same here

it looks like everybody want to wait and see whats going to happen before they open their mouth and when they talk it's to late

[leveymg]

103. Same wrecking crew that let the 9/11 hijackers into the US let UBL escape

It's really almost too neat a package: the same operational managers at the CIA Director's CounterTerrorism Center (CIA/CTC) -- Cofer Black and "Rich B" (Richard Blee) -- who in mid-January 2000 let the Flt. 77 hijackers into the country and issued orders to withhold warning cables to the FBI went on to run the mission to capture or kill Bin Laden in Afghanistan botched that job, as well, some are now saying on purpose for political reasons to carry out Bush-Cheney White House orders. This is also the same group that ran the CIA renditions and torture programs that effectively destroyed the evidence (by repeated waterboarding and psychological torture) held by certain key al-Qaeda detainees in CIA custody.

[24601]

132. Mid January 2000? Damn, now we have to increas our "hang em"

roster to include Clinton, Gore & Reno.

[retired af major]

104. A Reaper (Predator w/ Hellfire missiles) had a fix on a man ...

thought to be bin Laden but the operators didn't get the permission to shoot from 'the lawyers' at CENTCOM. I think it was about Nov '01. I'll see if I can find a news article about the incident.

[CJCRANE]

121. I remember hearing about that too...

but I think the target might have been Mullah Omar the Taliban leader.

On edit: or it's possible multiple targets were allowed to escape.

[era veteran]

107. Hang Bush,Cheney, Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld et. al.

Fucking traitors. I would love to watch them swing. Murdering Nazi bastards rot in hell. HANG THEM

[paparush]

108. Glaciers move faster than this. C'mon folks, crack the whip and bring these thugs to justice.

[Stevethetruck]

111. What really happened? They lied U.S. into a war.

Honestly, how long will it take for people to realize that 911 was a false flag used to scare us all into going along with their wars? Osama worked for CIA when we were arming him to fight Russia. They never intended to "get him", he WORKED FOR THEM. The cheney/bush admin. planned, before they even got into office, to invade Iraq. They lied about 911, they lied about WMD's, bush justified because "Saddam tried to kill mah Daddy". It's all bullshit. and cheney/bush should be in prison for life for the inside job of 911, the biggest act of treason in history and for killing 1.2 MILLION INNOCENT Iraqi civilians. Our soul will NEVER be intact until we address the reality of what happened.

[Gamey]

113. Duh! Death grip on the obvious

[Wizard777]

114. So Bush gave aid and comfort to the enemy.

That's treason!

[LynnTheDem]

115. That was known at the time.

In the public domain. Reported on.



And they're just finding out about this NOW???

[valerief]

116. Shuster tried the "you're crazy" tactic but Hinchey didn't back down. Great!!!!

They had to cut him off because he didn't back down.

America has known this about Tora Bora since forever.
The American media/govt has pretended this was not true about Tora Bora since forever.

Glad to see someone in govt speaking the truth. Not that it will make a rat's shit of difference.

[mikelgb]

118. Speaker Pelosi Purposely Let Bush Admin Escape To Win Elections

Headline is so not news btw

[pleah]

122. K&R

[MidwestRick]

123. Did he wear his tinfoil hat

during the interview?

[aquart]

127. Knew that.

[knightinwhitesatin]

129. Of course he did

what else would you expect from a drunken AWOL chimpanzee

[No Elephants]

133. How does Osama's escape from Tora Bora justify invading Iraq?

Someone needs to remind me.