Progressive Minds

Blogging live, from somewhere in the reality-based community. Speaking truth to power. You've entered the real "no spin zone." Republicans beware!

2006/9/26

"Cause Celebre"

@ 07:00 PM (80 months, 29 days ago)

No big shocker here. 

Portions of a declassified intelligence report state that the war in Iraq is becoming a "cause celebre" for Islamic extremists.

And as the Associated Press notes, the report is at odds with the Bush Administratin's assertion that the world is safer now, because of the Iraq war.

The report says that despite the damage done to al Qaeda's leadership, the threat from Islamic extremism is spreading both in numbers, and in geographic reach.  The report goes on to say "If this trend continues, threats to U.S. interests at home and abroad will become more diverse, leading to increasing attacks worldwide. The confluence of shared purpose and dispersed actors will make it harder to find and undermine jihadist groups."

Intel report: Iraq a ‘cause célèbre’ for extremists

President says NIE leak was political, denies war has worsened terrorism

Condi Rice Is A Liar (Says Clinton Didn't Leave Strategy for Al Qaeda When She Was Given TWO Documents from Clinton Era)

@ 02:58 PM (80 months, 29 days ago)
Well color me surprised here!  Condi Rice is a proven liar.
 
In an interview with the New York Post, she says that the Clinton Administration did not leave the Bush Administration a comprehensive plan for fighting Al Qaeda.  She told the New York Post: "We were not left a comprehensive strategy to fight al-Qaida." (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060926/ap_on_re_us/rice_clinton)
 
Sorry, Condi.  That's a lie!
 
The Bush Adminstration was actually given TWO documents relative to the fight against Al Qaeda, that had been prepared during the Clinton Administration.
 
On January 25, 2001, just FIVE DAYS after Condi Rice assumed her role as National Security Adviser, White House Counterterrorism official Richard Clarke (who had also served in the Reagan, Bush I, and Clinton administrations), sent Condi Rice a memo "urgently" asking for a principles-level meeting to discuss Al Qaeda.
 
To his memo to Rice, Richard Clarke attached two documents, a 2000 strategy paper, and one from 1998 known as the "Delenda plan."
 
He wrote in his memo to Rice:
 
"Attached is the year-end 2000 strategy on al Qida developed by the last Administration to give to you.  Also attached is the 1998 strategy.  Neither was a "covert action only" approach.  Both incorporated diplomatic, economic, military; public diplomacy and intelligence tools.  Using the 2000 paper as background, we could prepare a decision paper/guide for a PC review."
 
(Read the entire declassified text of Richard Clarke's memo to Rice here: http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB147/clarke%20memo.pdf)
 
Additional resource:

http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB147/index.htm