An awkward memory from 1996

[anigbrowl]

http://nysun.com/news/national/accused-saddam-agent-says-he-met-hillary-white-house


"In a 1997 interview with this reporter, Muthanna Hanooti said that at the meeting, Mrs. Clinton was "very receptive" to his request for an easing of the American sanctions on Iraq that were in place at the time. He said Mrs. Clinton "passed a message to the State Department" about the need to implement the oil-for-food deal, which was intended to allow Saddam to sell billions of dollars' worth of oil to pay for food for Iraqi citizens.

<...>

For the Clinton campaign, already reeling from Mrs. Clinton's misstatement on another 1996 episode — a landing at an airport in Bosnia that she claimed took place under sniper fire — the indictment of Mr. Hanooti and the disclosure of his claim to have met with her could not have come at a worse time. Mrs. Clinton has made her foreign policy experience in the White House an important part of her argument to voters that she is the only Democratic presidential candidate who would be ready to serve as president if the red phone rings at 3 a.m."

It should be noted that Hanooti's indictment as a spy for Saddam Hussein suggests that his clandestine intellience activities began in 1999, 3 years after this event. Nevertheless, it's a somewhat awkward development for Hillary's campaign, although not one she can be faulted for. This is the same guy who is mentioned in news reports yesterday and today about 3 Dem. lawmaker's trips to Iraq have been secretly financed by the Hussein regime. So it wouldn't be surprising if this particular story hits airwaves over the weekend or next Monday.

[VolcanoJen]

1. But... but... REZKO!!!!!

;-)

Oh, my. Interesting post, anigbrowl!

[grantcart]

2. a picture? she took a hundred thousand pictures

[VolcanoJen]

5. While speaking millions of words a day!

:popcorn:

[Debi]

11. And not getting much sleep!

:cry:

[Yael]

10. Photography is getting to be as sexist as math these days.

[EVDebs]

3. And in 1983, Rummy was shaking hands with Saddam. The more things change...

[thunder rising]

4. Those damn spys can be soooo convincing.

[FrenchieCat]

6. Oooh shit.

Wonder how this will be worked by the RW? They really, really went ape shit over the Oil for food program. Ask the U.N.

"Mrs. Clinton "passed a message to the State Department" about the need to implement the oil-for-food deal, which was intended to allow Saddam to sell billions of dollars' worth of oil to pay for food for Iraqi citizens."

[Dogmudgeon]

7. Why, the HYPOCRISY!

First, the hipsters spent 15 years blaming Hillary Clinton for murdering a million Iraqis by means of the UN boycott.

But now, they're slamming her because she had a photo op -- over persuading the UN to ease the boycott -- with a guy who became a spy for Saddam three years later.

Oh, you thought I was talking about The Evil One's hypocrisy?

--p!
There's more than enough to go around.

[anigbrowl]

12. I don't know who you mean by the 'hipsters'

I've made it clear that I don't think this is blameworthy. I'm just pointing out that it's got a better-than-even chance of hitting the headlines within a few days.

[Yael]

13. Shes the pentulant flip-flopper

The Queen of the Triangulating DINO Democrats.

:shrug:

[jasmine621]

8. Yes, but I agree that more oil should have been sold for food.

And, have we learned nothing yet from the Iraq invasion? Saddam was not the enemy the neocons made him out to be. He fought the Kurds for good reason, they were trying to overthrow his government, take the oil in their area. The Kuwaitis were slant-drilling oil from Iraqi oil fields so Saddam marched into Kuwait AFTER trying to get the UN and the US to get the Kuwaitis to stop. Has history taught us nothing? What do you think the US would do if there was a group within the country trying to overthrow the government and suceed from the union? (Oh, I forgot. That already happened and Lincoln killed his own people, burned major cities to ashes. Something called the Civil War.)

[anigbrowl]

9. Background info

Just a snippet of the AP story that was in the news yesterday (and well chewed over by righties):
WASHINGTON (AP) — Saddam Hussein's intelligence agency secretly financed a trip to Iraq for three U.S. lawmakers during the run-up to the U.S.-led invasion, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

The three anti-war Democrats made the trip in October 2002, while the Bush administration was trying to persuade Congress to authorize military action against Iraq. While traveling, they called for a diplomatic solution.

Prosecutors say that trip was arranged by Muthanna Al-Hanooti, a Michigan charity official, who was charged Wednesday with setting up the junket at the behest of Saddam's regime. Iraqi intelligence officials allegedly paid for the trip through an intermediary and rewarded Al-Hanooti with 2 million barrels of Iraqi oil.

The lawmakers are not named in the indictment but the dates correspond to a trip by Democratic Reps. Jim McDermott of Washington, David Bonior of Michigan and Mike Thompson of California. None was charged and Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd said investigators "have no information whatsoever" any of them knew the trip was underwritten by Saddam.
>snip<


Once again, I'm not blaming Hillary for this...but given the way the right wingers seized on oil-for-food as a strategy of 'appeasement' I would be surprised if this one doesn't hit the headlines. It's got all the things a good reporter begs for in a scoop -as in, something that sells papers/airtime. I don't have a strong opinion about this, as I don't think oil-for-food was an inherently bad idea. It's hardly the fault of Hillary or anyone else that Saddam chose to abuse it so badly.

[FrenchieCat]

14. Correct......these days, it ain't about what the story really is.....

it's about what it can be made to look like. And yes, this has all of the buzz words needed to scare the dumbass voters; same ones that Hillary "hope" would fall for the Wright pastorbating Gate.