Clark: No al-Qaida connection to 9/11

[PsychoDad]

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/C99ADA0B-40A4-4966-863B-0FDA4E9C7EF0.htm

Clark: No al-Qaida connection to 9/11


Wednesday 14 January 2004, 23:10 Makka Time, 20:10 GM

A leading US Democrat and presidential hopeful has said in a press conference that al-Qaida was not connected to the 11 September attacks.

snip

The former four star general accused George Bush of invading Iraq without adequate reason or justification. "I think it was a strategic mistake and wrong for America."

Clark added that nothing said by the intelligence services to date had proven any connection between the Islamist organisation and the destruction of the World Trade Towers.

More here.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/C99ADA0B-40A4-4966-863B-0FDA4E9C7EF0.htm


The general posesses some brass ones...

[Goldmund]

1. It was a fuckup

He meant to say "Saddam".

[aquart]

4. So now Clark has "gaffes"? FUBAR.

[PsychoDad]

5. Ah...

So that's what happened :silly:

To err is human. :) But that only applies to my canadate, of course. LOL

[robbedvoter]

Damn! It seems Al jazeera misquoted!

If he actually said that, CNN would be on it first!

[DuctapeFatwa]

2. LOL Psychodad, my ears perked up at that one too, but sadly

the General hastily corrected his accidental lapse into the realm of facts.

[PsychoDad]

7. Maybe...

It was a fruedian slip? :)

Have to admit, my jaw dropped at the article.

[DoYouEverWonder]

9. Where do you see him correcting this statement?

I don't see it.

[DuctapeFatwa]

13. there was a long thread on this with all the links

but I think it was in the primary forum, which is now closed.

[DoYouEverWonder]

15. Ah, bummer

thanks.

[KittyWampus]

10. I Am Sorry

EOM

[hlthe2b]

3. Yes, like most humans, Clark occasionally misspeaks when tired...

Boy, if the press printed each and every one of Bush's "mis-speaks," there wouldn't even be room for the weather.

Sheesh....

[davsand]

6. Clark is not IN Texas today, nor was he yesterday.

The opening paragraph says it all, "Speaking in Dallas, Texas on Wednesday, Wesley Clark said that the US president took the country to war for party-ideological reasons."

Clark's schedule shows him in NH all day today and yesterday. Somebody got it wrong, looks like.

Laura

[DoYouEverWonder]

8. Oh my god

OK, pick up mouth off floor.

I agree, but then if it wasn't al Qaeda who else does he think it is? I know I've got my own guesses, but Clark had access to much better intelligence than most of us around here. I would love to hear his take on who was behind 9-11. Can't wait to see how everyone else reacts.


Here's another good quote from that article from Ted Kennedy:


Fueled by former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill's similar attack on the government, Kennedy said "if Congress and the American people knew the whole truth, America never would have gone to war."

Well gee Ted, why doesn't someone like you come clean and tell us the fucking truth. We'd really appreciate it.

[Journeyman]

11. What evidence do we have that al Queda. . .

was responsible for the attack? Ever seen any corroboration? What ever happened to the White Paper Colin Powell said we'd all get to see back in September 2001? And what of the criminal investigation of the attacks? Where are those reports? By whose word do we hold al Queda responsible? And what evidence did they produce to uphold it?

[MetaTrope]

21. I've actually started wondering about this recently

All those tapes and videos of Osama bin Laden that showed up after the attack...but even though he expressed pleasure at the outcome, he never actually claimed responsibility for it, did he? Must be atypically modest for a diabolical mastermind.

[goforit]

12. Sounds like Clark is getting closer to mihop!!!

Good boy old sport!!!!!

He's right on the money!!!

Al Qaida is a front for Bushco!!!

But try to convince and corral the herd of flag waving mooooing Americans.......their just as dense as Bush(below 90 IQ).

[DoYouEverWonder]

17. I think someday we will find out that al Qaeda

is in the same family as Santa Claus, the Boogie Man, and the Tooth Fairy.

Everyone believes in them until they grow up and then all of a sudden you realize that there really is no such thing.

[Insider]

14. concur

[robbedvoter]

16. Once again, before you embarass yourself, see # 6 - BAD STORY

Wed Jan-14-04 04:19 PM
Response to Original message
6. Clark is not IN Texas today, nor was he yesterday.
The opening paragraph says it all, "Speaking in Dallas, Texas on Wednesday, Wesley Clark said that the US president took the country to war for party-ideological reasons."
Clark's schedule shows him in NH all day today and yesterday. Somebody got it wrong, looks like.

[DoYouEverWonder]

18. Wesley Clark was in Dallas yesterday

But according to this his statement was a freudian slip. Oh well too bad, had my hopes up.


http://www.nbc5i.com/politics/2760620/detail.html

Clark Blasts President Bush During Dallas Visit

POSTED: 8:37 AM CST January 13, 2004

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Democratic presidential candidate Wesley Clark appeared at a news conference Monday in Dallas where U.S. Rep. Martin Frost added his name to the list of those endorsing him.

<snip>

Clark said at the Dallas news conference that he believes Bush took the United States to war in Iraq without adequate reason or justification.

Clark, a former NATO commander, also said statements he made regarding his belief that Saddam Hussein was not involved in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks stemmed from a question about a New York Times article.

Clark said he made the statement when he was asked about a front page article in which there was a statement made about low level contact between Saddam and al-Qaida.

He said his comments were meant to say that it was a normal thing to expect that there would be contact between the two. Clark then misspoke saying that he didn't believe that al-Qaida was involved in Sept. 11, but he quickly returned to the microphone to point out his error and say that he didn't believe Saddam was involved.

[Bonobo]

19. Now LBN is being invaded by this trash!?

Look folks, it was a slip of the tongue and it would appear that this was posted in a sort of well, let's say intellectually dishonest way. I mean, c'mon already. The title of this thread makes it appear as if it was a serious statement and not a mistake.

[heidler]

20. It's one thing to misspeak and catch it yourself, but if you don't

know that you have done it it becomes much more serious problem. What I read said that one of Clarks aids told Clark what he had done so then Clark went back and corrected it.

[ConcernedCanuk]

22. Did Aljazeera change the headline ?

.
.
. Cuz it reads "Clark: Saddam not linked to 9/11" now


Anyhoo, more from the Article:

"Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Tuesday said the idea that Bush came to office "with a predisposition to invade Iraq ... I think is a total misunderstanding of the situation."

Bush decided to invade Iraq in March last year "after trying everything else in the world," Rumsfeld said.

But Kennedy said the administration's "agenda was clear: find a rationale to end Saddam's regime," and he said the White House timed its announcements on Iraq to influence 2002 congressional elections.

"War in Iraq was a war of choice, not a war of necessity. It was a product they were methodically rolling out," he said.

/end/

hmm, so O'Neil is not alone in this idea

Is there hope for an impeachment ?

I mean, after all,

Bush's behaviour is a little more devastating to the country and the world than lying about a BJ ?

or not :shrug:

[PsychoDad]

25. The original story....

Was that Clark had stated this. Then it was revised to Saddam.... All on Al Jazera

Now it seems that the incident never occured at all.
So... where did this story start?

[stickdog]

23. So al Qaeda is connected to Hussein, but NOT 9/11?

This is our national security candidate?

[DoYouEverWonder]

24. No you got it backwards

He said al Qaeda was not connected to Hussein, and it was a slip of the tongue which he went back and corrected after he said that al Qaeda was not connected to 9-11.

[stickdog]

26. You mean like saying that the Book of Job was in the New Testament?

Funny how a slip of the tongue can be forgiven so selectively.

[leesa]

27. Now, THIS is one that I believe. Too bad it was a mistake

because in the end it is probably true.

[mobuto]

28. MODERATOR - Pull This Please

The article is inaccurate and deliberately misleading. Clark has never believed nor indicated that Al Qaeda was not to blame for 9/11. The fact that various conspiracy-minded individuals on and off DU do believe that doesn't change the fact that this article got its facts wrong.

[Moderator]

29. The actual title reads:

"Clark: Saddam not linked to 9/11"

It's very important that we use the article's actual title when posting in LBN. Thanks.