Target and Motive for Baghdad UN Attack: Congressional Delegation

[Beetwasher]

Apparently a congressional delegation was visiting the building that was attacked today. If this is true, these attacks are far more coordinated and backed by intel than we are being led to believe and that's fucking scary...

[Cha]

1. Wow! They wanted their attention.

[leftchick]

2. I think you have something there...

I just heard Rep. Ford D-TN on CNN by phone and he was very careful not to say exactly where the delegation was. Made me go Hmmmmm....

[virtualobserver]

4. roll call

http://www.rollcall.com/pub/1_1/breakingnews/2594-1.html



CODEL Members Safe Following Baghdad Blast
By John McArdle
Roll Call Staff
Tuesday, Aug. 19; 11:59am

Seven members of a Congressional delegation to Iraq are safe and in a secure location after a car bomb tore into the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad earlier this morning. The apparent suicide attack has collapsed one side of the U.N. building.

[Beetwasher]

5. Interestingly enough, this does not mention that they were at

the building at the time of the attack, just that they are at a secure location now.

[Brian Sweat]

9. Yeah, but if the delegation as scheduled to visit the UN building

that is still pretty bad.

[Beetwasher]

10. Yes, of course

It's stunning actually. However, it's still possible that they were in fact in the building at the time of the attack. The ambiguous nature of that account is pretty suspicious though and leaves a lot of unanswered questions.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[prolesunited]

6. Who were the members

in the delegation?

[Beetwasher]

7. McCain one was one of them

Trying to find more info...

[Beetwasher]

8. Delay too apparently

n/t

[Ripley]

19. Kay Bailey Hutchinson

is one of them there.

[Beetwasher]

20. So far I count five

McCain
Delay
Ford
Hutchinson
Cantwell

I think it was a seven member delegation, still trying to figure out the other two...

[qb]

11. This clears up a question I had...

Why were they targeting the U.N.?

[w13rd0]

12. I see a couple reasons...

...

1) Anger that the UN hasn't condemned the US for the occupation and exploitation?

2) A demonstration that not only has the US failed to adequately protect their precious pipelines, they also don't seem to want to be bothered with protection of humanitarian facilities.

[Brotherjohn]

14. Also, if they can scare away the U.N., the U.S is in it alone.

Which only makes things worse for the U.S.

[Brotherjohn]

13. The fact that they are now "in a secure location" is an implicit...

... statement that they were at least potential targets.

It is hard to believe that this is coincidence. There have been, what, TWO terrorist-style bombings in Iraq since the war began? This one and the Jordanian embassy.

And this one is of a building that the U.S. Congressional delegation is either present at or is slated to visit?

They WERE the target. We are up against stronger intel than we know. The quagmire deepens.

[Beetwasher]

15. Ford and Cantwell are also there

Cantwell was on her way to a meeting near the hotel...

http://www.komotv.com/stories/26708.htm

There's no doubt in my mind the delegation was the target...

[Rose Siding]

16. I'm glad Cantwell's OK

Any word on Ford?

[Beetwasher]

17. Yes, he's fine. He released a statement as well:

http://www.gomemphis.com/mca/america_at_war/article/0,1426,MCA_945_2192989,00.html

[Rose Siding]

18. Thanks. Before he takes too much heat for this...

("We must move forward. We have entered this and must finish"), I just saw a poster in another thread say he also said this proves that the US should turn authority over to an int'l authority. I agree with that.

[bearfartinthewoods]

27. errr.......have you considered the issue of how the bomber would know

the schedule of the delegation? isn't that stuff kept quiet for security reasons?

[Beetwasher]

28. errrr, I dunno, do you?

You don't think there were lot's of people who had access to that info? Meetings, transportation, on site security would have to be arranged and I'm sure there would have to be some local involvement and therefore, the possibility of leaks. It couldn't have been that compartmentalized considering it was no secret the delegation was in town. If in fact they were a target (I'm merely speculating), it would make it that much more terrifying that they can get access to that intel and coordinate such an attack...

[ElsewheresDaughter]

21. WRONG!!! target was UN's Sergio deMello...mission accomplished!

[Beetwasher]

22. Maybe...

I guess it's all speculation at this point...

[blm]

23. You're on my wavelength...

only BushInc profits from this attack.

[Beetwasher]

24. KICK WITH NEW INFO!

Congress Delegation in Iraq During Blast

WASHINGTON - Several members of Congress were in Baghdad, meeting with the top American civilian administrator when a deadly truck bomb ripped apart the U.N. headquarters. The congressional delegation had been scheduled to meet later with United Nations (news - web sites) officials.

--snip--

One member of the delegation, Sen. Maria Cantwell (news, bio, voting record), D-Wash., had been scheduled to meet with Sergio Vieira de Mello, the chief U.N. official in Iraq (news - web sites), who was killed in the attack.

--snip--


http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030819/ap_on_go_co/us_iraq_congress&cid=512&ncid=1480

[IkeWarnedUs]

32. you missed the best part - why Cantwell missed the meeting

This AP story was in the SFGate:

<snip>

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., had set up a meeting with Sergio Vieira de Mello, the chief U.N. official in Iraq, who was killed in the attack.

"I thought it was important to meet with the U.N. envoy and to discuss the U.N.'s role with the coalition forces in Iraq," Cantwell said.

But mechanical problems with the delegation's C-130 plane out of Jordan delayed the 1:30 p.m. meeting at coalition headquarters, Cantwell said, so she tentatively set up a telephone call with Vieira de Mello for later. The bomb went off at 4:30 p.m.

None of the U.S. lawmakers was hurt, and the bombing did not alter most of their plans. Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., who had temporarily joined the group for the day, was taken to an undisclosed military compound in Baghdad after the explosion.

<snip>

link: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/08/19/national1809EDT0747.DTL

I hope the UN investigates the "mechanical problems" that kept the delegation out of the building.

And why was Inhofe taken to an undisclosed military compound?

[Beetwasher]

33. Well, their meeting was to take place at Coalition HQ

according the this story, which is a different location, however, it's not entirely clear whether or not some of the othe delegates were scheduled to be at the bldg. I've heard reports that at least some were supposed to be there and who knows how truly reliable this account is for that matter...

[bpilgrim]

25. and would have the double benifit of sending a message to the U.N. as well

the NEO-CONS hate the U.N. and don't want them getting any ideas about taking over the 'show' there and to think twice about comming out with any strongly worded critiques about our harsh behavior over here... it is NECESSARY, things are real bad here right now... once we set up our puppet regime then maybe we can talk.

it could be either way but considering the neo-cons record they are certainly high on the short list of suspects.

thanks for sharing that info :toast:

peace

[Beetwasher]

26. I suspect we'll never know who's responsible

It wouldn't suprise me if the admin. was behind it, but we'll never know one way or the other, we can only speculate. I'm probably more inclined to think it was the resistance or a local group targeting the congressional delegation...

[aquart]

29. We almost lost Delay?

How would we cope with such a tragedy?

[MasonJar]

30. UN Bombing

The UN was having or was going to have a press conference regarding Iraq, which I assume might have been anti-Bush policy. What an opportune moment for attack.

[DoYouEverWonder]

31. The delegation was delayed in Jordan

I am glad they are safe, but what a coincidence.

I will go look for the link and edit this post. Be right back.