Washington Post - Cheney Sticks to His Delusions

[paparush]

Cheney Sticks to His Delusions

By Dan Froomkin
Special to washingtonpost.com
Friday, April 6, 2007; 1:20 PM

Faced with overwhelming evidence to the contrary, even President Bush has backed off his earlier inflammatory assertions about links between al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein.

But Vice President Cheney yesterday, in an interview with right-wing talk radio host Rush Limbaugh, continued to stick to his delusional guns.

Cheney told Limbaugh that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was leading al-Qaeda operations in Iraq before the U.S. invasion in March 2003.

"fter we went into Afghanistan and shut him down there, he went to Baghdad, took up residence there before we ever launched into Iraq; organized the al-Qaeda operations inside Iraq before we even arrived on the scene, and then, of course, led the charge for Iraq until we killed him last June. He's the guy who arranged the bombing of the Samarra Mosque that precipitated the sectarian violence between Shia and Sunni. This is al-Qaeda operating in Iraq," Cheney said. "And as I say, they were present before we invaded Iraq." (Think Progress has the audio clip.)

But Cheney's narrative is wrong from beginning to end. For instance, Zarqawi was not an al-Qaeda member until after the war. Rather, intelligence sources now agree, he was the leader of an unaffiliated terrorist group who occasionally associated with al-Qaeda adherents. And although he worked hard to inflame sectarian violence after the invasion, he certainly didn't start it.

As it happens, just in case anyone needed more evidence of the spuriousness of Cheney's views, yesterday also marked the release of yet another report confirming that that al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein's government were not working together before the invasion.

The report also further documents how Cheney willfully ignored reliable intelligence in favor of broadcasting invented assertions emerging from a rogue Defense Department office -- a habit he apparently has yet to break.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/04/11/LI2005041100879.html?hpid=topnews

[ShortnFiery]

1. Yes, but Tweety's "man crush" on ole grumpy is unconditional and everlasting.

Tweety made a point of schooling the democratic representative on his show today that, Cheney IS the Vice President and everything he says is important and must be reported because he has The pResident's ear. Projectile vomiting anyone?

What a shameless D.C. Political Elitist Tweety proves to be ... day in and day out this "tool" never fails to "kiss ass on all sides" lest he not be invited to all the power political cocktail parties. :eyes:

[madeline_con]

2. So, Zarqawi's been sighted in Iran, right? n/t

[BearSquirrel2]

8. I don't think he ever existed ...

Personally, I think Zarqawi was always just a cartoon caricature cooked up by the administration. Once you pump up your leader to be a "super-hero" you need a "super-villian" otherwise the costume looks silly.

Zarqawi supposedly was killed in Afghanistan. Then he had lost a leg. Then he shows up in Iraq and he's the leader of the resistance. Then he puts on a mask while proudly trumpeting his identity (masked, we wear masks to conceal our identity) before beheading an American freelancer. Now he's dead. And I ask, what evidence do they have that he was ever alive or ever a serious leader in the first place?

[jazzjunkysue]

3. there was a link on that page to the WH personnel. Cool. You'd think

with so many people dedicated to just advising the pres, he'd get something right once in a while...


Bullock, Katja Special Assistant to the President for Presidential Personnel
Gerry, Brett C Associate Counsel to the President
Grace, Dennis J Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director, OFBCI
Karr, Elizabeth Barrett Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs
Lisaius, Kenneth A Special Assistant to the President and Dep Press Secretary
Looney, Andrea B Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs
Mistri, Alexander M Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs
Mitnick, John M Associate Counsel to the President
Nielsen, Kirstjen M Special Assistant to the President for Prevention, Preperations and Response Policy
Rao, Neomi J Associate Counsel to the President
Rounds III, Emory A Deputy Associate Counsel
Rowan, Peter M Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs
Smith, John M Associate Counsel to the President
Wright, Katherine Wills Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director

How is it none of these people were asked who the leaker was? If the weapons were real? If Hussein blew up the towers? If the Levys would hold? If NewOrleans was OK.

None of these people own a TV? Read the paper? Listen to the radio? NPR?

[cascagraphic]

4. Might as well have said "Water Is Wet"

[unblock]

5. delusions? c'mon. the guy knows he's lying his ass off.

they decide policy for one reason, then tell lies to sell it. they never for one minute believe the lies. if they did, the lies would determine policy, not the other way around.

[struggle4progress]

6. That the VP is on RL's show, really says it all.

I still remember the first time I heard Bigtime Dick on RL. He was lying then and he still lying today.

[glitch]

7. They suit each other. nt