The DeBunker Mentality

Bush seeks to debunk critics of Iraq claims

President Bush sought anew Tuesday to highlight connections between the Al-Qaida group in Iraq and the one responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks, and he sharply criticized those who contend that the groups are independent of one another.
[...]
"The facts are that Al-Qaida terrorists killed Americans on 9/11, they're fighting us in Iraq and across the world, and they are plotting to kill Americans here at home again," Bush told a contingent of troops. "Those who justify withdrawing our troops from Iraq by denying the threat of Al-Qaida in Iraq and its ties to Osama bin Laden ignore the clear consequences of such a retreat."
[...]
Bush referred throughout his speech to what he said was newly declassified intelligence in his effort to draw connections between the Al-Qaida group in Iraq and the central Al-Qaida leadership. But the White House and intelligence officials declined to provide any detail on the intelligence reports that Bush cited, including their titles, dates and origins.

Newly declassified documents that no one has ever heard of? WTF!?

BTW, the 'critics' Bush seeks to debunk are actual intelligence officials who produced the latest national intelligence estimate on threats to America.

Al Qaeda in South Asia called top threat
Undercutting Bush's stance, a U.S. official says most of the network's Iraq affiliate are homegrown.

Undercutting new assertions by President Bush, a top U.S. intelligence official testified Wednesday that Al Qaeda's organization in Iraq is overwhelmingly composed of fighters from that country, and that the terrorist network's ability to operate in Pakistan poses the greater danger to the United States.

The testimony came just one day after Bush forcefully argued that Al Qaeda in Iraq is substantially controlled by foreign operatives, and that most of them would be trying to kill Americans if not for the ongoing war there.
[...]
Gistaro, who was the principal author of a recent national intelligence study on threats to America, noted that Al Qaeda in Iraq — or "AQI" as the group is known in U.S. intelligence circles — has

"expressed an interest" in launching attacks against the United States.

But he said that 90% of its members are Iraqis who joined Al Qaeda's organization there following the U.S. invasion. He estimated the group's strength at "several thousand" members and said "the bulk of AQI's resources are focused on the battle inside of Iraq."

Need I mention that AQ did not exist in Iraq before Bush invaded? And that Bush's policies have made America less safe? And that the best friend AQ has ever had has been Bush?



Cross posted at VidiotSpeak