In his latest book, author Ron Suskind reveals that the Bush Administration forged documents to make the non-existent link between Saddam Hussein and Al-Qaeda look more believable. For further evidence the Administration wanted this kooky idea in the public consciousness see every Dick Cheney appearance on Meet The Press, ever.
According to Suskind, the administration had been in contact with the director of the Iraqi intelligence service in the last years of Hussein’s regime, Tahir Jalil Habbush al-Tikriti:Suskind claims that the order to make the forgery was written on "creamy White House stationary" and delivered to the CIA. We hope Suskind releases the document if he has it -- hopefully to congressional investigators.
“The White House had concocted a fake letter from Habbush to Saddam, backdated to July 1, 2001,” Suskind writes. “It said that 9/11 ringleader Mohammad Atta had actually trained for his mission in Iraq – thus showing, finally, that there was an operational link between Saddam and al Qaeda, something the Vice President’s Office had been pressing CIA to prove since 9/11 as a justification to invade Iraq. There is no link.”
Although this is a big story which in a perfect world would lead to impeachment proceedings, we have to admit that we're feigning "shock and awe" at the news. Maybe we're suffering from "lie-fatigue" or whatever, but are any of you really that surprised about this? The sun rises, Bush lies, blah blah blah. No?
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