No one seems to be writing opinion pieces quite the way I would, so I decided to do it myself.

The name? Taverns are places where one goes to discuss the interesting events and things in the world, so this is my tavern.

I will offer my views on politics, economics, and whatever else strikes my fancy.
I will occasionally publish the entire article from another journal for purposes of causing discussion.

 

No Connection between Iraq and Al Qaida

Josh Marshall just posted this excerpt from an interview with ex-Senator Max Clelland about the investigation of what the Federal Government knew and did prior to 9/11. The report was completed in December 2002 but the release was held up by the Bush people until July 24th.

Do you think that Americans would have supported the invasion of Iraq as readily if this report had been released as scheduled?

Former Democratic Georgia Sen. Max Clelland, who was a member of the joint congressional committee that produced the report, confirmed the official's statement.

Asked whether he believed the report will reveal that there was no connection between al-Qaida and Iraq, Clelland replied: "I do ... There's no connection, and that's been confirmed by some of (al-Qaida leader Osama) bin Laden's terrorist followers."
...

"The administration sold the connection (between Iraq and al-Qaida) to scare the pants off the American people and justify the war," said Clelland. "What you've seen here is the manipulation of intelligence for political ends."
...

Although the committee completed its work at the end of last year, publication of the report has been delayed by interminable wrangles between the committees and the administration over which parts of it could be declassified.

Clelland accused the administration of deliberately delaying the report's release to avoid having its case for war undercut.

"The reason this report was delayed for so long -- deliberately opposed at first, then slow-walked after it was created -- is that the administration wanted to get the war in Iraq in and over ... before (it) came out," he said.

"Had this report come out in January like it should have done, we would have known these things before the war in Iraq, which would not have suited the administration."
...

[A government official who's read the report] went on to suggest that the conclusions drawn from the information about [a key piece of alleged evidence for a Iraq-al Qaida connection] was indicative of a wider-ranging problem with the administration's attitude to intelligence on the alleged Iraq al-Qaida link.

"They take a fact that you could draw several different conclusions from, and in every case they draw the conclusion that supports the policy, without any particular evidence that would meet the normal bar that analytic tradecraft would require for you to make that conclusion," he concluded.

Next question - why hasn't the media been all over this since January? They have known that the report was due out and being delayed.
posted by Richard at 6:46 PM