xingu wrote:ican wrote:(1) Stop al-Qaeda from growing in Afghanistan and in Iraq;
Quote:VIDEO: Cheney Still Lying About Iraq-Al Qaeda Link ยป
Just last month, the Senate Intelligence Committee -- chaired by Bush-ally Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS) -- concluded that there was absolutely no relationship between Saddam Hussein and the late al-Qaeda operative Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Nevertheless, in an interview with a South Bend, Indiana television station yesterday, Vice President Cheney falsely asserted that Zarqawi was proof of a connection between Iraq and al Qaeda. Watch it:
Cheney's statement is a lie. Here's precisely what the Senate Intelligence Committee found:
Saddam Hussein attempted, unsuccessfully, to locate and capture al-Zarqawi and ... the regime did not have a relationship with, harbor, or turn a blind eye toward Zarqawi. [p. 109]
SOURCE
As you can see ican there was no reason for us to invade Iraq.
I think you "cannot see the forest for the trees." Whether there was or was not a relationship between Saddam's regime and one or more al-Qaeda affiliates is irrelevant. What is relevant is that after the USA invasion of Afghanistan, al-Qaeda established itself in a sanctuary in northeastern Iraq December 2001, and subsequently began to grow rapidly. Al-Qaeda previously established itself in a sanctuary in Afghanistan May 1996, and subsequently began to grow rapidly until it had trained "10,000 to 20,000 fighters", nineteen of whom deliberately killed non-combatants including almost 3,000 September 11, 2001--5 years and 4 months later.
You allege that Vice President Cheney "falsely asserted that Zarqawi was proof of a
connection between Iraq and al Qaeda."
Zarqawi was
connected to al-Qaeda. Zarqawi was based on the ground in Iraq. When one is
based on the ground in a country, one is
connected to that base and by means of that base is
connected to that country. Therefore Zarqawi was
connected to Iraq and served thereby as the connection between al-Qaeda and Iraq.
Thus, Vice President Cheney
truthfully asserted that "Zarqawi was proof of a
connection between Iraq and al Qaeda."
No doubt, you will wish to repeat the usual nonsense that Saddam's regime was
prohibited by the no-fly zone from going into northeastern Iraq where Zarqawi was based. That is contradicted for example, by this from Britannica:
emphasis added
BRITANNINCA BOOK OF THE YEAR 1996 wrote:
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9113810/IRAQ
IRAQ: Year in Review 1996.
...
Events in northern Iraq took a dramatic turn for the worse
on August 22. The KDP, fearing an accord between Iran and the PUK, formed an alliance with Hussein. On August 31, apparently responding to an appeal from Barzani, the Iraqi government seized the Kurdish city of Irbil. After a short but bloody purge of Hussein's enemies in Irbil, Iraq withdrew its forces from the city, leaving its administration to its new ally, Barzani. On September 9 Barzani pushed his Kurdish troops farther south and without much bloodshed occupied the city of As-Sulaymaniyah, a stronghold of Talabani and the rival PUK.
Hussein then lifted a trade and travel ban that had separated the north from the rest of the country. On October 23 efforts sponsored by the U.S. to mediate the conflict between the KDP and the PUK achieved a shaky cease-fire.
...
